Did you get that e-mail I sent you? The one that asked you to make me a spreadsheet by Friday? Or did it vanish into the ether? I don’t know, because I’m not psychic and my inbox is empty.
Here’s the problem with managing via e-mail. Unlike a phone call or a face-to-face conversation, getting feedback from the other person is dependent on the other person actually typing out a reply. And it seems to me lately that more and more people are just opting not to reply to e-mail, thinking it’s either “obvious” to the sender that they received the note or the sender is just micromanaging when he asks for acknowledgment.
I’m the first to argue against gratuitous e-mail, and don’t even get me started about the horrible habit of “cc’ing” everyone and his uncle. But if you’re sending e-mail to your team, the least you can expect is a response. When you are managing a zillion projects, the last thing you want is a question mark on your “to do” list, especially when you’re trying to delegate or collaborating on a project. Just getting a note that says “I’m on it” can do wonders for both productivity and peace of mind.
Besides, not responding to an e-mail is just plain rude — Judith at E-mail Etiquette Matters says the proper etiquette is to reply to e-mail as quickly as possible. Being busy shouldn’t be an excuse; as Douglas Schweizer points out, “It takes just a second to say ‘Got your message. I’ll get back to you soon‘.”
So tell your staff to start answering their e-mail as a matter of habit. And do them a favor as well — hack your e-mail subject lines to make their lives easier, too.
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