By, Wayne Pope, Founder and CTO of award-winning Glasscubes
Today’s office worker is being put under even greater pressure than before. They are having to contend with greater workloads to shorter deadlines, and all with less resources. On top of that are the daily distractions they have to deal with. Chief among them is email.
An inordinate amount of an employee’s time is spent checking their email, both during and outside of the working day. There’s never a moment when they can completely switch off because they need to reply to the boss’s email at 9pm or schedule a team meeting first thing.
The upshot of all this is the accumulation of unnecessary stress and a poor work-life balance, resulting in burnout. And because of this ‘always on’ culture in banking and finance, it’s one that professionals feel that they have to conform to, and are therefore stuck in the same virtuous cycle.
Email burnout may well be a derided term, but it’s a very real problem and one that businesses have to deal with as a matter of priority, for their own sake as well as that of their workers. Not only does it affect an employee’s wellbeing, but also their performance and productivity, which suffers as a result.
Given that the average office worker receives 121 emails and sends about 40 every day, according to DMR, this is a big issue. It’s more prevalent in banking and finance than any other industry, with staff having to trawl through vast amounts of enquiries every day.
They are on it almost 24/7, from the moment they wake up to when they go to bed, and even then, often they will keep their email notifications on in case there’s something urgent they need to deal with. There’s no let up – even when they are commuting they’re checking their phones, or during lunch or break time, or in the evenings, weekends and holidays. Some even feel compelled to keep up with emails on sick or bereavement leave.
Soon, workers become overwhelmed by the sheer volume of emails and they suffer burnout. And then, once they have reset for the next day, they are at it again.
Impact on productivity
Email has become the norm as a form of communication. Thus, people are using it much more regularly. But often much of these emails are unnecessary and don’t need to be sent at all. Simple enquiries soon become long email chains, when they could have been dealt with by a quick phone call. Over time, as employees become so preoccupied with emails, so their productivity and mental health suffers too.
Stress levels among bankers are typically higher, according to a Unite survey, given that, traditionally, they work longer hours than most professions. As a result, the quality and accuracy of their work is compromised, their morale and engagement suffers, and, by association, so do the company’s results.
The biggest barrier to productivity is email, according to Mail Manager. It found that one in four people spent at least one hour a day going through their inbox – that’s almost one day a week simply managing emails. And because employees can now access their email almost wherever and whenever they want thanks to the ability to switch between multiple devices, it’s making the problem far worse.
Email clearly has many benefits: it’s quick and easy to use. But, when used regularly, it’s also time consuming and distracting. Also, the meaning of a message or important information can often get lost in an email. That’s why, communicating face-to-face or over the phone, where possible, is more effective.
Addressing the problem
To get to grips with problem, first companies must appreciate how and why dealing with email damages productivity. Basically, it’s because it distracts people from their main task.
There are steps businesses can take to overcome the issue, though. They can reduce the time workers spend checking their email. That also ensures that they are more productive during the time spent addressing them.
Employers can also allocate time to complete important work and turn off access to emails and notifications when they are doing so. Consequently, the employee is keyed into what they are doing and, as a result, will do it more effectively.
Workload acceleration tools
Another key aid is workload acceleration tools. By automating workflow, they can ensure that workers are receiving only the relevant information and material they need, removing any unnecessary distractions.
By focusing communication on the required data, files and tasks that need to be completed, these secure online workspaces ensure that clients follow clear instructions for the timely submission of documents.
Alerts can also be set to notify the worker when submissions are complete, while real-time reporting enables progress to be better monitored. All of this enables workers to use of their time more effectively and concentrate on their core role instead.
