A quarter of people expect email response in an hour - survey

Technology is accelerating email response times, creating unrealistic expectations, email overload, error and costly workplace stress, according to a new survey.

Email management expert Dr Monica Seeley, author of Brilliant Email, says that a few years ago a response to an email was expected within a few days
or even a week. However, she has done a survey which reveals that today a quarter of us expect a response within the hour.  Over a third of us, within two hours and over two thirds within half a day. Only a quarter of us think a response within one day is acceptable and only seven percent of us are prepared to wait two days.

“Today’s ‘always on’ culture of email, smart phones and social media means we expect almost instant responses to our communications. We pressure
ourselves into thinking that most email has to be answered and often as soon as it arrives. But like driving, the faster we respond, the more damage we
do when we make a mistake.  

"We are confusing speed of email response with effectiveness and allowing technology to dictate and potentially damage the way we work. This survey highlights the need to reduce email overload and to make email reply expectations realistic with sufficient time for a considered response,” she says.

She explains that much of the pressure for fast replies is in the mind of the recipient, saying many senior managers tell her they are surprised by how quickly people respond to their emails.  This is borne out by the survey which shows that most respondents (83%) felt that internal senders expect a quicker reply than external senders and (87%) believed senior managers expected a faster response than junior managers.  Similarly, over three quarters of respondents strongly believed (76%) that people picking up email on smart phones such as Blackberry or iPphone expect a faster reply than those dealing with email on a conventional PC/laptop.

The survey of 100 respondents from a range of leading public and private sector organisations also highlights double standards around email
response times. Although, most of us now expect a response within half a day - almost two thirds (60%) of respondents admitted they only sometimes left
people sufficient time to respond to their emails and only a third (39%) of survey respondents thought they ‘frequently’ left enough time. Seeley
says: “This is a worrying trend, as emails often need a substantive response - data needs collecting, case law needs referencing and the faster
we respond, the faster the other person will expect a reply.”

She advises people to include a line in their email signature stating that they check their email at regular intervals but not as each email arrives or to use  an auto response giving the same message.  She supports organisations that have a statement on their customer service webpage stating how soon they will reply i.e. within three days.  She recommends that businesses start adopting similar frameworks for everyday emails, especially internal ones.

“Respond in haste and repent at leisure has been the mantra of many who have found their email used as evidence in a dispute.  A wrong or unplanned
response can be costly.  This survey confirms my view that it’s time for us all to recalibrate our email expectations and reply times,” she states.