Email mistakes on the rise

36% of people admit to accidentally clicking send before an email is ready.

The most common mistakes made via email include:

• Accidentally clicking send before the email is ready (36%)
• Embarrassing spelling and grammar mistakes (20%)
• Accidentally sending a kiss at the end of a message (12%)
• Copying a client into an internal email about them (7%)
• Forwarding an inappropriate email trail (7%)
• Forgetting an attachment (50%)
• Forgetting to blind copy (BCC) on a email (12%)

The survey of 2,500 office workers (conducted by Jurys Inn Hotels and CrossCountry trains) exposed the nation’s over-reliance on email – with 94% claiming to prefer email communication to using the telephone. In fact, over a quarter (28%) of employees claimed telephone communication makes them nervous, rising to almost 40% in the 18-24-year-olds. One in twenty under-24-year-olds claim telephone communication ‘terrifies’ them.

Marking a shift in the way we communicate in the workplace, the study also revealed that one in five office workers would now consider handing in their notice via email rather than face-to-face. A further 14% would ask for a pay rise over email and almost a quarter would complain about another member of staff in this way. In addition, 16% of women would inform their employer of a pregnancy via email.

However, the value of the traditional meeting still stands today, with almost two-thirds of office workers preferring to be informed of a pay rise in a face-to-face scenario, rather than by telephone or email. What’s more, when it comes to hearing about important company news, 43% would prefer to be informed in person rather than via email.

“Clearly people still prefer to be communicated with in person, particularly when it comes to important issues and we shouldn’t underestimate the value of stepping away from our computers and engaging in regular face-to-face meetings,” said Marc Webster, Jurys Inn.

Further findings from the survey revealed that one-fifth of office workers have experienced a colleague using email to take credit for something they did, and 16% have noticed a colleague using email to show them up in a negative light.

“This research further highlights the fact that the way employees are using email to communicate is far from efficient and, in fact, as previous studies have found, is costing the average company £10K per employee per year,” said Professor Tom Jackson, Loughborough University. “Misunderstandings can also occur frequently via written communication. In fact, 68% of employees said the emails they receive are sometimes difficult to decipher and could be resolved much more efficiently via telephone or face-to-face communication.”