For most computer jockeys, the gloss has long worn off those little envelope icons that pile relentlessly up in the in-box. Now new Australian survey has confirmed email is becoming serious management burden.
Of 1000 senior managers surveyed by the Australian Psychological Society (APS), more than two thirds found dealing with the email flood caused either mild or moderate stress. At least two percent found it highly stressful.
The speed that is its blessing is also email’s curse. As APS points out, the ease of email communication brings with it an unfair expectation people can respond just as quickly. Also it’s lot easier to dash off email requests than to personally ask someone to do bundle of extra tasks each day.
Eighty percent of respondents said dealing with emails took up more than 20 percent of their working day. And as well as the extra workload and urgency, there were concerns about email security and the possibility sensitive information could end up in the wrong hands.
Organisational purpose playing increasingly important role
Management Editorial Team
October 22, 2026
Organisational purpose is playing an increasingly important role in helping New Zealand organisations navigate economic uncertainty, organisational change and evolving workforce expectations, new research from Hum Consulting, finds.
