“I’ll Send It Later” Is the Workplace Habit Everyone Ignores Until It Becomes a Problem

In many organizations in the USA, people are accustomed to hearing an everyday phrase said by their colleagues at work that is quite easy to ignore on one hand but that has some deep consequences in time; this phrase is “I’ll send it later” and this is a sign of a delay that might be quite inconspicuous right now but will surely affect future performance and communication.

Although many people see this attitude as a natural element of the modern workplace, the habit of postponing things can turn into a bigger problem over time, since it will affect communication within teams.


It is true that this attitude is not a conscious choice, but when people do this over and over again, it will have certain consequences.

The pattern of delayed responses

A regular workplace involves coordination, and delays become an issue since any delay will affect the whole process when several individuals use a particular piece of data to perform their respective tasks.

When a coworker keeps saying, "I'll send it later," there is no certainty regarding how much time it will take. In other words, the individual cannot effectively prioritize and schedule his or her activities.

Based on the information from Psychology Today, procrastination is one such behavior that not only impacts one's ability to finish tasks and communicate but also contributes to delays that affect team performance in the long run.

The delays caused by procrastination may eventually impact the workflow of the team members.

Why do people delay tasks?

The main causes for the delays are generally associated with mental factors and not just plain negligence, as several studies have indicated that procrastination tends to be associated with fears and anxieties regarding success or failure, lack of motivation, and problems with time management.

Employees may delay sharing information due to uncertainty about the standard of work produced or due to other stresses that might cause them difficulty in prioritizing their tasks.

According to research conducted at the National Institutes of Health, the effects of stress and anxiety experienced at work tend to increase procrastination, as people try to deal with the pressures of work by putting off completing some of the tasks.

As a result, employees get more stressed and put off their tasks even further, creating an endless cycle.

The impact on coworkers

Those who await answers and responses will be faced with frustration, as their ability to comply with certain deadlines may depend upon the information provided by colleagues. "I'll send it later" leads to an unpredictable environment where workers find themselves struggling to schedule their work tasks because of the inability to receive the required data in time.

The study conducted by the NIH also found that delayed communication may be among the factors contributing to the increase in stress among workers. Workers may also be less satisfied with their jobs because they cannot feel like being in charge of their performance.

Such uncertainty regarding their work may lead to increased worries about completing all the assigned tasks in time.

Effects on teamwork and trust

Whereas delays become an established phenomenon, they are likely to affect relationships in the group negatively due to doubts that may arise about people’s trustworthiness and dedication. In order for collaboration to be efficient, mutual trust should be developed among the participants.

However, if communication is irregular, it becomes challenging for people to cooperate properly.

As indicated in the findings of the NIH, persistent delays can undermine the ability of a group to solve problems collectively, since its members tend to lose faith in their colleagues. Thus, the climate created in the workplace may deteriorate, and cooperation may become increasingly problematic.

How delays shape fairness at work

The second critical factor related to the impact of delayed response is its effect on employee perceptions regarding fairness at work. Since some employees tend to complete their tasks late, while others always make sure to finish them in time, those in the latter group start believing that they are working harder than others.

A study conducted by L. R. Murphy and T. L. Evans revealed that unfairness at work reduces worker motivation, as employees start feeling that they put in more effort than others in the same position.

The stress behind the delay cycle

Moreover, delay is not confined only to people expecting data, but it also concerns those putting things off, forming an escalating pattern of stress that may be hard to overcome. The more tasks there are to accomplish, the harder it gets to do them, potentially resulting in more delay and anxiety.

As per Psychology Today, procrastination is frequently a way of dealing with emotional issues rather than a symptom of laziness, since delay serves as a means of controlling emotions connected to work-related problems.

It is crucial to comprehend the reasons behind delaying activities rather than concentrating solely on their consequences.

A simple phrase with complex effects

While “I will send it later” is just one example of a tiny detail that could be overlooked when it comes to daily communication in the workplace setting, it also provides insight into the underlying behaviors that might make a difference when it comes to efficiency and productivity.

Through examining what lies beneath this phrase and why people tend to use it so often, we can get a deeper understanding of its significance for employees and businesses as a whole.