Sure, they say they have an open-door policy. Some even work in cubicles, just like everyone else in the firm. But don't let the optics fool you.
Two-thirds of executives prefer e-mail to other forms of communication with employees, according to a survey released Thursday.
Staffing agency OfficeTeam, which routinely conducts surveys on water-cooler issues in the workplace, found that 65 per cent of the 150 senior executives it contacted would rather communicate by e-mail, up from 34 per cent in 1997.
Only 31 per cent said they preferred face-to-face meetings at work, down from 44 per cent a decade ago.
And only 3 per cent preferred receiving an old-fashioned paper memo, down from 12 per cent in 1997.
Employees would be well advised not to leave rambling voice-mail messages, either. According to the survey, only 1 per cent of bosses prefer that form of communication.
OfficeTeam executive director Diane Domeyer said, in releasing the poll results, that — although e-mail is fast — it isn't always the most efficient means for discussing complex issues.
“When people find themselves spending a lot of time searching for precisely the right words, it's often a sign that the topic warrants an in-person discussion.”
The other risk is that the e-mails might never get read, especially if the executive's inbox is overflowing — or if he or she has a trigger finger where the delete button is concerned.
“Many professionals receive an overwhelming amount of e-mail, which makes it easier for messages to get lost in the shuffle,” she said.
“Two benefits of electronic communications are the immediacy and historical context it provides, including the ability to maintain a record of conversations and obtain project updates from co-workers and business colleagues,” Ms. Domeyer said.
“But there can be too much of a good thing when inboxes reach capacity"
