The Significance of E-Mails

Electronic mails, more popularly known as e-mails, have made communication faster and easier for everyone, especially in the corporate world. Many have found it a remarkably convenient tool in their daily office correspondence. Still, it remains a tool, something that will aid us to do things that we normally do manually, but it must not and cannot replace meetings and other personal (face-to-face) transactions or communications in the company. The reasons why e-mail communication is not enough for lengthy discussions, important exchanges, challenging decisions, and the like are summarized below:

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It encourages laid-back remarks, side comments and hasty reactions - Considering that you are somewhat "out-of-reach" from the person you are e-mailing, it is tempting to send some messages that one might regret in the future. Also, e-mails, when sent, cannot be retracted anymore, even if deleted, they are stored in the company's server for retrieval. Ramifications from the misuse of e-mails are immediate, and these damages can be hard to fix.

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E-mails are considered to be public, they are written records and not just a mere conversation - these mails can be considered as proof of one's mistakes in the course of discussion, especially in making decisions

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Extended exchanges clutter mailboxes - lengthy discussions, especially when employees are arguing over something, are somewhat never-ending, it can fill up one's mailboxes and may cause system hang-ups

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E-mails can sometimes take time too especially that not everyone types at the speed 100 wpm (words per minute) - Sometimes, if the other person is just a floor or a door away, it is much better to see the person face-to-face and have the matter straightened out in seconds or in few minutes, rather than waiting for an e-mail reply, especially if the discussion requires both parties to be spontaneous

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Technicalities in writing (spellings and grammars) must be observed - Some people are too particular with writing technicalities that it's much better to speak with them. Misspelled mails (especially those with wrong grammars) are sometimes the source of fun and entertainment in the office in the expense of the one who sent it.

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There are instances when it is important to see other people's reactions, facial expressions and other body language, e-mails cannot provide that - Definitely. With e-mails, it is hard to gauge the truthfulness of the response, especially if the email contains statements that are somewhat doubtful in its sincerity.

E-mail is undeniably a powerful tool, a very useful and helpful means of communication but one must make sure that it is used properly because there are always two sides to every story.