A third of employees would quit because of this daily job duty

I wish I received more emails, said no one ever.

If you have access to email, it’s pretty much a guarantee you are sent way more emails than needed. I find myself sifting through my work email inbox strictly by reading the subject line. 

I would guess that 30% of the emails I receive from my coworkers don’t need to be opened. The subject line says enough, but don’t tell them that.

It turns out I’m not alone in my disgust for the flood of unnecessary emails I receive daily. And I’m not even talking about spam or junk email. 

There’s a lot of email being sent – more than you may realize

A study referenced on Statista shows that in 2020, there were more than 300,000,000,000 emails sent and received every day. Employees receive their fair share of those emails averaging more than 120 emails each day.

A recent study by Wakefield Research shows the increasing number of emails has a significant impact on employees. An effect much greater than many employers may realize. 

The dreaded inbox

While not a shocking revelation, the statistics are higher than I would have imagined.

The vast majority of the 1,000 office workers surveyed, 89%, list managing their email and messages from Microsoft Teams and Slack as the worst part of their daily routine. 

Email fatigue is a real thing

Because of the significant increase in remote work, simple conversations that took place from one cubical to another are now being sent online to an increasingly full inbox. The amount of energy and drain from managing the neverending messages is known as “email fatigue.” 

Email fatigue is such a problem that it is a genuine concern and a tipping point for 38% of employees. This significant percentage of employees reported that email fatigue is one of the factors that may cause them to quit and find a different employer. 

Employees are leaving for new opportunities – with fewer emails

Days of lifetime employment with one employer are quickly becoming a figment of our imagination.

Generation Z and Millennials are no longer loyal to a company as previous generations were. When new opportunities come along, the younger generations are more apt to take a serious look at change. 

This is a major problem for employers.

While 38% of all workers may consider quitting due to email fatigue, an alarmingly higher number represents workers who are 40 years old and younger. By narrowing the research, those 40 and younger reported that 51% of them consider the fatigue from Microsoft Teams, Slack, and email as a top reason they are considering employment elsewhere.

Employees are desperate to find ways of automating mundane work-related tasks. Half of the surveyed employees working from home admitted to investing their own money on software and tools to reduce their workload.

Combating the data and information overload

There are several ways to combat message fatigue by implementing and adhering to email etiquette.

Employers need to find ways to find solutions to problems without having endless emails being sent. Often we send emails when we think of a new idea or request. 

Perhaps a policy that requires non-essential emails to be sent as a bulk message twice a day could save time. 

Regardless if employers choose or not choose to deal with email fatigue, the problem is real. Employees are on the cusp of leaving their jobs, with the primary concern being the number of emails and data they are sent daily.