YOU’VE GOT EMAIL
While more offices are pushing to go paperless, email inbox-es
will continue to fill up over the next three years, according to
respondents in two surveys recently conducted by Robert Half
Technology. Canadian workers and tech leaders, polled separately,
agree that email will reign supreme in the workplace.
More than two-thirds (68 per cent) of CIOs and nearly half (48
per cent) of office workers still believe email will be the most com-mon
way to communicate internally through 2020. However, for
those who do think email is on the way out, instant messaging was
the most frequently cited replacement for workers, while execs fa-voured
in-person meetings.
Regardless of their preferred method, when asked which com-munication
channel is most effective for things like planning,
strategizing and follow-up, office workers from various industries
and roles ranked in-person meetings first. Forty-seven per cent
of professionals cited face-to-face gatherings as the most effective
method for day-to-day team communication, followed by email
(24 per cent), instant messaging (13 per cent) and phone calls (8
per cent). CIOs also favoured in-person meetings (38 per cent)
first, followed by email (36 per cent), phone calls (18 per cent) and
video conferencing (5 per cent).
Digital communication: Anytime, anywhere
Although email is expected to remain the most popular form
of workplace communication, one in five professionals surveyed
cited instant messaging as their primary channel for communi-cating
with coworkers. One reason may be immediacy: 73 per
cent of workers surveyed said they feel more pressure to re-spond
immediately to instant messaging versus email, and 83
per cent expect an immediate response when they send an in-stant
message.
The following are some additional findings on how workers
view instant messaging:
■■ Rules of engagement: 35 per cent of professionals said
their company has clear rules about how to use its internal
messaging platform, like a requirement to update status as
“Online,” “Busy” or “Away” to keep colleagues informed.
■■ Do not disturb: More than half of respondents have received
a message when their status is set to “do not disturb” or “busy,”
and 38 per cent of those professionals said they were “annoyed”
by the intrusion. Professionals 55 and older were less annoyed
than their younger colleagues and more likely to send a
message when a coworker’s status is “busy.”
■■ Signs of life: Most professionals said their primary motivation
for staying “online” with their organization’s messaging
platform was to inform coworkers they are working and
available (52 per cent). Other respondents use it to quickly
access their colleagues (21 per cent) and talk to fellow
employees in real-time (16 per cent).
“Email and messaging platforms can be useful tools at work
for quick questions and answers, catch-ups and sharing of ideas,”
said Deborah Bottineau, senior regional manager of Robert Half
Technology. “More collaborative and engaging strategy sessions,
however, are often best saved for in-person meetings.”
news
REGARDLESS OF THEIR
PREFERRED METHOD,
WHEN ASKED WHICH
COMMUNICATION
CHANNEL IS MOST
EFFECTIVE FOR THINGS
LIKE PLANNING,
STRATEGIZING
AND FOLLOW-UP,
OFFICE WORKERS
FROM VARIOUS
INDUSTRIES AND ROLES
RANKED IN-PERSON
MEETINGS FIRST.
Monkey Business Images / Shutterstock.com
10 ❚ SEPTEMBER 2017 ❚ HR PROFESSIONAL