Emails. Urggh, dontcha just love ‘em?
My particular favourite was the Sunday 9.35pm one from the boss. You know, the one setting out an entirely different approach to the event you had organised for the next day.
The problem is, thanks to email, you’re never really off-duty. Hands up, who’s checked their work emails while on a Spanish beach holiday or logged in after hours when you’re supposed to be switched off from work?
Unfortunately, emails aren’t going away anytime soon. But maybe, just maybe, we can make them a little less all-encompassing, a little more friendly and courteous, and even, perhaps, reduce the number we get every day.
As per my last email
Of course, we’ve all seen bad email examples chocked full of passive-aggressive work-induced tension.
Here’s a quick translation guide:
As per my last email – why haven’t you read my original email yet or completed the task it set out for you? I sent it this morning, for heaven’s sake!
I’m not sure you saw my last email – let’s face it, the sender knows you got it. It’s another little polite, not very polite, nudge.
Sorry for emailing you again – ah, the classic sorry, not sorry line.
As previously stated – it might as well be, “I’m writing this again because you are clearly ignoring me.”
I’m reattaching the document again – you haven’t opened it or remember anything about this topic, do you?
We still think of email as an instant two-way conversation, too, even though we have chat functions on Teams or WhatsApp and other work social channels for that now.
Perhaps it’s time for a revolution. A demand for emails to return to doing what the humble old fax used to do – sending essential documents rather than giving us 100-email-long conversation threads that are impossible to follow.
Even with the trusty old out-of-office response on, the emails keep flooding in. Makes that Monday morning back at work after your fortnight in the Dordogne such a delight, wading through what’s relevant to you and what’s not.
And what’s the CC function really all about? Is this an action for you, or has the sender just CCed in your boss to embarrass you?
Signing off right
What about signoffs?
Yours sincerely is a bit 1955.
Many thanks? What if they haven’t done anything yet?
Speak soon? Are we speaking soon? Should I consult my calendar?
Love ya. Aw, that’s nice, but perhaps not quite suitable for the workplace!
Kind regards, again, it’s not a letter from the 1950s.
An old colleague of mine always put an x at the end of his messages. I’ve adopted this practice, but not, as you might imagine, for more formal emails. Is that too much? Maybe I need to ask my colleagues and find out!
Email etiquette tips
Our Internal Comms Director Carly Murray put the email etiquette question to her LinkedIn followers, who thankfully shared some excellent tips. Here’s what we heard back.
- Think… does what you’re sending need to be an email? Could it be a Teams message or a calendar reminder?
- Use the To and CC boxes properly: @ the ‘To’ individuals on the elements directly linked to them to action/respond; clearly label who is CCed and why they need to be aware
- In the subject line, clearly label whether it’s for action, for review, or awareness. If there is a specific deadline, put it in the subject (if close), higher up in the email or in bold
- If you don’t need a response, flag this in the email
- Keep it short and concise
- Use bullet points to break text down
- Use plain English (free checker hemingwayapp.com)
- Avoid discussion conflict over email – pick up the phone for a conversation!
- Be respectful of annual leave—if you can delay sending or keep a list instead, it can make returning to work much less painful!
Ant Fiorillo, Cultural Architect, Storyteller (and rather wonderfully), a Spreader of Smiles, said: “The point about avoiding discussion conflict is so valid! Nobody likes a keyboard warrior, and a phone call is always the quickest way to disarm them. I’d also add to avoiding unconscious passive aggressive openers and closers, too!
It’s a great point, Ant. Reading emails before sending them and removing anything that could be misconstrued as being a bit ‘aggy’ is a great place to start.
Sherry Fernandez, who improves employee experience through communication, shared her solutions: “Avoid BCCs, use bold keywords to highlight topics in an email, and keep it concise.”
We did some digging around, and we reckon the points below and the tips above will help us get out of email hell.
By the way, we’ve also seen stats that show that at least one-quarter of our work time is spent reading and writing emails. That’s a lot of time that could be freed up for more creative productivity!
- Choose a clear and concise action-orientated subject line
- Keep fonts simple with easy-to-read formatting
- Keep an eye on punctuation. Capital letters are SHOUTY, and using too many exclamation marks can be misconstrued as being overexcited or even angry!!!! (see what we mean?)
- Use appropriate signoffs and greetings – best regards and kind regards are for more formal use; a simple thanks or thanks in advance is a little friendlier.
- Don’t overdo the humour – your recipient might not get the joke
- Read your emails before sending them. Remember, they might be seen by other people
- Keep the content short and concise
- Do people really need to be CCed in?
- and finally…
Decide whether you could talk to someone in person or over the phone instead of adding their groaning weight of emails.
We hope this helps, but of course, we can email this content to you if that’s easier!
Yours sincerely/many thanks/speak soon/love ya!
