Uh oh, someone has hit ‘reply all’ to tell the entire company, including the CEO and the cleaner, that they think the new office plants look ‘lovely’…
If you’ve ever been on the receiving end (or worse, the culprit of) a ‘reply all’ disaster, you’ll know that it’s just one of the many workplace email faux pas. Email is still the lifeblood of office communication, but despite using it every single day, many of us still get it wrong. Bad email etiquette doesn’t just annoy your colleagues; it slows down projects, creates confusion, and can even damage your professional reputation.
So, to ensure you stay on everyone’s good side, here are five of the most annoying workplace emails – and some simple tips on how to write them better:
1. The novel
We get it. You have a lot of information to share. But sending a solid wall of text that requires a strong coffee and twenty minutes of uninterrupted focus to decipher isn’t doing anyone any favours.
When a colleague opens an email and sees ten dense paragraphs, their instinct isn’t to read it. It’s to close it and deal with it ‘later’. And we all know that ‘later’ usually means ‘never’. Buried in that essay might be a crucial request or a deadline, but if it’s hidden on line 45, it’s going to get missed.
How to do it better
Respect your reader’s time. Keep your emails concise and to the point.
If you have a lot of information to convey, break it up. Use bullet points or numbered lists to make the text scannable. If you need an Account Manager to approve a budget, don’t hide the request at the bottom. Put the ‘ask’ right at the start or use a bold heading like Action required.
If it really is a complicated topic, consider whether email is the right channel. A quick five-minute call or a face-to-face chat is often far more efficient than a 1,000-word email chain.
2. The passive-aggressive chaser
- ‘Per my last email…’
- ‘Just bumping this to the top of your inbox…’
- ‘As previously discussed…’
We can all read between the lines here. These phrases are the professional equivalent of a heavy sigh and a pointed look at a watch.
While it’s frustrating when someone doesn’t reply to you, responding with thinly veiled hostility rarely gets the result you want. It just makes the recipient feel defensive and makes you look difficult to work with.
How to do it better
Assume positive intent. Your colleague probably isn’t ignoring you on purpose; they’re likely just swamped.
Instead of referring back to your previous email with a snarky comment, just ask the question again politely. Or, better yet, change the medium. If you haven’t heard back, pick up the phone or walk over to their desk.
Try something like:
‘Hi [Name], just checking in on the below. Do you have a spare five minutes to catch up on this today?’
It’s friendly, direct, and doesn’t sound like you’re telling them off.
3. The cryptic subject line
Imagine getting an email with the subject line ‘Question’ or ‘Update’ or, worst of all, ‘(no subject)’.
You have absolutely no idea what it’s about, how urgent it is, or whether you need to open it right now. In a crowded inbox, vague subject lines are a disaster. They make it impossible to prioritise work and difficult to search for the email later when you actually need it.
How to do it better
Treat your subject line like a newspaper headline. It needs to tell the recipient exactly what the email is about and why they should care.
Include the project name, the topic, and, if relevant, the deadline.
Example 1
❌ Don’t say: Meeting
✅ Do say: Marketing Budget Meeting: Q3 Review (Tuesday 2pm)
Example 2
❌ Don’t say: Help
✅ Do say: Urgent: Server down – unable to access client files
By being specific, you help your colleagues manage their time and ensure your email gets the attention it deserves.
4. The ‘reply all’ catastrophe
This is arguably the cardinal sin of office communication.
Someone sends an email to a large group – perhaps announcing a new starter or sharing a company update. Then, one person hits ‘reply all’ to say thanks. Then another. Then another. Suddenly, 50 people are getting notifications for a conversation they don’t need to be part of.
It clogs up inboxes, distracts everyone from their actual work, and is generally a surefire way to make yourself the least popular person in the office.
How to do it better
Check the recipients field before you hit send. Every. Single. Time.
Ask yourself: does everyone on this list need to know my answer? If you’re just confirming attendance or saying thank you, reply only to the sender.
If you’re the one sending the original mass email, do everyone a favour and use the BCC (blind carbon copy) field. This prevents the ‘reply all’ storm from happening in the first place. You’re welcome.
5. The out-of-hours intruder
It’s 8 pm on a Tuesday. You’re relaxing on the sofa, watching TV, when your phone buzzes. It’s an email from your boss about a report due next week.
Even if the email doesn’t say ‘do this now’, receiving work notifications outside of working hours keeps people in ‘work mode’. It increases stress and makes it harder to switch off and recharge. Just because you’re working late, doesn’t mean your team should feel pressured to do the same.
How to do it better
Draft now, send later.
If you have a burst of productivity in the evening or over the weekend, that’s great. Write your emails, get everything out of your head, but resist the urge to hit send immediately.
Most email providers now have a ‘schedule send’ function. Use it to schedule your email to arrive at 09:00 the next working morning. Your colleagues will appreciate the undisturbed evening, and you’ll still get to tick the task off your list.
6. The emoji and exclamation overload
You want to sound friendly and enthusiastic, we get it. But an email that reads like you’ve just discovered emojis is probably not the way to do it.
Sure, in the right situation and used sparingly, a well-placed emoji or exclamation mark can add warmth, but adding three per line? That just screams unprofessional. Not only can it make your message hard to read, it also could give the impression that you’re not taking the topic seriously.
Office stationary is not a joke, Susan.
How to do it better
Read the room. If you have a great rapport with a close colleague, a single emoji or exclamation mark is probably fine. But if you’re emailing your manager or a client, it’s best to keep it professional.
Let your words convey your enthusiasm, not a trail of digital confetti. The result? You’ll come across as more credible, and your message will be clearer.
7. The ‘Hey bro’ slip-up
There’s a time and a place for slang, and an email to your CEO probably isn’t it.
In the workplace email world, starting a formal message with ‘Hey bro’ or signing off with ‘Laters’ is a fast track to being misunderstood.
While it’s fine to be more casual with your work friends, using overly familiar language with senior colleagues or clients can damage your professional image. It can make you seem inexperienced or, worse, disrespectful.
How to do it better
Know your audience – what works in your team’s group chat won’t necessarily land well in a company-wide announcement.
When in doubt, err on the side of formality. Keep your greetings and language professional until you’ve built a rapport with someone. If you wouldn’t say it out loud in a formal meeting, don’t type it in an email. A simple ‘Hi [Name]’ is a safe and friendly bet for almost any situation.
8. The never-ending email chain
It starts with a simple question; but before you know it, twenty replies have been exchanged, half the company is CC’d, and no one can remember what the original point was.
The dreaded endless email chain is where productivity goes to die.
These sprawling threads make it impossible to track actions, find key information, or understand who is responsible for what. Important decisions get lost in a sea of ‘see below’ and ‘looping in…’ replies, causing confusion and delays.
How to do it better
Stop the spiral before it gets out of control. If a discussion involves more than a couple of quick replies, it’s time to change the medium. Suggest a quick five-minute call to resolve the issue efficiently.
For longer projects with multiple tasks and stakeholders, move the conversation to a project management tool. This creates a clear record of tasks, assigns ownership, and keeps everyone accountable without clogging up their inboxes.
Frequently asked questions
Here are a few more common questions about navigating the minefield of workplace email etiquette.
Is it rude to use emojis in work emails?
Not necessarily. It depends entirely on your company culture and who you are emailing. If you’re emailing a close colleague or a team you have a good relationship with, a smiley face can help convey tone and make the message feel friendlier. If you’re emailing a strict client or the CEO for the first time, it’s best to play it safe and leave the emojis out until you’ve established a rapport. Read the room.
How long should I wait before following up?
There is no hard and fast rule, but give people a chance to breathe. Sending a chaser email two hours after the first one is likely to annoy people. Generally, waiting 2-3 days is appropriate for non-urgent matters. If it’s urgent, don’t rely on email – pick up the phone.
Should I use ‘To Whom It May Concern’?
Ideally, no. It feels outdated and a bit robotic. If you are applying for a job or contacting a specific department, try to find the name of the person you need to speak to (LinkedIn is great for this). If you really can’t find a name, ‘Dear Hiring Team’ or ‘Hi [Department Name] Team’ sounds much more modern and approachable.
Final thoughts
Ultimately, good email etiquette isn’t just about following rules. It’s about being considerate.
It’s about recognising that your colleagues are busy people with full inboxes and tight deadlines. By writing clear, concise, and polite emails, you make their lives a little bit easier. And in return, you’ll likely find that you get faster responses and build better working relationships.
So next time you go to hit send, take a quick pause. Check your subject line, look at your recipient list, and ask yourself: is this email helpful, or is it just annoying?
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