# Are your work emails less formal now? **URL:** \ **Category:** Miscellaneous and Personal Stuff I Must Share\ **Created:** [May 31, 2017, 4:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-your-work-emails-less-formal-now/787782 "2017-05-31T16:48:08Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Leaffan](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/leaffan/32/299_2.png) [@Leaffan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Leaffan)\ **Post date:** [May 31, 2017, 4:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-your-work-emails-less-formal-now/787782/1 "2017-05-31T16:48:08Z")
When I started working full time in the mid-80s we had Vax mail. This was sent via a dumb terminal (as they called them) connected to a modem, connected to a mainframe computer the size of multiple refrigerators. These emails were very much like letters, perhaps even with the introductory “Dear” if you were addressing a muckamuck, and ending with something like: Sincerely, Leaffan After we migrated to the PC desktop platform and (originally) Lotus Notes things were pretty much the same. When Outlook took hold it was similar, but people just stamped the email with a prefabed signature. Even as long ago as 3 or 4 years people were still including an opening name like: Bob, Please blah blah blah. Thanks, Leaffan Now, it’s just: Make sure you get the blah blah. Anyone else noticing this? Sent from my XT1635-02 using Tapatalk ---
**Author:** ![FairyChatMom](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/fairychatmom/32/21906_2.png) [@FairyChatMom](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/FairyChatMom)\ **Post date:** [May 31, 2017, 4:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-your-work-emails-less-formal-now/787782/2 "2017-05-31T16:51:16Z")
Mine are conversational and may or may not open with the recipient’s name. Sometimes my signoff is: - Me So, definitely not formal. ---
**Author:** ![Mavic\_Chen](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/e56c9b/32.png) [@Mavic\_Chen](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mavic_Chen)\ **Post date:** [June 1, 2017, 4:10pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-your-work-emails-less-formal-now/787782/3 "2017-06-01T16:10:16Z")
Mine are still somewhat formal, I definitely prefer “dear sir etc” if mailing to professionals outside the organisation. ---
**Author:** ![Hermitian](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/hermitian/32/470_2.png) [@Hermitian](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Hermitian)\ **Post date:** [June 1, 2017, 4:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-your-work-emails-less-formal-now/787782/4 "2017-06-01T16:46:59Z")
It depends on who it is going to. To the guy two cubes over? Informal. Anyone else? More formal. Start with their name, give a clearly laid out logical email, end with signature. ---
**Author:** ![DCnDC](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dcndc/32/2842_2.png) [@DCnDC](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DCnDC)\ **Post date:** [June 1, 2017, 5:01pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-your-work-emails-less-formal-now/787782/5 "2017-06-01T17:01:25Z")
If it’s with someone I know and have dealt with before, it’s fairly casual. If it’s someone I’ve never met, I maintain all of the traditional formalities. In either case, I tend to respond with the same level of professionalism as I have been addressed in that particular message. ---
**Author:** ![hajario](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/hajario/32/171_2.png) [@hajario](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/hajario)\ **Post date:** [June 1, 2017, 5:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-your-work-emails-less-formal-now/787782/6 "2017-06-01T17:03:14Z")
I started in 1990 with PROFFS. I don’t notice much of a difference with formality since then. ---
**Author:** ![wguy123](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/wguy123/32/3161_2.png) [@wguy123](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/wguy123)\ **Post date:** [June 1, 2017, 6:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-your-work-emails-less-formal-now/787782/7 "2017-06-01T18:29:16Z")
> [@hajario](#): > > I started in 1990 with PROFFS. I don’t notice much of a difference with formality since then. We were using PROFS back in the late 80’s on the IBM mainframe before moving to Elm and then Pine on the Unix systems. I still have that email from back then and it still appears to be about the same. ---
**Author:** ![Aji\_de\_Gallina](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/aji_de_gallina/32/260_2.png) [@Aji\_de\_Gallina](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Aji_de_Gallina)\ **Post date:** [June 1, 2017, 6:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-your-work-emails-less-formal-now/787782/8 "2017-06-01T18:46:05Z")
Yes. 20 years ago they were electronic letters, but slowly they are more informal, except for very special and serious cases. ---
**Author:** ![snoe](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/43a26b/32.png) [@snoe](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/snoe)\ **Post date:** [June 1, 2017, 6:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-your-work-emails-less-formal-now/787782/9 "2017-06-01T18:46:49Z")
I think “email dialect” has changed a lot, and continues to. Some things I’ve noticed: 1. increasing brevity. The volume of email has increased, and we all feel increasingly pressed for time. 2. dropping word-processor-style formatting. Work emails that include things like bullet point formatting, underlining/italicizing, or (shudder) colored text used to be a lot more common. 3. increased use of emoticons and even text-dialect abbreviations like “IMHO.” Ties in with brevity. I think trends 1 and 3 are definitely steps towards “informality,” but trend 2 can be a mixed bag: arguable, not coloring text pink or blue, or using fancy fonts, is a step _away_ from informality! ---
**Author:** ![digs](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/digs/32/14889_2.png) [@digs](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/digs)\ **Post date:** [June 2, 2017, 3:35am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-your-work-emails-less-formal-now/787782/10 "2017-06-02T03:35:16Z")
I’ve noticed a trend: if you ask someone a question, the reply will often just start with the answer. No “Good morning” or even “Hi, Digs!” I appreciate the directness. ---
**Author:** ![Paul\_in\_Qatar](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/ccd318/32.png) [@Paul\_in\_Qatar](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Paul_in_Qatar)\ **Post date:** [June 2, 2017, 3:47am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-your-work-emails-less-formal-now/787782/11 "2017-06-02T03:47:54Z")
Less and less formal and I do not like it. In addition, the staff’s concept of “corporate casual” is eroding too. ---
**Author:** ![JohnGalt](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/johngalt/32/184_2.png) [@JohnGalt](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/JohnGalt)\ **Post date:** [June 2, 2017, 3:53am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-your-work-emails-less-formal-now/787782/12 "2017-06-02T03:53:08Z")
I teach college-level computer classes. Our first meeting is about email etiquette. I ask students to include a meaningful subject line, start with a greeting, keep the email short with limited formatting, and end with a closing AND their full name. When I asked them why the opening and closing, they’ll bring up it’s about treating others with respect. I ask them to send me a practice email (I have some students who have NEVER touched a computer) and will deduct points if the email doesn’t have good etiquette. I’m trying to do my best with the next generation. I’ve noticed that long emails are no longer tolerated, and I don’t write them myself (anymore!) People have gotten turned off by the walls of text. One of the web sites I send my students to say if it’s a long email, pick up the damn phone, or write a Word document as an attachment, which I agree with. ---
**Author:** ![Quimby](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/q/22d042/32.png) [@Quimby](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Quimby)\ **Post date:** [June 2, 2017, 3:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-your-work-emails-less-formal-now/787782/13 "2017-06-02T15:53:14Z")
I have noticed this too. Work e-mails have become more conversational with slang and incomplete sentences. I try to personally resist this by continuing to use Salutations and signatures but even I slip up sometimes. Note I mean when I am communicating with people from other companies or clients. People I work with and see every day I am more casual but even then I stay professional (e.g. no potty mouth). ---
**Author:** ![Just\_Asking\_Questions](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/ba9def/32.png) [@Just\_Asking\_Questions](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Just_Asking_Questions)\ **Post date:** [June 2, 2017, 4:05pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-your-work-emails-less-formal-now/787782/14 "2017-06-02T16:05:31Z")
They are less formal here, as well. That I can handle, though I wish they were a bit more professional. It’s the emails that are so poorly written that you’re not even sure what the sender wants that are annoying. Ones from people you have never worked with, that just send stuff for you to do without any explanation. Or ask for a professional opinion/solution to some problem that you’ve never heard about and the email provides no history or context. That have typos in the important stuff, like part or spec numbers, and you have no idea what they are talking about. Those I get all the time. ---
**Author:** ![somepumpkin](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/7feea3/32.png) [@somepumpkin](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/somepumpkin)\ **Post date:** [June 2, 2017, 4:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-your-work-emails-less-formal-now/787782/15 "2017-06-02T16:09:40Z")
> [@DCnDC](#): > > If it’s with someone I know and have dealt with before, it’s fairly casual. > > If it’s someone I’ve never met, I maintain all of the traditional formalities. > > In either case, I tend to respond with the same level of professionalism as I have been addressed in that particular message. I agree with this. Though I’ve \*\*noticed that the trend has been toward less formality, certainly. I welcome the change. ---
**Author:** ![GrumpyBunny](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/bc8723/32.png) [@GrumpyBunny](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/GrumpyBunny)\ **Post date:** [June 2, 2017, 4:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-your-work-emails-less-formal-now/787782/16 "2017-06-02T16:19:47Z")
My emails are usually much less formal. So much so that sometimes we just send each other group texts. “Update time sheets, I have to approve them at 10! TY.” I am more formal if I email, say, one of the Chief \_\_\_\_ Officers or a senior VP, including “Hi, \_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_” and signing off with “Regards, Grumpy” with my actual official employee signature and stuff. But once we’ve worked together a bit, even that drops off. The last Chief Medical Officer and I sent one-line emails to each other and I called him by his first name. Both of these would have been unthinkable twenty years ago, even after working closely on a major project for eighteen months. ---
**Author:** ![Calatin](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/439d5e/32.png) [@Calatin](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Calatin)\ **Post date:** [June 2, 2017, 5:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-your-work-emails-less-formal-now/787782/17 "2017-06-02T17:23:15Z")
It honestly depends. If I’m doing a detailed analysis for General Counsel, then my emails are full of cites, rationales, etc. To be honest, I do usually summarize my end decision, and I’ve been known to preface it with “TL;DR.” Sometimes the GC just wants to know what I decided, not why, and so he appreciates that. Also taught him a new piece of slang, and he tends to get a kick out of that. With other co-workers who are more or less where I am on the org chart, or below, I’m much less formal. Part of it is due to my position and comfort (when I first entered the working world, I wouldn’t dare send some of the things I do now, and the same goes for when I first started this job). I actually compiled a list of 20+ happy hours within walking distance of our office, the hours they were active, all the specials (daily, weekly, etc.) and links to the venues’ websites. I then sent it (from my work e-mail) to a bunch of co-workers, periodically updating it, or sending it to new hires. Well, I guess it was popular, and co-workers sent it to friends and it spread, because a month or so after, a friend (knowing where I work) sent it to me, thinking I might find it useful. ---
**Author:** ![Poysyn](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/f4b2a3/32.png) [@Poysyn](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Poysyn)\ **Post date:** [June 2, 2017, 11:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-your-work-emails-less-formal-now/787782/18 "2017-06-02T23:33:26Z")
No, it I don’t know if my workplace counts. 🙂 ---
**Author:** ![AK84](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/85e7bf/32.png) [@AK84](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/AK84)\ **Post date:** [June 3, 2017, 6:24am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-your-work-emails-less-formal-now/787782/19 "2017-06-03T06:24:22Z")
I guess I am an outlier then. My work emails have become _more_ formal over the last couple of years. The reason is that we have reduced the volume of emails. Now a lot of our internal communications are done on messenger apps. They have gotten so good that you can send relatively large files across and people perfer that. Even communications with clients, at least the more informal ones are done on these Apps. Emails are used for more lengthy and formal things. ---
**Author:** ![Ruken](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/f475e1/32.png) [@Ruken](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ruken)\ **Post date:** [June 3, 2017, 11:49am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-your-work-emails-less-formal-now/787782/20 "2017-06-03T11:49:49Z")
I have requested that frequent emailers omit the salutation and just get to the damn point as quickly as possible. “Dear Ruken” just takes up space in the preview pane. And please stop telling me you hope my weekend went well, etc. [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-your-work-emails-less-formal-now/787782.md?page=2)