The way we communicate at work has changed in recent years and, among other things, the number of emails we send has increased again. But not all the emails we send fall into what we could call appropriate. A study reveals which expressions should never be used when sending work emails. And surely you have used some.
Teleworking has encouraged the use of email once again. Although we use tools like Trello or Slack, we also constantly send messages using email programs. But you know what? Apparently we are too passive-aggressive with them, something that generates very bad feelings.
Discontent in companies
We use data that has been published with a survey conducted by Preply, in which several relevant data are revealed. One of them is that 83% of those surveyed acknowledge that they have received these passive-aggressive emails that are so unhealthy. Respondents also indicate that they have seen the number of these emails increase considerably due to the expansion of teleworking during the COVID crisis.
Curiously, the same respondents who complain about the massive presence of this type of emails in their daily work life, acknowledge, in a powerful 44%, that they themselves have sent them. So it is obvious that being aware of the problem is not something that will prevent it from happening. What expressions exactly are not supported?
The 10 most hated expressions
The general feeling from the impressions that emerge from the study is that people do not like to be sent reminders that are not necessary. For example, a person is working on something, who has not previously shown that he is late with deliveries, but still receives reminders from his superior telling him not to forget. These types of emails generate bad feelings and make the day-to-day experience at work a little less enjoyable.
That said, the most hated phrase to receive in an email is the following: “According to my last email” or “Just as I said in the last email”, which fits perfectly into this type of aspect that does not users like it. It becomes the passive-aggressive signature phrase that no one wants to see when they receive an email from someone who could be their boss, a coworker, a client, or anyone else related to their work.
The list continues with the expressions “Correct me if I’m wrong”, “As I mentioned above” or “Just a reminder…”. The latter comes from the English “Just a gentle reminder”, which does not have a literal translation into our language (“Just a gentle reminder” is not something that anyone says in Spanish). We would say what we have indicated or “Just to remind you.” Something along those lines that has that passive-aggressive character that is annoying, although it seems polite.
These include the phrases “Changing the subject” or “Moving on” (to change the subject), “I thought about talking to you about this,” “I could be wrong, but…”, “Thanks in advance,” or “Just letting it go.” “clear” (or Just to clarify). The top 10 closes with the English expression “Please advise”, which we would have put much higher on the list because it is usually a real headache. It doesn’t have an exact translation that we can make into Spanish, but something close that we could use would be “I await your response.” This is the final thrust that is included in an email to let the recipient know that they have to respond, give their opinion or contribute something with their response. This isn’t the typical email you can leave in your inbox for days, and there’s usually an implicit pressure to respond quickly. It’s not nice.
All of them are phrases and expressions that have that “retardation” that ends up affecting you when you are reading it or that, in any case, is sure to generate one feeling or another in combination with reading the rest of the message. What surprised us most about the list is to see that the expression “Thanks in advance” was also there, since it is quite common. But, with it, what you are doing is putting pressure on the receiver, so perhaps you should stop using it.
However, in general, all these expressions should be abandoned, because, although they are used politely, in the end they end up generating bad feelings. As specialists recommend, it is advisable that, to enjoy a healthier work environment, we leave aside passive-aggressive communication.
