Saw this post. Couldn’t agree more:
HARVARD BUSIJNESS REVIEW:
Work-Life Balance: Your Late-Night Emails Are Hurting Your Team
https://hbr.org/2015/03/your-late-night-emails-are-hurting-your-team
Think about the message you’d like to send. Do you intend for your staff to reply to you immediately? Or are you just sending the email because you’re thinking about it at the moment, and want to get it done before you forget? If it’s the former, you’re intentionally chaining your employees to the office 24/7. If it’s the latter, you’re unintentionally chaining your employees to the office 24/7. And this isn’t good for you, your employees, or your company culture. Being connected in off-hours during busy times is the sign of a high-performer. Never disconnecting is a sign of a workaholic. And there is a difference.
Just a side note, learn this trick from Outlook:
- New Email –> File –> Properties –> Select the checkbox “Do not deliver before:”
- Set the time to 8:00AM. Write your email, then send.
The email will sit in your outbox until 8AM and save your directs the terror of having to respond at 1:00AM just to demonstrate their responsiveness.
kurtsh
Kurt's Thoughts 