Are accountants the worst communicators of all professions?
A survey has found that accountants are twice as likely to send emails they regret as people in other professions among other damning findings
The role of the accountant might be changing now from number crunching to an advisory role, but the average accountant has a long way to go when it comes to communication.
That’s according to a survey by business telecoms provider 4Com. They found that over a quarter of British workers – 28 percent – have sent emails at work that they regret. That can be either due to the tone of voice or the language used.
Accountants, however, are more than twice as likely, with as many as three out of five accountants, 60 percent, regretting hitting send. This is particularly clear when compared to other industries – just 22 percent of admin workers, for example, or 40 percent of IT professionals say things in emails that they wish they could take back.
Those in the operations sector are the online chat champions as only one in five, 20 percent, regret an email they’ve sent at work.
Almost half of financial professionals surveyed said they had had work relationships damaged due to poor email communication. The average of those surveyed was 24 percent.
Inappropriate?
Interestingly, accountants were the group who were most likely to use emojis and kisses in emails. That figure came in at 45 percent, even though 48 percent of the population at large found this kind of language inappropriate for work emails.
There is no clear agreement however, with younger generations such as millenials being more likely to use emojis or kisses than baby boomers.
Therapist Sally Baker said: “Emails and other electronic platforms are poorer tools of communication than the gold standard of meeting one another face to face.
“Due to increased disconnect, there is a temptation to use more confrontational language than one would use in person. Emails and other written messages are open to misinterpretation so sensitive information is best delivered in person where possible, leaving written communication just for expressing facts.”
Do you think the conclusions of the survey are fair? Have your say on Twitter at @AccountancyAge or email [email protected]
