Most of my coworkers now had Gmail on their phone. Their response rates were really quick but their replies were often looked less like emails and more like chat replies. Answering emails exclusively from a computer this annoyed me. First it made the discussion less thoughtful and more prone to misunderstandings. Second it made me anxious because I never knew when I actually got a reply.
Sure a notification would arrive saying Mike had emailed me but there was just as much a chance that two or three more chat like replies would come in within the next five minutes. Emailing people who used their phones to reply drove me nuts.
Eventually I told people that they weren't allowed to email me like we were chatting. They had to think out their entire message, send it and let it be. Before taking this stake I thought my coworkers would be offended, but they all adjusted surprisingly well. It was a bit disappointing actually.
Sure a notification would arrive saying Mike had emailed me but there was just as much a chance that two or three more chat like replies would come in within the next five minutes. Emailing people who used their phones to reply drove me nuts.
Eventually I told people that they weren't allowed to email me like we were chatting. They had to think out their entire message, send it and let it be. Before taking this stake I thought my coworkers would be offended, but they all adjusted surprisingly well. It was a bit disappointing actually.