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Original poster

Have you ever had 'cc' in an email used 'against you' at work?

158 replies

chomalungma · 26/10/2019 10:49

Email is great. A valuable business tool. But I do hate it when conversations you have with it suddenly don't become 'private'.

Obviously nothing in email is secret. It's incredibly easy to reply to people, cc a few others into it and before you know it. lots of people can see what's been written. In the 'old days', that wouldn't have happened as much.

As an example, there is something on my 'to do' list - but it is a low priority. The manager who wants me to do the task has emailed me about when it will be done - and 'cc'd' my manager into it. It wouldn't have hurt to simply email me - rather than 'cc' my manager in . I don't have a particularly good relationship with my manager at the moment.

I can think of other 'email' chains - where people have been 'cc'd' in - yet really they don't need to know. Incidents could have been resolved with simple talking to people - or just directly involving people in emails - rather than people just getting one side of a story.

Maybe I am being a bit sensitive - but I do think that sometimes 'cc' in an email chain is used against people.

OP posts:
Thankyouplease · 26/10/2019 10:52

This drives me mad at work. Thankfully my manager has my back so I just ignore. It feels to me like the adult equivalent of telling the teacher.

Original poster
chomalungma · 26/10/2019 10:55

It feels to me like the adult equivalent of telling the teacher

This Grin

OP posts:
NoHummus · 26/10/2019 10:55

Happens all the time and I have done it myself on occasion, although I would normally cc in my manager rather than the other person's so they know the situation and can wade in if necessary.

CactusAndCacti · 26/10/2019 10:56

I fully agree, it makes me feel that I am being 'micro-managed' and checked up on. I can be a bit forgetful at times, so occasionally need a nudge. I sometimes think it is also people covering their backs, especially in an environment where you feel that people are waiting for you to trip up.

Sometimes it is useful to 'cc' someone in, but only if they need to be party to the info.

EggysMom · 26/10/2019 10:59

I'm sorry but I can understand why the requesting manager CC'd your manager. If you didn't respond, if you didn't deliver by the required date, alerting your manager at that point might be too late. By CC'ing your manager at this stage, they are making your manager additionally aware of the requirement so that your workload and priorities can be managed appropriately.

Widowodiw · 26/10/2019 10:59

I had someone cc in directors the whole lot asking when a budget would be completed. The deadline was Monday, This email was sent on the Sunday and he had the cheek to say he actually had needed it by the Friday. What he meant was he had decided to work over the weekend and so his deadlines had changed. The best bit was “just a gentle reminder” it’s not gentle when you have copied in Everyman and their dog.

Widowodiw · 26/10/2019 10:59

Meant to add I think it says a lot about the person doing the copying in than the recipient.

SingingLily · 26/10/2019 10:59

It feels to me like the adult equivalent of telling the teacher.

It's exactly like that - and no one likes a snitch.

As a former senior manager, I was hugely irritated whenever a member of staff cc'd me into this type of correspondence and it didn't reflect well on that person. I'd generally refer it to the member of staff's supervisor, advising that they be told to grow up and get a grip. On rare occasions - such as two supervisors of equal grade squabbling and scoring points via email - I'd reply to both with a fairly direct response advising them both to grow up.

As long as you are not tempted to do the same in return, I think you have nothing to worry about. It reflects on them, not you.

Original poster
chomalungma · 26/10/2019 11:00

If you didn't respond, if you didn't deliver by the required date, alerting your manager at that point might be too late

Except the delivery date is January 2020

It's very low priority

OP posts:
happytoday73 · 26/10/2019 11:00

I think they are fine to cc manager. As a manager I'd be OK with being cc on this, and would generally just ignore, as I would for someone copying my boss for something similar.

At the end of the day person emailing is trying to get his job moved up list. Fair enough. Doesn't mean that had to happen.

Better to cc manager than ring them up direct

leeloo1 · 26/10/2019 11:01

I once worked for a Cambridge college and misused an apostrophe in an internal email, a director of studies replied - informing me of the correct useage of apostrophes, which was embarrassing enough... then I realised she had cc'd my manager and the head of the college! Blush

Cordial11 · 26/10/2019 11:02

My work has done away with internal emails unless it’s something super important and needs a solid trail. We are encouraged to use an internal chat. It’s bliss!

Original poster
chomalungma · 26/10/2019 11:05

I also doubt that my manager would email the person and 'cc' me into it saying that I have some massive projects on at the moment which are urgent and that the other project is low priority and can wait until this is out of the way.

My manager is not supportive like that.

OP posts:
HavelockVetinari · 26/10/2019 11:06

I get it from a different angle - people cc me into all kinds of gubbins 'just in case' I might want to know - if it was one email that's to the point it'd be ok, but I then get copied into a whole trail of emails, clogging up an already-full inbox!

Original poster
chomalungma · 26/10/2019 11:07

'cc' can also be dangerous if you are replying to an email and then including others in.

I know that we have had a data breach because of that...

OP posts:
Doingtheboxerbeat · 26/10/2019 11:08

I will admit to using it for sole purpose of shaming people into dealing with a large issue no one wants to take responsibility for.
I used to work in the Estates Department of a university and we were responsible for the maintenance of all the properties. Often times there would be a long standing repair that has been passed from one project manager to another to another and months later our team are still getting angry calls from our customers as to why there is still no heating. So unfortunately it becomes necessary to cc every person who has dealt with said issue and has passed the buck to someone else, they'll get roped into the email chain too.

isabellerossignol · 26/10/2019 11:11

I worked for a year for a manager who micromanaged everything to the extent that she demanded to be CCd in on every email that I sent. And if she wanted me to ring someone she would pull up a chair and sit next to my desk and listen to me whilst I did it (and then tear me apart for being too softly spoken. I can't change my bloody voice). It was utterly soul destroying, and I don't actually know what the point of employing me was, if she didn't trust me to do anything. But it made me look pathetic, like I couldn't even send a simple email without CCing teacher in.

When I left, she announced I was the greatest employee they'd ever had and offered to pay me 'whatever I wanted' to get me back. No thanks, £1m a year wouldn't have compensated for that style of working.

mrsed1987 · 26/10/2019 11:17

Ive used it many times and usually it has the required effect! I think its fine to do.

Woodlandwitch · 26/10/2019 11:19

This happens to me now I have a new manager and I actually ended up getting quite cross at the person as I was sat in the same office and it does not warrant an email like that being cc’d to the higher ups.

I also spoke to the higher ups and explained I don’t expect to be micromanaged in this way and hope that after the years of experience they would have enough respect to let me get on with my job as I always have done.

They didn’t see the problem

I will be looking for a new job

MrsSpenserGregson · 26/10/2019 11:20

@isabellerossignol I worked for her too Flowers

Croquembou · 26/10/2019 11:21

By CC'ing your manager at this stage, they are making your manager additionally aware of the requirement so that your workload and priorities can be managed appropriately

They're not though, are they, they're just being a dick.

BigFatLiar · 26/10/2019 11:22

Once was in charge of development in an IT project for a large Co. I had an email from a manager asking if his area could be given some priority as he really needed it urgently. Lots of people cc'd. Replied to him and the PM that priorities were set by the project board and director and he should take it up with them if he felt he needed priority. Dropped everyone else of the email.

A few weeks later business going on as usual, I found out there was a massive row going on about the project and what was happening. Emails everywhere, even to the board. Unfortunately by this stage no one from the project was left on the email trail and those getting all worked up about it weren't actually involved.

jennymanara · 26/10/2019 11:24

I once worked somewhere with a very strong blame culture. This was rife as a result.

Shinyletsbebadguys · 26/10/2019 11:26

In most of my industry it seems to be mostly done when someone has ignored the gentle reminders and it's most certainly seen as a shot across the bow.

In circumstances when I needed to be involved in the communication I'd make it clear why I needed to be cc'd so there was no misunder standing.

Saying that there always seems to be that one person in each place who does it all the time and it's about currying favour with the bosses and almost always backfires because they are seen as smug and an ass kisser.

When I was operations and that person pulled this I would reply asking why I had needed to be copied in.

Having said that I have no sympathy for someone who replys to all. I work in anew industry that deals with sensitive information a lot. If someone is so silly to reply to an email with cc and do it to all without checking they deserve what they get.

sideorderofchips · 26/10/2019 11:28

I don’t know

I had an issue last year that a teacher was very rude to me over email. I was in a bad place mentally which my head of department knew about as did the head of subject.

They had both been cc’d into the email as had been in the earlier email. It sent me into a panic attack, the email from
The teacher and my head of department pulled him up on it straight away.

If he hadn’t been cc’d in I probably would have been upset but not done anything about it. As it was, said teacher was told
If he upset me again by being so rude it would be taken to SLT