Lisa Bartlett

Three simple words.

Working on it.

Not used nearly enough in business communications.

Or if you prefer a slightly longer version:

“Thanks, I got your message. I’m working on it and I’ll get back to you shortly.”

That’s it. Seven or eight seconds to type. Yet somehow these words have become endangered.

This is one of my biggest business pet peeves.

I don’t want to have to chase people over email.

I don’t want to flag messages for follow-up because I’m not sure whether anyone even saw them.

I don’t want to wonder if my email landed in spam, if you were abducted by aliens, or if you’ve quietly decided to start a new life somewhere without Wi-Fi.

I simply want to know that you received my message.

For some reason, many people seem to believe that silence automatically means, “I’m working on it.” I have never understood that logic. To me, silence means…well…nothing. It could mean you’re working on it. It could mean you forgot. It could mean you disagree. It could mean you accidentally deleted it. My imagination has a lot of options, and very few of them are productive.

The irony is that people often avoid responding because they don’t have the answer yet.

But I don’t need the answer yet.

I just need to know that you know.

There’s a huge difference.

Some of the best communicators I’ve worked with have mastered this simple habit. They’ll reply within a few minutes with something like:

“Got it. Let me dig into this and I’ll get back to you tomorrow.”

Perfect.

Now I know it’s on their radar. I know I don’t need to send another email in four hours asking, “Just checking in…” They have actually saved both of us time.

Ironically, taking ten seconds to send “Working on it” often prevents ten minutes of unnecessary follow-up later.

Multiply that across an entire company and you can save hours every week.

This isn’t just about email, either.

It’s text messages.

Slack.

Microsoft Teams.

Voicemail.

Even face-to-face conversations.

Communication isn’t finished when you hear the message. It’s finished when the other person knows you heard the message.

As a leader, I have enough things occupying my brain without wondering whether someone saw an email. I suspect most people feel exactly the same way.

One of the lessons I’ve learned over the years is that certainty is calming.

Even when the answer is, “I won’t know until Friday,” that’s perfectly fine.

At least now I know and I won’t keep asking you about it. Expectations are clearly set.

Oddly enough, I’ve found this works just as well outside of work. Friends appreciate it. Family appreciates it. Customers definitely appreciate it.

Nobody enjoys feeling ignored.

One of my favorite sayings is, “I can’t read your mind.” This is just another version of that philosophy.

Don’t make people guess.

Let them know.

“Working on it.”

Three simple words.

Tiny effort.

Massive return.