Business E-Mail: "Occupational Spam?".

• Position: Brief Article - Statistical Data Included

Thirty four percent of the internal business e-mail they receive is unnecessary, say respondents of a recent survey conducted by research and advisory firm Gartner Inc. Gartner analysts refer to this e-mail as "occupational spam," and advise managers to take proactive steps to reduce it. "In a slowing economy, where businesses are looking for ways to cut costs and increase productivity, simply cutting out unnecessary e-mail will have an immediate impact, "said senior research analyst Maurene Caplan Grey.

The survey also revealed that employees manage e-mail for an average of 49 minutes a day, while 24 percent spend more than an hour, yet only 27 percent of the e-mail demands immediate attention.

Recommendations for e-mail management include:

* Count to 10 before hitting "Reply All;" then count to 20.

* Use distribution...