Five Bad Habits To Break In The Modern, Digital Working World

Conducting professional relationships primarily through the written word is filled with hazards… and yes, whilst I understand that it’s not always practical to talk - if we want to build trust, ask for help, strengthen relationships and get things done, then we need to be aware that the written word in digital format is extremely difficult to get right.

1. We’re all busy; and we’d all rather be doing other things than trying to manage overflowing digital inboxes, so, if any of the following are habits which you recognise dear reader, stop them now.
   
   
2. I’m a fan of the ‘reply everyone’, even when it’s to let the distribution list know that I’m not coming to Colin from Accounts’ leaving drinks, or that I won’t be contributing to Brenda from Facilities Management birthday whip round.
   
   
3. I like the ‘see below’, ‘see attached’, ‘please read thread’ approach to email communication because after all, it’s much easier for me to do that than synthesise the essence of the situation to be more concise and compelling with my message. Plus, it means I’ve actioned the email!
   
   
4. I like detail, usually over more than one screen, lots of it, to demonstrate that I gave you all the information that you needed to do your job.
   
   
5. Everything is urgent! So, the ‘high priority’ button is my friend, because I want everyone else to action my emails right now.
   
   
6. When it comes to the ‘ask’, I always say that my requests are ASAP, and then I helpfully send more ‘follow up’ emails every hour on the hour to see if you’ve done what I asked. After all, I’m only trying to help!

It’s a new year and a time for new resolutions. If you do any of the above, I suggest you act to break these habits now.