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Office workers 'waste time emailing'

Published On 8 June 2007 at 08:55:35

Office workers - including those at small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) - spend nearly ten years of their working life dealing with emails, a new report suggests.

Research from Plantronics and the Henley Management College found that workers in some SMEs believe that a third of the emails they deal with every day are considered irrelevant.

While the report acknowledged that email can, if used effectively, facilitate the sharing of information and support decision making, it also pointed out that it can create a faceless environment.

In contrast, the study found that the use of a phone with a wireless headset can help improve worker productivity by nearly a quarter (23 per cent).

"Our research proves that email use is out of control, often causing confusion and inertia," explained Peter Thomson, the director of the future work forum at Henley Management College.

"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 with a headset and start talking, email should just be used to firm-up and recap on what everyone has agreed on the phone."

Philip Vanhoutte, the European managing director of Plantronics added: "Managers need to encourage greater use of the telephone and teach people how to effectively use a range of information communications technology products to support decision making, networking and increase workers flexibility."

 

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