NFIB

Don't Let Email Make You Forget Face-mail
04/ 15/ 2002


Have you ever seen an ad picturing a company as nothing more than row after row of employees all staring mindlessly into a computer monitor? Often, such caricatures are not far from reality -- with the result that employees may become isolated, focusing on technology instead of real human interaction. In particular, E-mail is so prevalent today that many people have become habituated to E-mailing co-workers even when their offices are right next door. In today's Workshop, contributor Jeffrey Moses shows why encouraging your employees to use Face-mail as well as E-mail can help unify your company and revitalize its spirit.

Even though technology has changed the way we do business (and in some instances even how we lead our personal lives), it should never be forgotten that the true essence of business lies in Person-to-Person interaction. Nothing happens in business without personal contact. No sales are made. No plans are worked out. No teamwork is accomplished. Everything in business, ultimately, depends on people talking with people. When face-to-face contact is lacking, this interaction becomes rather bland and lifeless, causing employees to lose touch with the sense of company spirit that unifies all the diverse talent within an organization. To have a strongly developed corporate culture of unity and teamwork, Person-to-Person contact must be an ongoing part of a company's daily operations.

There are many ramifications of encouraging face-to-face interactions within a company. In addition to the increased cohesiveness that automatically results, a company will also benefit from the enhanced transfer of knowledge from one person to another. It's impossible to say as much in an E-mail as can be transferred in even a short conversation. E-mails are static, with little immediate give-and-take possible between individuals. A conversation is dynamic, with the chance to ask and answer questions -- and to let new ideas spontaneously pop up.

Leaders within a company are formed by training and example. It's not likely that top executives can impart the fullness of their experience to employees through E-mail. Only through close contact can such knowledge be shared. To miss out on this can severely limit the potential of a company's inner growth.

To encourage employees to return to Face-mail (at least on occasion), managers must set the example. Instead of automatically replying to E-mails via E-mail, managers should sometimes simply get out of their chairs and drop in on employees. In this way, managers can re-establish the face-to-face contact that helps keep a company cohesive and lively.

One further note: sales activities should never be dependent on E-mail. Certainly E-mail can be a valuable time-saving tool in sales, but direct contact (either face-to-face or by telephone) should always be maintained between a salesperson and a customer. Even after the sale has been made, personal contact should be maintained. It may be easier just to send out an occasional E-mail, but it will seem impersonal and will not serve the purpose of maintaining the close bond that will facilitate future sales.

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