Email Is Killing You

H

HardOCP News

[H] News
Joined
Dec 31, 1969
Messages
0
E-mail is the silent killer. I'm not kidding. You are slowly being buried by your inbox. ;)

A 2012 survey by the Center for Creative Leadership found that 60 percent of smartphone-using professionals kept in touch with work for a full 13.5 hours per day, and then spent another 5 hours juggling work email each weekend. That's 72 hours a week of job-related contact. Another survey of 1,000 workers by Good Technology, a mobile-software firm, found that 68 percent checked work email before 8 a.m., 50 percent checked it while in bed, and 38 percent "routinely" did so at the dinner table. Fully 44 percent of working adults surveyed by the American Psychological Association reported that they check work email daily while on vacation—about 1 in 10 checked it hourly.
Click to expand...
 
I stopped doing this a number of years back....

It's a luxury it seems though unfortunately for some. :(
 
My work is completely separated from the rest of my life. If I'm not on the clock, I'm not checking my work e-mail. If there is an emergency or any other reason I need to be contacted out of the office, then they can call my cell. Unless you'lre specifically required in writing to be checking your work e-mail at home, then you shouldn't be doing it.
 
Armenius said:
My work is completely separated from the rest of my life. If I'm not on the clock, I'm not checking my work e-mail. If there is an emergency or any other reason I need to be contacted out of the office, then they can call my cell. Unless you'lre specifically required in writing to be checking your work e-mail at home, then you shouldn't be doing it.
Click to expand...

Even if you want to?
 
But seriously, if you start to worry about work when on vacation or at home, you're going to get psychologically burned out. Every one needs time away from work.
 
Armenius said:
My work is completely separated from the rest of my life. If I'm not on the clock, I'm not checking my work e-mail. If there is an emergency or any other reason I need to be contacted out of the office, then they can call my cell. Unless you'lre specifically required in writing to be checking your work e-mail at home, then you shouldn't be doing it.
Click to expand...

I do my best to keep it this way, but 6 months ago, work (forcefully) gave me an iPhone so that my emails will get to me anywhere. So, at 6AM, I frequently hear that chime that tells me I got another email. The vast majority aren't worth responding to until I get to work, but I have learned to dread that chime. It has come in handy twice, when the A/C stopped working properly and the lab temperatures got up above 85F. Our temperature monitors can't call me, but they can email me when it gets too warm. I had to come in and turn things off until the A/C was fixed. So, It's not totally useless, but it is annoying. At least I know better than to intentionally go out of my way to check email over the weekend.
 
dgingeri said:
I do my best to keep it this way, but 6 months ago, work (forcefully) gave me an iPhone so that my emails will get to me anywhere. So, at 6AM, I frequently hear that chime that tells me I got another email. The vast majority aren't worth responding to until I get to work, but I have learned to dread that chime. It has come in handy twice, when the A/C stopped working properly and the lab temperatures got up above 85F. Our temperature monitors can't call me, but they can email me when it gets too warm. I had to come in and turn things off until the A/C was fixed. So, It's not totally useless, but it is annoying. At least I know better than to intentionally go out of my way to check email over the weekend.
Click to expand...
I feel for people who are treated like this. If I wasn't working in a "Right to Work" state I would question why it would be necessary. Either way, if it's not in my job description then I'm not doing it. And my job description is pretty extensive and detailed.
 
dgingeri said:
I do my best to keep it this way, but 6 months ago, work (forcefully) gave me an iPhone so that my emails will get to me anywhere. So, at 6AM, I frequently hear that chime that tells me I got another email. The vast majority aren't worth responding to until I get to work, but I have learned to dread that chime. It has come in handy twice, when the A/C stopped working properly and the lab temperatures got up above 85F. Our temperature monitors can't call me, but they can email me when it gets too warm. I had to come in and turn things off until the A/C was fixed. So, It's not totally useless, but it is annoying. At least I know better than to intentionally go out of my way to check email over the weekend.
Click to expand...

I know your pain. It's not that conceptually it's a bad thing it's that they have this stupid notion that everyone should have one email and everything from mission critical outages to 'rita put the birthday cake leftovers in the break room' go to the same place.

Nagios + pager duty has gotten us some relief for a lot of things, including AC, UPS, smoke detectors, moisture sensors, etc.
 
Which is why I'm thankful to be part of a small manufacturing company. In general, engineers don't like to bring their work home.
 
My inbox is more or less my "to do" list for work. Long term items though end up on my Evernote todo list.
 
99% of the time... Work only exists at work.
However, since I'm the IT guy I do get calls, and have to work after hours.

My cell is my cell, and company email is ONLY on my desktop. I'll remote in for after hours, but other than that Work is Work and home is home.

They only pay me when I'm there, I only work when I'm there. Doesn't seem like a hard concept.
 
I shouldn't have typed anything about the A/C in my lab. Shortly after I wrote that, the A/C lost a compressor fan and I started getting temp alert emails within half an hour.
 
Article is correct. The 49.8GB .pst (NOT MINE) I had to "fix" last night until 2am is proof of this. Oh wait, it's killing me. Article should read "Other People's Email Killing IT Guys".
 
Gweenz said:
Article is correct. The 49.8GB .pst (NOT MINE) I had to "fix" last night until 2am is proof of this. Oh wait, it's killing me. Article should read "Other People's Email Killing IT Guys".
Click to expand...

How the hell do people pull that off?
 
Gweenz said:
Article is correct. The 49.8GB .pst (NOT MINE) I had to "fix" last night until 2am is proof of this. Oh wait, it's killing me. Article should read "Other People's Email Killing IT Guys".
Click to expand...

Thank Microsoft for increasing the file size so that PSTs stopped exploding at like 20 GB. :p
 
Having multiple devices with the same E-Mail account all notifying me all day long also does to me what no TV and beer does to Homer Simpson. DON'T MIND IF I DO. :D
 
When I read this, I'm glad I make a little less than some other people. My job is very low stress and I'm off when I'm off, but I still do alright for myself.
 
Armenius said:
My work is completely separated from the rest of my life. If I'm not on the clock, I'm not checking my work e-mail. If there is an emergency or any other reason I need to be contacted out of the office, then they can call my cell. Unless you'lre specifically required in writing to be checking your work e-mail at home, then you shouldn't be doing it.
Click to expand...
Ditto. One minute after my shift is a minute after any shits will be given about your issue until the next morning. I'm punctual, but take my punch-in punch-out seriously! ;)
 
plupien79 said:
How the hell do people pull that off?
Click to expand...
Document controllers and what not that have automated systems where instead of uploading a file to a shared network drive like WOULD MAKE SENSE they have it go to their inbox for review and processing... might be convenient for em, but then for auditing purposes and what not they archive EVERYTHING, and in no time they have 100gig PSTs that explode.
 
Armenius said:
Unless you'lre specifically required in writing to be checking your work e-mail at home, then you shouldn't be doing it.
Click to expand...
That sounds nice, but it doesn't work in some fields. In the research world, punctual email reading and response can be the difference between getting grant money and not getting paid. So it's not a written requirement, but the soft-money nature of your salary means you have to anyway.
 
I can always be contacted by work, but no one at work gives a damn if I wait until the next morning to respond. I don't really see how that adds to stress or anything, though if you were genuinely on call all day and night, yeah, fuck that, find a new job.
 
Most people have their work email going to the same client or forwarding to their personal email. So its not really possible to separate the 2. Flip the question around and ask yourself this. How many people check and or respond to personal emails when they are at work?
 
ICOM said:
Airplane mode on anything beyond 9-5. Fuk'em.
Click to expand...

Exactly!
(but not that early...)

It's really only due to the fact that the new button-less "touch" phone keyboards suck and will never replace my old BlackBerry. So my SG phone only reads... and never responds beyond a terse: yes, no, or OK response.

note: Think more, "talk" less, and get some fucking work done... (or just rest otherwise)
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top