Casual Fridays, good; Summer Fridays, great; but Email Free???

Don't blame the message-sending device--blame the messenger.

According to USA Today, several companies, including US Cellular, are adopting "Email-Free Fridays" where employees are encouraged to pick up the phone or speak to their colleagues face-to-face.

I am against banning a tool because people don't know how to use it effectively. Teach people to use the tool. You toilet-train your children, don't you?

Is it the spam you're trying to avoid? Then don't open spam, just delete it. Don't tell me you can't recognize spam by the sender name and email title yet. We're all trying to avoid unsolicited advertising in all delivery methods. You haven't stopped watching television because of the commercials, have you?

Is it that you miss talking to your colleagues and bosses? If you like someone, you will get up and talk to them. If no one is sticking his head in your office, maybe no one likes you.

At work, especially in large companies, the same message often needs to be documented and communicated to many people. How should you do that? Work your way around the building and speak to each one? Call everyone individually? How much time you got?

Should you call a meeting? Great idea: let's substitute emails with meetings. People will be begging for emails back.

Emails are often misread or unclear. But all employees should learn to write effectively. That's what we are supposed to learn in school. Perhaps the next generation will be required to take "Writing Effective Emails." An email writer must close up loopholes by writing short sentences with a lot of specific nouns.

A well-written email is often the safest means of communications. Anyone who has a boss or colleague who flies off the handle when faced with new "challenges" can vouch for that. My advice for dealing with the Tina Tirades, if you haven't learned this already:

Write a comprehensive, carefully-worded email. Wait until 5:29 pm. Hit Send. Then head for the train.