It’s more immediate than e-mail. It’s virtually impossible to ignore. And it can be downright annoying. Like it or not, instant messaging has become a staple in the modern workplace. From getting a quick answer from a colleague to staying in constant contact with the boss, a growing number of professionals are making instant messaging (IM) their preferred method of communication. But this shorthand, which often involves dumbed-down language, has created a barrier between a younger generation that has grown up with it and an older generation that remembers a time when picking up a phone didn’t seem so antiquated. Instant messaging may also be lowering the bar in terms of how business professionals communicate.
“I made a policy several years ago that no one was allowed to use IM in our office,” said Don Hofstetter, a 59-year-old insurance agency executive. Hofstetter argued that IM not only disrupts the workflow of his employees, but it also makes interaction between businesspeople more difficult and less personal. “You don’t get the interplay between people that is required for a full exchange of ideas and concepts,” he said.
Jacqueline Whitmore, business etiquette expert and author of Business Class: Etiquette Essentials for Success at Work, believes that IM is an integral part of today’s fast-paced workplace and is a great form of communication, as long as it is used in the correct manner. She contended that the use of IM among coworkers is acceptable, especially with all of the other added distractions in any office. “We have to be realistic,” Whitmore said. “The point is to get a quick answer or response.”
When dealing with clients, however, it is best to stick to e-mail or a good, old-fashioned phone call. “You could get yourself into murky waters if you don’t necessarily know if that client is going to understand your message,” Whitmore said. “We tend to shorten our sentences by using slang or acronyms, and it works for instant messaging. However, when it translates over to regular e-mail, that’s when it becomes a problem.” She also stressed that e-mails should still be treated as business letters and we must always be aware that our language is representative of our company, not just ourselves.
As for the generational divide, baby boomers don’t seem to be programmed like today’s tech-savvy young adults. While today’s twentysomethings grew up using computers, texting on their cell phones, and juggling numerous activities, the boomer generation isn’t used to that kind of multitasking. In fact, IM could easily backfire.
“Young people are in touch with using instant messaging and it works well for them,” Whitmore explained. “However, if you send an IM to someone of another generation who isn’t accustomed to it, the message could be misunderstood or not understood at all.”
Narissa Vania, a 24-year-old consultant for a strategy and technology firm, uses IM daily to interact with other young coworkers as well as her managers, most of whom are over 50. “I’m a little more careful when messaging with my manager, but with coworkers my age, I’ll abbreviate,” she said. When doing work with those managers, Vania said that both parties prefer to scrap the computer use for face-to-face contact, particularly when discussing a topic that might be too difficult to explain via IM.
While some baby boomers avoid IM like the plague, others welcome it as a simpler way to keep in contact with coworkers. Robert Romines, a 59-year-old senior dealer support manager who works primarily from home, found that IM has actually enhanced the way he communicates with his colleagues and has made his work more efficient. As for communicating with clients via IM, Romines steers clear of it. “It would not be good for a client to know that I am that readily available,” he said.
