Although
the following statistics are now at least eighteen months old,
here are some quick facts (Source: Network World Magazine,
Jan. 31, 2000; Web site:
http://www.sims.berkeley.edu/research/projects/how-much-info/internet/emaildetails.html)
- From a study of corporate e-mail usage, citing David
Ferris, president of Ferris Research, the average number of
messages received by end users is expected to jump 81% to 34
per day by the beginning of 2001
- Average size of a message is expected to increase 192% to
286 Kbytes by the beginning of 2001 [with growth attributable
to attachments]
- There are nearly 345 million corporate e-mail boxes
worldwide, more than four times the number of boxes five
years ago, according to Eric Arnum, editor of "Messaging
Online"
- There are approximately 891 million corporate and personal
mailboxes worldwide according to the Feb. 2001 Messaging Online report
We all can generally agree that overall e-mail is
continuing to grow at an incredible rate. So what impact is
this having in the workplace? Plenty.
Two important e-mail variables, volume and quality, are
setting the pace for what we are seeing happening in the
workplace. The first variable, volume, reflects the sheer
numbers of e-mail people are receiving (or feeling compelled to
transmit). It is not surprising to most of us that if we turn
our backs away from the computer for a few minutes (unless the
system crashes) another e-mail will appear and need some of
our 'immediate' attention. There are many managers who admit
that they spend a third or more of their day working through
e-mail... and, after that, their 'real work' begins. The
question is whether it is really an efficient use of time.
This answer to this question gets blurred when we look at the
quality of the message.
While the volume of e-mail itself can be a challenge to
manage, the quality of the message forces you to distinguish
between what is useful and that which may be totally
useless. Many of us simply scan the source of the
e-mail and sometimes do not even bother opening the message.
'Spam mail' happens... and we move on. More often than not,
however, we need to open the message and deal with it. Over
time, we might take pride in the fact that we can discriminate
more quickly than ever between what is important and what we
really didn't need to receive. There are no set parameters on
quality except by the way you react to the message. For
example, getting a joke or cartoon via e-mail may be the best
thing you needed at that point in time. However, much of the
quality of the e-mail we receive (or send) depends on the
nature of the workplace culture that exists and to what degree
employer expectations are communicated.
For example, new software has been developed to deal with
the volume and quality of e-mail messages but in a way that
was not initially expected. In today's workplace, more and
more employers are electronically monitoring messages and are
promoting strict policies about e-mail usage. Software
programs have ways of picking out specific words or phrases
and each message can be reviewed at a touch of the keyboard.
Privacy of the e-mail user at the workplace has shifted to the
so-called 'big brother' approach. On the other hand, abuse of
e-mail at the workplace remains a significant problem and is
one that is difficult to sort out. It is doubtless that
thousands of work-hours are lost each day because someone
decided to send a message that 'just had to be shared'. Over
time, more systems and clearer rules of etiquette for e-mail
use at the workplace will become more commonplace. In the
meantime, the struggle goes on...
Perhaps, one of the best ways to know how far along we are
in developing e-mail is how we continue to relate to one
another. For example, there is always the problem of
politeness when you get marginal e-mail messages. The telling
characteristic is when you find yourself wishing that the
person sending the message would only have picked up the phone
and given you a call to get a quick 'yes' or 'no'. Instead,
you read through the message and reply. Sometimes, it may be
better to try phoning them (better yet, on their cell phone)
and leave your reply on their voice mail. What is your
opinion?
Editorial Note: What are your secrets of dealing with
email effectively, of deciding when to hit the keyboard and
when to pick up the telephone? Share them with us and we'll
compile a list for inclusion in a subsequent edition of the
newsletter.
For more information on related issues that will be
addressed at the upcoming Workplace Conference taking place in
Jasper on October 25 - 28th, 2001, check out this link on our
Website: www.congressboard.ab.ca/conferences.html.
