# How Managerial Nonresponse Can Demoralize Team Members

DevFeed: [How Managerial Nonresponse Can Demoralize Team Members](<https://devfeed.tech/articles/management-anti-pattern-how-to-demoralize-team-members-without-doing-anything-28338.md>)

Original publisher: [Read original article](<http://fuzzyblog.io/blog/startup/2020/02/11/management-anti-pattern-how-to-demoralize-team-members-without-doing-anything.html>)

Author: Fuzzygroup

Published: 2020-02-11T00:00:00Z

Content type: opinion

Language: en

Sources: [Scott Johnson](<https://devfeed.tech/sources/scott-johnson.md>)

Topics: [context](<https://devfeed.tech/topics/context.md>), [email](<https://devfeed.tech/topics/email.md>), [Slack](<https://devfeed.tech/topics/slack.md>)

Tags: [email](<https://devfeed.tech/tags/email.md>), [management](<https://devfeed.tech/tags/management.md>), [remote](<https://devfeed.tech/tags/remote.md>), [remote-work](<https://devfeed.tech/tags/remote-work.md>), [slack](<https://devfeed.tech/tags/slack.md>), [startup](<https://devfeed.tech/tags/startup.md>), [team](<https://devfeed.tech/tags/team.md>)

## AI overview

The article argues that managers who fail to acknowledge messages can demoralize remote team members, including experienced and motivated employees. It recommends acknowledging messages and communicating when a considered response will take more time.

## Source excerpt

I have discovered a wonderful anti pattern for absolutely demoralizing team members in a remote context and it is drop dead simple: When you are someone's manager, simply don't respond to the things that they send you. The magic of this is as follows: It requires that you do absolutely nothing! It works whether you are not responding to Email, Slack or another method It entirely demoralizes even experienced, motivated team members Not Recommended. Note: If you're a manager, it is easy to fall into the trap of saying to yourself "Hm... This is interesting. I need more time to respond to it" and then lose track of it in the ever growing flood of Slack / Email / Etc. I'm sorry but that's just a bullshite excuse. If something is actually interesting then your responsibility as a manager is to acknowledge it with "Thanks. I need to think about this; will get back to you". And if it isn't interesting to you then simply say that explicitly. Leaving people hanging and wondering is a horrible approach to management.