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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:
Brefugee · 26/10/2019 11:28

they're being a dick.
Use it to your advantage. Reply all with a list of your priorities and that you expect this low priority gig will be done on time and not to waste your time with asking for updates.

and then just get on with what you were doing.

I use cc to someone's line manager only when I am not getting what I need from them and they should be doing. I send one reminder with their boss in cc If I don't get a reply within the requested time. I go direct to their manager with them in cc.

It can be effective. But generally it's a dick move

Pinkiii · 26/10/2019 11:28

This is one the things I hate the most about work!

We have someone on our team who constantly cc’s our director into every e-mail. Its like she is always trying to catch people out

She tried it with me once, she was waiting on some information which I had replied to saying I needed further information from her which she didn’t respond to, so that’s what i replied in my reply all and then all of a sudden on her reply With the information i needed she took out the director from CC, i replied back saying saying thanks and copied director back in.

JigsawsAreInPieces · 26/10/2019 11:30

Cc’ing and bcc'ing and notifying line managers of typos, minor errors etc while ignoring huge issues were a big thing in my last job. That and the micromanagement did my head in! It was definitely a case of if your face fit you got on. Hated it and was actually glad when the redundancies happened.

jackparlabane · 26/10/2019 11:31

Different workplaces have different cultures. For me, cc'ing is routine to let people know what is going on but that they don't need to take action themselves. Everyone who needs to pay attention is in the subject line.
We have to get most work cleared by senior managers though (civil service) so it's helpful if they've at least seen the subject line and have the previous correspondence to refer to.

RantyAnty · 26/10/2019 11:34

I had someone cc the entire team on a small mistake I had made. I was the consultant brought in and she didn't like me.
She looks over at me and smirked and I just got up and walked out.

The executive in charge begged me to come back and she was taken off the team.

lottiegarbanzo · 26/10/2019 11:37

It's passive aggressive twattery. Managers hate it.

Either the issue needs to be brought to the manager's attention for resoluation by that manager - in which case email / phone / speak to them directly - or it doesn't.

Also, if you have a complaint about someone, your first course of action should always be to take your complaint to that person, to give them a chance to resolve it themselves, before going to their manager. IME good managers, who respect their staff, will always expect you ot have done this. Not to come 'telling tales' because you lack the interpersonal skills to work with your colleague to resolve the issue directly.

BlackSwan · 26/10/2019 11:38

I would respond removing my manager. But I'm subversive like that.

DobbyLovesSocks · 26/10/2019 11:40

I have used c.c in my work emails but to my own senior manager so they are aware of what I am doing. This has proven helpful when an intermediate manager pulled me up on something 'I hadn't done'. I had and was able to forward her the email I sent originally with my manager c.c'd in and the document in question attached. Senior manager replied to us both to thank me for my hard work on the project. Ha ha - in your face
I do hate 'reply all' though. Useful in a conversation with a few others working together on something but not in everyday working. I was recently sent an email about an IT project which was also sent to about 40 other people. Cue 40-odd replies from the people also emailed to give their 2-pennorth worth. My email box rapidly filled with emails that I did not need to receive. I didn't need to know that Joe from accounts was on annual leave for a week and therefore couldn't make a training session.

Remember the lady that crashed the NHS.net email system? Well, not her fault entirely more every bugger that 'replied all' saying the email was sent in error.

lottiegarbanzo · 26/10/2019 11:52

I can sort of see people's points about using it as a 'for info' evidence of progress. So long as you're not actually expecting the manager to read it.

Any busy manager will triage ther emails. They're not going to read stuff they've only been copied into.

There is an inherent assumption being made by those doing the cc-ing in anger, that their manager has too much time on their hands and nothing better to do than to referee playground squabbles. That's pretty insulting.

MotherOfSoupDragons · 26/10/2019 11:57

The passive-aggressive use of cc is very annoying. If you can't beat them...

BloodSuckClub · 26/10/2019 11:59

I think anyone doing CCs is either Geri Hornering (Look at me!) I am working on a weekend, praise me, praise me:::
Or they are covering their back so they have an e-mail trail for responding to a future bollocking.
First one is a bit sad, second one is a bit paranoid...but understandable if you work for a crap boss or crap company.

Hassled · 26/10/2019 11:59

I bloody hate this - I have a colleague who just lives for this shit, cc-ing anyone she can think of at the drop of a hat. I made a fairly minor cock-up at work which I was mortified about and apologised for instantly - she still couldn't hold back from emailing me to remind me that I'd cocked up and cc'd the world and his dog into the email. It was just so unnecessary and while I'm over-the-top polite to her now, I find it hard to be chatty with her.

AntCrawley · 26/10/2019 12:04

Its so that everyone is aware so if one isbt around and the issue is brought up everyone is on the same page instead of having to repeat or ask the people privy to the info like some gate keepers. I think its open communication and great. It also makes people more careful and respectful and mind what theysendmore.

CakeAndGin · 26/10/2019 12:07

My colleague does this all the time. She’ll give me the shit she doesn’t want to do (or can’t do) and CC our manager in with an unrealistic deadline. She’s not yet realised that our manager doesn’t give a shit.

It’s a big thing at our work place but it’s because there’s a blame cultureit’s because it ensures that we provide visibility and remain blameless. What pisses me off though is when, on the few occasions, praise does come out CC is never used. And as already stated, my manager doesn’t give a shit so that praise never gets sent down.

herbsmokedchicken · 26/10/2019 12:11

I’m a PA and I will often email another fee earner’s PA rather than the fee earner if it’s something the PA can handle, it annoys me when they reply cc’ing in the fee earner - partly because it feels like I’m being corrected, like I should have cc’d them in the first place, but also annoys me because the whole point of having a PA and me going straight to the PA is so the fee earner doesn’t have to get involved and have their inbox clogged up with something they don’t need to see!

IsItChristmas · 26/10/2019 12:18

They probably just need reassurance that it will get done hence copying in the manager. It may be a low priority in your eyes but not a low priority from their point of view.

Respond in a way that shows you're on top of this.

WeBuiltThisBuffetOnSausageRoll · 26/10/2019 12:22

I don't see any problem with CCing in the manager or colleagues when you're confirming that YOU'VE completed a big task so that any interested parties know that it's been dealt with and the manager knows what you've been doing with your time.

Also, if you're asking a question or for info and the CC'd people also want/need to know the answer, then fine.

However, doing it when chasing somebody up (unless it's very overdue and they've been deliberately ignoring you) is exactly like telling tales to the teacher. It's dad and pathetic and, contrary to what those who do it may think, only reflects badly on them.

EntropyRising · 26/10/2019 12:22

It's provocative/unprofessional and should be used only as a last resort.

The email described in your OP is out of order.

Shannith · 26/10/2019 12:26

As a former director of a large department, anyone who cced me into a non-issue like that would be 1) marked in my head as someone who can't handle responsibility and 2) someone who needed to be told that's not how I do business.

I was always very clear about this upfront, so it rarely happened.

If it did, it was agreed with me in advance - the only really valid circumstance would be to a supplier who was dicking about and I was the point of last resort to get shit done.

Other than that sort it out amongst yourselves. If there was something you couldn't handle. Talk to me. I'll help.

My rule was if you cc me you expect me to do something about it. Not for "info" or if you are trying to bully someone into doing something you could not get them to do by normal methods of workplace communication.

Actually, you can try the later, but it's you I'll be asking questions of, not them.

Seemed to stop most if not all of the passive aggressive bullshit.

OP - don't rise to it. They look a dick, not you. Just do the work to the deadline agreed.

And to anyone who thinks cc'ing senior people works to get things done. Well, it certainly helps identify the people that can't get things done on their own...

BrokenWing · 26/10/2019 12:31

cc'ing in my manager just increases their email traffic, but that's her problem not mine. I have no problem with my manager seeing any emails to me or the replies.

Being caught out works both ways and it is immensely satisfying when some twat of a manager emails you to say there has been a problem and it has had a huge impact and cc's your manager, your managers manager, their manager and various other senior managers to explain in detail the cost to the company of this error and how it is unacceptable this has happened again, and you can REPLY ALL to say, well actually you will find that process is you and your teams responsibility and please see attached emails where the problem has happened before and you agreed several times it is your process/fuck up.

DrinkFeckArseGirls · 26/10/2019 12:34

I don’t like it either but in one place I contract for we are expected to cc the ops manager and the director into everything 🤷‍♀️ It’s a part time role and we are all self-employed so I can sort of see the it - they might reply when I’m not or they want to have the trail of the conversation.
I do feel a bit stupid cc’ing them when emailing the staff so sometimes leave off the director when it’s something trivial.

WTF0ver · 26/10/2019 12:35

I hate it too. Although yesterday I was the manager cc'd into a reminder email because my assistant hadn't dealt with something. So I just asked if they were going to sort it and they did, all fine.

DrinkFeckArseGirls · 26/10/2019 12:36

I can’t bear to think how many rmails they have to trawl through Confused and then fish out the ones they have to respond to and the ones when they are just secondary recipients.

FlaviaAlbia · 26/10/2019 12:42

It happened to me once. I got hit with a frothing demand to know why we'd done X and how dare we do it without proper authorisation cc'd to my manager and all sorts.

Luckily I had a very organised inbox and was able to pull up the email from the frother himself a year before asking me to do the thing he was frothing about. I just replied to all saying see request attached. That's one of my fondest memories from that job Grin

Tink1990 · 26/10/2019 12:42

My manager makes me do this! So I look like petty snitch! I like copying my manager into emails whereby, for example, someone has emailed me direct to query an invoice I may have approved or to confirm an expense etc, as I like being transparent. But yes, totally get that when people use it for petty, non issues, it is very annoying!