The biggest reason your coworkers don't respond to your emails

"Early on in my career, I was focused on being efficient. I wanted to be productive. I wanted to make an impact. And I thought I had mastered the email game in corporate America. Respond quickly; copy in your boss and others so they know what you're doing; hold onto emails for documentation and forward them back when people get confused."

"Early on in my career, I was anxious about inconveniencing colleagues in person. I didn't want to take up or waste their time. I defaulted to email as my primary form of communication-but didn't realize that by sending so many emails, I was inconveniencing them (and damaging my reputation as a manager in the workplace). I encourage all of us to pause and ask, "Do I really need to send this email?""

Early career focus on efficiency can lead to over-reliance on email as default communication. Responding quickly, copying bosses, and archiving messages can feel productive but can overwhelm teams and harm reputation. Manager feedback can reveal that frequent emails create inbox fatigue and reduce message impact. Email should function as a tool, not as a task in itself. Prefer conversations for clarity when appropriate. Before sending, pause and ask whether the matter can wait for a weekly meeting, be resolved in a brief in-person exchange, or handled through a different channel. Intentional choice of communication mode preserves time and professional relationships.

Read at Fast Company