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No e-mails, please. I'm trying to work

REBECCA DUBE

Globe and Mail Update

Latest comment posted at 7:04 AM EDT 19/02/08

Loblaw, Intel and other companies are declaring e-mail free days, setting aside thinking time and waging war on BlackBerry addiction. The crazy idea: doing less = getting more done ...Read the full article

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  1. Kilgore Trout from So it goes, Canada writes: This will be as successful as the paperless workplace ...
  2. Sam Gallagher from Calgary, Canada writes: Dead on article... Especially the 'get over yourself' part. Blackberries have simply fed the insecurity of the majority of people who have this need of 'faux importance' and has led to a Pavlovian sense of constant email urgency.

    Most of these communications are of limited, if any, value to the companies involved and have been a revenue bonanza for the telecom providers.

    How on earth did we all survive the dark days before constant urgent email? And, with so many emergency emails all the time, and with so many people involved, it is a wonder we have a working society at all (tongue in cheek).

    What a crock...
  3. Royal Writer from Canada writes: Great idea, but sometimes I have to wonder whether sending people emails has more to do with looking out for #1 and covering your butt than genuine communication.
  4. Oops That hurts from ottawa, Canada writes: Excellent Ideas.
  5. Older and Wiser from Winnipeg, Canada writes: I would have to conclude that this is why Loblaws never responded to my letter of complaint about their crappy service.......

    Good point from Royal Writer - this is a practice that I have adapted and it has saved me on occasion.
  6. Jimmy K from Toronto, Canada writes: Block e-mails on which you are cc'd. 'Anything you really need to know finds its way to you,' management consultant Ken Siegel says.

    Hahaha. First of all, that's stupid. Second, as soon as people figure out people are doing this, they'll just start adding you to the To line.
  7. Two Centsworth from Canada writes: I have found that turning off the automatic email notification thing is very useful. It is hard to ignore that ping sound that indicates new email.

    Another initiative: resist the urge to send short emails of 'thanks'. I know it seems rude but a surprising number of emails are one line 'thank yous'. Your recipient will be happy not to be interrupted by that.
  8. Sue W from Canada writes: These are private companies, where productivity, the bottom-line, and shareholder value are taken seriously.

    Contrast this with the public sector, and with unions fighting for the employees rights for email priveleges:

    Ontario ordered to rehire 6 it fired for e-mail porn

    http://www.cbc.ca/canada/story/2004/07/12/ontarioporn040712.html

    In Re: Ontario Power Generation Inc. and Power Workers' Union, (2004) 125 L.A.C. 4th 286, the employee misused the company's email and internet by using it to conduct business with agents for the recruitment of exotic dancers......

    In Seneca College v. Ontario Public Service Union, [2002] O.L.A.A. no. 415, a professor of 18 years tenure was terminated for the possession of child pornography, which was accessed, downloaded and stored using the college's computer equipment....

    http://www.employmentlawissues.com/articles.php?aid=31
  9. Le Bloc Canadien from Canada writes:
    Email is fine. Email is great.

    What I would much rather have is a TELEPHONE FREE day.

    The telephone is the biggest problem. The telephone is the big distraction.

    .
  10. Ryan Fillmore from Sackville, Canada writes: I love this article. I myself have reduced my email usage in my personal life to essential things only (work related/finances/benefits/banking). I barely and mean less that twice a month use personal email to communicate with people. If I don't talk to someone in real-life face to face, then I'm not going to email them to see what's up.

    This is also a trend that I think you will see expand, and adopted by more companies (heck after I read the article I sent a question to my HR department about starting this).

    Also I am an advocate of internet access restrictions at work (only sites that should be accessible are news/weather/wiki/google). But I don't have much use for the internet myself.
  11. usually write from Canada writes: Loblaws hasn't a clue...they don't understand innovation, have not asked their people for ideas, it is a top-down organization without any clear direction, less e-mail is not the answer, cogent thinking is.
    As far as e-mail and the blackberry, it is a good productivity tool, much better than the cell 'phone, where people spend too much time jabbering, small talk etc.
  12. stand up mimi from Canada writes: I say we ought to have email AND telephone free days. Not only would I not have to drop what I'm doing to answer the phone all day, I wouldn't have to listen to all the loud talkers in the office answering theirs. Ah, sweet, sweet silence. I wonder what that sounds like?
  13. Old Fart from Edmonton, Canada writes: 'Get over yourself. Receiving lots of e-mail doesn't mean you're important.' Excellent point. Now, if the jerks who think that talking on a cell phone all the time (e.g. while driving, shopping, dining, watching a movie, etc.) means you're important would just get the message ..... but I don't think there's a cure for inconsiderate arrogance.
  14. Jimmy K from Toronto, Canada writes: I still don't understand this. E-mail free day? The concept boggles the mind. Perhaps the problem is some people don't know how to use e-mail properly. For example, sending essays to your inbox. Or sending your random thoughts with no actionplan and followup to 20 people.

    So long as people keep them short, consice, and meaningful, e-mail wouldn't be a problem. It becomes a problem when the average user is bombarded with useless e-mails all day that they need to sift through and triage their importance. Rather than have e-mail free days (talk on the phone all day, day?) these companies should run a lunch workshop on how to use email properly, a great number of people would benefit from that.

    And don't hate on bb users. In my experience BB users are the best users of e-mail. They hardly send me useless junk, and 90% of the time their e-mails are so concise that they can fit whatever they need in the subject line of the e-mail with no text included. They manage to squeeze as much information in 10 words as some people do in 500. Now THAT saves me time and aggravation.
  15. Darren X3 from Toronto, Canada writes: Ryan' 'Also I am an advocate of internet access restrictions at work (only sites that should be accessible are news/weather/wiki/google). But I don't have much use for the internet myself. '

    Ummm... so employees can use google, but they can't use any of the links that google gives them? You remind me of the pointy-haired boss in 'Dilbert'.

    I am a software developer... I use google (and the 1001 sites that google might direct me too) CONSTANTLY in solving problems. So do all my coworkers. It is usually far more helpful than the 'official' documentation.
  16. Darren X3 from Toronto, Canada writes: BTW if companies were REALLY serious about productivity they'd give their employees actual offices. With doors. That close.
  17. J S from Toronto, Canada writes: 'There's a difference between looking busy and being productive...:'

    Thank goodness these companies have finally caught on!! I only wish my old boss understood this. According to him, you're not really busy unless you're trading mindless e-mail's in the middle of the night via Blackberry. I've even seen him nearly get into accidents his Blackberry is so important - I was in the car with him one time while he used one knee to steer while using his thumbs to type and our speed decreased from 120km/hr to about 55-60km/hr and we came about a foot from a guardrail - but that e-mail got out. The way I see it, if an e-mail is THAT important - STOP and pick up the phone.

    I hope this trends gathers steam!!
  18. Ricky for a Centrist Canada from Canada writes:
    If you need bans, rules, and 'no email days' to handle productivity issues, you have bigger problems than technology.

    REALLY effective companies create a working environment geared towards worker productivity - whether it's wages, benefits, office spaces, flexible schedules and shifts, whatever. Companies that don't cut corners in this regard have physically and emotionally stable employees that are productive and motivated to do their best for the company. Workplaces like this don't need excessive rules, nor do they need to micromanage their employees' habits.

    Unfortunately, few companies operate this way nowadays. They'd rather pinch pennies than see the big picture - and depend on micromanaging to give them a sense of control.

    Petty rules and 'bans' create resentment, frustration, and a sense that the company doesn't trust its people. They are ultimately counterproductive - and for those that say 'oh no, they've eliminated distractions....etc' - you are merely not seeing the problems underneath the surface.
  19. Ricky for a Centrist Canada from Canada writes:
    At the same time, people need to be fully educated about and committed to following common-sense email and technology practices.

    Much of what's been said above....not replying just to say 'thanks', choosing the right time/place to email, and using email communication effectively and efficiently. These are things employees need to do in order to hold up their end of the bargain as workers.
  20. Jeremy K from vancouver canada, Canada writes: i glance at emails as they come in but I feel no obligation to jump into instant action simply because I see the email. I create my own form of email free Wednesdays simply by prioritizing my day in a sensible fashion and if that means ignoring a few emails for a couple of hours then so be it.
  21. Jeremy K from vancouver canada, Canada writes: use the preview pane so that you can determine the importance of email at a glance without actually opening it or changing the read bit.
  22. J V M from Canada writes: I think a ban could make things easier for employees, because if it is company policy, you just tell everybody who expects email that they won't get any from your company on Wednesdays, or whatever, and then the individual doesn't have to worry about it at all on that day. Although logically I think it would be better to do it for a few hours each day rather than for one entire day. Hmm.
  23. Duane Freemantle from writes: This article seems to be searching for a solution. Even without these technological tools, we have interruptions. It seems that the solution put forth only removes the convenience of using e-mail. Instead, they may have to walk to the person or call them on the phone. They has been research that has been do with would clearly contradict the conclusion that this article has made. More the about things preventing 'us from thinking carefully for any unbroken stretch of time'. The only time I have ever found when I could think carefully for an unbroken stretch of time was when everyone had gone home, or no one was in the office.
  24. JimmyP From Trawna from Canada writes: I get about 75 emails and meeting invitations a day. Email is essential five days a week -- banning it for a day would be like our parents having a typewriter-free day at their offices. My biggest fear about the volume of email I receive is that I may miss something critical -- especially with all sorts of spreadsheets attached -- I prefer the phone for those issues and send the spreadsheets ahead of time.

    My Email rules:
    1. Housekeep inbox twice a day to keep things flowing
    2. Never delete anything for at least 6 months (saving emails and attachments has saved me several times - great for a failing memory for minutia)
    3. Review emails from most recent -- sometimes you can avoid reading several emails by sequencing from the top down - most emails with the same subject line and sent back and forth amongst colleagues contain all the to and fro comments -- so read one rather than several
    4. Blackberry is for emergency only -- separate email address known only to very few (boss, key supplier and one subordinate)
    5. Maintain an FTP site for sending and receiving large files
    6. One or two word responses in subject line: (eg) Re: YE Accruals - will send tomorrow.
    7. Never BCC someone in an email -- safer to forward it instead. A BCC is easy to screw up if you're not concentrating in an email exchange
    8. Habitually hit the REPLY button and THEN switch to the REPLY ALL button if necessary rather than vice-versa - again, a spontaneous reply all button reflex will eventually 'get you'
    9. (most important rule) Don't give your work email address to your hockey buddies
  25. Prairie Boy from Canada writes: The last three years I worked I stopped reading 80% of my e-mails. Some I would read and some I wouldn't. When I wouldn't open the red flag ones from certain people they would send an e-mail telling me I hadn't read the first one. Eventually they tired of it. As I told my boss I have better things to do then read stuff from people who think they are important but have nothing to offer.
  26. Mike Dobson from Canada writes: I think this is a great idea. Maybe the higher ups at Loblaws can spend Wednesday each week in their stores. There, they too can see the hundreds of little pink tags saying 'stock required' and the 17 year olds blocking the aisles stocking shelves in their filthy dirty yellow shirts. Very impressive!

    I think Loblaws problems are much more than being overburdened with email...
  27. Rene L from Somewhere, Canada writes: Not sure I like this idea... e-mails are a great communication tool that can add to productivity if they are short and to the point. They leave a paper trail ( vs telephone conversations ) and they are great for organizing work as well as memory loss. Although I agree some people can go overboard with personal e-mails or uselessly CCing people but this is more the fault of the sender than the actual technology itself.
  28. M B from Canada writes: I have used a version of the 'email-free' day in the past and I heartily endorse the idea. Although I cannot go the whole day without responding to email as I have to be responsive to my clients, I will close Outlook for a couple of hours and put my phone on 'Do Not Disturb' in order to put my head down and plow through my work. I get more done during that time as I do not have to worry about interruptions. There is nothing that comes along that cannot wait an hour or two and I can do a better job on getting the rest of my duties finished.
  29. John Deriso from Edmonton, Canada writes: I thought the order of operations was:
    (1) Talk to someone.
    (2) Telephone.
    (3) Talk to/Telephone later.
    (4) E-mail.

    Unless you have a job where the fate of the world is in your hands (secret agent, mad scientist, the guy who controls that big red button that can blow up the world), then nothing - NOTHING - is so important that it must be handled RIGHT NOW! Just do your job. Relax. It's okay.
  30. Rain Maker from Canada writes: Email free days are just like a high protein/low carb diet day to lose weight.

    Everything we do requires discipline. You don't need to have an email free day, just stop using the email so much.

    I dont recall us having telephone free days.
  31. Banofee Pie from Toronto, Canada writes: Prairie Boy, you said:

    As I told my boss I have better things to do then read stuff from people who think they are important but have nothing to offer.

    Doesn't that make you self-important? Or is it ok that you are, but no one else can be? That behaviour would rightfully get you fired in a lot of companies.

    I thankfully don't have a blackberry, but understand why people do have them and I feel sorry for them because they're always on call, ie always working. We used to function quite well as a society pre-Blackberry, guess the invention just makes us more "efficient" but also dilutes the impact of face-to-face communication, or even hearing someone's voice. People would now rather text than talk.

    I don't mind the telephone, don't mind if people call during the work day. Usually it's work related and usually they just need help. It's part of the job and if you have any social skills whatsoever, answering the phone shouldn't be a problem. If you're on a deadline, forward your calls to voicemail or turn off the blackberry, but tell your colleagues first. It's so simple, why do we make things so needlessly complicated?

  32. Rodger Harding from Canada writes: To JimmyP From Trawna : Thank you! Great points....Unfortunately they require thinking...Most folk probably prefer the rule that gives them permission/the instruction to go off line for a day....
  33. Craig Cooper from Toronto, writes: I've been proposing this for years, but the buffoons I've worked with were too busy texting to hear it!
  34. Peter Deppisch from Whitby, Canada writes: I started work in '58 and there was no e-mail and we worked all day.

    IBM introduced PROFS in the early '80's and it had e-mail, sort of. We used to write memos and copy the world.

    Then the P.C. came along and with it e-mail and productive work stopped.

    In the late '90's and I discovered that all I did all day was answer e-mails and set up meetings to discuss the e-mails.

    I was wondering who was doing the real work? Our work seemed to be answering e-mails.
    Finally - companies are waking up to the fact that e-mail is not work.

    On the other hand work used to be very structured and all the decisions were made at the top.

    To-day with e-mails everyone gets their say and maybe that synergy solves problems in a seemingly much more complex world.
    Cheers,
    Peter
  35. RD Lone from Vancouver, Canada writes: E-mail is used exists because it is productive. If you ban e-mail people will just resort to less effective methods like phoning or walking over. Either way people need to communicate, why not choose the method that is the least distracting? I guarantee you that having someone trying to talk to you impedes your work concentration more than having a file in your inbox.

    The study is out to lunch. The "typical worker" checks their email 30-40 times an hour?! Even the blackberry addicts don't check their email every 1.5 minutes.
  36. Seb D from Ottawa, Canada writes: Royal writer: Email definitely has something to do with covering your butt, but here's something I learned over the years - covering your butt is a good thing.

    I had a management prof who used to tell us that it should be our number one rule - CYA. I remember thinking that a little cynical at the time.

    However, after being burned a few times for not covering my butt, I found that doing so made me more efficient and better organized. It's not just about protecting yourself, but also understanding that you can't possibly remember every detail of a project or every conversation. Having it in writing is extremely helpful.
  37. Rollo Tomasi from Belgium writes: Peter Deppisch from Whitby, Canada writes: I started work in '58 and there was no e-mail and we worked all day.

    In the late '90's and I discovered that all I did all day was answer e-mails and set up meetings to discuss the e-mails.
    ------------------------------------------

    It was nice of them to keep you employed and make you feel useful until your well deserved retirement.
  38. Tricia Waddell from Edmonton, Canada writes: Is it ironic that I emailed this article to my boss and noticed that it was the most emailed article on the list that pops up after you email the article?
  39. Eric the Red from Uzbekistan writes: I'm waiting for the day where office revolution declares that instead of 'email, telephone or by some other electronic means', if you are in the vicinity of intended recipient, why not get off your keyster and rely on verbal communication instead.

    Email is productive, but arguably it reduces people to typing things out which might otherwise be just as effectively communicated by speaking.

    Especially if you're 5 metres away from them.
  40. D K from Canada writes: Apparently Loblaws also has food free days in it's stores. Probably because emails are being ignored :)
  41. E M from Canada writes: Nice sentiment, but my key colleagues span seven countries and different time zones.

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