1. February 2011
Safety Transactions—E-mail Has Limits
What’s the issue? One study found that in 2008, “people consumed three
times as much information each day as they did in
E-mail has so many advantages as a communica- 1960.” Impressive, but does “consumed” really mean
tion tool—it is fast, easy and cheap—that some “read and remembered”?
supervisors fail to recognize its serious limita-
tions. Over-reliance on e-mail can make it harder According to a New York Times article, “Our ability to
to communicate. focus is being undermined by bursts of information.”
And even if they focus, do they care? Unless your
What’s going on? message concerns something they already care about,
most people won’t be very interested in what you’re
E-mail has become an indispensable part of modern trying to tell them.
life, both at work and at home. It is a great tool for
reminders, updates and simple transactions. How- Your average e-mail message gets mixed in with an
ever, it also has a number of important drawbacks. endless stream of spam. With multiple “To” and “Cc”
It is by no means the best solution for safety-related recipients, tangled up with a few “Reply to All” re-
transactions. sponses, the point of a message stream easily gets lost.
The fact that most people don’t write clearly adds to
A basic problem with email is that people today are the confusion.
swamped with input, both voluntarily (music, news,
entertainment) and involuntary (such as advertising). Even worse is when you appear to avoid face-to-face
One more email can easily get lost in the shuffle. discussions, a sure way to lose touch with subordi-
Research shows that we are subjected to more than nates. Real-time two-way communications are critical,
1,500 competing messages of all types every day. particularly for situations involving hazards and risk.
Although safety is important, it doesn’t necessarily E-mail can be lazy communication—and lazy leader-
assume top priority. ship, as well.

2. Face to face, both people can ask and answer ques- Take some tips from the 1980’s management tech-
tions. You can read body language, tell whether nique called “Managing By Walking Around”:
someone is paying attention, and figure out how
they feel about an issue. • As a leader, you often spend time with peers
and the people you work with every day, but
What’s the solution? don’t neglect people below that level.
• Ask questions. You can learn a lot about
Fight the urge to send an email when you can projects and duties by being inquisitive
walk over and talk to someone. If an email is rather than intrusive.
important and unavoidable, at least follow up with • Pay attention to your listening skills—do
a phone call. they need improvement?
DISCUSSION ITEMS/ OPEN QUESTIONS
1. How often do you send emails that don’t produce the effect you want?
2. What are some legitimate uses for e-mail?
3. What sorts of topics aren’t right for e-mail?
4. When was the last time someone sent you an email that made you
wonder why they didn’t just come talk to you in person?
BY DEREK NELSON, HEAD MEDIA DIVISION
Supervisors: Use this page to guide safety discussions with your personnel
Send your feedback to: safe-mediafdbk@navy.mil
(you can also sign up to receive this resource by email)