Email: Convenient communication tool or source of stress?

News - Workplace Stress

Tuesday, 20 September 2011 16:00

While the wonders of technology have made it possible to send messages to coworkers with the click of a mouse, an inbox that becomes inundated with demands and memos can quickly become more of a stressor than a convenience. 

A Guardian article states that about 34 percent of employees feel stressed out over the number of emails in their inboxes. Those who did not feel anxiety over their volume of unread messages reported that they felt comfortable waiting up to a week to respond, which may not be good for business.

An article on Psych Central reports that there are many ways that workers can manage their email and reduce workplace stress.

First, be sure to utilize tools and labels that are built into most email systems. For instance, color-coding messages to prioritize them can help make the task of responding seem more manageable.

Additionally, set reasonable boundaries. One rarely has an actual need to check work email from home, and confining office tasks to regular workday hours has been known to reduce levels of job stress.

These findings suggest that employee wellness programs aimed at reducing workplace stress may be particularly useful in settings where the main mode of communication is email, which likely applies to most modern offices.