3_FernsM

Matthew Ferns 5.1 Dealing with Excessive E-Mail

** To: ** Amsoft Manager List ** From: ** Stella Soto  ** Subject: ** E-Mail Problems ** Cc: ** **Bcc:**

Dear Managers,

I ask for your advice for an urgent problem—excessive e-mail. Your ideas will assist us in the development of a plan that will benefit your staff, yourself, and our organization. Your responses to these questions (preferably by May 5) will help me prepare for our supervisory committee meeting on May 10.

Everyone had the expectation that e-mail would be a greay productivity tool. I’m afraid that its use is becoming excessive and cutting into work time. Did you know that one study found that the average office worker is spending 2 hours a day on e-mail? Our organization may be spending even more than this. It’s difficult to get any work done because of writing and answering an extraordinary number of e-mails. Excessive e-mail is sapping the organization’s strength and productivity. I would like to have you answer some questions to help us focus on the problem.


 * 1) About how many e-mail messages do you receive and answer on a personal basis each day?
 * 2) How many hours would you estimate that the staff members in your department?
 * 3) Do you have any ideas about how we can reduce the volume of e-mail messages being sent and received within our own organization?
 * 4) Do you think that e-mail is being used by our employees in an excessive manner?

I would like to know employee’s opinions of having one day a week, such as Fridays, e-mail free. Please reply to my e-mail, stella.soto@amsoft.com, with your reply and opinion before May 5. I appreciate your suggestions in developing a solution to the problem of controlling e-mail and improving productivity.

Thank you for your ideas, Stella