Within the past week we’ve had an opportunity to ask several people what ticks them off the most in the normal work day. Surprisingly, the winner was people who do not reply to their emails when important information is requested. We also place this behavior high on our own “worst habits in the business world” because it may be the cause of more wasted time and frustration (read that stress) than any other “worst habit.”

A colleague related that he had gotten an inquiry two months ago from an existing client as to what dates he might be available to begin some work at this client’s California location. Of course, this email was replied to immediately with several date options proposed. There was no reply, so our colleague, after waiting a week, sent another email, with still no reply, not even one saying that there was a change of plans or no interest at this time. Not knowing what was up, my colleague has sent eight well-spaced follow-up emails along with a few phone calls that went to VM with no response. As of this writing —still no response from this person. There is a strong indication that this person treats many emails, both from within his organization and externally this way.

This story has been relayed to us in several versions. We suspect it has happened to you as well.

There is every indicator that this type of poor individual behavior wastes 100’s of hours for you and inhibits organizations from working at peek personal and team productivity.

We encourage you to “Stop Wasting Your Time & Our Time” by promptly replying to all emails requesting status updates. It’s the professional and effective way to maintain your personal reputation and show respect to others you do business with.