“I Don’t Use That Email”… New Employee Asks to Share Work via Messenger

A generational divide in workplace communication is becoming increasingly apparent, with a recent online community post highlighting a conflict caused by a new employee's refusal to use email.

“

I don't use email.

The employee, identified as a new hire, argued that email is an inefficient method of communication. They claimed that the formal greetings, elaborate phrasing, and revision process involved in drafting emails lead to communication inefficiencies. The new hire advocated for using the messenger 'Teams' for communication, citing faster response times from other departments when using instant messaging.

“

Formal greetings, elaborate phrasing, and the revision process involved in drafting emails lead to communication inefficiencies.

The senior employee, identified as A, attempted to explain the official value of email. A emphasized the need for official records to prevent future issues when communicating with other departments and the benefit of including team leaders in the CC field to share work status without separate reports. A also stressed that email is a fundamental communication tool for office workers.

“

To prevent future issues when communicating with other departments, official records must be kept, and team leaders can be included in the CC field to share work status without separate reports.

In response, the new employee sighed and agreed to use email but added a condition: they requested a notification via messenger (a 'ping') after each email was sent. This was because email notifications were often missed, making immediate confirmation difficult. A expressed frustration, noting that colleagues in the HR department were also struggling to educate new hires on email etiquette. A plans to formally report the issue to their team leader and request a meeting.

“

After sending an email, please send me a notification via messenger (ping) one more time.