[Assam] Emailitis and Cure

[Dilip/Dil Deka]

If you ever suffered from emailitis, please read the following. It was published by BP.

 

eMailitis - are you a sufferer?

 

Do you feel overwhelmed by another eMail entering your inbox? Worse still, are you adding to the problem by filling up someone else�s inbox with unnecessary eMail? You might have �eMailitis�.

Learn to spot the symptoms, start dealing with them and find out where to go for more help.

The problem � Too much eMail.

The scale of the problem � Time is money.

The purpose of BP plc is to make money for its shareholders. It has many useful pieces of equipment and machinery to do that. The heart of this money making enterprise though is You. Your time is valuable with many conflicting demands made upon it. Communication is often key to ensuring that you operate most effectively and eMail is one of the key tools that allow you to do so internationally. However, eMail like many things in life is best used �in moderation�. Reading eMails is often not the best use of your time. Particularly if they contain unnecessary information, which you probably didn�t need to know in the first place. Time wasted reading pointless, irrelevant, unclear, long eMails costs BP millions of dollars. The problem continues to grow, but its solution is in your hands.

What you can do?

Part of the solution is easy, as for every received e-mail, there is a sent e-mail. So, if you sent 10% fewer eMails each day think how much money would be saved by people never having to spend the time reading them. Would BP grind to a halt?

Last year, we did a survey. 70% of you were getting too much eMail, however only 30% of you thought you were sending too much eMail. That 30% are the people who are beginning to come to terms with their problem. Many of you still don�t realise you have a problem. This article is designed to make you consider whether you might also be a sufferer of eMailitis. You are not alone. Accepting you have a problem is the first step on the road to coming to beating it. Temptation is everywhere and we all need help to overcome it.  

My name is Mark.
I work for Employee Communications in London
I have eMailitis and I want to do something about it.
It�s going to be a struggle, but I know I�m not alone�

Spotting the symptoms

eMailitis comes in many shapes and forms. To help you recognise whether you are also suffering from it, several of your colleagues across BP have agreed to share their particular experiences. Names and locations have been disguised to protect their identities. Any resemblance to specific individuals however, is deliberate and intentional.

Letting everyone know what you are doing

Tom from Whiting refinery is a busy person. He sends lots of eMails each day.  He wants his boss, colleagues and Fred in Security to know just how busy he is. That�s why he copies them on everything he sends. Tom thinks all his colleagues think he�s a really busy hard working person. His colleagues think he�s a  [EMAIL PROTECTED]   as they spend all day deleting these unwanted eMails. However, they have never had the heart to hurt Tom�s feelings by telling him.

The problem � Copying in people who don�t need to know.

The lesson - Only direct e-mails to those who need to know.

How you can help - If you work with someone like Tom, let them know you don�t want to be copied on everything.

Staying on too many distribution lists

Vanessa in Bangkok is on her 10^th job in BP at her eighth location. Over the years she has done a wide range of jobs. She has stayed on every distribution list she has ever been on, so still knows when the canteen in Baltimore is closing early for a lunchtime presentation, where she worked 3 jobs ago. Vanessa thinks she is keeping in touch with what�s going on. Unfortunately, she is so in touch with all this peripheral history, she hasn�t got time to stay in touch with her colleagues locally.

The problem � Staying on too many distribution lists.

The lesson - Only stay on current important distribution lists. Let other list owners know you have moved on and want to be removed from their lists.

How you can help - If you own a large distribution list and send out to large groups of people, check if everyone still needs to be on it. Take them off or ask if you are not sure.

eMail isn�t always the best way of communicating

Yvonne is a manager in Cape Town. She gets asked to disseminate important team messages from her boss in London. Rather than explain the context or allow for debate in face to face meetings with her team, she just hits the forward button to her team and hopes they understand.

The problem � Using eMail when other communication methods like face to face meetings are better as they allow context to be added and two way dialogue.

The lesson � Face to Face meetings or using the telephone can often be more effective.

How you can help - If you work for someone like Yvonne, let them know that you don�t understand what these e-mails all mean for you; your colleagues don�t either and that hearing from her in person or in a team meeting would help you better understand.

Overwhelmed

John who works at Las Palmas has 400 unread messages in his inbox. He knows he should read them, but there are simply too many, when he does get round to reading the odd e-mail it is too late to do anything about it.

Problem � With such a large volume you probably need extra help to identify some of the causes of these e-mails. You should look at who it is that is sending all these to you.

The lesson � Don�t let eMails build up. Read it, deal with it, delegate it, delete it, file it or mark for action. Reduce the source of all these e-mails and/ or deal with things promptly before you become overwhelmed.

How you can help - If you are one of the people filling up John�s eMail box, know that he is too busy to read most of it and stop sending him eMails. If it�s important go and see him or pick up the phone.

The Magpie Syndrome

Jane in Hull has kept every eMail she has ever received. She spends an hour a day searching for what she needs, she knows she�s got a copy but the search reveals so many results she takes a long time to sift through all the search results to find it. 

Problem � Regularly clean out your old e-mails. Though storage costs are low, clutter is clutter and masks the important stuff.

The lesson � Don�t use eMail as an unlimited filing system. Delete old stuff and stuff you don�t need. Be ruthless.

How you can help - Set a good example: clear out your stuff.

Too busy to do anything else

Sharon works in retail in Melbourne. She works 12 hours every day. She�d like to see here husband more, but she has reports to write and every time she starts on these during the day eMails start pouring which she feels she ought to reply to first. She has to wait until most of here colleagues have gone home and stopped sending her eMails, so she can get on with here reports.

Problem � Constantly checking and replying to eMail.

The lesson� Replying instantly to eMails is not essential. Block out parts of the day to be offline, where you cannot be distracted by new eMails. Start gradually and build up from 15 minute blocks to whole hours. Set down what tasks are key for you to do each day. Focus on them first and only check your e-mail periodically, not constantly.

How you can help- Don�t expect everyone to reply by return. If it�s essential pick up the phone.

Teflon Charlie

Charlie  works for BP Solar in the UK, he has an almost empty inbox. He is not very sure about things, so every time he gets an eMail he forwards it to as many people as he can in the hope that one of them will deal with it. He doesn�t mind that they all have to read it and several people may reply, but at least he�s got rid of it.

Problem � Not focussing the eMail to the right person(s) in the To line. Not adding any context or explaining what it is you want and why you have forwarded it.

The lesson � If you are going to forward the note, be clear who it is to, ideally the fewer the better; change the title and add context if it will help the recipient.

How you can help - If you are unsure whether the eMail is for you to reply to because there are too many people in the To line and/ or the message is not clear, ignore it.

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