Remember phone calls? Yeah I know, I hate them too. I mean who CALLS other people? If you can say it in an email, don’t call. At least if you’re contemplating calling someone under 40. It’s not just a truth universally acknowledged, but even surveys say it: millennials LOATHE phone calls. 

I’m born in 1980, so I’m technically not a millennial (or I’m a really old millennial, depends on who you ask). That’s probably why I’ve just sucked it up and (almost) effortlessly answer calls and even make them (but only because I have to. I hate every moment of it). I also can not keep up the sucking-up-strength around the clock, so reaching me in some sort of text format is a much stronger bet.  

That is why it does not seize to amaze me that whenever I’m updating a phone subscription, the salesperson will proudly announce that the plan includes 300 minutes of free call time. This always has me reeling, as SURELY 10-12 minutes in a month would be more than enough? Who are these people (monsters) with 300 minutes of outgoing calls every month?! 

No, millennials and Gen Z -employees will always choose to email or Slack before they call. Even though everybody in the world seamlessly transitioned to video conferencing 16 months ago, people are still not crazy about phone calls. That’s why it’s so interesting that Slack’s newest feature is the Slack Huddle – an audio first way of connecting to your colleagues. It’s supposed to be like a virtual version of dropping by someone’s desk.

The reason it might work, I guess, that is IS a lot less invasive than a phone call. You can drop by if you want to and since multiple people can join one huddle, you might not even have to carry the conversation. It’s like a work version of Clubhouse – except hopefully without the 1,8 trillion notifications that Clubhouse sends you daily. 

Do you hate phone calls? Comment below.