Annoyance: Emails with no greetings/salutations

[Anonymous]

Nope. I don't stand on ceremony. I think the closer I am with a colleague the less formal I am with them (unless I have to cc someone higher up).

So, my friend Grace who has slept over, and I've gone surfing with her boyfriend (he gave me a lesson)? My greeting may well say "hey ugly, send this out for me? thanks, you're the breast!" but if I'm emailing someone I have barely ever said boo to, it would be "Good morning Hannah, Please put the attached in the minutes book, per Mark."

I don't LIKE being super formal.

[Anonymous]

No one ever includes the name of who they are emailing at my work. If they do, it feels very perfunctory and terse.

[Anonymous]

Well this thread has been enlightening. I'm a teacher and most of the people I work with do greetings on the first email. A salutation such as "Dear" is uncommon. However, "Good Morning", "Hello" or "Greetings" before the request is the norm. We also text Good morning or Hello if we haven't yet spoken to the person that day. I thought this was a common practice across industries. I will also say that I am a 40 year old black woman and most of the people I work with are also black. I wonder if it's cultural.

[Anonymous]

I have noticed that men tend to say:

Beth, I need the report

Whereas women are more:

Hi Beth, I need the report

True, I’ve noticed this for years.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I am a millennial and start 95% of my emails with "Bob,". I get to the point and use as few words as possible. I do not care if you are having a good morning or if you had a great weekend.

Unless you say, “Bob, great job!” Anything you request after just “Bob,” comes off as rude to a lot of people. “Hi, Bob” changes the tone a lot.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I am a millennial and start 95% of my emails with "Bob,". I get to the point and use as few words as possible. I do not care if you are having a good morning or if you had a great weekend.

I hope the people you are emailing are named Bob, because otherwise, that is just weird.

[Anonymous]

You guys would hate me. I respond to emails often times with one word:

Approved
Agreed
FYI

[Anonymous]

I need some sort of pleasantry in an email at the begging of a conversation. Once it gets going, I don’t mind if it sticks to the point. I have a co-worker who doesn’t use any and is very matter of fact, and I find it rude. I’m a milennial in the Midwest if it matters.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Is it safe to assume that those of you who don't care about greetings in emails aren't bothered when people don't say hello or good morning to you in person?

yup again most of us have actual work to do. I have friends outside of work

Are you an African American woman per chance?

jfc.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Well this thread has been enlightening. I'm a teacher and most of the people I work with do greetings on the first email. A salutation such as "Dear" is uncommon. However, "Good Morning", "Hello" or "Greetings" before the request is the norm. We also text Good morning or Hello if we haven't yet spoken to the person that day. I thought this was a common practice across industries. I will also say that I am a 40 year old black woman and most of the people I work with are also black. I wonder if it's cultural.

No, we are a late 30s/early 40s black couple and my DH is constantly sending emails with no greeting (often he doesn’t even include the person’s name) and no closing either. I cringe every time I’m cc’d on something.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:emails are NOT formal. when email first launched, and yes, I must be a dinosaur, they were meant to be a quick form of communication

I hate all the flowery language some people use. Just get.to. the.point

+1: This is me. I’m direct and to the point in emails. My boss and many of my co-workers are not, which led to my boss admonishing me for being “aggressive” and “angry” in emails. I explained to him I am direct, not aggressive or angry. Flowery language is not necessary in an email.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:emails are NOT formal. when email first launched, and yes, I must be a dinosaur, they were meant to be a quick form of communication

I hate all the flowery language some people use. Just get.to. the.point

+1: This is me. I’m direct and to the point in emails. My boss and many of my co-workers are not, which led to my boss admonishing me for being “aggressive” and “angry” in emails. I explained to him I am direct, not aggressive or angry. Flowery language is not necessary in an email.

There is a difference between flowery and being courteous. Saying hello is no skin off your back. If your boss has talked to you about it, sounds like you are coming off as aggressive. That’s your office culture. You probably came off as angry and aggressive in your defense.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:emails are NOT formal. when email first launched, and yes, I must be a dinosaur, they were meant to be a quick form of communication

I hate all the flowery language some people use. Just get.to. the.point

+1: This is me. I’m direct and to the point in emails. My boss and many of my co-workers are not, which led to my boss admonishing me for being “aggressive” and “angry” in emails. I explained to him I am direct, not aggressive or angry. Flowery language is not necessary in an email.

There is a difference between flowery and being courteous. Saying hello is no skin off your back. If your boss has talked to you about it, sounds like you are coming off as aggressive. That’s your office culture. You probably came off as angry and aggressive in your defense.

+1 If your boss has to speak to you about it then you're the problem, not him. Try to adapt a little. It won't kill you.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:emails are NOT formal. when email first launched, and yes, I must be a dinosaur, they were meant to be a quick form of communication

I hate all the flowery language some people use. Just get.to. the.point

+1: This is me. I’m direct and to the point in emails. My boss and many of my co-workers are not, which led to my boss admonishing me for being “aggressive” and “angry” in emails. I explained to him I am direct, not aggressive or angry. Flowery language is not necessary in an email.

There is a difference between flowery and being courteous. Saying hello is no skin off your back. If your boss has talked to you about it, sounds like you are coming off as aggressive. That’s your office culture. You probably came off as angry and aggressive in your defense.

+1 If your boss has to speak to you about it then you're the problem, not him. Try to adapt a little. It won't kill you.

Doubt it, we joke at work ... women always get the "your emails are aggressive" BS meeting. We joke that we need to create a training class on how not to be a pu$$y at work for men.

Get over it. We even pulled a few emails from men and compared them to women's emails... guess what just the same.

You were just socialized to have women pat you on the head ever turn, you need to just relax and stop the need to be coddled so much.

How is that for aggressive.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:emails are NOT formal. when email first launched, and yes, I must be a dinosaur, they were meant to be a quick form of communication

I hate all the flowery language some people use. Just get.to. the.point

+1: This is me. I’m direct and to the point in emails. My boss and many of my co-workers are not, which led to my boss admonishing me for being “aggressive” and “angry” in emails. I explained to him I am direct, not aggressive or angry. Flowery language is not necessary in an email.

There is a difference between flowery and being courteous. Saying hello is no skin off your back. If your boss has talked to you about it, sounds like you are coming off as aggressive. That’s your office culture. You probably came off as angry and aggressive in your defense.

+1 If your boss has to speak to you about it then you're the problem, not him. Try to adapt a little. It won't kill you.

Doubt it, we joke at work ... women always get the "your emails are aggressive" BS meeting. We joke that we need to create a training class on how not to be a pu$$y at work for men.

Get over it. We even pulled a few emails from men and compared them to women's emails... guess what just the same.

You were just socialized to have women pat you on the head ever turn, you need to just relax and stop the need to be coddled so much.

How is that for aggressive.

You wouldn't walk up to me in real life, skip the greeting, stick your hand in my face, and say "Send me the memo," right? Same for emails. There's a human being on the other side of the screen that you have a professional relationship with. You need to treat them with basic respect. If that means saying "Hi Larla" followed by a full sentence and saying thank you, then so be it.

Some of ya'll would die at my job. In the last few weeks, not only does every email start with a greeting, but also "I hope you're doing well under the circumstances." Closings frequently include, "let me know if you are having any difficulties in the current environment."