Office communications protocol

[disneychrista]

All the out of office people I contact get their e-mail on their cell phone, and to say e-mail delivery that way is unreliable would be an understatement.

That may be true. But in my case sending me an email allows me to respond when I am able. Calling me for information that I likely don't have is pointless & a waste of both of our time.

 

[Gumbo4x4]

That may be true. But in my case sending me an email allows me to respond when I am able. Calling me for information that I likely don't have is pointless & a waste of both of our time.

 

[SC Minnie]

That may be true. But in my case sending me an email allows me to respond when I am able. Calling me for information that I likely don't have is pointless & a waste of both of our time.

Exactly. And I would rather be asked in via email and I will answer via email. This way I have a copy of what I sent to them and can forward it in 2 months when they send me the same exact question.

 

[NHdisneylover]

All the out of office people I contact get their e-mail on their cell phone, and to say e-mail delivery that way is unreliable would be an understatement. They will immediately get a call too.

Are people claiming they do not receive the emails? Are these the same people who come in hours late because they use cells as alarm clocks and then try to blame the cell?
I think you work with soe very unreliable people who like to make excuses and know you do not trust newer technology so they blame their ineptitude on that.

DH gets about 100 emails in a typical day and travels the world and they make it to his phone just fine.

 

[bdcp]

Eh, as a Federal employee I need that electronic trail. I will get up and talk to someone about things that we don't need official record of. But I do also keep my supervisor in the loop so many replies include him. It's also how we know who has done what when something comes into the group. Although, we pretty much all know who does what and when someone is out, we know who usually grabs their work, but keeping everyone informed is important.

I even tell people who call me with requests to send it via email so I have the record. Occasionally I will just respond to a phone call via email so we have that record.

 

[tvguy]

Are people claiming they do not receive the emails? Are these the same people who come in hours late because they use cells as alarm clocks and then try to blame the cell?
I think you work with soe very unreliable people who like to make excuses and know you do not trust newer technology so they blame their ineptitude on that.

DH gets about 100 emails in a typical day and travels the world and they make it to his phone just fine.

Just checked my work e-mail from home and one person has called in saying "call me only. my email is down on my phone."
Actually, the person with the oversleeping problem.......who overslept TODAY......has never had a problem getting work email on his phone ironically.
There is no pattern to the email software failing, we have a mix of iPhones and Droids, and several phone providers, all have the same issue from time to time. The IT guys reload the email app on the phones and that fixes it until it failed again.

 

[msjprincess]

It depends on the situation.

If it's something that needs a paper trail, email. If it's something that needs to be entered in my computer, I'll call so I can look at the screen as I'm talking to the person.

 

[tvguy]

It depends on the situation.

If it's something that needs a paper trail, email. If it's something that needs to be entered in my computer, I'll call so I can look at the screen as I'm talking to the person.

As I have commented, the immediacy of things at my work may be out of the norm, but I have to comment that I am a little amazed at how many people feel the need to have a paper trail at work. That's a little disturbing.

 

[njmom47]

We work in very close quarters, so I will usually communicate with someone in our particular office in person, including my boss (unless I need to CYA with her).
If it's to the stores or my contact in our parent company, and important, I'll call; not important, I'll email.
If it's to someone in the building who I don't really know, or to another company that I have to communicate with frequently, I will email 90% of the time.
No IMing in our office!!!

 

[Unas]

Eh, as a Federal employee I need that electronic trail. I will get up and talk to someone about things that we don't need official record of. But I do also keep my supervisor in the loop so many replies include him. It's also how we know who has done what when something comes into the group. Although, we pretty much all know who does what and when someone is out, we know who usually grabs their work, but keeping everyone informed is important.

I even tell people who call me with requests to send it via email so I have the record. Occasionally I will just respond to a phone call via email so we have that record.

As I have commented, the immediacy of things at my work may be out of the norm, but I have to comment that I am a little amazed at how many people feel the need to have a paper trail at work. That's a little disturbing.

Just thinking how a bunch of Congressmen went all bat**** crazy when that IRS official said, "the server lost my email."

 

[mamacatnv]

Just thinking how a bunch of Congressmen went all bat**** crazy when that IRS official said, "the server lost my email."

Yep, I thought of that too!

Some environments require a paper trail. I read recently that email has been upheld by the courts as being legally binding so there are going to be circumstances where that paper trail must be maintained - kind of like a chain of evidence.

TV Guy, just about every time I read one of your posts that has to do with your work environment (I'm thinking of the cell phones and credit card threads) I realize how very unique your environment must be as well as your employee base seems to be very young and transient. I guess the TV News business is really like no other work environment.

 

[bdcp]

Just thinking how a bunch of Congressmen went all bat**** crazy when that IRS official said, "the server lost my email."

Well, the fact is there are Federal laws pertaining to records management that ALL Fed Gov agencies are required to follow.

BTW, email is never really gone. The recipients would have a record of what was sent. I do not buy for a second that those emails are gone or "lost".

 

[ILUVALASKA]

Perhaps a different perspective...my workplace has changed drastically since the advent of email. We have lost our sense of community and human relationships. No one talks to one another. I have resigned from this place and will start a new position in a month. My new work has a cool policy-no email on THursdays. You are expected to interact with each other. If you slip and send an email, you have to put $1 in the kitty. The money is spent on funtime Friday snacks!

 

[Lynne M]

As I have commented, the immediacy of things at my work may be out of the norm, but I have to comment that I am a little amazed at how many people feel the need to have a paper trail at work. That's a little disturbing.

The paper trail can just be for convenience. If we're helping our support group with a customer issue that's ongoing over a couple of weeks, that e-mail trail comes in very handy when we need to look back and check hardware specs that were given to us by the customer two weeks ago, or look up how the customer described a performance issue a month ago to see if it matches up with what was reported today.

We don't have the e-mail trail to try and catch each other at something, or because we don't trust each other. We do it to help each other.

 

[bdcp]

Perhaps a different perspective...my workplace has changed drastically since the advent of email. We have lost our sense of community and human relationships. No one talks to one another. I have resigned from this place and will start a new position in a month. My new work has a cool policy-no email on THursdays. You are expected to interact with each other. If you slip and send an email, you have to put $1 in the kitty. The money is spent on funtime Friday snacks!

We are a very social group and spend time with each other and have great relationships, but when it comes to work, we do keep an electronic trail for everyone's benefit (and sometimes protection). We cannot by law do everything verbally. We have a great "community" and we are in offices not cubicles which I actually think is better overall for communication (offices). I think what you describe has less to do with email and more to do with the culture of the office/business.

 

[DopeyDame]

The paper trail can just be for convenience. If we're helping our support group with a customer issue that's ongoing over a couple of weeks, that e-mail trail comes in very handy when we need to look back and check hardware specs that were given to us by the customer two weeks ago, or look up how the customer described a performance issue a month ago to see if it matches up with what was reported today.

We don't have the e-mail trail to try and catch each other at something, or because we don't trust each other. We do it to help each other.

Yup - exactly. It's not a CYA paper trail in my office, it's intended to make sure everyone has the info they need and that we can find that info later.

 

[Unas]

Yep, I thought of that too!

Some environments require a paper trail. I read recently that email has been upheld by the courts as being legally binding so there are going to be circumstances where that paper trail must be maintained - kind of like a chain of evidence.

TV Guy, just about every time I read one of your posts that has to do with your work environment (I'm thinking of the cell phones and credit card threads) I realize how very unique your environment must be as well as your employee base seems to be very young and transient. I guess the TV News business is really like no other work environment.

Just think, we're getting much of our information about our nation and world from a unique atypical group residing in "a whole new world."

 

[ilovemk76]

Do you call or e-mail or walk over and talk to co-workers when you need to relay information to them? I'm talking about folks that are just a few desks away from you.

I am amazed at how many of my co-workers will call or e-mail someone 6 desks away instead of just walking over to tell them something.

I saw a story on US Cellular, they actually banned e-mails on Fridays, you had to call or talk to people face to face. A guy profiled in the story worked in a high rise in New York City, and discovered someone he had been e-mailing for years, was not in Chicago as he thought, but in the same building, on the same floor he was. Literally across the hall.

Emails document a conversation.

 

[ilovemk76]

As I have commented, the immediacy of things at my work may be out of the norm, but I have to comment that I am a little amazed at how many people feel the need to have a paper trail at work. That's a little disturbing.

Just because your job does not need a paper trail does not mean all jobs do not need it. The IRS had to destroy the paper trail to save their necks.


I would hate to be so scared of technology that I will not upgrade anything in my life.

 

[msjprincess]

Emails document a conversation.

Exactly. When someone comes months later and asks a question i can do a quick search and see what was said.

With an email people can get back to me whenever they get a chance. Instead of playing phone tag for days. At my last job the department was 24 hours/ 7 days a week. You could go days or even weeks without seeing a co-worker.