Work colleagues copying everyone in to emails

[LadyHarrop]

Am I unreasonable for getting so annoyed about everyone at work copying everyone they know into emails? They always seem to be asking stupid questions. What happened to picking up the phone? I can answer your question, but now I need to reply to everyone too - and THEY DON'T CARE!!!! You're making me state the bleeding obvious.
It wastes more senior peoples time. And undermines my authority.
(and makes me want to walk out of work and never come back)


We should have a policy to only cc people in if we want a reply from those people. If you're not expecting a reply, tell them about the issue at next opportunity, or let someone else in their team tell them...

[smoggii]

Just send a new message with the answer, then do a reply to all saying - I have answered this query.

This will serve to let everyone know it's been dealt with and send a clear message to the original person

[niceguy2]

YANBU but it seems to be the way of the world nowadays.

I reckon I could cut down on 90% of my inbox if I got rid of all the mails I am cc'ed on.

The problem I find is the deluge is impossible to manage and eventually people say in meetings "Oh yes, i told you about that in an email".

Yes but I got 200 other emails that day and didn't have time to read them! then it just makes you look like you can't manage your time.

[ajourneyofgiraffes]

If someone sends an e-mail TO me, it means I need to do something. If someone sends an e-mail C.C'ing me, it means I need to be aware of something. And if I am sent an e-mail TO me, and 1 million other people, I point out that by sending an e-mail to so many people there is more chance of it never being done as there are 999 999 people who might do it so why should I (or any of the 999 999) bother.

[ChrisPBacon]

why are you copying in the interwebs or at least the MN portion?

spread the word at work

[scuzy]

are you talking about someone emailing you about a work query? and then ccing others in that same email?

[ImperialBlether]

Email your network manager and make a formal complaint. Name and shame the offenders.

These emails are taking up space on the server - he/she will want to get rid of the problem as much as you do.

Some people clearly don't have enough work to do and don't have the nous to use the email system properly - why should you be interrupted in your work because of this?

[niceguy2]

The IT dept is there to support the business. Not to play cop. If users want to copy all & sundry then that's up to them.

Email's are generally only single instance anyway. If you send a mail to 100 people, there are not 100 copies of it on the server. There'll be one and 100 ppl with access.

[porcamiseria]

yanbu, fucking annoys me too


and the twats that reply to "all staff" emails saying "great news"

fuck off!!!!!

i despise people that cc lots of people in

[Fuzzled]

I'm bad about cc'ing people when I email my managing director - but that's because he will try to claim emails weren't sent and he wasn't told/asked. If other people are copied then it's a bit of protection for me.

Similarly, I do it for some other work issues to protect my back - my work sometimes has a bit of a blame culture

Don't do it for silly things though. Well, not often

Maybe the people you are complaining about don't know where/who to ask?

[rhetorician]

total nightmare - people at my place do this constantly, and it's a not very subtle way of passing the buck even when whatever it is is nothing to do with you - e.g. the assumption seems to be that it you've been cc-ed then you have agreed to whatever it is. Total waste of energy - wish (1) folks would just take responsibility for their decisions and just get on with it and (2) that if they want to actually consult me they pick up the phone. I've definitely come back to the phone as a way of getting things done - trouble is, people don't answer it because their heads are stuffed up their own inboxes. Rant!

[porcamiseria]

fuzzled, just save EVERYTHING YOU SEND, thats what I do

funny how your MD sounds just like mine!!!!!

[ImperialBlether]

It's not a matter of the IT people playing cop. If people are abusing the system, then it is their concern. OK they may then report it to the person's manager, but they should be noticing crap that's being sent around the company.

[doesthisseemright]

I dont have a telephone at work , just email

[rhetorician]

doesthisseemright - is that the policy at your work? I'm sure that people waste far more time circulating emails (etc) than they ever did on the phone

[CocoPopsAddict]

Surely your workplace has a policy on this kind of thing? If not, ask your ICT department to set up some guidelines.

[doesthisseemright]

Not really, we tend to work better on emails as we email from home mostly and at all hours of the night

(lecturers)

[Angel786]

Arse covering exercise? I'm guilty of ccing people as often the same query will come in from several different colleagues / if iadvise by phone I forget that i've done it or what I've said...

[Onemorning]

YANBU. Where I work it's a subtle form of pressure - 'you will do this task by impossible unreasonable date because I say so, and look all the bosses know about it'. It's shitty practice and (at least at my work) a subtle form of bullying.

I sent an email to someone in another team last week. By the time we'd had an email conversation an hour later, there were 10 names on the email. I'd only sent it to her originally.

I hasten to add that there are times when cc'ing is appropriate. But it's often not.

[Mumofjz]

i tend to do it when i come across something that needs to be actioned by HO admin and will CC their manager so they can asses - but then again i'm in the north and them in south

[blowthewindsoutherly]

Everywhere I've worked the process has been that you ADDRESS the email to people you want a response from, and you cc for info.

So if you're being cc'd and not addressed then no action is necessary from you. I woud delete any email not actually addressed to me if I had so many I couldn't stay on top of them tbh.

[blowthewindsoutherly]

"We should have a policy to only cc people in if we want a reply from those people. If you're not expecting a reply, tell them about the issue at next opportunity, or let someone else in their team tell them..."

re-reading that I'm assuming you work in a very, very small company based on only one site. In which case, you may have a point, I wouldn't know as I've never worked anywhere that tinpot like that.

[Choufleur]

can't you set up a rule to put cc'ed emails into another folder with an auo response saying you don't read cc'ed emails?

[AttillaTheMum]

When this happened to me I sent a reply that said 'I have had no prior knowledge of this, and am not involved in this area of the business'

[LineRunner]

There is a trick, if you're employer allows you to use it.

It is an auto-response which says, 'If you need me to be aware of the contents of the email you have just sent please re-send it marked "high priority" and telephone or text me to alert me to this on [mobile phone number]. Thank you. [Insert name and position]'

Works wonders.

Also you can colour-code your inbox for ccs, 'To' emails, and also self-selected 'VIP' emails.

The excuse 'I sent you an email, so you should know' is pathetic and people who use this miserable defence should be told to their face, in meetings; and should be told that their apparent belief in governance-by-email and management-by-email simply indicates a certain level of ineptitude.

[ChrisPBacon]

hmm risky
I've seen something similar done, and the person tended to get er, ' cut out of the loop', somewhat afterwards.
They were on the way to retirement and it was primarily seen as a way of being a lazyarse decreasing workload