Hello?
Employees revealed the leading work email etiquette rule you might be breaking — and it could be ruining your relationships.
Reddit users mostly agreed that not using a greeting when beginning a message is considered rude, after user @mkaym1993 asked how others felt when reading an email that skipped any kind of introduction.
“I tend to find it slightly rude if someone starts an email with someone’s name and comma. For example: ‘John, could I get an update on this? Ben,’” they wrote.
“No ‘Hi’ or ‘Dear’ or anything, and also no actual sign-off.”
They added: “I often find that if you respond with the same level of abruptness, the person can feel as if you are being rude to them, even though you are essentially matching their energy.”
“Is it just me who thinks this? Or do people actually prefer slightly abrupt and to the point?”
Well, it’s not just them.
Fellow Reddit users were quick to agree that skipping a hello could set a harsh tone.
“I wouldn’t say rude, but it’s abrupt and not a good tone. If you have an established friendship with them, then it might be fine. But I wouldn’t send it to someone I don’t know very well,” the top comment reads.
Someone else added: “Abrupt is definitely how I’d describe it. There are a few different ways I’d use it, though. Either it’s an ‘I don’t like you’ or ‘I don’t like the content of your earlier email’, or it’s a call to action, ‘Listen up, you need to do this’.”
Others agreed that not using a friendly opener can make it feel as if they’re “being told off,” being accused of something or that the sender is “on the war path,” no matter how nice the colleague is in person.
One person noted that: “It’s not rude, per se, but those little rapport-building pleasantries are like the grease that helps keep things moving smoothly, and one might find others less quick to help them on average if they always ask for things abruptly, especially as an opener.”
However, a few people did not agree.
“I think people get far too caught up in email faf, just send the email and get on with your day, if you texted someone you wouldn’t worry about structure or niceties so much,” one contrarian wrote.
Skipping the niceties isn’t the only thing that can be construed as impolite or aggressive in an email.
People also mostly agreed that “just checking in” is considered one of the worst phrases to put in an email.
As reported by Parade, according to modern-day etiquette, boundaries and relationship expert Jenny Dreizen, you might as well be shouting into the void if you’re using that wording.
She also explained that it’s not doing what you think it is.
“When we’re using email as communication, we want to be as straightforward and direct as possible. This phrase accomplishes nothing while also coming off vaguely passive-aggressive,” she said.
Instead, Dreizen argued that if you want results, you have to be clear.
She suggested swapping the fluffy “just checking in” for something, like: “Wanted to know how progress was going on [action item].”
But maybe say “Hi” first.
Read the full article here
