NO! A resounding no!
Some corporate emailers may think they’re impressing their bosses, peers or subordinates by sending emails in the middle of the night. And while an occasional 3:00 AM e-mail may be “forgivin,” think again.
It doesn’t take much to understand why. Just turn the tables and note how you feel when you see the time stamp as some ungodly hour!
So, from the boss’s perspective, consider these perceptions:
- Why is Jim up at 4:00AM, regularly? Is he getting enough sleep? Is he in control? Is he stressed out? Is he out of balance?
- Is Rebecca just trying to impress me? Does she think that I value this behavior? Doesn’t she know how to delay the sending of the email to a “normal” hour?
- What part of “have a balanced life” didn’t he understand?
And, from the employee’s perspective:
- Yikes. My boss is emailing me at 3:00 AM! I wonder if he expects me to do that too?!
- I better check my email first thing in the morning; the boss may have sent me something again in the middle of the night. How’s that for wake up stress?
- Whasssamatter with her? Is she losing it? Why can’t my boss get a good night’s sleep?
- Since he’s working 24/7, I assume he wants me to also. Gad, I hate my job.
In addition to these unhealthy perceptions, you’re taking a real risk emailing when you haven’t had a full night’s sleep, or woke up in anger because of an issue at work.
Give it a rest. Or at least-don’t send it till you’ve had a chance to review it with the light of day.
