Question of the Week
What E-Mail Practices of Co-Workers, Clients Drive You Nuts?
Posted Sep 2, 2009 1:55 PM CST
By Sarah Randag
An accountant in New Zealand was fired over her "confrontational" use of formatting—type that was red, boldface, all-caps or combinations of the three (a la Ellen Barshevsky, one commenter noted)—in e-mail messages to her co-workers. Her employer asserted that her messages caused disharmony in the workplace. But she fought back, and last month she was awarded $17,500 for unfair dismissal.
Work would be easy if everyone were in complete agreement on how e-mail should be used and related etiquette. But there are always some style clashes that will never be resolved. So tell us: What e-mail quirks of co-workers and clients drive you crazy? Cheesy signatures? A tendency to cc everyone on staff on everything? A tendency to never check e-mail?
Answer in the comments below.
Read answers to last week's question: What Unusual Amenities Do Your Firms/Offices Have?
Featured answer:
Posted by a247: "A soda vending machine in the lunchroom that, for 50 cents when you press the button labled 'out of order', dispenses Labatt Blue BEER. (A liquor law firm owns the floor and arranges this nice fringe benefit.)"
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Comments
LaJollaAssociate
Sep 2, 2009 2:06 PM CST
full text of the email from a client: “Revised Limited Partnership Agreement?” - when we recently spoke numerous times that it will be sent when ready…
Responding to your silly emails will actually delay receipt of your LPA.
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associate
Sep 2, 2009 2:52 PM CST
h8 shrthnd wrtn w/ kbrd. d! txts.
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B. McLeod's Boss
Sep 2, 2009 3:36 PM CST
What bothers me is my associate B. McLeod, who spends all day blogging in the comments section, and then tries to bill it to whatever insurance defense case he was nominally assigned to. I’m sure he will be responding to this comment soon with his inanities.
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NickfromDC
Sep 2, 2009 3:52 PM CST
When people reply to a months-old email rather than looking up my email address.
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B. McLeod
Sep 2, 2009 9:39 PM CST
I miss Ellen Barshevsky. I wish Molly would relent, and let her post again.
Oh, and #3 is an imposter poster, postiferously posting ponderously pompous prattle.
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Dickie McKenzie
Sep 3, 2009 1:31 AM CST
#3 Boss- I guess you were right, especially about the inanities! What a pratt….
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tim
Sep 3, 2009 7:30 AM CST
I agree on bringing back Ellen.
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B. McLeod
Sep 3, 2009 8:11 AM CST
Also, that’s spelled “insanities.”
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Anon Attorney
Sep 3, 2009 9:05 AM CST
Unless he is responding to or forwarding a message, the managing partner at my firm omits any subject. His name pops up in my inbox, and it could be anything from a message regarding someone’s dismissal, to a new assignment, to a rant about moldy food in the refrigerator… Really? Just take two extra seconds to put on a thoughtful subject… Annoying…
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Joanie
Sep 3, 2009 9:48 AM CST
My issue has nothing to do with the formatting of the email itself - what drives me crazy is when I am forwarded an email after it has been forwarded from 20 other people. I am usually confronted with line after line of headers. Cut and paste, people, cut and paste.
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McLeod's Boss
Sep 3, 2009 9:58 AM CST
McLeod, you almost make it too easy. Here’s your 8th grade vocab word of the day.
Main Entry: inan·i·ty
Pronunciation: \i-ˈna-nə-tē\
Function: noun
Inflected Form(s): plural inan·i·ties
Date: 1603
1 : the quality or state of being inane: as a : lack of substance : emptiness b : vapid, pointless, or fatuous character : shallowness
2 : something that is inane
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Anonymous
Sep 3, 2009 11:41 AM CST
When responders fail to answer specific questions asked in an email, but use the opportunity of the contact to address other matters, or, worse still, assign further work. Egotistical, rude, and maddeningly frustrating.
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anon
Sep 3, 2009 12:08 PM CST
My boss thinks “Many Thanks” is an appropriate greeting and/or closing for an email.
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INhousecounsel
Sep 3, 2009 2:59 PM CST
Number 13, what is wrong with using “Many Thanks” as a closing for an email? I’m confused.
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ugh
Sep 4, 2009 1:47 AM CST
When people reply to your email with a question, the answer to which was in the original email.
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Zulfiqar Khan
Sep 4, 2009 3:54 AM CST
when people fail to attach the attachments mentioned in the email text.
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Sun
Sep 4, 2009 6:14 AM CST
Kudo to all. Highest kudos to all. Fantastic, this is good news.
With highest personal regards,
Your friend
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reasoner
Sep 4, 2009 6:19 AM CST
“Many thanks” is so back woods. Why not “Thank you” or “thanks?” And “sent from my iPhone” or “sent from my Blackberry” is very annoying. Who gives a damn where the message is being sent from? It is particularly annoying because it is a on/off feature.
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Brian
Sep 4, 2009 6:23 AM CST
Numerous:
No subject = auto dump into the spam bucket
Repying in such a manner that there are 60 pages of history in the e-mail. Persons need to learn when to delete hit the reply button and when to tap the Compose button.
Not adding the attachments would be included but, I am quilty of that from time to time.
Corporate environments requiring ALL e-mails to clients be reviewed and signed off by a 2nd party.
Animations, logos, .jpgs, etc. that add nothing to the message. Keep the format of the firm e-mail simple and lean is better.
E-mails with no signature or contact information so an alternative form of communication can be done in the event it is more appropriate.
Those who call 15 minutes after the e-mail is sent asking why there has been no response. I establish up front a response to an e-mail may take 24 hours as I have work to do and only read e-amils once or twice a day, usually early in the morning and possibly late in the afternoon.
E-mails with documents in the body of the message rather than as an attachment.
Final documents attached that are in an editable format. I prefer to establish a password for an engagement and send a final document in a password protected file. If sensitive enough, even collaborative documents should be sent in a password protected manner such as a zip file. In this way if you goof and e-mail to a wrong person, it is more likely not to be read.
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Pseudonym Incongnito
Sep 4, 2009 6:35 AM CST
People who send a memorandum (in Word, for example) that could have just been the body of the email itself.
E.g. Please see the attached memorandum.
Attached memorandum: The XYZ client lunch has been moved from 12:30 to 1:00 p.m.
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Rebecca
Sep 4, 2009 6:53 AM CST
I agree with Brian (No. 19) - it is annoying when someone sends you an e-mail and then calls you to see if you got it or to see what your response is. If it was important enough to merit a phone call, then why not call from the outset and skip the e-mail? Or, if it is a document needing review, why not call ahead and say, “I’m sending you XYZ and need a response within # minutes.”
People should also be aware of their tone in an e-mail. Sometimes people write something meaning to sound sarcastic, but it comes off entirely different.
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nn
Sep 4, 2009 6:56 AM CST
People who just don’t think before they write and hit send. I guess they are the same people who don’t think before they speak.
And by the way, what exactly does “back woods” have to do with “many thanks”??
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jones
Sep 4, 2009 7:03 AM CST
I dislike when people send firm wide emails that only really apply to part of the office. Such a clutter of the inbox. Another pet peeve is people who have cutesy or inspirational tag lines in their signature block. I once got an email from another attorney that had a very pointed political message in his signature block.
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Domino
Sep 4, 2009 7:17 AM CST
#1. Any B. McLeod comment
#2. Indiscriminate use of “reply all”
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Les
Sep 4, 2009 7:18 AM CST
The reason for sending “sent from my PDA” is to ask for forgiveness for any typos as you are doing a quick note and there is no spell check (at least I have not it).
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aar4
Sep 4, 2009 7:22 AM CST
1. People who hit “reply all” when responding to a meeting organizer’s request for availability. “I can’t do Monday, but I’m free Tuesday anytime after 2.00.” Like I CARE?
2. People who use a subject line that guarantees that you’ll never be able to find it again. “Here’s what you asked for.” No, the proper subject line is “XYZ contract.”
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aar4
Sep 4, 2009 7:25 AM CST
No, Les (#25), the reason for sending “sent from my Blackberry” is to say “Look at me, I’ve got a Blackberry. And I’m too busy with more important things than to proofread my answer to you.”
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silencedogood
Sep 4, 2009 7:26 AM CST
Sorry, Ellen was the most irritating and unfunny poster ever. I’m sure I wasn’t alone in ceasing to read this newsletter when she was running rampant. Please keep the ban….Seriously (do I have to beg?)
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BBLover
Sep 4, 2009 7:35 AM CST
@18: “sent from my iPhone” or “sent from my Blackberry” means “please excuse the typos” or “I’m sorry that this message sounds curt”. While very douchey, it serves a good purpose.
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JMH
Sep 4, 2009 7:38 AM CST
Indiscriminate use of disclaimers. An email asking about lunch doesn’t need any kind of disclaimer. And using them that way means people will ignore them.
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Chubbs
Sep 4, 2009 7:41 AM CST
Emails that end with, “Please consider the environment before printing this email.”
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arbitrary lawyer
Sep 4, 2009 7:42 AM CST
There is nothing worse than THE MESSAGE THAT IS IN ALL CAPS. ALL CAPS ! SCREAMING AT YOU SO YOU CAN’T EVEN READ THE ENTIRE MESSAGE WITHOUT YOUR BRAIN HURTING.
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Lady Lawyer
Sep 4, 2009 7:49 AM CST
Firm-wide e-mails about non-work matters. For example, “Can anyone recommend a good housekeeper?” or “Some hooligan kids smashed my car window last night—does someone know a good auto glass place?”
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Hoopty
Sep 4, 2009 7:52 AM CST
Failure to leave contact information.
When an email inquiry lists multiple questions, but the respondent fails to address anything but the first question.
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Gerald S. Schatz
Sep 4, 2009 7:57 AM CST
Several years ago, I had to refuse a client’s e-mail and insist on paper communication when I could not dissuade that client from the view that computer security precautions were ridiculous. The client soon had a change of heart.
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Lady Lawyer
Sep 4, 2009 7:57 AM CST
In the alternative, e-mails from opposing counsel full of puffery and empty threats. Usually these are an attempt to manufacture exhibits to discovery-related motions and end up attached to court filings. In my experience, judges are not impressed.
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Jim Cossitt
Sep 4, 2009 8:01 AM CST
See the 5 email rules in “The Curmudgeon’s Guide to Practicing Law”, pp. 109-116, from the chapter entitled “The Curmudgeon on Couth”.
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I know I sound harsh
Sep 4, 2009 8:04 AM CST
I really hate “Thank you” e-mails—particularly when it is an extended series of back and forth ones that add nothing. “Thank you”, “No, thank you.” Sure, there are times when things disappear in cyberspace and the subject matter of a particular e-mail might be so important that a “thank you” e-mail is appreciated if for no other reason than as an acknowledgement that your e-mail was received. However, it truly just wastes your time. For example, if I send a regular monthly report out to 10 people, I don’t want 10 little thank yous in my inbox. Call me an orge, but all those 10 thank yous do is annoy me.
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HP
Sep 4, 2009 8:04 AM CST
#31 I couldn’t agree more. Someone at my office appends “Please consider the environment before printing this email”, in GREEN, no less, to all of his messages. Everytime I receive one I think “what a sanctimonious prick,” and am tempted to print 10 copies out of spite.
I have to go with the defenders of “Sent from my ____”, however. To me, it’s an explanation that the message may be brief in a way that would sound curt if I thought it was coming from a keyboard. If you don’t like advertizing for BlackBerry or IPhone, you can change it to something generic like “sent from my handheld” or “sent from my phone.”
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B. McLeod
Sep 4, 2009 8:09 AM CST
Now #11 (the bogus “Boss”) is just being silly. A word like that could never apply to my posts.
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Steve Holub
Sep 4, 2009 8:10 AM CST
blind copies
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jones
Sep 4, 2009 8:22 AM CST
No. 33 I completely agree. My prior firm had an intranet web page for classifieds that helped cut back on the recommendation emails. We have recently begun something similiar at my current firm, but unfortunately most people have yet to figure out how to post to it.
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SH
Sep 4, 2009 8:23 AM CST
People who unnecessarily use “Reply to All”. As was mentioned above, I don’t need to see when each and every person in my firm is or is not available for a meeting I am NOT planning. I also don’t need to see everyone else’s recommendations for North Carolina local eminent domain counsel (for example) when one of my colleagues sends around an inquiry.
Colored or busy backgrounds that make the message tough to read are also pet peeves.
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Jackcatscal
Sep 4, 2009 8:26 AM CST
People who end their emails with “V/R.” (You can look it up, as I had to do.) If you really mean it, take another twenty seconds to spell it out.
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petpeeves
Sep 4, 2009 8:28 AM CST
People requiring “read receipts” on everything they send… and trying to be sneaky about it…. do they not realize I can set my email program to warn me of read receipts and I can then refuse to send?! When I regularly get emails from people who include them on every email, even the ones saying “there’s leftover birthday cake in the breakroom”, I have to wonder (1) why do they care if i’ve read this or not? is life that dull and boring? and (2) how do they wade through all that extra mail? These are the same people who NEVER delete anything…! Maddeningly anal….
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Jeff
Sep 4, 2009 8:34 AM CST
I suppose my pet peeve is people who can’t be bothered to do minimum proofreading for grammar and clarity. Informality is fine and the occasional three-word missive in “text speak” doesn’t bother me, nor does the occasional typo. What does bother me is repeated e-mails from the same sender that require an interpreter. It’s a sign of disrespect: it tells the reader “you are not important enough for me to spend an extra thirty seconds on my e-mail to you.”
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petpeeves
Sep 4, 2009 8:40 AM CST
The other pet peeve I have - how could I forget - is when a person marks every email as “high importance”. There are a few people in my world who do this w/ every email, and it just makes me want to ignore every message that comes from them, because 9 times out of 10 it is NOT important and is an unnecessary disruption to my work. These are the same folks who then call 10 minutes later and say “did you get my message? what do you think?” I assume they are calling b/c everyone does ignore their emails. These narcissists have no respect for anyone’s time or schedule.
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Hadley V. Baxendale
Sep 4, 2009 8:41 AM CST
The “subject line” can be used to solve so much email angst. First, put something meaningful in it. Second, if the topic drifts after a series of replies, change the subject; likewise if the information is corrected or updated, insert UPDATE in the subject line.
For messages that are completely contained in the subject, say so. I tried to start a practice in my old firm of putting an * at the end of the subject if there was no message to open. Some people put EOM (end of message) there.
On a related note, when one replies to an email just to acknowlege receipt, put THANKS or WILL DO in the subject line so it doesn’t have to be opened and can be deleted.
And I agree with almost all of the other comments above, but don’t want to be repetitive and redundant.
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CET1091
Sep 4, 2009 8:43 AM CST
It bothers me when managers, supervisors, co-workers, etc. send comments via e-mail in an effort to cover their six and then are angry when they receive a long, explanatory response. It’s then that they quote the e-mail gods by chapter and verse. Everyone knows that it’s all about what you can prove and in most instances that proof is through documentation. E-mails like the aforementioned are evidence of a lack of trust. Whatever happened to handling issues face to face? And whatever happened to those in leadership positions exhibiting the behavior that they ask for from their employees? Everyone should cease with the “I got ya” e-mails and get on with the business of the day! Teamwork! Loyalty! Character! Integrity! And it all starts with leadership. I’d rather see a good sermon than hear one any day.
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HVB
Sep 4, 2009 8:51 AM CST
Those disclaimers are so silly, and I think they would not hold up in court once the evidence is in that your lunch orders are privileged. Here’s one I often use and people seldom notice:
IMPORTANT NOTICE: This email is intended for the use of the individual addressee(s) named above and may contain information that is confidential privileged or unsuitable for overly sensitive persons with low self-esteem, no sense of humor or irrational religious beliefs. If you are not the intended recipient, any dissemination, distribution or copying of this email is not authorized (either explicitly or implicitly) and constitutes an irritating social faux pas. Unless the word absquatulation has been used in its correct context somewhere other than in this warning, it does not have any legal or no grammatical use and may be ignored.
No animals were harmed in the transmission of this email, although the kelpie next door is living on borrowed time, let me tell you. Those of you
with an overwhelming fear of the unknown will be gratified to learn that there is no hidden message revealed by reading this warning backwards, so just ignore that Alert Notice from Microsoft. However, by pouring a complete circle of salt around yourself and your computer you can ensure that no harm befalls you and your pets. If you have received this email in error, please add some nutmeg and egg whites, whisk and place in a warm oven for 40 minutes.
Thank you.
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