One-third of workforce loses 40 hours annually over terribly written emails

New data has revealed that workers across Australia are experiencing rampant “emotional overhead” due to poor communication tendencies, which is not only wasting time but also causing emotional turmoil.

A recent report by Atlassian has shined a light on the vast consequences that can arise within a workplace when communication is poor. In a survey of 10,000 knowledge workers, Atlassian found that while 93 per cent of Aussie workers regularly use written communications in their workday, very few are doing it well.

Atlassian has named this “emotional overhead” – the wasted time and emotional turmoil that can often arise when unclear communication is prevalent.

Of the surveyed employees more than a third of the workforce loses 40-plus hours each year to unclear written communication, basically an extra week of vacation primarily wasted on poorly written emails.

Among the statistics, 64 per cent noted they waste time struggling to interpret the written messages from their colleagues at least a few times a month, if not daily. Without the desired concise, precise, and expressive writing that workers want, time-wasting becomes a commonality and can push stressed workers over the edge.

“This is what we call ‘emotional overhead’ – the wasted time and emotional turmoil caused by unclear or ambiguous communication. This poses a serious challenge for businesses. In the time that knowledge workers are wondering what their colleagues mean to say or what their manager wants from them, they could be doing mission-critical work,” said head of Teamwork Lab, Dr Molly Sands.

“Written communication is both important and hard to get right. Without precise, expressive writing it can be hard to know what’s important, how urgent something is, or how your colleagues feel.”

Atlassian offered some tips for workers who may need to improve their written communication skills:

1. “First, be thoughtful about how much information you’re conveying, and to whom. Don’t send a complete written history of your project if all they need to know is that you’ve reached your first milestone.”
   
   
2. “Second, provide context. The classic “We need to talk” would be vastly improved by simply stating what you want to talk about, even if it’s a difficult subject. “We need to talk about the declining Q2 numbers” might leave the other person with a pit in their stomach, but at least they can prepare for the discussion. (Which, by the way, will make it a more productive discussion.)”
   
   
3. “Last, clarify your frame of mind. Again, writing is fertile ground for miscommunication, so to avoid confusion, name the feeling. “I’m impressed with these revisions” or “This isn’t urgent” saves people the emotional overhead of quietly panicking while they try to figure out whether or not they’re in trouble.”

Becoming an efficient communicator is an underrated skill. As the modern workplace continues to merge with new technologies, online work will only expand – resulting in far fewer face-to-face communication opportunities. Therefore, written communication will continue to be the pillar of workplace dialogue.

“With so much work happening online today, we can’t always rely on body language and tone of voice to convey meaning. Teams need to communicate with thoughtfulness, humanity, and intention. The emotional side of communication must come through - even in the workplace.”

“Given the significant productivity and connective gains teams experience, business leaders are well-advised to encourage their teams to bring emotion into their workplace communication. But obviously, that is not easy, as emotions and their interpretation are highly individual.”

“My recommendation for teams is to align on a common understanding, boundaries, and expectations. Teams should collaboratively define these communication norms to reduce day-to-day friction and room for miscommunication,” Sands said.