Employers are being urged to avoid the excessive use of email after a new study found that almost a third of the messages they read and send are irrelevant.
The study of workplace communications, commissioned by headset manufacturer Plantronics and conducted by Henley Management College, found that managers are becoming more hesitant to discuss matters over the phone, preferring instead to spend at least two hours each day on email.
However, the research suggests that whereas email can help improve process when used efficiently, when used excessively it creates a ‘faceless’ environment and leads to indecision.
More than 40% of managers questioned admitted that they felt only a small proportion of the emails they sent clearly conveyed the intended message, which often leads to drawn out exchanges.
On the contrary, phone conversations were found to speed up decision making and improve message clarity – being less open to misinterpretation.
Peter Thomson, director of The Future Work Forum at Henley Management College, said: “Our research proves that email use is out of control, often causing confusion and inertia.
“It also paints a bleak picture of silent offices where colleagues email rather than talk face-to-face.
“However there is a solution and its very simple - make a phone call and start talking, email should just be used to firm-up and recap on what everyone has agreed on the phone.”
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