Got a tip for us?
Let us know
Become a MacRumors Supporter for $50/year with no ads, ability to filter front page stories, and private forums.
People who don't acknowledge important emails/messages . . .
- Thread starter usagora
- Start date
- Sort by reaction score
- Status
Wow, that’s real mature. As I already made crystal clear back when this thread was in its infancy, the emails in question contain important curriculum info that warrants acknowledgement of receipt. I shouldn’t have to follow up with mature adults because they never reply to such emails. And again, I don’t expect an immediate reply. I send the info out well in advance, so even a week or a bit more would be ok for a response time. No response ever, however, is poor form.
So, yes, I'd agree 100% with you if the email was something totally non-important or trivial like, "Hey, look at these cute puppy videos I found on YouTube", but that's clearly not what I'm talking about, and I'm pretty sure you know that.
Last edited:
Dunno what to tell you my friend. It’s obvious that you’re on the loosing end of this battle, yet you still persist.
I had a co-worker once who reminded me of you. He had a somewhat similar mindset - he managed to piss everyone off in the company with ALWAYS using the read-receipt flag and I knew a slew of folk went out of their way to deliberately not respond to his emails as a result. In all 8+ years I’ve been working for this company, he is the only person who ever had this flag turned on in their emails.
He was also the sort of person who’d email you a question that needed an instant answer then grumble 30 minutes later when a reply was not forthcoming: the fact he sat DIRECTLY behind me with barely 2 feet between our chairs was neither here nor there.
He’s no-longer with us for reasons which are hopefully self-evident…
Have you ever considered the issue is not the emails, but your attitude and mindset to this issue? If pretty much every recipient acts the same way then the issue is less likely to be them, and far more likely to be you.
You're clearly not listening to me. I have said multiple times now that I would have no problem with people taking days or even a week to respond, yet you are comparing me to a former colleague of yours that expected immediate answers. Do you not understand that I'm talking about emails that are simply NEVER replied to even after multiple weeks? Not sure how I can make this any clearer.
It's pretty shocking to me that so many people think that it's appropriate to simply not respond at all to important emails (the fact that they're important is not debatable - these are teachers and the emails are about what they will be teaching). I do send informational emails to people that aren't as critical and don't expect a response (though it would be nice to get feedback from time to time), so I'm pretty reasonable with this - I'm not some person who demands an immediate response to every email I send, like you are trying to make me out to be.
Hmm.... Why not move on from those ineffective emails, which are clearly not working for you?
Just send a link to google docs, or some other document collaboration web site. Post your materials there, including one that has a list of all your teachers, sort of a sign in sheet. Have them open that one first, check a box next to their name - or something similar to that. If you actually need feedback from your staff, you can have a document just for that, or whatever works for you (hopefully better than just sending out an email where most don't care to respond!) They won't be responding directly back to YOU, only through the google doc (or whatever collaboration app you might choose to use.)
Just send a link to google docs, or some other document collaboration web site. Post your materials there, including one that has a list of all your teachers, sort of a sign in sheet. Have them open that one first, check a box next to their name - or something similar to that. If you actually need feedback from your staff, you can have a document just for that, or whatever works for you (hopefully better than just sending out an email where most don't care to respond!) They won't be responding directly back to YOU, only through the google doc (or whatever collaboration app you might choose to use.)
That’s really frustrating when that happens. I find there are two types of people, those who try to de-prioritize your email because of superiority and/or they simply are somebody that’s complacent when it comes to replying in a reasonable time frame.
For me, where respect is given, respect is earned. I’m always willing to reply if I can if somebody is specifically asking me something. However, if I have someone I email me that doesn’t reply to me within a reasonable amount of time, I will push the email off and reply whenever they need a response in the future. I know that’s not necessarily exactly the attitude to have, but I live by my motto.
Also, One thing I really like with our email system, is that we have a ‘read receipt’ indicator that we click if it’s an email of significant importance. That way, there’s no confusion of who didn’t read the E-mail.
Is importance in the eye of the beholder or in the finger tips of the sender.
Can you not turn on "read receipt" on your emails, I've done this before so I know who opened my email and not have to rely on a "got your email" response. In my current position, I will send an email and if it requires immediate attention I also text the person to let them know in case they are not in front of their computer to act on it (this is mostly emails to my supervisor who needs to engage someone else about my email).
Some things that may help:
1. Value of email (is this email bringing value to the receiver? Is it important to everyone or just you?)
2. Get to the point (Bottom Line Up Front)
3. Frequency/length (how often and how long are your emails)?
4. Ask for receiver to please respond
I agree, it may be important to the sender, but I also have to prioritize my day and all the actions I receive. If I don't deem your email important, I am moving on to what I consider important.
I am in the Army and I used to have this Sergeant get mad at me because he would send me emails requesting I do some spreadsheet or another task and I would not do it on his timeline. He was not my supervisor or any where on my Chain of Command, also I was running a whole office and often worked late just to get all my work done so his tasks were at the bottom of my list.
The problem with that is it doesn't really tell you that they read the email. They could have accidentally opened it and/or opened it and thought (I'll read this later on), etc.
Yes, I can do this, but my point is it shouldn't be necessary to ask that. Responding should be common courtesy when the email is of the type I described. It's like if I send somebody a gift and put a note with it that says, "Please say 'thank you'" LOL!
OK - I'll ask the (too obvious) question:
What makes you believe that responding to your email "I got your doc, Thanks!" means that the receiver also read that email? Responding would take much less time than actually reading the materials that you send them.
I realize this can be a bit frustrating, but if they are on your "team", wouldn't it be better to follow up, maybe by providing a time line to follow, or some other technique that would end up "enabling" your teachers, helping them to not take up so much of your time.
What makes you believe that responding to your email "I got your doc, Thanks!" means that the receiver also read that email? Responding would take much less time than actually reading the materials that you send them.
I realize this can be a bit frustrating, but if they are on your "team", wouldn't it be better to follow up, maybe by providing a time line to follow, or some other technique that would end up "enabling" your teachers, helping them to not take up so much of your time.
How many instances have you had where the work was legitimately not done? Did that come from people who did not acknowledge the importance of your initial email? Why not deal with the people who are "out of compliance" rather than bog everyone else down in your need to feel acknowledged?
As they say, no news is good news.
As they say, no news is good news.
I thought this thread concluded soon after it was started August 4. Apparently not. To @usagora , the vast majority of those who responded to this thread disagree with you and have provided many good reasons, myself included. You will not persuade them otherwise and the reverse is true as well.
Of course it's not scientific proof that they read the email, but it's sure a whole heck of a lot more likely that they did than a so-called "read receipt", and it also confirms to me that they are consciously aware of the email (vs. having accidentally opened it and immediately backed out or marked it as read).
Of course, I end up having to do that (follow up). My entire point is that I shouldn't have to.
What is with this straw man? I don't give a flying **** about needing to "feel" anything. To use the same analogy I did before of an air traffic controller, if a pilot doesn't reply to a controller's request/instructions, and he continues to request confirmation of receipt and admonishes the pilot for not responding, does that mean he has some psychological/emotional "need to feel acknowledged"? Of course not! He simply wants confirmation that important information was received.
I simply cannot fathom how you can read the context of my OP and further replies and come away with this absurd conclusion.
You can feel free to unfollow the thread if you wish. Given how widespread this issue is, it comes as no surprise to me that many here disagree with me. Common courtesy isn't so common apparently.
You did not answer my questions. Let me remove the offending language for you and try again.
I find it sort of ironic, actually, that you did not acknowledge my questions, in the same way that you wish to be acknowledged in your emails. Interesting.
An essential part of radio protocol is to respond to transmissions. It's a requirement when using a radio for communications, not simply a common courtesy.
There is no essential requirement to respond on receipt of an email, only an expectation.
Sounds like your coworkers don't share your expectations, for some reason.
If email is no longer effective for your team, what other methods of communication can you use?
There is no essential requirement to respond on receipt of an email, only an expectation.
Sounds like your coworkers don't share your expectations, for some reason.
If email is no longer effective for your team, what other methods of communication can you use?
Or, maybe the rules of manners have drifted from your expectations?
I used to think all communications were important, and made sure to reply to each one every time. But then with my 30s behind me, I suddenly realized that I had spent the best 2 decades of my life staring at screens. Everyone got their questions answered, their opinions responded to, the explanations they wanted, and all it cost me was years of my time that I could have been doing something positive for people i actually care about, and when those people started dying off, i ditched my phone and abandoned my email.
If it’s important then call my office and we’ll discuss it in a phone call. If it’s not worth your time to do that, then it isn’t worth the time it’d take me to respond to it, and you can try your luck sending it to the general admin inbox for the secretary to route accordingly.
If it’s important then call my office and we’ll discuss it in a phone call. If it’s not worth your time to do that, then it isn’t worth the time it’d take me to respond to it, and you can try your luck sending it to the general admin inbox for the secretary to route accordingly.
🤦♂️You're trying to compare you asking me questions (that, frankly, I didn't quite follow, and could easily be taken as rhetorical ones, btw) on a forum to me sending important curriculum change info to teachers? The context couldn't be more different. There is no working/collaborative relationship between us. But to answer what I think you're trying to ask: because the people in questions fail to acknowledge receipt of the information, I end up having to either text them or send yet another email after a few weeks to specifically ask them to confirm they received and understood the info. At that point, they will finally respond. But I should not have to babysit like that. People need to take initiative. That's my point.
And once again, you've got it wrong. This has nothing to do with ME (as a person) wanting to being acknowledged, but rather the information. I have no idea where you and at least one other person on this thread are getting this idea from that this has something to do with my personal feelings of worth/importance or some other silliness, but it's 100% false. Sounds like you're trying to spin my posts so you can then turn and criticize things I've never said or even implied.
The point I was making with that analogy (which I was pretty clear about, btw) was that my need of a response was not some emotional one, like some folks here are straw-manning. I'm simply pointing out that this is a purely practical thing.
I guess I could print out all the attachments and email and send it to them by snail mail, LOL! We all have full time jobs, etc. outside the teaching we do, so email is the most practical, non-intrusive way to communicate. I could start sending texts that say "Hey, just sent you an important email" but that to me conveys a sense of urgency (gotta respond right now) that I don't intend. Like I said, I'm fine with a delayed response; but I'm not fine with NO response.
Some "rules" should be universal and understood. Responding to important emails is one of them.
- Status