Speaking of: Responding to Emails

I am convinced the easiest and yet most impactful thing any employee can do to save their employer time and money is simply respond to emails quickly and consistently.

That's it. Nothing fancy. It sounds overly simplistic until the time comes around again that you have to chase down someone over email and you remember not just how much time it slowly chips out of your day but how much mental energy it takes to constantly be reviving old email threads full of half-finished conversations. These micro-inconveniences add up. I think everyone's brain can only manage a finite number of open tasks. By not responding to a necessary email, you're wasting more than just the two minutes it takes for that person to eventually send a chaser email: you're taking up space in that person's "open tasks quota" that could otherwise be used for something else. And that can be annoying. That's not even to mention how much better your impression of someone surely is when they consistently respond to emails thoughtfully and efficiently. I think that's one of the most attractive traits any employee can have these days.

Remote work is going to become a new standard. I understand that occasionally an email will get lost, but consistently not responding to emails or Slacks when that's now the primary form of communication in the "office" is like having a coworker come up to your desk and you continuing to play Solitaire instead of acknowledging their presence.

Just respond.