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Technology has enabled us to communicate more quickly and easily than ever before. We can send messages at the touch of a button. This has helped people to work more efficiently and to be more productive. But there are times when this ease of communication is actually not such a good thing.

One time especially is when a manager sends emails later at night. This, it seems, is a fairly common problem. But there are plenty of good reasons why, if you feel the urge to send a night-time email, you should wait until morning. Here are a few.

1. It can affect your health and productivity
Sending emails at night can affect your sleep patterns and prevent you from getting enough rest. Studies have shown that people who use their phones after 9 pm reduce the quality of their sleep. So, if you are sending late-night email, not only are you depriving yourself of a good night’s rest, you are affecting the sleep of the recipient as well.

And research has also shown that a lack of sleep can really hurt productivity. So, by hitting that send button, you are probably doing more harm than good.

Before hitting the send button, take a moment to think – can this wait until morning? Two-thirds of all people with phones check their email before 8 am anyway.

2. It shows a lack of good management skills.
We all realize that emergencies can occur, especially in certain occupations, when it becomes absolutely necessary to send a late-night email. But generally, sending these emails is a sign of poor planning and time management skills. If a manager is efficient and organized, would he or she really have to bother his team at home when they are in bed?

3. It creates stress
When someone gets that email, it is going to make demands on his or her time and energy. It will require action and decision making, which naturally increases stress levels. So, in addition to affecting sleep, sending those emails is driving up the stress levels of your workers when they should be relaxing, which has an effect on quality of life.

Moreover, it makes it more difficult for people to recharge and reenergize for the next day. To recover from a stressful day, people need to disconnect from work, to separate from it for a while, and getting night-time emails is not helping with that.

4. It increases the chance for error
If you send a night-time email, you are probably tired, and may not be thinking as clearly as when you are fully awake and alert, and are unlikely to be as careful when writing. As a result, your message may be more difficult to understand, or more easily misinterpreted.

5. It is not all that effective
Think about it – what can the recipient do until morning? All it will probably do is keep the person up thinking about it and preventing him or her from getting a good night’s sleep. Studies have shown that it is much more effective to send the email early in the morning, when there is a much higher response rate.

If your company is looking for good people, Winston Resources can help. We take the time to evaluate all of our job candidates to make sure you get exactly what you need. Give us a call today.


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