[Vivienne]

More than one third of office workers are now saying they are suffering from stress, on account of e-mail.

A survey has shown that staff feel "invaded" by the arrival of new e-mails throughout the working day, leaving them feeling harassed and unproductive...

Only 2 in 5 people are relaxed enough to wait a day, or longer, before replying, apparently with men feeling less pressure to answer everything than women!! Interesting.

[Yudster]

I heard this too, thought it was ridiculous. its no different to someone phoning you ask something, or writing to you. Email is simply the way our work gets to us nowadays. The stress is caused by the amount of work, not the fact that it comes in an email! I think email has made life a whole lot easier, I wouldn't want to be without it at work or at home.

[Vivienne]

Personally, I don't think it's ridiculous... I think it often encourages bosses to think up more & more things that don't need to be asked oftentimes. It's a good thing and a bad thing. People seem to have far less patience to wait on replies, in the way that they would had they posted mail out to you..

Another thing people seem to forget is how to be POLITE via e-mail. I always put please and thank you's in all my stuff... on every occasion.

[Console]

Where exactly did you read about this Viv? I can't say I've ever seen anyone get upset in any way by email. *

If it was an IM system then I could understand it a little more, as you're supposed to reply fairly quickly, but still, it's an odd thing to get stressed over.

*Technically a lie; a friend was once dumped via email, she was quite upset by it, and I didn't really blame her. I don't think this should count as being stressed by email though.

[Vivienne]

Read about it in the "Metro" newspaper, Cons. Well, you've just run in to someone who gets stressed by e-mails (me!!). I find it very difficult to have stuff sitting there unanswered !!!

I've been dumped by text... these things are naturally stressful. Technology! Aaaaahhhhh!!!!

I also once had a boss who told me off for being "too polite" via e-mail (a**hole).

[Console]

Think about email this way; if you're not there then you can't receive it to reply to it, just pretend you didn't get it and ignore it. Or failing that just respond to the email and don't have it sitting in you inbox unanswered.

[Vivienne]

what in the hell do you think I've just done! I've just answered everything this morning... so that it didn't go unanswered. Men!

[Console]

what in the hell do you think I've just done!

Moaned about a perfectly normal everyday activity?

I'm still not sure why it's a stressful thing. Either ignore them, or respond to them; there's not really a lot to get stressed out by. I don't think that many people expect people to respond instantly, and if they do they stuff 'em; let them wait.

[Vivienne]

well, I won't bother moaning again! I was responding to YOU. This is why I created the bloody thread, so that people could give points of view.

[MK Chris]

People seem to have far less patience to wait on replies, in the way that they would had they posted mail out to you..

I think things that you have time to post still get posted. Urgent things often used to get faxed and now that is what's being emailed as far as correspondence is concerned.

Does anyone else's office send an email and then follow it up with a phone call? "I just sent you an email..." I know, I can see it, thanks.

The only thing that annoys me (note doesn't stress me) is when people insist on requesting read receipts, so naturally I set my system to automatically decline read receipts.

[Vivienne]

hear! hear! topher! unnecessary things being done! e.g. 'phone calls being made to see if you've received something that you have instantly in your face! Utter bloody stupidity!

[Console]

well, I won't bother moaning again! I was responding to YOU. This is why I created the bloody thread, so that people could give points of view.

You still never get my 'tongue in cheek' humour.

The only thing that annoys me (note doesn't stress me) is when people insist on requesting read receipts, so naturally I set my system to automatically decline read receipts.

I usually send the read receipts, but only an hour or so after I've already responded to the email. Some people have since learned to not bother setting the receipt attribute.

[Vivienne]

well, I won't bother moaning again! I was responding to YOU. This is why I created the bloody thread, so that people could give points of view.

You still never get my 'tongue in cheek' humour.

[quote] ha! so that's why you were searching forums! I was wondering what you were up to! You've got the memory of an encycloepedia.. It depends on where you work as well... I work in A HOSPITAL, where things can't get ignored... on account of e-mails (and 'phone calls to see if I got them... er... yeah! they're all IN MY FACE!!), I am now just getting to the point where I can do the rest of my stuff.

[Ballbag]

Not to sound old, but I can't really imagine being at school with computers and all that jazz. I mean we had PC's, but only about 10, and they were used to just do spreadsheets, write programs and draw pictures in paint. The e-mail, internet thing was just getting off the ground when I left.

Oh how times have changed.

(Yudyuds, feel free to give us your impressions of school in a time when slate, chalk and abacus was still the norm, or is the pulral abacae)

[Console]

so that's why you were searching forums!

Yep, I wanted to get the wording correct, I was only actually one word off.

You've got the memory of an encycloepedia.

Do encyclopedia's have memory's?

Not to sound old, but I can't really imagine being at school with computers and all that jazz. I mean we had PC's, but only about 10, and they were used to just do spreadsheets, write programs and draw pictures in paint. The e-mail, internet thing was just getting off the ground when I left.

We had 16 player deathmatches in Doom when we were at school (although we weren't actually meant to of course); fun times.

[Vivienne]

Not to sound old, but I can't really imagine being at school with computers and all that jazz. I mean we had PC's, but only about 10, and they were used to just do spreadsheets, write programs and draw pictures in paint. The e-mail, internet thing was just getting off the ground when I left.

Oh how times have changed.

(Yudyuds, feel free to give us your impressions of school in a time when slate, chalk and abacus was still the norm, or is the pulral abacae)

This is a really good point, balls! The "generation" thing where people (like me and yuds and you) were brought up minus computers, etc., etc. On Sunday, I put a letter in a POST BOX, which I was feeling really pleased about! Long live PAPER and ENVELOPES!!

[Vivienne]

so that's why you were searching forums!

Yep, I wanted to get the wording correct, I was only actually one word off.

You've got the memory of an encycloepedia.

I just meant you're often like an automatic appliance of some kind, remembering everything about people's posts, etc. It's just ridiculous.

[Yudster]

Where exactly did you read about this ........

It was also featured on Sky News online. I think.

I still think the cause of the stress is the increasing amount of work people are being asked to do. If that wasn't coming via email, it would be coming some other way. But its fashionable to blame technology for all our ills these days, so thats the angle they've reported.

[Ballbag]

The "generation" thing where people (like me and yuds and you)

Whoa whoa whoa there Viv. I refer you to my signature, I am a spritely 28....... no offence to you two ladies, but I like to think I'm in another generation.

[Vivienne]

28 my a**, balls! You're older than me, baby !!

[Yudster]

I'm sure there are lots of things you'd like to think, Baggie.

I just had an email from my boss in response to one I just sent her which she concluded with "Thanks, hon". Ok, thats not stressful, but it is scary.

[Vivienne]

yep, that's another one, yuds! Inappropriate replies as well! Or people typing in capital letters all the way through!

[Vivienne]

O, and another thing! Nonsense type of e-mails telling you to f/ward stuff to other people! This morning, I had a BIG CAT (out the Bugs Bunny cartoon, I think) in my inbox.. this I can live without.

[Yudster]

Anything I receive that says "send this to five friends, and spread a smile" or similar goes straight in my trash. With you on that one Viv.

[Vivienne]

I've kept this one actually! Because it said it was UNLUCKY to delete it, which has annoyed me (being a supertitious person). Whoever's been in this job before me seems to receive quite a REMARKABLE amount of the most fantastic stuff I have EVER seen in my entire bloody life.