Email Hell

You just don't realize how much email passes through your In Box until you neglect things for a while.

I received one hundred and fifty one email messages on Wednesday and Thursday of this week. Up until Funeral Day and Long-ass Drive Home Day I did a pretty good job of staying on top of incoming messages. As I sat down today to catch up on the last 48 hours I was...stunned.

How does anyone in the corporate world - I know for a fact the email situation at our European offices is no better than in the States - ever actually accomplish anything? Like, you know, REAL work.

Is this how Enron and Delphi actually fell, but the truth was so embarrassing the C-levels blamed it on creative accounting?

::At the staff exit meeting::

"Um, yeah, so we lost $57 billion dollars in the last four quarters because as a company we've done nothing except send "reply to all" cover-you-ass email messages to each other. Now we're closing the doors, you're all on the street and we recommend your printed shares of stock be used as toilet paper."

I HATE reply to all. If you feel you have to cover your ass, just copy yourself on the damn email and then save it in a folder. Don't involve everyone you can think of who might act as witnesses when you are dragged into HR, accused of skulduggery, malfeasance or simple stupidity.

So here I sit, blogging, trying to avoid diving into the 151-and-growing fiery lake of email. Maybe I'll just delete them all and take a nap. All in favor? Aye. Those opposed? ::crickets:: Excellent!

Found that pic at Google Images. Don't think I've gone off the deep end if you visit the source site: www.eborg3.com

Comments

fatboyfat said…
Funnily enough, this (i.e. promoting the appropriate use of email in a corporate environment) is just one of the tasks I carry out as part of my gainful employment.

It's like nailing blancmange to a wall.
wineandroasts said…
For the pudding challenged, blancmange is...well...pudding.

Much more difficult than nailing lime Jell-O to a wall.
Le laquet said…
We have a deputy head at school who emails everything to everyone including God to cover her arse - and then she wonders why we all distrust her?? I'd like to nail her blancmange to a wall!