Dear Ellie,

I’m completely swamped with emails right now and could really use some advice on how to stay on top of them — or at least keep my head above water. Our HR team is struggling to keep up, and managers are getting frustrated that we’re not responding quickly enough, even though they know we’ve been down two team members since July.

We’ve started asking managers to call or text us if something is truly urgent. For everything else, we ask them to resend the email with a subject line like “Follow-up from yesterday” so it bumps to the top of our inbox.

For context, our HR team is typically four people supporting seven hospitals (about 500 employees total), with two departments per hospital. I normally cover two hospitals but have taken on three more while we train a new HR hire. Another person will be starting once training is complete, so things should get better soon — but right now, it’s been a real challenge.

Signed,

Inbox Woes

Ah, the inbox — that magical place where other people’s priorities come to multiply, hold hands, and throw a raging party at your house while you’re out of town. We all dream of “inbox zero,” but let’s be honest: most days, we’re just aiming for “inbox under 150.”

But your inbox doesn’t sound like a party. It sounds like a multi-day music festival, and there are only two of you left to clean up the entire field with one broom.

Take a deep breath. We’ll get through this together. But we need to talk about your current “fix” of having managers resend emails to “bump” them up. With all due respect, you’ve accidentally created a reward system for being persistent. You’re training your managers to be squeaky wheels, and you’re the one getting greased. On top of that, you’ve encouraged them to send even more emails when you’re already buried.

Your inbox is no longer a to-do list; it’s a mosh pit, and the person who shoves hardest gets to the front. That’s not prioritization — it’s chaos. It takes away your ability to assess, prioritize, and delegate effectively.

This isn’t an inbox problem; it’s a triage and expectation-management problem. You’re in a staffing crisis — two people supporting seven hospitals — and the inbox is just the symptom. You’re trying to hold back a tidal wave with a beach towel. So let’s build a new system that protects your time and helps you focus on the work that actually matters.

You can’t organize your way out of a staffing crisis, but you can build boundaries around your time and energy.

Effective immediately, send a message that says:

“To improve our process, we’re streamlining all requests. Please do not resend emails to ‘bump’ them, as this creates duplicate tickets and slows response time for everyone.”

Be polite but firm. You’re taking back control.

Stop taking requests from every direction whether it’s email, text, calls, hallway ambushes. You need one “front door.”

Central Inbox: Set up HR-Help@company.com or HR-Support@company.com for all non-emergency requests.

Triage Board (Optional): If you’re comfortable with tech, try a free Trello, Asana, or Notion board where managers can submit requests. This turns inbox chaos into an organized queue.

Meet with your teammates for 15 minutes every morning. Review the central inbox or board and sort each item:

P1: On fire (payroll error, safety issue, investigation). Handle today.

P2: Slow burn (“How do I put someone on a PIP?”, job description update). Handle in the order received.

P3: Project (“Can you update this policy?”). Add to the backlog for when the team is fully staffed.

Your auto-reply is now your receptionist. Use it daily on your personal inbox and the central inbox.

Subject: HR Team Status & Response Times

Thank you for your message. Our HR team is currently supporting all seven hospitals with limited staff. To provide the best possible service, we are triaging all requests.

• Emergencies (safety threat, payroll failure, or urgent patient care issue): Call or text [Your Name/Number].
• All Other Requests: Please send your message once to [HR-Help@company.com].

We review this inbox daily and will respond in order of priority. Our current response time for non-urgent matters is 48–72 hours.

Sending multiple emails on the same topic slows our response time. Thank you for your patience and partnership.

This sets clear expectations — polite, firm, and actionable.

Your job isn’t answering emails; it’s leading HR strategy. Email is just one part of that.

• 9:00–10:00 AM: Email triage and P1 responses
• 1:00–2:00 PM: P2 responses
• 4:00–4:30 PM: Final triage

Outside those blocks, close your inbox. Turn off notifications. You’ll be amazed how much more you accomplish.

Once the team is rebuilt, explore an HR ticketing or workflow system. Tools like Zendesk, HRIS automations, or Microsoft Outlook task workflows (à la The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People) can help automate prioritization and tracking.

What you’re doing isn’t just HR, it’s front-line crisis management. You’re holding together seven hospitals’ worth of operations, and that’s remarkable.

But this pace isn’t sustainable, and it’s not your fault. This isn’t a personal shortcoming; it’s a business risk. Document the impact for leadership in clear, factual terms:

“Manager frustration = slower hiring = risk to patient care.”

“Delayed investigations = increased legal exposure.”

You’re a strategic partner, not an order-taker. This difficult period is your chance to stop the “drive-by” HR requests and build a system that truly works. Take control, set boundaries, and protect your time.

You will get through this. Help is coming. In the meantime, build your fortress. Protect your time. You can’t pour from an empty cup, and yours is being drained by a firehose.

Stay resilient,

Ellie

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