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Generation that grew up on texting find phone conversations time-wasting

25 Comments

You’re a company department head, let’s say, and a client calls you with a problem. To deal with it, you need some information from a subordinate who was involved in the initial transaction. You input his phone number, only to be stymied by that familiar and grating recorded message: “So-and-so is unable to respond at this time…”

What can you do, except grit your teeth in frustration? All the matter requires is a single word from the relevant party, but the relevant party is unavailable and the word is not forthcoming.

This is more than a minor inconvenience, says Shukan Post (Nov 18). It stands for a whole range of problems, from a “generation gap” to a new psychological syndrome that is already widespread enough to have acquired a name – “telephone fear syndrome.” Young company employees, it seems, will do anything to avoid a telephone conversation.

The most general explanation offered is that young adults in their 20s and early 30s grew up on texting and to them, that’s communication – all of it. Anything beyond that – voice to voice, for example, let alone face to face – is at best time-wasting, at worst terrifying.

“I’m in talks with a client, and there’s my boss ringing me over and over,” the magazine hears from a real estate employee in his 30s whose mobile is on silent mode. “It’s an important client and this is distracting. When the meeting’s over, I call back. It turns out it’s no emergency, just a routine matter. If he’d emailed me it could’ve been handled calmly at leisure.”

That’s one typical episode, in which the young employee’s reluctance to come to the phone is easily comprehensible – he’s busy. No less typically, the employee might have reason to fear the boss’s anger or annoyance. She’s running late, or something of the sort, and it’s so much easier to just tap out a message to that effect than to stammer an explanation and excuse. Or else, mailing saves you having to reply cold to an unexpected question. It gives you time to collect your thoughts, assemble your information.

So far so good, but to clinical psychologist Masaharu Asakawa, there’s a more ominous strain to this. People now in their 20s and 30s grew up on texting and video games and are apt, he says, to be so deficient in elementary communication skills that “telephone fear syndrome,” previously all but unknown, is commonplace.

“A growing number of people,” he says, “get so flustered by repeated phone calls from bosses that they develop physical and emotional systems – depression, headaches, nausea. The cell phone’s been around for nearly 15 years now, and over the past five, 10 years the syndrome has mushroomed.”

You can’t help asking, though, who merits the closer psychological attention – the young people who shrink from phone conversations, or the older ones who telephone compulsively. A young employee in the finance sector tells Shukan Post, “I see my colleagues in the toilet on the phone with the boss, and yes, it gets to me!”

© Japan Today

©2024 GPlusMedia Inc.

25 Comments
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I think they avoid phone calls because phoning fees cost way more than texting. If they are used to texting and not calling and they are dealing with each other, what's the problem? I prefer email/texting because I find it faster and I don't have to deal with the chit chat and small talk that goes with phone calls.

0 ( +2 / -2 )

What can you do, except grit your teeth in frustration?

Yell across the room for the subordinate to answer his or her damn phone.

2 ( +3 / -1 )

Emails, and texting are effective, but there are times when the inflection in a voice tells more than sending/reading text.

Things can be misconstrued, in an email, or a text, that listening to a question/answer redirected personally, can clear up.

Communication takes patience between all; employees, bosses, and people in general.

3 ( +3 / -0 )

Tmarie's got a valid point with the cost; but I've also found that some people, including myself, just don't like the feel of a bit if hard plastic pressed against their ear.

1 ( +1 / -0 )

telephone fear syndrome: yes, my wife has that. shes 31 years old and I've been trying to change that since forever. one solution? improv classes. you socially and communicatively inept japanes people need improv classes. i'll keep you posted

-2 ( +0 / -2 )

you could suggest the employee not carry their phone during work hours

0 ( +0 / -0 )

Take your phone off the hook, and lose business. Your choice.

-1 ( +0 / -1 )

Take your phone off the hook, and lose business. Your choice.

I call BS here.

If the company wants me to be available 24/7 they need to provide me with the means and pay a stand-by fee and all calls, etc(after-hours) should count as overtime and be payed as such. On same token I am with illsayit, I won't use company property and time for private usage.

These days people are way to easy to give up private time, etc.

What I do in my private time on private means is not the business of my work.

I started working at a time, when there was no ready e-mail, cel-phones, etc and we managed fine. There was also no need to call someone after-hours(except emergencies) and holidays, training was a "no-contact" time. There were no phones in meeting rooms and our secretaries handled it all.

Said that at times it is not possible to answer a phone but a quick text-message asking "what's up", "in meeting", etc might help the client. Nor should we be bothered by trivial stuff/matters. What is soooo important that can't wait a few minutes, etc.

In short peoples views and perspectives got skewed. Availability 24/7 helps no-one and only makes the company money as they often rely on employees resources and time to be so.

2 ( +3 / -1 )

Customers need to understand that companies are not at their beck and call 24 hours a day. I HAD to turn off my mobile when I was in sales as I had idiots calling me at 7AM on the weekends. I also had idiots who would call me at 10:00pm on week nights. People don't get that sales people and whatnot do not work 24 hours a day and nor should they. Idiot bosses calling and calling over again are annoying which is probably why many people ignore their calls. You know they aren't important so why bother is you are busy with a customer?

I find it funny that people complain about it here with all the paper notices and crap that go around the office. A simple email would save the trees. I highly doubt those who complain about the lack of phone usage calls everyone for meetings - emails, right?

3 ( +3 / -0 )

tmarie.

Agree, 100%. I refuse to answer calls after 21:00-07:00 on my private phones(leave a message I get back to you on my own time).

As for the Business cel, pager, etc waste my time after-hours and you get a mouthful or worse. Was on 24/7 callout and 80% were not needed and wasted company money as they needed to pay my overtime from time of call till I get back home(their rules). And not even going into what those calls did to my private life and relationships.

My Inbox and voice-mail is open 24/7 but I get back to you on my own time depending on urgency.

These days I call the shots and anyone that don't like it ....

2 ( +2 / -0 )

Same for anyone I contact, reply on your own time/leisure if they aren't available. If it happens soon great.

What is sooo important that requires an important response?

2 ( +2 / -0 )

important = immediate

0 ( +0 / -0 )

There has been a study done: people tend to respond faster to a TXT message (in minutes) compared to a voice message (hours).

So if the recipient's phone is busy, leave a voice message, but also send them a TXT telling them to call you back ASAP.

0 ( +0 / -0 )

young folks should learn NEVER to leave a " paper trail " ( e-mails/text messages records ) ..........................phone tapping still needs court permission ( I think/hope )

0 ( +0 / -0 )

oberst-the one thing young people are good at, is faith. You oberst better be careful where that paper trail you follow leads you to, are you prepared for what you might find.

0 ( +0 / -0 )

I think it's a bit ridiculous to suggest people don't know how to talk face-to-face. Japanese society is so strongly oriented to group activities, and while giving Your Own Opinion isn't big, kids get lots of chances to interact with others. Are some still socially stunted and painfully shy? Sure. But it's nothing to do with the phones they don't yet have or don't have at school.

1 ( +1 / -0 )

"a new psychological syndrome that is already widespread enough to have acquired a name – “telephone fear syndrome.” Young company employees, it seems, will do anything to avoid a telephone conversation.".....

one other factor is avoiding all the politeness and honorifics and superfluous obligatory crappola that goes on here, an the like agreeing "Uun" sound every two seconds, I don't blame anyone trying to avoid that stuff. Back home I used to answer company phone dozens of times a day and short swift and to the point was modus operandi there.

"All the matter requires is a single word from the relevant party" how often does that happen in Japan?

1 ( +1 / -0 )

Funny, I find texting to be more the waste of time. I can usually settle something much quicker and without misunderstanding by a quick phone call. So far as not taking calls after hours, that's fine for some people. If you're doing international business though, somebody has to be there to pick up the phone at odd hours. Things happen.

0 ( +0 / -0 )

Sir, Even though texting is quicker and faster, nothing like listening to the voice, which establishes rapport very easy and it provides emotional support and brings people closer to oneself. The conversation tends to be too boring, when it extends more than required. So too wtih texting, there is a life beyond texting.

0 ( +0 / -0 )

Meh, I never have liked talking on phones, so for me just using emails with a smartphone is a lot better, and as has been stated above is also cheaper if you're on an unlimited data plan. And I grew up long before cellphones even existed.

If someone wants to talk I prefer face to face interaction. If they're too busy for that or too far away, unless it's something that requires an active and immediate give and take.

2 ( +2 / -0 )

I don't have a fear of talking / answering the phone. I just screen all my calls. If it's a number I don't recognize then I will not answer it. They will have to leave a msg. If it is a number I do recognize I will text them back to see what's up. If from there it requires me to actually call them then I will find a quiet place where I can do so.

Over the years, my friends / family / coworkers now just all text me first. Saves a lot of wasted time talking on an expensive phone call for something that could easily be done through text.

I find it to be much more efficient than just calling people and talking.

0 ( +0 / -0 )

Give them a company cell phone and a small premium for being on-call 24/7. On the other hand, being on-call 24/7 should be only in case of emergency. Additionally, bosses who can't respect their subordinates' time management and can't tell the difference between an emergency and non-emergency should not be bosses.

-1 ( +0 / -1 )

@tahoochi

Easier said than done. Do U still want your job?

Bosses are bosses as idiots are idiots. Need to find ways of coping with them ;)

0 ( +0 / -0 )

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