O O Ø O O O O
Decency
When did it become acceptable business practice not to return phone messages? During the past 18 months I have been privileged to observe with astonishing frequency an inappropriate number of these juvenile tactics.
Just because you ignored my call doesn’t mean I’ve gone away.
I write down a little “m” next to your name, with the time and date of my message. If you haven’t answered by the same time the next day—unless you’re on vacation, of course—I put a checkmark next to you in the dink column.
I will have called you for a reason, most likely with a question. If you don’t call back, how am I to find an answer? I’m pretty resourceful, I wouldn’t have called unless I actually needed help.
I asked when it became acceptable to ignore phone messages. In the spirit of a truly rhetorical question, I intend to answer it.
I’m guessing it became acceptable at around the same time ties were replaced by golf shirts–the sweatpants of the business world–in the office.
Or around the time it became common practice to send email to co-workers who occupy the same floor, or even the same room.
Or just about when “Where are you?” replaced “How are you?” as the standard greeting because everyone carries a bone-phone, and would rather talk to it than those around them.
At about the time mindlessly forwarding an email with FYI at the top came into vogue.
Or when blaming technology–the printer, the network, the program–became an excuse for not knowing how to do your job.
Which was the same time it became widespread corporate policy to use a machine to call people in the evening, then put them on hold when they answer, while a sales rep can be found.
Regardless of the timing of precisely when this practice of ignoring phone messages came into vogue, my personal experience proves that this needn’t be so. I’ve never been so busy I couldn’t find the time to answer the phone or return a call, even if only to say nothing has progressed.
Common decency requires it.
Evan Spence
December 26, 2006
OOØOOOODCCXCVI