Something for the weekend…
Have you ever cast your eye over at your new intern, work experience colleague or young employee and wondered why they weren’t picking up the phone to make a call?
It’s because one in 20 employees between the ages of 18 and 24 suffer from something called telephonophobia, a reluctance or fear of making telephone calls in the workplace.
Yes, it is an actual phobia. I will admit, I’ve suffered from it. And others have too. Research by Jurys Inn Hotels and CrossCountry Trains found that, out of 2,500 office workers surveyed, 94% prefer email communication.
More than two-thirds (40%) of young workers claimed telephone communication makes them nervous and terrified. While telephonophobia exists, email has become a dominant tool for communication, yet mistakes are made.
Everyone has surely done all of these top three from the research:
- Accidentally clicking send before the email is ready (36%).
- Embrassing spelling and grammar mistakes (20%).
- Sending a kiss (x) at the end of a message (12%).
While I’m over my telephonophobia, I wonder how many of you can spot my mistake…