Interviewer:
Now, do you remember when offices looked like this? The patterned carpets, the yellow and purple colour scheme, the kipper ties and big hair, oh and the technology-free desks. There’s not a computer smartphone or tablet in sight. Today, the cabinet office will resemble a 1970s office, as civil servants are having an email-free day. Between colleagues. There’ll be no tapping on the phone during meetings, sifting through
emails at lunch, or messaging the person sitting next to you. Today will all be about talking to each other face-to-face or on the phone. will that create a
happier work-life balance? Making sure you enjoy the company of your colleagues?
Or just take up more time and make you stay late at work? Well joining me now is Stephen Taylor, an entrepreneur who has recently criticised our alliance on email. Are we obsessed with email, Stephen?
Stephen Taylor
Yes, I think we are indeed obsessed with email. We live in a society that seems to
be obsessed with non-verbal communication. Colleagues sitting next to each other don’t want to speak to each other happy to send an email.
Interviewer:
How often do you check your – emails that is?
Stephen Taylor:
Too often too often indeed
Interviewer:
I mean how many emails do you get
a day will?
Will:
God uh from all sources um hundreds it runs into hundreds, yeah and it’s impossible to monitor and actually you unless you reply to something almost
instantaneously, it quickly gets outside out of your mind and then you realise “god you should
have done something with it”
Interviewer:
But do you think it’s actually damaging to business? I mean surely this is what speeded up the process of business. I can do so much more via email and text
Stephen Taylor:
Like anything it’s a blessing and a curse it’s phenomenally powerful and incredibly
useful, when it’s misused or overused, what’s also interesting is there is a
shift of blame. If somebody CC’s you in an email, suddenly it’s in your inbox, “Well didn’t
you see it? You read you must have read it, it was there” and you say “Well I didn’t see it amongst the thousands of emails”, so it has to be used responsibly. It is a powerful
tool, but it’s got completely out of hand. I think picking up the phone is what’s
Important.
Will:
I so agree with you and I always say to people who work for me and with me, you know that actually for goodness sake pick up the phone and have a face-to-face conversation.
Interviewer:
Yes, but how do you regulate it?
I mean you’re emailing the next desk sometimes
Stephen Taylor:
If somebody emails you, you automatically pick up the phone, or I do, you want to
speak to them, they go to voicemail, then they email you back and you’re thinking “What’s all that about”
Interviewer:
What do you think about Whitehall doing this today or the cabinet office I should say?
Stephen Taylor:
I think it’s a great idea, I think it needs to be part of a much more holistic approach to communication overall, but thank god somebody is seeing a problem, taking common sense and I think it’s got to be praised.
Interviewer:
Would you actually say to people in your company you’re not allowed to email each other, if you’re all sitting within easy eye line, you’ve got to get up and walk over there and talk to them.
Stephen Taylor:
In a short answer, yes.
Interviewer:
You would?
Stephen Taylor:
Yes
Interviewer:
Are you going to do it?
Stephen Taylor:
Probably not, but I think but yes it’s a very good idea. I think people do need to talk and
communication is important.
Will:
That’s fair enough, verbal communication with someone sitting two desks away is actually faster than actually sending them an email and waiting for their reply.
Stephen Taylor:
And email’s flat, it has no tone.
Interviewer:
What about customers because that’s the real problem people do want to speak to someone don’t they? They want to have a one-on-one conversation and engage. Do you think that’s being lost?
Stephen Taylor:
Absolutely, just when you see people on websites, “contact us” What do you expect? To see a phone number. What do you have to do? Fill out a form. It’s absolutely counter-intuitive, so yes I think people have lost the art and need to get back
to picking up the phone and speak to people.
Interviewer:
Thank you for coming in.
