Home working project managers worried key information is going missing in email deluge

Project managers are increasingly concerned about their ability to have access to the information they need for their work following the rise in homeworking in the wake of the covid-19 pandemic.

According to a report produced by Arup-owned email management company Mail Manager, more than half of project management companies said they are either very concerned or concerned that information is not readily available from a desk at home. Just one third said they only had minor worries about the issue.

Mail Manager director Jacob Wardrop said the rise in homeworking has driven an increase in the amount of email correspondence being used on projects – running the risk of clogging up inboxes and being missed by teams or individuals.

He added: “The [increase] risks important project information getting locked in individual inboxes, employees spending hours looking for data and documents, or information going missing completely.”

Overall, the survey found the need to enable remote working was now the main factor influencing firms’ investment in technology.

This time last year, just 11% of architecture, engineering and construction companies considered remote working a key technology initiative. But 71% said it is now their number one priority.

More than 500 people from architects, engineers and contractors from the US, UK, Asia-Pacifica and South Africa took part in the survey which was caried out in January.