Frank Hovis Posted August 4, 2013 Share Posted August 4, 2013 Nice idea, though I am a bit wary of this as the only person I know who did this (IT Director) got massively demoted, partly for unilaterally doing this. I note that both are women and I have noticed at work that certain women (not all, I can think of three offhand, all great workers) are far more willing to challenge stupid working practices and push for sensible ones than men are. I'm usually quite good at speaking out myself but I have been left feeling sheepish a few times and thinking "I should have said / done that". And they're not playing the "I have children" card either, it's "I have a life outside of work, and so does everybody else". Anyway, currently on holiday and have said will deal on my return. If you send an email to Joana Breidenbach of charity fundraisers Betterplace, you get the following reply: "Many thanks for your mail. Unfortunately I won't be able to read it, as I am taking my annual email sabbatical. From August 1-29 all my emails will be automatically deleted. See you in September, Yours Joana." It's the third year she's chosen what for her is "August unplugged" and she told the BBC it was "liberating". She normally receives 100 emails a day and it was "overwhelming" to be on holiday knowing they would be there when she got back. Switching off was her way of keeping sane, she says. "I was really surprised because I am a tech junkie but I don't feel overwhelmed now. It means I switch off and I don't even notice." She's told her colleagues that they can send her a text message in a real emergency and she still reads websites and Twitter - but the email torrent is blocked. It also allows her to redirect her thinking. "I find that it is a tremendous help to focus on different things. Some of the best ideas I have come out of this free space." Danah Boyd, a fellow at the Berkman Center at Harvard University and an adviser to Microsoft, also takes an email sabbatical. "Have you ever returned from vacation more stressed out than when you left? Is the reason because you came home to 10,000 email messages?" she asked in a recent post. But does she worry about missing out? Yes, she says, But not as much as she worries about what would happen if she didn't take a proper break. "When I'm burnt out, I'm... a terrible person to be around," Danah says. Something to bear in mind the next time you type, "I will deal with your email on my return". http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/magazine-23547802 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MrPin Posted August 4, 2013 Share Posted August 4, 2013 The biggest spammers where I work are internal! I get loads of work unrelated spam from HR, H&S, corporate, and accounts and all that!! I just delete it and pretend my computer does not work! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Frank Hovis Posted August 4, 2013 Author Share Posted August 4, 2013 The biggest spammers where I work are internal! I get loads of work unrelated spam from HR, H&S, corporate, and accounts and all that!! I just delete it and pretend my computer does not work! When I was leaving one place I spent the last few months ignoring emails from one right PITA. I cleared out my emails when I left but I wasn't previously aware that if you deleted a message unread the sender got an email informing them of that. I heard afterwards that she was moaning that she got loads off me that day because I hadn't read her emails, although she didn't say anything to me. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MrPin Posted August 4, 2013 Share Posted August 4, 2013 When I was leaving one place I spent the last few months ignoring emails from one right PITA. I cleared out my emails when I left but I wasn't previously aware that if you deleted a message unread the sender got an email informing them of that. I heard afterwards that she was moaning that she got loads off me that day because I hadn't read her emails, although she didn't say anything to me. Email is a blunt tool Frank. Sometimes it is better to talk to people! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bossybabe Posted August 4, 2013 Share Posted August 4, 2013 But when you're being managed badly by email, you have proof! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
davidg Posted August 4, 2013 Share Posted August 4, 2013 In my previous job I never read an email unless someone phoned me or came round to my desk to remind me of it with the rare exception of some project critical emails. Ok I got fired from the job and communication skillz were a part of the problem but I have generally poor communication skills anyway. I also only read email in the morning. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
StainlessSteelCat Posted August 4, 2013 Share Posted August 4, 2013 I'd rather have emails than phone calls - and I delete about 80% of emails without any action. Around half of those I don't even need to read beyond the subject line before deleting. I almost never have any more than half a dozen emails in my inbox. If I go on holiday for a week, I might get a couple of thousand emails. Usually, they are dealt with within a hour when I get back. The trick is to only read every email once before deciding to delete, file or action it. Almost everything without a clear action for you can be happily deleted. The other thing that helps is having templated replies to common queries. Nowadays, I can answer a lot of questions with a link to a wiki page on our intranet with a standard answer (and best of all - so can the rest of my team so the questions aren't forwarded to me). Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
The Masked Tulip Posted August 4, 2013 Share Posted August 4, 2013 I took a holiday from a US tech company and when I returned I had about 3200 emails. It was then that I realised I was bei g swamped and suffering from email overload. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bossybabe Posted August 5, 2013 Share Posted August 5, 2013 After holidays when I return to hundreds of emails, I delete all but ones marked urgent and ones from board members. Never have any repercussions. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SHERWICK Posted August 5, 2013 Share Posted August 5, 2013 Email is a blunt tool Frank. Sometimes it is better to talk to people! Talk to people? Talk?! To people?!? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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