Email etiquette vs. Chat/Slack/In-person?
I'm comfortable with all forms of communication at work but when there are toooo many things to do then I prefer dropping 'emails'. But I see that some people have horrible 'email etiquettes', i.e., either they write bad replies; or they don't reply on-time/at all. I know some people prefer chat/Slack (but people can ignore you/change their online status). I also know some people prefer simply 'walking up to the people' - which is not my favorite personally. Qs - What's the culture like at top Tech Companies?!
Email is asynchronous and slow. Expect reply within couple days. If not, send a follow up. Chat is asynchronous and fast. Expect reply within couple hours. If not, send follow up via email. Walk-ins should be used only for urgent and very important matters. Don't bother people when they are in the flow. And of course these are the general guidelines. There may be changes between individual teams.
@Amazon - like your reply and your username which I couldn't type! How's the culture at Amazon on an average (not just your own) in terms of the options/what you said?!
I wish everyone would understand this, but it is not common. Some expect immediate replies to emails.
Even though email etiquette is important understanding what it is differs from person to person. Given a simple thing that in a productive meeting a person should not be able to read emails or chats, both chats and emails should have expectations of reply within 1 business day. Phone calls as well as walk ups should be used for immediate urgent replies but both can be declined or rescheduled. Pagers can be used to communicate one way of an emergency and should be used for work related emergencies. Given that Iโd say itโs very wrong to expect a reply to an email immediately.
@๐soon - thanks for that! I don't even want to ask why have pagers..lol..all the best to the on-call folks! Let me ask you this: 1- never happened to you that someone imp dropped an email and expected a reply sooner than 1-2 day? 2- do you think on an average 'being ok' with 1-2 day wait for a reply is a function of planning better/emailing early?, so that there is no issue waiting for a reply patiently.
Most of the emails I get actually require a response in the same day. Ideally if itโs something important and there isnโt a whole lot of information needed, I shoot the person a text (given that I work/know that person fairly well). Otherwise I send an email. If itโs something that is still important but has a lot of information, I send an email and text the person that I sent them something and would like them to look at it soon. I really think all of this depends heavily on your relationships with these people. If no one ever texts you, then I wouldnโt text them.
it also depends on what and how you write in email. i will always ignore mails i dont understand why this is important/worth my time. also other factors. a person you had lunch or a beer with will obviously be more happy to help you out via mail than somebody who never met you and received some mail with no introduction whatsoever
It's not always about the form of communication, it's the content. I prioritise people accordingly, sometimes what is important to other people is lower on my list. You might be hitting that.
@hodgesodge - fair point; although seems kinda obvious but what your raised didn't come to ma mind tbh.