E-mail has become the scapegoat for worker stress and lost productivity. Is the criticism fair?

I commented about new research just released in a London Times story about stress. While reading the story (and being asked to comment on it during an interview), I couldnt help but think that I heard this story before. In the late 1980s and 1990s, voice mail was the catalyst for all things wrong in the workplace. Employees and managers alike would complain about spending an hour or more checking for messages and beginning a game of phone tag with the caller. Many callers even described the experience as entering voice mail hell.

But is technology the culprit or just the cover-up for another case of communication being used badly. Before email, we had voice mail and fax machines and just the plain old spoken word. How much has been written over time about workers wasting time around the water cooler? And in meetings? And on the phone? How much time is lost every day listening to people who talk too much.or too fast..or too loud..or about everything but business?

What it all comes down to is this: communication. To be more exact, its the misuse and ineffective use of the tools we use to communicate with one another. Like every other form of communication, email can be a magnificent tool when used properly. When used improperly, it can become a dangerous weapon.

One thought occurred to me reading the Times story: how many people are stressed out by other people checking their email. For a significant segment of the population, email may in fact be a de-stressor. Admittedly, it is disruptive and bad manners to be checking email sitting in a business meeting, at the dinner table, or in the theatre. But is it checking email thats the problem or is it your companions, co-workers or even the guests at the next table who are stressing because YOU are checking emails.

Here are a few common sense rules to help minimize email stress:

1. Tell others how you prefer to communicate by email or phone and when you will respond. If you only check emails and voice mails in the morning or at noon or the end of the day, let the caller know. Let them know how they might reach you in an emergency.

2. Ask others how they prefer to receive and respond to messages. If someone sends an email but you respond by phone, the sender may not check his voice mail regularly or may not have access to it. Likewise, the e-mail sender may be traveling and not be able to respond easily or in a timely manner.

3. Use spam filters or use spam filtering software to cut down on the number of emails you receive. But be careful to avoid setting the filters so high that you block important messages. Check your junk email folder periodically for good emails that might have been blocked.

4. Set up a special private email account. Give it out to only those contacts who can reach when an immediate response is necessary. You can also use text messaging for this purpose too.