I too can relate to the email overflow. In a recent position where I was a manager, the standing rule was that if I was on the To: line, the it required my action, otherwise, use the CC: line. I was so strapped for time that I literally had to prioritize which email I read, by sender and topic. My current manager and I have an understanding that if he doesn’t reply, I use my best judgement and we deal with the outcome. If it’s especially critical, I’ll call.

Hi Tom,

I was really touched by this. You and your boss seem to really have a good relationship, regardless of the lapses that occur. It is good that you are courageous and kind (a wonderful combination of strengths to have).

I have a relationship with my boss like that, and he is a blessing. I know that if he misses something, it is because he is swamped, so I usually ask him what I can take off his plate so he can focus on something else. If he fails to respond, he always apologizes later. It helps to know that he values the work I do for him. There is enough of a free exchange of ideas between us that I never feel stifled, so if I have an idea that he doesn’t like, I can recall all the ideas he did like, and that helps me not to take it personally.

Thank you for adding your comments.

Kathy

–I had a direct report who cc’d me on EVERYTHING. I couldn’t discern when she truly needed me and when she was seeking cover. In that case, my predecessor had expected to have every detail documented and punishment was harsh if there were later surprises, so we were both living in the previous manager’s shadow. A direct conversation helped us agree to new ground-rules – and my backing her when she did get in over her head proved I was true to my word.

–I’ve been in big cc groups where I learned if I sat out the first 5-6 rounds of “reply all” messages, I could weigh in once – with the benefit of input from many. Since I spent my days in meetings and was catching up on emails at the end of the day, this became a survival mechanism.

–I’ve been known to set up my email to warn me if the sender had requested a read receipt – and usually declined. Why? I think it gave me a sense of control, when my overflowing email box felt out of control. Passive aggressive? Yep.

–Using headers in the subject line as referenced in a previous post helps a LOT.

–I learned tips for managing my email that were very useful. For example, how to set up my Outlook so messages where I was the only recipient showed up in a different color, so I KNEW I had to prioritize them. How to make messages from my boss appear in yet another color. How to set up “rules” so less important messages went right into a folder. With outgoing messages, I learned to assign “to-do” dates, so they would turn red in the recipients’ email boxes if they hadn’t acted on them by a deadline. If you suspect a colleague might be drowning in email, helping them identify a few basic ways to make their in-box manageable is likely to be MUCH appreciated.

–Recently I’ve read about folks who use auto-response messages to help both sides. The outgoing message might read, “Today (8/13/14) I am in meetings all day. Please know I’ve received your message and will respond as soon as I am able – which might be midday tomorrow. If you need a response more quickly, please call my cell at….” This alerts the sender that their email went to the right person, and helps them know when to expect a response. It keeps the recipient from panicking when they get back to their desk and find 200+ unread messages waiting.

–ABOVE ALL ELSE: a conversation, in real time, works magic.