is it weird to send work emails late at night?
A reader writes:
Last night around 11 pm, my husband suddenly remembered that he had forgotten to email someone back about a meeting request, and was about to respond when I said it looked weird to be emailing at 11 pm. He asked why and I had no good reason, except that it seemed weird to let people know that you’re up and thinking about work that late?
I wonder if I’m extra-cautious because I work as a contractor and so I try very hard not to email at off-hours so as not to give the impression that they can expect me to be up all hours. But you’re not going to lose much time if you send it at 9:30 am rather than something sitting in their inbox when they arrive. What do you think?
I answer this question — and two others — over at Inc. today, where I’m revisiting letters that have been buried in the archives here from years ago (and sometimes updating/expanding my answers to them). You can read it here.
Other questions I’m answering there today include:
- My team keeps holding lunches at a restaurant that doesn’t accommodate my allergy
- When I turn down a job, can I recommend someone else?
