James Dyson, the British billionaire, has told his staff to stop using emails and talk to each other. In fact, he has set up coffee areas at their headquarters to encourage people to talk rather than just email each other. Other big businesses are following suit. In fact captains of Industry are proud of the few emails they receive, it is a question of the fewer the better.
A sizable amount of office time is now spent answering and sending emails. Obviously it is totally impersonal and, of course, leads to claims that people are chained to their desk. An email is great: it is fast and effective but of course the lack of personal contact means that deals could be lost rather than won. I was quite amazed to see a GP complaining that appoinments were being done by pen and paper rather than PC during the cyber attack this week. Shock, horror! Someone had to use a pen and paper. Oh no, they might even have to pick up a telephone and talk to someone (what a nightmare). And of course if there are no computers, you can’t just tell everyone to look at the website: you might have to answer a question.
It is quite amazing how life has evolved in the space of 15 years and, let’s face it, it’s not really a step forward. When I was a teenager, I worked at a petrol station as a petrol pump attendant. Apart from filling your tank with petrol we also gave the car a quick clean on the outside while the customer was paying. These days it is all DIY. But is it a better system? Well no, competely impersonal and it costs the same and you do all the work. If you contact your bank (if you can of course) it is all a question of look at the website and don’t talk to anyone. So, perhaps it is time to take a step backwards and look at modern day life. I couldn’t live without my trusted iPhone but I also come from a generation who likes to talk as well. My PC is a trusted friend but I still pick up the phone.