51% Believe Tone of E-mail Is Sometimes Misunderstood
NEW YORK--(BUSINESS WIRE)--June 14, 2000--Although e-mail has
significantly improved the speed and frequency of communication in the
workplace, it may have diminished its clarity. According to a recent
survey conducted by Vault.com, 51% of the 1,004 of the respondents think
that the tone of their e-mail is sometimes misunderstood.
Respondents claim that because e-mail is "a sightless, one-dimensional
medium," misperceptions range from abrupt and harsh, to overly casual.
Further comments from respondents regarding tone include: -- "I wrote a
question to her one day; she [my boss] thought I was being insubordinate
by the tone'. I almost lost my job!" -- "I think e-mail in particular is
a communication form that lends itself to message misinterpretation,
primarily due to a lack of universal formats' and tendency for people
to abbreviate answers." -- "E-mail is such a flat medium that it is
often difficult to know what the writer was feeling when the message was
written; therefore, it may be misinterpreted. This is a challenge I face
trying to work to keep work-based e-mails mostly fact-laden."
These results are a part of The Vault.com Survey of E-mail Behavior at
the Workplace, a comprehensive look at the issues that surround today's
workplace since the advent of e-mail. Conducted last May, the 35 page
survey covers issues such as e-mail monitoring, use of the "Bcc"
feature, and intra-office communications.
To view the full survey results visit
http://vault.com/links/E-mailBehavior.
|