MANAGING EMAILS
EMAILS
BY: DOUG BUNDOCK,
BENSON KEARLEY IFG
FRIEND OR FOE
E
mails have been around now for
almost 30 years. Hard to believe,
really. In 2016, more than 150
million emails were sent every
minute of every day. That
number has risen to over 190 million in
2018. Emails have replaced telex—for
us old enough to remember—faxes, and
phone calls and are now the number one
way to communicate daily.
I believe most companies have failed
in helping employees deal with the
30
sheer volume and have also not properly
trained them in email etiquette. As with
speaking and writing, there is clearly a
right way and a wrong way to work with
emails.
We all have a number. You check your
emails in the morning and your inbox
has several new ones. There is a certain
number of emails where we feel we are
in control, and then there is a number
where we instantly panic and feel out
of control. This unfortunately can send
your head off to a very bad place first
thing in the morning. Make sure your
number is realistic and learn how to be
ready for that number.
Managing emails can be as simple as
using colour-coded flags for different
priorities or setting up folders to work
within. Each person has their own
preference, but it is imperative to
have a system and work that system
well. Follow the four Ds of email
management: delete it, do it, delegate it,
or defer it.