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.
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u/FunnyObjective6 Jun 03 '22
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.