If a friend doesn't answer an email from me, I assume one of the following: they didn't actually have anything to say back but did read it, they were too overwhelmed to read it and then forgot, they had so much mail in their email they didn't see it, or something along those lines. That's not a big deal and if it's something that was important, like scheduling getting together, I'll just poke friends again.
If a colleague doesn't answer an email, I still assume it got lost but wait 3 days and send it again. They don't really have the options of "I am too overwhelmed with life to deal with a work email when I'm on the clock," because unfortunately we don't get to do that and I wish we could, and it definitely wasn't something that didn't require a response.
I have now sent this particular email four times, and am starting to wonder if said colleague is still alive.
ETA: People suggesting I call -- if I didn't have phone anxiety I would be able to do that to the extent of asking them to search their email for emails from me. We have a firm organizational culture of discussing everything important with timestamps, so it is a matter that needs to be resolved over email (thank dog, because I hate the phone).
ETA II: Related to colleagues being alive! My employee's relative died suddenly over the weekend, so I needed to put her in for bereavement leave. Apparently, our system does not have a 'bereavement' category, but a 'death' one, so she is marked as 'Death' for yesterday, today and tomorrow. She's dead, but only for the 3 days covered by payroll policy and she'll get better tomorrow night! Someone did not think that naming system through well enough. ( Screenshot. )
If a colleague doesn't answer an email, I still assume it got lost but wait 3 days and send it again. They don't really have the options of "I am too overwhelmed with life to deal with a work email when I'm on the clock," because unfortunately we don't get to do that and I wish we could, and it definitely wasn't something that didn't require a response.
I have now sent this particular email four times, and am starting to wonder if said colleague is still alive.
ETA: People suggesting I call -- if I didn't have phone anxiety I would be able to do that to the extent of asking them to search their email for emails from me. We have a firm organizational culture of discussing everything important with timestamps, so it is a matter that needs to be resolved over email (thank dog, because I hate the phone).
ETA II: Related to colleagues being alive! My employee's relative died suddenly over the weekend, so I needed to put her in for bereavement leave. Apparently, our system does not have a 'bereavement' category, but a 'death' one, so she is marked as 'Death' for yesterday, today and tomorrow. She's dead, but only for the 3 days covered by payroll policy and she'll get better tomorrow night! Someone did not think that naming system through well enough. ( Screenshot. )
