Comment by ryukoposting
Comment by ryukoposting 2 days ago
Yknow what? This doesn't bother me. I've had coworkers who do this. You just respond "hello!" and maybe they just ask their question, or maybe they ask about your day, or whatever else. God forbid I spend an extra 4 seconds per day thinking about a person I work with. Do "hello" messages waste time? Yes. Am I happy to field them anyway? Yes!
It's not about the time it takes to say "hello" back. It's about synchronization steps. What if I don't see the first message right away (i might not see the notification, or I was busy with something else, or I was AFK, etc etc)? Then I reply 20 minutes after with just a "hello" because I don't know what they wanted at all, so I can't reply with any information. Then they might take 20 minutes to respond because they aren't going to sit for an answer, etc etc.
It's a waste of interruptions. And for some types of work, like programming (we're in HN after all), interruptions can be more costly than just the "4 seconds" it takes to reply. Them saying "hello" and then without waiting for a reply explaining what they want in a short way, is more efficient and respectful of your time (and theirs, to be honest).