Rlchard Pettlnger

SUMMARY BOX 4.1: SHORTFALLS IN E-MAIL AND E-COMMUNICATION

Consider the following note. It was sent to a young computer project engineer who was working in Hanoi, Vietnam, by his boss who was in Los Angeles.
‘‘We have heard nothing from you for three weeks. We do not know whether all is going well or not. Above all, is the project launched? Has it started well? Above all, are there any teething troubles? That’s what I want to know.’’
The range of reactions can be anything from assertive and straight- forward to serious stress. Stress is compounded if additional contact is not available by telephone or face to face with local organization representatives and staff.

Stress may also be caused by working for two bosses in such situations. Commands issued by e-mail from head office, and face to face from the organization’s local or regional manager, may be directly contrary, or give different inflections and nuances.

The note above also gives no idea of the state of mind of the sender – whether anxious, angry, concerned or upset; whether the requests are being made because he/she wants to know, or because he/she has been asked to find out by someone else; or whether it is indeed a straightforward professional and concerned note.

So effective work structure and environment requires universal understanding that the Web and e-mail systems are for the support and enhancement of what is done, and are not a substitute.

» Some organizations are also considering the possibility of using the Web for personality tests, performance appraisals, and the management of grievances and disputes. It is possible that such

30 STRESS MANAGEMENT
approaches may speed up and enhance the operation of these matters. However, they must always be followed up, confirmed, and conducted in substance face to face. Conducted in isolation, to ‘‘fail’’ the personality test (e.g. as part of the assessment process for promotion, or for assessing trainability and aptitude) without a visible debrief is certain to cause resentment and frustration. To receive the outcome of a grievance or dispute by e-mail is satisfactory only if the employee’s case is settled entirely in their favor; otherwise again, stress is certain to result. It is very difficult to see how any effective performance appraisal could be carried out by e-mail except at the initial stage of a particular process where manager and subordinate exchange notes concerning their view of progress to date and over the period, as a precursor to a face-to-face discussion.

» The physical structure of the work also needs to be considered. Internet-based activities and occupations require workstations that are functionally effective, and also of a good human quality. Poor quality and badly designed working environments in factory and production line work have also been proven and demonstrated to cause stress and illness (see Chapters 2 and 3) and this also applies to computer-based activities. Working in cubicles, staring at screens, and being subjected to confronta- tional and adversarial managers and supervisors is certain to produce the same feelings of frustration, lack of value, helpless- ness – and stress – as in traditional industrial situations.