A Mumsnet user has split opinion on the parenting website after revealing their company’s email policy which had caused upset among new hires.
The worker asked fellow members of the popular Am I Being Unreasonable forum whether what they considered to be a “normal and acceptable” form of email etiquette was going too far. The post was sparked by a number of recent complaints from people joining the workplace.
The Mumsnet member explained that the business had a formal email policy in place which all new starters had to learn. The rules around emails included reading everything in your inbox by the end of the day, and replying to emails within 24 hours.
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They added that workers can send emails “whenever they want” and that it wasn’t a problem if they emailed colleagues outside of business hours. However they stressed that there was “no expectation” to read emails when not at work, and that any emails sent outside of normal working times would be considered to have been sent at the start of the next working day for the purposes of the 24-hour reply window.
The user gave context that they worked in a medium-sized business, in a “standard office environment with your standard business hours”. They added that workers were only required to be in the office two days per week, but were expected to be reachable from Monday to Friday during working hours.
The Mumsnet user said that colleagues would need to visit someone in person or give them a call if they needed a reply to something before the end of the day. But they admitted that some new recruits starting with the company weren’t happy with the lengthy policy.
“Several of the new starters felt it was a bit invasive they could be receiving emails outside of business hours even if they didn’t have to read them until the end of the next business day,” they explained. “A few of the new starters also thought the expectation to have read all your emails before you sign off was asking a bit much.”
Do you think the email policy is reasonable or too much? Let us know in the comments below.
Fellow Mumsnet users were quick to share their opinions on the matter, with some musing that whether or not the policy was acceptable depended on other factors. One person noted that if workers had to have emails set up on a personal phone rather than a work device then notifications out of hours could be “intrusive”.
Some took issue with the rule telling workers to clear their inbox of any unread emails each day. “Loads of people are often in meetings all afternoon and then go straight home / finish work,” someone wrote in the comments.
They went on: “Expecting them to read through an inbox after that is unreasonable. Especially as it will regularly result in finding something needing prompt action.”
Another added that the average amount of emails was also significant. “If you have two emails to read before the end of the day fine,” they wrote. “If there are 20 sent by management as a passive aggressive way to get you to stay working later… jog on.”
Others on Mumsnet strongly disagreed with the email policy being in place altogether. One user said: “I think that’s massively prescriptive and micromanaging. And quite complicated. People should be able to manage their own emails and inboxes as they see fit.”
Another person added: “Competent employees don’t need to be told how/when to reply to an email, surely?”
However others argued that there was nothing wrong with the business’ email etiquette. “Assuming the emails go to their business address then of course this is perfectly reasonable,” one Mumsnet user wrote. “You’re not expecting anyone to take any notice of emails sent out of office hours.”
Do you think the email policy is reasonable or too much? Let us know in the comments below.
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