STAMFORD, CONN., April 19, 2001 — Respondents to a recent survey conducted by Gartner, Inc. (NYSE: IT and ITB) report that 34 percent of the internal business e-mail they receive is unnecessary. Gartner analysts refer to this e-mail intrusion as "occupational spam," and advise that managers take proactive steps to reduce it.

"Employees are e-mailing their co-workers in higher frequencies in an effort to be helpful and more communicative," said Maurene Caplan Grey, Gartner senior research analyst. "In reality, they are cluttering e-mail in-boxes, filling up servers and sapping productivity with the volume of these messages. In a slowing economy, where businesses are looking for ways to cut costs and increase productivity, simply cutting out unnecessary e-mail will have an immediate impact."

The Gartner survey, which posed a range of questions to workers on their use of e-mail and instant messaging, also revealed that employees spend an average of 49 minutes per day managing e-mail — and that 24 percent spend more than an hour per day on this activity. Survey respondents also report that only 27 percent of the e-mail they receive demands their immediate attention.

"If a company rids itself of occupational spam, it will experience a 30-percent savings in the time its workers spend managing e-mail," said Gartner Research Director Neil MacDonald. "Managers should set the tone for e-mail usage and train employees to use e-mail more efficiently."

Gartner's recommendations for avoiding occupational spam include:

• Count to 10 before hitting "Reply All" — then count to 20.



• Use distribution lists with caution. Send e-mail only to people who need the information.



• E-mail kudos and praise are great, but recipients of such messages should be encouraged not to hit "reply all" in responses that merely echo the congratulatory message.



• Recipients of unwanted e-mail should craft "polite reminder" replies, gently letting occupational spammers know that — although they have the recipient's support — they did not need to send this particular e-mail to this particular person or list.



• Invest in intranet tools for remote team collaboration. Chat rooms, bulletin boards and even instant messaging are more efficient than e-mail for such collaboration.



• Encourage senders to consider how high up their e-mail message really needs to go before they get results. Copying the top dog for effect frequently produces a negative impression.



• Try to identify one person in a department who will "own" an e-mail thread as early as possible. This reduces unproductive "team e-mail problem solving" and avoids duplicated effort.



• Stop the "friendly fire" — don't originate or forward jokes, chain letters or other non-business-related e-mail.



• Assume that agreement is implied. Avoid sending needless responses of concurrence like "I'm with you 100 percent," "You bet," "Thought so," or "Glad to be of help — anytime."



• Initiate the last e-mail. End messages with phrases that close a thread, such as "All set now," "No action required," or "FYI only — no reply necessary."

About Gartner, Inc.
Gartner, Inc. is a research and advisory firm that helps more than 10,000 clients understand technology and drive business growth. Gartner's divisions consist of Gartner Research, Gartner Consulting, Gartner Measurement and Gartner Events. Founded in 1979, Gartner, Inc. is headquartered in Stamford, Connecticut and consists of 4,600 associates, including 1,400 research analysts and consultants, in more than 80 locations worldwide. The company achieved fiscal 2000 revenues of $859 million. For more information, visit www.gartner.com.