How Much Time Americans Spend Checking Their E-mail Every Day

In a survey of more than 1,000 “white-collar workers” across the U.S., people reported checking their e-mail an average of 2.5 hours each weekday. The average person checks work e-mail more than three hours each day, according to Adobe, which conducted the survey.

According to the report, e-mail is most popular among people between the ages of 25 and 34 — today’s Millennial generation, roughly. That group spends an average of 6.4 hours in their Inboxes each day, compared to 5.8 hours for those between the ages of 18 and 24.

When it’s time for tough conversations, though — like quitting a job — face-to-face conversations have lost some ground. Just 52% of those between the ages of 25 and 34 say they would use a face-to-face conversation to quit a job. That number jumps to 77% among those over the age of 35.

Finally, Adobe asked respondents which common e-mail phrases they can’t stand. “Not sure if you saw my last e-mail” was the “most annoying phrase” for work e-mail, followed by “per my last e-mail.”