Hey Bosses: Your Email Response Time Matters

Checking email throughout your day is a recipe for exhaustion. The constant opening, closing, checking, syncing, hoping, chiming… it’s too much. We know that checking email 2–3 times in the day is not only acceptable but probably best.

My thinking on this was tweaked slightly after reading Dan Pink’s latest book, When: The Scientific Secrets of Perfect Timing. While Dan doesn’t advocate for a continual mode of checking your email, he does point out one study which is stunning: the most common indicator of an employee’s satisfaction with his boss is the response time of the boss’ email. In other words, if your employee shoots you an email and you let it sit for days, you’re in trouble.

I’ve been in this situation. Maybe you have too. As a boss, you feel busy and stretched. Everyone wants a piece of your time. Still, this study reminds me that when a member of my team reaches out, I need to respond promptly. No excuses. Rather than seeing an employee email as a nuisance, I’m going to reframe it and receive it as an opportunity to serve and help them.