Something for the weekend: For those who simply hate poor communication and receiving irritating work emails full of cliches and catchphrases, take heart – you are not alone.
Recent research revealed that the email greetings most likely to make office workers cringe included “Hey sweetie”, “Hey lady”, and “Hi honey”. Well, hello there.
The straw poll, conducted by Australian online forum Stay At Home Mum, further found that any work email that included “just touching base”, “circling back and bringing this to the top of your inbox” were among the most hated phrases that were least likely to engage readers.
Respondents also hated work emails signed off with kisses or emojis, while others said hitting the send button without checking the spelling of the recipient’s name was also a major irritant.
Other poor communication styles included the use of passive aggressive jargon. Pet peeves included the use of “to put it more simply…” and “not sure if you got my last email”, which made it to the top of the list. Well worn cliches, such as “as per my last email” and “just checking in” also raised hackles, the poll found.
According to business English experts EF English Live, there are just five simple steps to the perfect professional email. They advise beginning with an appropriate greeting; if responding to an email thank the sender; state your purpose clearly and concisely; thank your reader one more time; and add an appropriate closing missive such as “Many thanks” or “Best regards” and add your name. Simples.
Here at Employee Benefits, we pride ourselves on the concise, professional nature of our emails and would never consider touching base with our recipients to run it up the flag pole, after pushing the envelope to grab some low hanging fruit. No, it’s just not something we’d do.