Small e-mail rant

[docellis]

This is barely a rant and maybe someone can explain this behavior to me so that it doesn't even bother me anymore.

This happens to me at least once a day, usually multiple times a day.

Situation: E-mail co-worker or superior to a) direct an activity b)get approval for something or c) just get information

Then, randomly run into co-worker in breakroom, copy room or hall and verbally get the information.

The next day, co-worker returns e-mail with information as though conversation that covered this never took place.

I could understand if they EVER prefaced the e-mails with "Hey we covered this yesterday - but in case you need my approval for your records, use this e-mail as the go ahead" or whatever.


Do people not check their time stamps and think I am just really forgetful and need the answers twice?
Do people just not remember they already provided the information? I don't get it.

[StatmanCrothers]

paper trail is better for everyone, if later on there is a debate over what was agreed on.

however, I agree with you that in that situation, I always preface such an e-mail with:

per our conversation yesterday: we will go ahead with the 10% increase in the kickback on the Morton account, unless the Seevers folks up the ante. We can split it 50/50 as usual. PS same hotel room for lunch meeting?

[crash2269]

Is it possible that everyone in your office has amnesia? Or, is it possible you always imagine the in-person interactions?

[Cronos]

PS same hotel room for lunch meeting?

Scandalous!


---

And Doc, as much as I love e-mail and use it whenever I can(in real life, I typically prefer to contact someone via e-mail rather than over the phone or even just talking to them) but in every office where I've worked before, it's always been just 10x easier to walk down the hall and talk to someone. Half the time people just don't answer their e-mail all that quickly or it just gets swamped in with the rest of their stuff.

[Popeye_Card]

paper trail is better for everyone, if later on there is a debate over what was agreed on.

however, I agree with you that in that situation, I always preface such an e-mail with:

per our conversation yesterday: we will go ahead with the 10% increase in the kickback on the Morton account, unless the Seevers folks up the ante. We can split it 50/50 as usual. PS same hotel room for lunch meeting?

Yeah, I'd agree.

Even though I'm really bad about documenting.

--P--

[docellis]

And Doc, as much as I love e-mail and use it whenever I can(in real life, I typically prefer to contact someone via e-mail rather than over the phone or even just talking to them) but in every office where I've worked before, it's always been just 10x easier to walk down the hall and talk to someone. Half the time people just don't answer their e-mail all that quickly or it just gets swamped in with the rest of their stuff.

Sure but the whole not referencing it has already been discussed drives me crazy. It makes me think that THEY think I am super forgetful and ask things twice all the time.

My boss will do this constantly - she will reply to an e-mail 2 weeks ago as though it was sent 2 minutes ago. She will answer questions about situations that no longer require answers...without noting that the e-mail was from 2 weeks ago.

Which makes me wonder if I should
a) Reply "Yep, we resolved that on June 20th."
b) Go to her office and ask her if she saw that the e-mail she replied to was sent on June 10th and summarize the project and it's final action
c) Just keep ignoring the deja vu repitition and reply "Ok".

[Popeye_Card]

My boss will do this constantly - she will reply to an e-mail 2 weeks ago as though it was sent 2 minutes ago. She will answer questions about situations that no longer require answers...without noting that the e-mail was from 2 weeks ago.

Which makes me wonder if I should
a) Reply "Yep, we resolved that on June 20th."
b) Go to her office and ask her if she saw that the e-mail she replied to was sent on June 10th and summarize the project and it's final action
c) Just keep ignoring the deja vu repitition and reply "Ok".

I usually don't have a problem with this unless 15 people are also cc'd, and I'm imagining them sitting at their desks thinking, "WTF? Didn't they resolve this weeks ago? What's the hold-up?"

EDIT: My old boss used to do something like this all the time. We would have a discussion--say it's ordering materials--and I'd take care of it. A month later, he'd send out an email with like 17 people on the distribution list freaking out because we haven't ordered materials yet. And I have to calmly respond that materials were ordered a month ago already. My old boss was hilarious, but he was tough to work for because he was so scatterbrained.

--P--

[docellis]

My boss will do this constantly - she will reply to an e-mail 2 weeks ago as though it was sent 2 minutes ago. She will answer questions about situations that no longer require answers...without noting that the e-mail was from 2 weeks ago.

Which makes me wonder if I should
a) Reply "Yep, we resolved that on June 20th."
b) Go to her office and ask her if she saw that the e-mail she replied to was sent on June 10th and summarize the project and it's final action
c) Just keep ignoring the deja vu repitition and reply "Ok".

I usually don't have a problem with this unless 15 people are also cc'd, and I'm imagining them sitting at their desks thinking, "WTF? Didn't they resolve this weeks ago? What's the hold-up?"

--P--

Oh I really hate that.

[Michael]

Sometimes I'll reply to an email I've already discussed with a person for political reasons.

[docellis]

Sometimes I'll reply to an email I've already discussed with a person for political reasons.

Yeah me too - to document that something has been taken care of - or to CMA.