Page 2 | To really dislike people putting read receipts on work emails

Itissunnysomewhere · 2024-12-04T10:43:52+00:00

I mean, I always tick to say I won't give one. But I think it's a really aggressive move and really inappropriate. There shouldn't be an expectation of immediate response to emails

TitaniasAss · 04/12/2024 12:59

Of all the things to be offended about, I don't even give this headspace.

Original poster

Itissunnysomewhere · 04/12/2024 12:55

DancingLions · 04/12/2024 12:40

The other one I hate is copying in a manager when it's completely unnecessary. As if they don't trust me to respond, without the threat of said manager hanging over me. Even though in reality the manager probably doesn't read it anyway!

Oh yeah as a manager of a big team that really irritates me. Fine if you have chased numerous times and not had a reply but otherwise I'm just going to delete it/express sympathy with the member of my team who is dealing with the overly officious person.

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DancingLions · 04/12/2024 12:40

The other one I hate is copying in a manager when it's completely unnecessary. As if they don't trust me to respond, without the threat of said manager hanging over me. Even though in reality the manager probably doesn't read it anyway!

eRobin · 04/12/2024 12:37

how do you turn off or know if you’ve got read receipts on on gmail

Original poster

Itissunnysomewhere · 04/12/2024 12:37

dudsville · 04/12/2024 11:56

I think there could be other reasons a person does this other than aggression!

Can you elaborate? I have never felt the need to send one in two decades of working, so am curious

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DarkAndTwisties · 04/12/2024 12:36

MissScarletInTheBallroom · 04/12/2024 11:24

I always refuse to give one on principle.

Me too.

I find it annoying as well.

Original poster

Itissunnysomewhere · 04/12/2024 12:33

Rebelxwing · 04/12/2024 12:19

You can set Outlook to 'never send a read receipt' you then don't see the requests.

Ah fab will try that when am back at work!

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Tryingtokeepgoing · 04/12/2024 12:23

Isn't there an inverse relationship between the propensity to request a read receipt and the importance of the message / sender anyway? It's like marking an email 'urgent'. No one takes any notice. Both are just passive agressive actions driven by a desire to be seen to be doing something, rather than just getting things done ;)

Rebelxwing · 04/12/2024 12:19

You can set Outlook to 'never send a read receipt' you then don't see the requests.

dudsville · 04/12/2024 11:56

I think there could be other reasons a person does this other than aggression!

Original poster

Itissunnysomewhere · 04/12/2024 11:53

Resilience · 04/12/2024 11:43

I don't like it either.

I think it's because I've seen it used as a way of transferring responsibility. "I've made you aware lf it so now it's your problem". Even though it may be unexpected, urgent and you are already hopelessly overcommitted and unable to deal with it right then.

However, I just click "don't send" and forget about it.

Yes same, I don't normally ruminate over it I just click "don't send". I think it was just the timing of this one coming in as it did that made me ponder the implied pressure that comes with a "read receipt" while waiting for my doctors appointment

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Original poster

Itissunnysomewhere · 04/12/2024 11:53

Resilience · 04/12/2024 11:43

I don't like it either.

I think it's because I've seen it used as a way of transferring responsibility. "I've made you aware lf it so now it's your problem". Even though it may be unexpected, urgent and you are already hopelessly overcommitted and unable to deal with it right then.

However, I just click "don't send" and forget about it.

Yes same, I don't normally ruminate over it I just click "don't send". I think it was just the timing of this one coming in as it did that made me ponder the implied pressure that comes with a "read receipt" while waiting for my doctors appointment

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Hillarious · 04/12/2024 11:52

If I'm sending a message, and it's really important it's received and read, I would probably ring to alert the recipient of its imminent arrival.

Back in the day, when e-mails first landed in the workplace, we had a very simple system which allowed you to check who'd read your messages and call back any that hadn't been read. I miss that very simple system!

Dotjones · 04/12/2024 11:46

I always decline to send a response. I disagree with the idea that it shows the sender the message has been read. Often I skim the first line of an email then flag it for looking at properly at some point in the future. A read receipt is not appropriate because the message hasn't been read fully.

Resilience · 04/12/2024 11:43

I don't like it either.

I think it's because I've seen it used as a way of transferring responsibility. "I've made you aware lf it so now it's your problem". Even though it may be unexpected, urgent and you are already hopelessly overcommitted and unable to deal with it right then.

However, I just click "don't send" and forget about it.

Original poster

Itissunnysomewhere · 04/12/2024 11:34

BriceNobeslovesMurielHeslop · 04/12/2024 11:22

I use it occasionally because my job involves referring patients onto other services- I use to ensure that the referral has been read by somebody and isn’t sitting in a disused mailbox somewhere. It’s my responsibility to refer and therefore my responsibility to make sure someone has seen it.
I’ve never heard of them being used PA. It all sounds a bit dramatic and petty.

That would be understandable but in these instances we have been in regular correspondence over a period of months

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GridlockonMain · 04/12/2024 11:34

People who do it all the time annoy me. I don’t care if it’s a justified one off though. I sometimes request one if I’m sharing a large file by email and want to be sure it was received.

Original poster

Itissunnysomewhere · 04/12/2024 11:34

KrisAkabusi · 04/12/2024 11:23

I think you're making a mountain out of a molehill. So far you've described it as aggressive, inappropriate, outrageous and done by arseholes. It's just a minor annoyance, easily dealt with by one click, which you do anyway.

Oh yes, it's just a momentary annoyance, but it definitely adds to a picture of those people (it's part of a pattern of being overly aggressive I guess)

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Original poster

Itissunnysomewhere · 04/12/2024 11:33

dolorsit · 04/12/2024 11:27

As I seem to be hitting a lot of spam filters recently I ask for one to ensure that I know my email has got through.

I could understand that but in these instances we have already been corresponding regularly on the matter so they can't be worried about that

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dolorsit · 04/12/2024 11:27

As I seem to be hitting a lot of spam filters recently I ask for one to ensure that I know my email has got through.

MissScarletInTheBallroom · 04/12/2024 11:24

I always refuse to give one on principle.

KrisAkabusi · 04/12/2024 11:23

I think you're making a mountain out of a molehill. So far you've described it as aggressive, inappropriate, outrageous and done by arseholes. It's just a minor annoyance, easily dealt with by one click, which you do anyway.

BriceNobeslovesMurielHeslop · 04/12/2024 11:22

I use it occasionally because my job involves referring patients onto other services- I use to ensure that the referral has been read by somebody and isn’t sitting in a disused mailbox somewhere. It’s my responsibility to refer and therefore my responsibility to make sure someone has seen it.
I’ve never heard of them being used PA. It all sounds a bit dramatic and petty.

TeaInBed321 · 04/12/2024 11:18

I think people do it when they need to know it's been read! It's not to say they need a response, they just want to know 'have you read this?' because probably it's important.

Original poster

Itissunnysomewhere · 04/12/2024 11:17

PointsSouth · 04/12/2024 11:13

Why do you think you need to action it as soon as you've read it?

If it's not that you think you should, but you think that the sender will think you should, I'd suggest that the sort of person who'll give you a hard time for not acting as soon as you've read it is also likely to give you a hard time for not reading it as soon as you've received it.

In which case, your problem isn't the technology, it's the arseholes you work with.

I suppose there's also the possibility that you think you should action it as soon as you've read it because you expect other people to action those you send as soon as they've read them. If that were that case, then you'd be the arsehole they work with. In this case though, I don't think that applies.

Still, I don't think read-receipts are essentially a bad thing.

Edited

Definitely not my expectation of people. And yes you are right, the handful of people who do it are all generally arseholes about everything (not my colleagues, external people I deal with)

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