Dunder Mifflin Alert! Nielsen to Disable Employees' 'Reply to All' E-mail Functionality

There have been plenty of cutbacks across the magazine publishing industry, but, at least to this point, the various e-mail functions within Outlook have been spared. That is, until now.

The following memo, distributed to Nielsen employees today, sounds like it was taken straight from a script for NBC’s The Office.

Unfortunately, I’m told, it’s all-too-real.

“REPLY TO ALL” FUNCTION TO BE DISABLED

A Message from Andrew Cawood

In December, the Nielsen Executive Council (NEC) held an Act Now! event to review suggestions from across the business that would eliminate bureaucracy and inefficiency. Beginning Thursday, January 29, we will implement one of the approved recommendations: removing the “Reply to All” functionality from Microsoft Outlook.

We have noticed that the “Reply to All” functionality results in unnecessary inbox clutter. Beginning Thursday we will eliminate this function, allowing you to reply only to the sender. Responders who want to copy all can do so by selecting the names or using a distribution list.

Eliminating the “Reply to All” function will:

• Require us to copy only those who need to be involved in an e-mail conversation
• Reduce non-essential messages in mailboxes, freeing up our time as well as server space

This is one of the many changes being implemented as a result of the NEC Act Now! initiative. If you have any suggestions on how we can continue to improve the way we work, please send your comments to Nielsen Communications [mailto: REDACTED].

Andrew Cawood
Chief Information Officer

Frightening.

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Post Comment / Discuss This Blog - Info/Rules

I disagree about Habib

Submitted by Anonymous on Thu, 01/29/2009 - 17:26.

To: david calhoun Re:"Is Hillary Swank Hot?" CC: mitchel habib BCC: AC ALL Good theory about Habib, but I bet that top management can still hit "reply-all". Other Nielsen employees will know that those at the Habib level will ask you to starve while feasting on steak.

The Most Important Email of the Day

Submitted by Anonymous on Thu, 01/29/2009 - 18:45.

If you want to talk about inefficient emails that clutter up the servers and slow down productivity, take a look at the corporate announcements that show up at least 2-3 times EVERY WEEK telling EVERYONE about the latest VP's who were hired. We don't know them and probably never will. We don't have any idea where they work, what they do or who they report to. We don't even recognize what departments they affect. We know they make lots of money and that there are a lot of them. Do we want to hear about that? Not at all. Don't tell us. It doesn't help get the work done. In fact, it is nothing but a distraction. It wastes our time and clogs up the servers (if you believe that bunk). Thank goodness they didn't disable the DELETE button.

VNU

Submitted by Anonymous on Thu, 01/29/2009 - 19:07.

Surprised by those above calling VNU a 'people company' and saying they 'loved' it. I was there 9 years with it and predecessor companies. Started planning a different future when Marchesano in a 'town hall' compared employees with children. He even sorta looked like Michael Scott, but of course he had less heart.

A sad day indeed

Submitted by Overworked Nielsen Employee on Thu, 01/29/2009 - 20:23.

Yes, the death of "Reply All" was mourned by many of my fellow Nielsen employees. However, those of us on Macs appear to be spared for the moment -- no mention of Entourage being affected, yet... although i could be wrong. However, it is truly sad, depressing and frustrating that the company spends money on things like this, and hires more EVPs, VPs and directors during a so-called hiring freeze -- yet we can't even get approved to fill a position costing $30,000. After three years with this company, I find myself spread across three job functions, working 12 hours a day...only to be told "just be glad you have a job" when news breaks that raises were put on hold until later in '09. What is to become of us poor Nielsenites who slave away in the depths of hell!?

If it's that bad...?

Submitted by Observer on Fri, 01/30/2009 - 08:13.

An employee's ONLY hope is to find another job. The ambitious find a way to make a living. One might fault the illegal/legal aliens but they are willing to do work that Americans will not do! Our immigrant Grandparents were glad to be in America and were willing to do whatever they had to do to put food on the table. This trait has been lost in most Americans. Worrying about such trivial issues such as a "Reply All" button is, well, really not worth the time and energy talking about and getting upset about and hating everyone for removing it or using it. It happened, so get used to it!

Nielsen disables reply to all

Submitted by Anonymous on Fri, 01/30/2009 - 09:56.

I was with VNU and its predecessor BPI for 13 years. BPI was great. VNU management were incompetent losers who did not know the business, chosen only because they looked good in the suit. I left several years ago but still enjoy hearing about 'The Office' mentality and their continued downward spiral.

Cost?

Submitted by Anonymous on Fri, 01/30/2009 - 10:47.

How much did this cost? They say we can't hire people to DO the work. But they keep hiring people to tell us to do the work. Or they come in and makes changes that slow us even more but don't really tell us or ask if this makes any sense. They think an accountant way of doing things will work just fine in print or online. Hell some even have side companies they are panning the work too! Lets make our people so overworked and looking bad that I can send work to my buddy where I won 25% of the company. Not to mention hire my other best friend from a garbage company to be the new VP of 'replay all' discussions. What happened to this world? - And the remark about work ethics and just doing what it takes to get food on the table is CRAP. If this company even gave people the respect to work here their entire lives, I would have. I loved VNU, it had faults but so does every other company. Damn shame they are killing so much work and hope for a shot at selling the parts to make money. Everyone needs to find a new job there!

HAHA

Submitted by Anonymous on Fri, 01/30/2009 - 11:13.

I bet Marchesano is having a heart attack. "Why didn't I think of this".

Cost? follow-up

Submitted by Anonymous on Fri, 01/30/2009 - 11:34.

Nielsen's death spiral is classic private equity ownership insanity. Private equity firms have figured out how to spend someone else's money on companies in markets they know nothing about. They spend their short ownership period sucking all expenses out of the business (vs. growing revenue) to improve the bottom line... then walk away with their multi-million dollar payoffs, leaving the business in a shambles. Top management greed at VNU and Nielsen may be on a slightly smaller scale than the banking industry, but it has been just as damaging to the business. The decline in print advertising revenues over the past 10 years is a burden shared by all publishing companies, but VNU/Nielsen's methods of coping with that decline are short-term and shameful. The best thing that could happen to the surviving publications/tradeshows is to be sold to an entrepreneur who understands their markets and their needs and is willing to invest to grow revenue, rather than cut for the quick payoff.

Reply All still works

Submitted by Anonymous on Fri, 01/30/2009 - 12:41.

The biggies at the top must have their tails between their legs with all the negative uproar over disabling "Reply All". The deadline was yesterday and it still works! Do I smell victory?

Re: "If it's that bad"

Submitted by Anonymous on Fri, 01/30/2009 - 12:48.

Hey, if we could all get out of here, we would. Duh. Look at the job market. Do you really think we'll walk away from our jobs to work at Burger King? The big difference between our immigrant relatives or new immigrants willing to come to the US and do any job, is that they started with nothing and we have been in the corporate world for a long time and have mortgages to pay, kids to put through college, etc. It's not the same thing! You're also wrong about spending all this time talking about the Reply All issue. It looks as if all this talking has swayed upper management because Reply All is still working.

next steps

Submitted by Anonymous on Fri, 01/30/2009 - 13:06.

They will be disabling the number 9 button on the phone next week

Living The American Dream...It's still possible!!

Submitted by Anonymous on Fri, 01/30/2009 - 13:23.

Wow. What bothers me the most is that it's not one guy. It's not "I noticed..." It's "We noticed..." As if to say, a whole bunch of us sat down over lunch (which we expensed, of course) at Morton's or one of Bobby Flay's and decided to talk SOMETHING job related so that they could explain the high cost of their meal. They probably talked about... - Allowing non essential employees to work from home to minimize office space. - Demoralization caused by the layoffs. Because let's face it, scared employees work better than happy employees. - Offshoring everything but the kitchen sink (and even that, hey, I'm sure it was made in China). If we're saving tons of money by laying off 300 US employees and hiring 300 Offshore "consultants" to do the same exact thing for 1/4 of the price...Why don't we offshore leadership? I'm sure an Offshored Director or VP would save the same amount as these 300... - Carpooling services. "Those are all retarded. No, you know what happened to me? I was trying to Forward this email and I accidentally pressed the 'Reply To All' button instead...I looked like an ASS! Who uses the 'Reply To All' button anyways?? No...Let's go with the 'Reply To All' button." Yeah. Brilliant. Enjoy your f#@%ing steak...After all, you are living the American dream! I wish I had your job...unless it's being offshored? Yeah, probably not.

Plan B

Submitted by Anonymous on Fri, 01/30/2009 - 15:01.

I hear as of today there will be no more "thank yous". A special memo will be coming out describing the specific exceptional circumstances when one is allowed to reply with a "thank you" or acknowledgement of receiving something or a job well done. Stay tuned, more good ideas to come.

Bandwidth - It's a wider problem

Submitted by Anonymous on Fri, 01/30/2009 - 16:21.

How dare you slight Danny Sacco's "People Making a Difference? His tiresome emails are a vital use of bandwidth. Danny "sack em" along with the NEC "make a difference" every day in reducing specialists headcount attuned to their clients business issues and transferring consultants jobs "efficiently" to India to folks keenly attuned to client specific business issues. Isn't that personalized custom consultancy service the Nielsen credo? That which differentiates Nielsen from competitive "Reply All" enabled competition? The "Reply All" dictum" just demonstrates the lack of bandwidth of Nielsen's current "brain trust" (sic)

As a current employeee, I

Submitted by Anonymous on Fri, 01/30/2009 - 23:55.

As a current employeee, I use to feel sorry for the people that got laid off at Nielsen but as time goes by, I'm starting to feel sorry for people that didn't get laid off and are still working at Nielsen.

Removing 'Q' from keyboard is brilliant!

Submitted by gpshead on Sat, 01/31/2009 - 15:18.

Now nobody will be able to *uit.

Agreed

Submitted by Anonymous from CRG on Mon, 02/02/2009 - 12:54.

What a grand idea. If only my company would institute this...

NAG NAG NAG NAG NAG NAG NAG

Submitted by Anonymous on Mon, 02/02/2009 - 16:09.

NAG NAG NAG NAG NAG NAG NAG NAG NAG NAG NAG NAG NAG NAG NAG NAG NAG NAG

Good idea...

Submitted by Anonymous on Mon, 02/02/2009 - 19:05.

Despite the ranting about this move, I would LOVE for my company to do this. I work with a lot of techno-idiots and get at least 40-50 reply-all emails a day with things like congratulations responses to a company announcement of an individual's promotion. Our IT department does trainings and sends out desperate emails every month or so trying to convince people how to appropriately use this function - all with no effect. I would spend a fraction of the time re-selecting email addresses for my emails than I do deleting the deluge of irritating reply-alls. I say whoo hoo to Nielson for doing something to stop employee stupidity.

Just makes me sick that

Submitted by Anonymous on Mon, 02/02/2009 - 20:35.

Just makes me sick that people who made suck a moronic decision continue to be employed when hard working folks who live paycheck to paycheck were laid off -- disgusting.

Wow

Submitted by Anonymous on Tue, 02/03/2009 - 07:10.

This is amazing. Whenever unschooled personnel, you can use the saying "Pay Peanuts get monkeys". Apparently Nielsen is Paying Diamonds and getting monkeys. I cant believe how these kind of incompetent people get into these positions. It’s very sad.

Give them the benefit of the doubt on that one

Submitted by Peter Elbowleg on Tue, 02/03/2009 - 08:01.

Ok the climate isn't great at nielsen. But I was actually there when a top exec (who wasn't Habib) introduced to us their idea that the reply to all function should be removed. The idea behind the move was that this person received far too many emails everyday, and just couldn't stand it anymore, as many of the emails that person received didn't need to be read. As simple as that. The company is taking many "cost leadership" measures (as they call it), and whoever wrote: "Let me put it another way: Nielsen Nilten Nalta Nata Tata. Get the picture?" couldn't be closer from the truth. But in all honesty, I don't think that the reply to all suppression is/was a cost saving measure... Give them the benefit of the doubt on that particular one... By the way, the function - it's still working. Maybe our Nalta contractors that now deal with our IT can't actually remove it?

The decline in corporate america is due to experience

Submitted by Anonymous on Tue, 02/03/2009 - 14:09.

There was a time when a person worked their way up the corporate ladder. From the mailroom to the boardroom. Those days are gone, now any MBA can just slip into a Director or VP position as long as they glad-hand the right people. These people have no clue what the employees do day in and day out. They figure that we're all expendable and our jobs can be outsourced to people in India. Wait until the clients see the quality of the data they are going to receive when the offshoring is complete. They will be leaving Nielsen in droves and I, for one, can't wait to see that. In fact, as much as the economy sucks and is hurting good people, it's going to hurt Calhoun, Habib and their ilk as well. They won't be able to cover up the mess they've made of the company by quickly flipping it like they planned. Anyone who buys Nielsen now is buying a pig in a poke. The Reply All debacle is a clear view into the minds of these MBA's who have never had to really work for a living. They latch on to stupid concepts and ideas that they learned in a book and think they are brilliant for coming up with a solution. Well guess what? You're a bunch of morons who have no concept of what Nielsen is or what it does or what it's people mean to the clients. You have no clue as to what goes on on the front lines. We need to get back to basics and fire all of these morons, make them start at the bottom and work their way up just like our fathers did. Then maybe they would learn a thing or two about how business really works.

Epic Fail

Submitted by Anonymous on Wed, 02/04/2009 - 09:21.

Reply All finally was taken away. Except for ctrl+shift+r.... or right clicking.

Reply All is Grayed Out!!!!

Submitted by Anonymous on Wed, 02/04/2009 - 10:01.

After the deadline had passed for the removal of "Reply to All" and it still worked, I thought almighty corporate had changed their mind. Not so. As of this morning, Reply to All is no longer functioning. I give up!

CNTL+SHIFT+R

Submitted by Anonymous on Wed, 02/04/2009 - 12:00.

Duh!

CTRL + SHIFT + R

Submitted by Michael Scott on Wed, 02/04/2009 - 12:41.

The button disappeared this morning here at Dunder Nielsen, so now there are only 3 ways to reply to all, instead of 4: 1) CTRL + SHIFT + R 2) ALT + A, followed by l 3) Select the Actions menu and choose "reply to all" Now that the whole company is sharing tips and tricks for replying to all, any savings have been fully reapplied to finding workarounds. Life is good...

Stupid and incomplete. you can still reply all

Submitted by Anonymous on Wed, 02/04/2009 - 13:07.

All they did was disable the toolbar task button. You can still go into Actions and hit reply all. You can also customize your toolbar and drag that command back onto your toolbar for daily use. So they spent all the money coming up with this idiotic solution, but skimped on the execution. I'm sure many others have figured this out too, since it only took me 5 minutes. I've already saved five minutes by not having to copy and paste addresses just this morning.

Ah...but once you close Outlook the function is disabled again..

Submitted by Anonymous on Wed, 02/04/2009 - 18:13.

So....add a second "Reply All" function to the toolbar and only the first is disabled... This is crazy!!!