A reader writes:
I’ve a low stakes query, but it surely irritates me to no finish. I’ve three colleagues who all insist on writing the physique of their e-mail within the topic line (except it doesn’t match, by which case it is going to be half within the topic and half within the physique of the e-mail).
The topic line might be one thing like, “Hello Barry, I have to course of a purchase order order ASAP for pink elephants and we solely have a product code for blue elephants. Are you able to arrange a code for pink elephants at this time and let me know when performed”
Physique of e-mail: screenshot of the blue elephant code, or left clean with solely their e-mail signature.
I discover this horribly unprofessional, impolite, and tough to learn! Am I being a stick within the mud? Can I say one thing with out coming throughout because the etiquette police? Is e-mail etiquette coaching a factor I can request for these folks? For information, these individuals are tough to take care of anyway — sluggish to reply except it aids them indirectly, the whole lot is pressing, in the event that they do write a correct e-mail it’s spelled improper and infrequently ends midway by a sentence, nothing follows course of, and so forth. — and to me this simply screams “EXCUSE ME I AM IMPORTANT AND BUSY THEREFORE I CANNOT WRITE AN EMAIL LIKE A NORMAL PERSON.” For context, I’m a 20something lady and they’re all middle-aged males.
I don’t suppose it’s unprofessional, per se, however I agree it’s annoying and tough to learn.
Why do folks do that? I do not know. It’s not a giant deal if your complete e-mail may be very brief — like in the event that they stick “received the draft, thanks!” within the topic line and there’s nothing within the physique, effective. I nonetheless don’t find it irresistible since you’ve received to open the e-mail to see if there’s extra inside that you should learn and it nonetheless raises the query of why they really feel the necessity to do it that approach however effective, it’s a identified emailing type some folks use. However when it’s prolonged or a number of sentences, WHY?
However except you’re their boss, it is best to let it go. It doesn’t rise to the extent of one thing it is best to attempt to tackle — except it’s really making your job tougher (not simply barely extra annoying), by which case you might say, “Might you place lengthy messages within the physique of the e-mail, not the topic line? The e-mail program on my cellphone cuts off half your message once you do it this manner.” However in any other case, it is best to file this underneath the umbrella of “annoying coworker peccadilloes with no actual resolution.”
