How often do you check your work email inbox?

Bassmansam

Bassmansam

Bassmansam

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Just curious because today i got up a bit earlier as i'm working on a big task so I thought i'd get get some extra work done on it.

About 11am i notice there is an email from i boss asking me to work on a task as priority for that morning. I definitely did not see the pop up alert for this. Maybe i was making coffee/ in toilet. He called me about 1 and asked how i was getting on and i said sorry i only saw the mail at 11 as i was focusing on the other task but I am currently working on it and trying to get it done asap. He was pretty blunt with me after that.

Surely if the task is very important he could have given me a call to give me a proper alert, or am i in the wrong GD?
 
I always have Outlook open in the background when working, but I only actually look at it every couple of hours. Like you said, if something is urgent I'd expect a call rather than an email, or at the very least a call or Teams message saying 'please action this email I just sent ASAP'
 
if it was that urgent he should have contacted you by other means in addition to email, sounds like poor management and communication to me.
 
Bassmansam said:
Just curious because today i got up a bit earlier as i'm working on a big task so I thought i'd get get some extra work done on it.

About 11am i notice there is an email from i boss asking me to work on a task as priority for that morning. I definitely did not see the pop up alert for this. Maybe i was making coffee/ in toilet. He called me about 1 and asked how i was getting on and i said sorry i only saw the mail at 11 as i was focusing on the other task but I am currently working on it and trying to get it done asap. He was pretty blunt with me after that.

Surely if the task is very important he could have given me a call to give me a proper alert, or am i in the wrong GD?
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My email is always open, it has a little (1) show up in the tab if there's an unread email, so it's quite easy to notice. It also makes a noise. If I'm not at my computer I can miss it though.

Anything important and time restricted, my boss just whatsapps me though. I don't see why you'd rely just on email, when there's more direct and noticeable ways, if it's important and time sensitive.
 
You can't guarantee a recipient has received an email unless they respond back immediately, there's a number of factors that could result in it being delayed or your ability to read it being delayed.

If the task was urgent/important he should have contacted you directly.

I'd politely ask him to do so in future, the fault was his in this scenario.
 
Bassmansam said:
Just curious because today i got up a bit earlier as i'm working on a big task so I thought i'd get get some extra work done on it.

About 11am i notice there is an email from i boss asking me to work on a task as priority for that morning. I definitely did not see the pop up alert for this. Maybe i was making coffee/ in toilet. He called me about 1 and asked how i was getting on and i said sorry i only saw the mail at 11 as i was focusing on the other task but I am currently working on it and trying to get it done asap. He was pretty blunt with me after that.

Surely if the task is very important he could have given me a call to give me a proper alert, or am i in the wrong GD?
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When was the email sent? If it was before you'd normally start work, I can sort of understand. But equally, if you're working from home, assuming start/stop times is not smart thinking. I've worked from home for 2 years now, I've had email conversations with my boss at 11pm before, not because it was urgent, but because I was working (I don't work a straight 8/9 hours).
 
Unseul said:
When was the email sent? If it was before you'd normally start work, I can sort of understand. But equally, if you're working from home, assuming start/stop times is not smart thinking. I've worked from home for 2 years now, I've had email conversations with my boss at 11pm before, not because it was urgent, but because I was working (I don't work a straight 8/9 hours).
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8.46. When im in the office i do start at 8:30 though. Generally been starting at 9 at home but he knew i was working on another task. So I think he should have dropped me call or a message on teams if it was that important.
 
A couple of times a week at the moment, but then I am on holiday...

During the working day? When I get the chance, so either break, lunch or at the end of the day.
 
Bassmansam said:
8.46. When im in the office i do start at 8:30 though. Generally been starting at 9 at home but he knew i was working on another task. So I think he should have dropped me call or a message on teams if it was that important.
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It's absolutely on him then in my mind. If he'd sent it at 7am or something, perhaps, but he can't be sure you've not checked your emails before that and just got on.
 
Bassmansam said:
Ha i like that anaology!

Thanks for your replies everyone, i always tend to panick in these situations as i have only been in this job since December. It's only after a while i tend to think a bit more rationally.
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I wouldn't necessarily use it with a manager unless I'd already handed in my notice, but I think it's fair that if you were dealing with something that was a priority task that you would temporarily pay less attention to the distractions of your inbox.

Which is a polite/oblique way of telling him to do his job better. :p
 
Constantly. But I receive many hundreds of emails each day so have to triage the ones I actually pay attention to. For that reason I treat instant messaging as a higher priority to focus on.
 
Constantly, however agree that your manager should have sent you a message via another more instant means to give you a "heads up". I often send urgent emails to my team, however always follow it up 5 minutes later if no response with a teams/skype/call to say it is urgent and I need them to look at it. If its priority 1 status they dont get an email its direct to phone.
 
Also to add... your manager should never consider a request as in your hands unless you have confirmed receipt of it. If it's important he should have asked you to reply to confirm it was in hand, or pinged you on chat to make you aware.
 
Pretty constant.

Anything above a P2 gets a phonecall for my lot, defo not just an email, we've all sufferred from Exchange issues before.
 
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