With email overtaking face-to-face interaction as the primary method of communication between colleagues, we’ve revealed the eight email mistakes that your co-workers find most annoying.
Email is has come to dominate the way we communicate with each other at work. According to a recent CV Library poll, some 17 per cent of workers reported receiving up to 80 emails every day, on average.
Email etiquette has therefore never been more important. Whilst 73.2 per cent of British workers in a survey claimed their email content always remains professional, the research identified eight major email mistakes staff believe you should never do.
From sending romantic e-kisses to copying in a manager in order to get a quick response, we’ve listed the eight worst email mistakes according to British workers below.
| Email mistake | Proportion of workers that find it annoying or inappropriate |
| 1) Sending inappropriate content | 90.7 per cent |
| 2) Sending kisses | 64.6 per cent |
| 3) Not addressing people by their name | 43.8 per cent |
| 4) Not signing off emails correctly | 38.7 per cent |
| 5) Blind copying people in emails | 29.1 per cent |
| 6) Copying in a manager to get a response | 16.6 per cent |
| 7) Sending read receipts | 11.5 per cent |
| 8) Flagging the email as highly important | 10 per cent |
The research showed that workers in Britain prefer a more formal approach to email. Some 39 per cent of professionals polled said they were more likely to open an email with “Dear [Name]” at the top.
Nearly 42 per cent of staff would end an email with the phrase “Kind Regards”. Meanwhile, 30 per cent would chose to open an email with “Hi [Name]”, and 17 per cent would close it with “Regards”.
The findings reveal the smaller, more common email mistakes that British workers find most irritating, whilst identifying the general consensus that sharing inappropriate content via email is wrong.
“It’s always important to remember that the workplace is a professional environment,” warned CV Library founder Lee Biggins. “While interaction through technology is increasingly becoming more and more instant, the traditional rules still apply.
“It’s worth thinking about whether you really do need to copy in your manager, send a read receipt, or flag something as high importance – most people simply find it irritating!”
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