E-mail etiquette in the workplace.

[PvtPyle]

I think it is really interesting how we have come to develop a whole nuanced way of communicating through e-mail. Sometimes you can carry a whole idea or emotive response without specifically referring to it in the body of the text.

Example, there's this **** I have to speak to on a regular basis. He's rude, arrogant, and thinks that when he curls one off in the morning, it smells like a million bucks. He's very abrasive and curt when anyone speaks to him on the phone, and in email he always begins with my name, and ends "Regards", totally irrespective of what Ihave just done to get him out of the sh!t with his paylords. E.g.

Chris,

*Insert unrealistic demand or expectation here*

Regards,

Derek.

On the flip side, I am usually quite informal when I email, even when speaking to senior corporate directors for very large banking and financial institutions (our client base). I usually start with a "Hi" and end in "Kind Regards", and more often than not I find when that if they reciprocate in email, then when I speak to these people on the phone that they are decent normal human beings. Some are even friendly enough to use colloquial terms like "mate" which you would definitely not expect to see in our industry (traditionally at least!).

Anyone else find similar things at their place? Here endeth my random observation for the day!

[BBx]

Yeah... I get annoyed when people do the same to me as Derek.

I sometimes sign my name ML but only for internal emails... I had to feedback an internal applicant for a job and one of the things is that she sent a colloquial email to me asking 'when do you think we will find out about the job luv?'

:/

I have a lovely example of an email that I am proud of, but its at work.



BB x

[PvtPyle]

The applicant actually used the term "luv"?

[BBx]

Originally Posted by PvtPyle

The applicant actually used the term "luv"?

Yeah... she was an internal applicant who had been working one day a week with us so I guess she knew us a bit... but still :/

I had to explain to her about business etiquette...felt really awful not offering her the job as I think we could have changed her attitude.

Oh well!

BB x

[SidewinderINC]

you're lucky you even get that Chris!

I get emails like this

---------

Next meeting (08/10) lunch will be provided - END


----------


And that's the subject line, nothing else.

I don't actually have any "bad" examples of that off the top of my head, but most of her emails are just demands/statements within the subject line followed by " - END"


I'll get you one tomorrow at work

[iCraig]

cn u chng th wrdin on the homepage pls ill call u at 4 to go thru it thanx

This is e-mail, not SMS, you inbred chav.

[SidewinderINC]

Originally Posted by iCraig

This is e-mail, not SMS, you inbred chav.

You actually received that in an email?!

[MarcLister]

Originally Posted by SidewinderINC

You actually received that in an email?!

Jeez, I woz in a rush OK!

[Zirax]

Originally Posted by PvtPyle

Sometimes you can carry a whole idea or emotive response without specifically referring to it in the body of the text.

Now that is a skill. Bearing in mind that all emails can be subject to legal investigation. Inferring that someone is an idiot and this needs to get this done but never actually saying it Most of the time the people who I sent the emails to are too stupid to realise the subtext..... normally their managers who I CC in do understand the warnings

As to using the name and regards. Most of the time I don't know them and I don't really care. On projects I will work with people for a few months and then never see them again. Using Hi in emails will get you labelled as a grad or a secretary in my place..... and that's not good.

[Garp]

I get cheesed off with internal escalations. Half the time they barely make any sense, showing some of the most appalling sentence structure and grammar known to man. It's daft given that included in escalations are the transcription of their communications with customers which are almost without a fail immaculately worded. If they can do it for customers, why not us? It pisses me off when I have to spend 20 minutes reading through the transcription just to figure out what should have been clear from their summary, but isn't. e.g.

cst hs prb e-mail dly'n'spm. c log fur ex.

Eventually figured out to be that the customer was having problems with e-mail delivery and was getting some message about spam (dly could have been delay.. 'n'spam could have suggested the customer was maybe complaining about getting spam). The attached log to that one was completely useless as they'd been looking at the wrong day, even if they'd got the right time..