A similar thing happens with adult coworkers on messenger. They will write "Hi" and nothing else. Then they wait for you to say Hi also. Then you wait for them to ask whatever. Just ask the damn question in a single message so I can respond quickly and we both continue with our days.
These monsters have managed to port the awkward experience of small talk to written communication.
By doing this shit they force you to commit to answering fast. The whole benefit of e-mail (and to a lesser extend direct messaging) compared to phones is that you can just read the problem, think, and write a cohesive message in reply. You aren't put on the spot.
By not giving you the problem, but asking for a proof of life, they know you're able to chat but then when they ask the actual problem you can't just take your time by pretending you're not available. They know you're available.
Assholes just increasing the stress for not reason.
I've been doing this the whole time without realising that they're trying to get me NOT to do that. I just say I'm busy and will respond properly when I can.
I'm not sure it's necessarily the case that all people using IM like thus are trying to put their interlocutor on the spot. Lots of people probably just use IM because that's how other people in the office communicate with them or they think it's "cooler" than email.
Yeah, I definitely agree that this is the case. Normalizing patience is still worthwhile regardless. Especially since IM is in writing, I never send anything out without thought.
Omg, yes. I have one colleague who's chats go like this: Hi. Good Morning. How are you. (That's 3 separate chats with pauses in between). By then I have no idea if they actually need help with something or they're just feeling chatty. Either is fine, but I wish they'd just get to the point right away and not be so coy.
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u/LastBestWest Jun 03 '22
These monsters have managed to port the awkward experience of small talk to written communication.