Bad Emails and Middle Management Mayhem

Based on the results of the 2012 Work-Related Email Perception Study, it’s mayhem out there for middle managers. Not only are managers stuck between a rock and a hard place on the corporate ladder, they also are stuck between their inboxes and their outboxes. 

• 6,000 Wasted Minutes: Middle managers typically spend 100 hours a year on irrelevant email. Their biggest email complaints include: too many back and forth replies (34%); using email when a meeting/phone call is more appropriate (32%); and using “reply all” (29%).
• The Portable Office: Managers are significantly more likely than other employees to access work-related email outside business hours (79%), and of those that do, 68% log in with their smart phone.
• Burning Midnight Oil: The mid-level managers are significantly more likely to email after hours in order to: meet deadlines, connect with global clients/co-workers, fit in with the company culture and impress others. As a result, middle managers are more likely than their colleagues to experience work-life balance issues, stress and fear of missing information.
• Big Business Blues: Larger companies – with 10,000+ employees – have middle managers who are significantly more likely to say they or their co-workers experience work-life balance issues.

We are presenting our research results and conducting interactive email diagnostics at the IABC World Conference in Chicago today. Visit us in booth #108 and stay tuned as we reveal more detailed findings here.

*based on research by LCWA Research Group and The Grossman Group, a communications consultancy