Email etiquette!?!?!?

[hisdiamondgirl]

Okay, so is it me or do some people really lack in the email etiquette department? Or better yet, is there such a thing as email etiquette or am I just too sensitive since I strongly dislike most of the people I work with and am bound to find something wrong with everything they do/don''t do?!?

I just get these emails all the time from the people I work with (mostly just slightly senior than me), without even a "Hi hisdiamondgirl" "hope you are well" or a simple "THANKS" at the end of the email. I mean, really, would you do the same thing on the phone? Scenario:

hisdiamondgirl: "This is hisdiamondgirl speaking."
slightly senior a$$hole: "Will you have that research for me by the end of the week?" Click...

I mean, come on....

Sorry for the rambling post, I just can''t take this place and these people sometimes!

 

[BeachRunner]

People use e-mail so they don''t have to talk to people on the phone

I think business e-mail is straight to the point; no fluff added.

ETA: When I e-mail co-workers, I always include a "thanks", unless I''m really not happy with the situation. I see no need to ask "how are you?" in business e-mail.

That''s just my .02

 

[lliang_chi]

I agree with Beach, all my work emails are to the point. But they should still be professional.

 

[Gypsy]

I usually include a 'thanks' but that's about it. And not even that if the person hasn't done the same in the preceding email.

Mine go like this:

Hi Recipient: I need this, this and this. And if you give me those I will give you what you want. Thanks, Gypsy.

 

[musey]

I think of email as an ongoing conversation, generally. The end of my email is not the equivalent of hanging up the phone, because you are free to keep talking on your end.

That doesn''t people should ignore their pleases and thank yous when it''s called for (though I''m not sure it needs to be in a work environment and you''re just being asked/reminded to do your job), but I don''t think it needs to be as formal as a letter - unless you want it to be.

 

[hisdiamondgirl]

Date: 4/15/2009 8:12:46 PM
Author: Gypsy
I usually include a ''thanks'' but that''s about it. And not even that if the person hasn''t done the same in the preceding email.

Mine go like this:

Hi Recipient: I need this, this and this. And if you give me those I will give you what you want. Thanks, Gypsy.

You see...that''s all I''m asking for. Hi and thanks! Is it really so hard? Mine usually go that way as well Gypsy. I''m not asking for fluff, just the very very basics!

 

[musey]

Do you need the hi? I mean, they sent it to you, so obviously they''re addressing you, right?

A lot of people I email with ignore the hi. It really is treated as though we were already in the midst of a conversation.

 

[hisdiamondgirl]

Date: 4/15/2009 8:17:01 PM
Author: musey
I think of email as an ongoing conversation, generally. The end of my email is not the equivalent of hanging up the phone, because you are free to keep talking on your end.

That doesn''t people should ignore their pleases and thank yous when it''s called for (though I''m not sure it needs to be in a work environment and you''re just being asked/reminded to do your job), but I don''t think it needs to be as formal as a letter - unless you want it to be.

I don'' think it needs to be as formal as a letter either, I just think it should have the basics of a civilized society!

In terms of the thank you''s, I think a please and thank you goes a long way in motivating someone and feeling appreciated, even if they are only being asked to do their job! In my case especially since we are supposed to be a team (I am a lawyer) and this person is NOT my boss, just a couple of years more senior than I... I guess it''s the tone too (or what I perceive to be the tone of the email)...a little authority/seniority just seems to go straight to people''s heads!

 

[Loves Vintage]

In business e-mail, I usually say "Hi" or "Hello" before the recipient''s name, and always close with "Thanks, LV"

I think a person''s business e-mail style evolves over time, and most people tend to adopt the habits of others in the company. And, people tend to stick with the same e-mail style, regardless of whether they are e-mailing their assistant or the CEO.

hisdiamondgirl, I think you may be overly sensitive in this case because, as you noted, you dislike the people you work with, which I could totally understand because I would do the same thing!

 

[hisdiamondgirl]

Date: 4/15/2009 8:24:31 PM
Author: musey
Do you need the hi? I mean, they sent it to you, so obviously they''re addressing you, right?

A lot of people I email with ignore the hi. It really is treated as though we were already in the midst of a conversation.

Or again, maybe I''m just sensitive! I did say that was a possibility!

 

[Loves Vintage]

Date: 4/15/2009 8:26:23 PM
Author: hisdiamondgirl

Date: 4/15/2009 8:17:01 PM

Author: musey

I think of email as an ongoing conversation, generally. The end of my email is not the equivalent of hanging up the phone, because you are free to keep talking on your end.


That doesn't people should ignore their pleases and thank yous when it's called for (though I'm not sure it needs to be in a work environment and you're just being asked/reminded to do your job), but I don't think it needs to be as formal as a letter - unless you want it to be.

I don' think it needs to be as formal as a letter either, I just think it should have the basics of a civilized society!

In terms of the thank you's, I think a please and thank you goes a long way in motivating someone and feeling appreciated, even if they are only being asked to do their job! In my case especially since we are supposed to be a team (I am a lawyer) and this person is NOT my boss, just a couple of years more senior than I... I guess it's the tone too (or what I perceive to be the tone of the email)...a little authority/seniority just seems to go straight to people's heads!

Ohhhhh, that makes a lot more sense. Are you at a firm and you're both associates?

 

[Gypsy]

Well, I should probably say that with people I correspond with in a conversational manner... like repeated emails (almost like using email as IMing) the hi''s and thank you''s drop off after few exchanges in the same day. And my peers who work in my group... it''s usually a ''FYI, see below think this one is yours? Let me know!" type email. Or "B- is this yours?"

 

[swingirl]

Ditto to everything here. In a business email I don''t ask anyone how they are (unless it''s contact after a long absence) since the purpose of the communication is information not socializing. If I have asked someone to do something I say "thank you" but if I am just confirming or reporting some information there is nothing to thank them for. Most of the time I think of email as a conversation that could take place at my desk.

 

[VRBeauty]

I usually begin my business e-mails with Name:, and end with Thanks, VRB. What''s in between is usually very to-the-point, like Gypsy''s example. But... that''s more than what''s the norm at my workplace.

As you noted, a business email is not a letter, it''s a substitute for a face-to face request (or order, as the case may be). In most work situations it''s meant to expedite the flow of information. One of my biggest challenges with new employees is to get them to be concise and business-like in their e-mail... to get them to keep in mind that the people they''re emailing get tons of email each day, and want to see the information they need right up front when they open that note, not buried under background, pleasantries, and conversation. IMO It''s a matter of courtesy to the recipient. It''s also important to the sender -- their message is more likely to be read in a timely manner. When I get a message from someone knowing that I''ll have to sift through lots of inconsequential chatter to get to the kernel, well... that message will not be the first one I open in most cases.

 

[AmberGretchen]

Date: 4/15/2009 8:12:46 PM
Author: Gypsy
I usually include a ''thanks'' but that''s about it. And not even that if the person hasn''t done the same in the preceding email.


Mine go like this:


Hi Recipient: I need this, this and this. And if you give me those I will give you what you want. Thanks, Gypsy.

LOL I might have to remember that for when I start my new job

 

[purrfectpear]

You''re being overly sensitive.

Kthnxbai.

 

[bee*]

I always include the Hi and Thanks but I don''t expect it back, especially from staff that are higher up then me. With my colleagues we''re a lot friendlier in our emails.

 

[LadyBlue]

For external business e-mails, I add Hi and thanks, but inside the company sometimes I just express the idea.