[nfbmi-talk] Emailing After Midnight

[Fred Wurtzel]

Hello List,

 

I wouldn't know anyone like this.  (smile)  Fortunately, I am not a boss or
employee, so no bad role modeling, etc.  This is food for thought.  I am on
a different circadian clock and feel I work best from around 8 pm to 2 am.
This may not actually be true, but it has been my pattern most of my life.

 

Emailing After midnight? Don't even think about it!

By Marsha Egan

Some corporate email senders may think they impress their bosses, peers or
subordinates

by sending emails in the middle of the night. The truth is, while occasional
3:00am

emails may be "forgiven," repeated early morning emails will not be.

Not convinced? Just turn the tables and note your reaction when you see the
time

stamp of a received email at some ungodly hour!

The boss could wonder...

Why is Jim up at 4:00am, regularly? Is he getting enough sleep? Is he in
control?

Is he stressed out? Is he out of balance?

Is Rebecca just trying to impress me? Does she think that I value this
behavior?

Doesn't she know how to delay the sending of the email to a "normal" hour?

What part of "have a balanced life" doesn't he understand?

Your co-workers might say...

There Avish goes again, trying to impress the boss. What a manipulator.

No wonder Sally isn't with it during the day. She's not getting enough
sleep.

How can he be thinking clearly at 2:00am?

Does this mean I have to get up and check my email, since Harry does it?

And from your direct reports...

Yikes. My boss is emailing me at 3:00am! I wonder if he expects me to do
that too?!

I better check my email first thing in the morning; the boss may have sent
me something

again in the middle of the night. How's that for wake up stress?

What's the matter with her!? Is she losing it? Why can't my boss get a good
night's

sleep?

Does this mean I need to have my BlackBerry wake me in the middle of the
night?

Since he's working 24/7, I assume I should also. God, I hate my job.

In addition to these unhealthy perceptions, you're taking a real risk
creating an

email message when you haven't had a full night's sleep. You may not be
running on

all cylinders. We've all regretted sending an email when we were wide-awake
and functioning

during the day. Sending in a sleepy state increases the potential for
misconstrued

messages.

If you are a true night owl or on the computer in the early AM, compose a
message

and save it. Don't send it till you've had a chance to review it in the
light of

day. I can almost guarantee that you'll make changes that you'll be glad you
had

the opportunity to make.

Make it a rule to never

 send an email message when you should be sleeping. Your career, your
co-workers,

and your employees will be all the better for it.

Marsha Egan, CPCU, PCC, ICF-Certified Coach is CEO of Reading, PA-based
consultancy

The Egan Group, Inc. and author of Inbox Detox and the Habit of E-Mail
Excellence

(Acanthus 2009). Marsha's strategies have helped business leaders across the
country

Master the People Side of Business Growth, enabling greater profitability
through

increased productivity. Evaluate your own email habits with her free
assessment at

email-assess.html