How do you sign off work emails?

[CharlotteCollinsneeLucas]

I feel this is a gap in my education! I know how to write a formal letter, but what about emails to people at work you know?

The options I see are:

Best wishes
Regards
Kind regards

All of which feel awkward. Kind regards just appeared about five years into my adult life and I'd not seen it before. I've never much liked it, but that could be associations with the person I first knew to use it! Is it quite normal really?

I usually just go with my name and nothing else. I'm vaguely aware that probably comes across as awkward in itself...

Kind regards,
Kindest regards,
Regards,
All the best,
Many thanks,
Thanks,

Depending on who the email is to and what it is about. If it’s just “Thanks” then you will have done something to annoy me. Ditto “Regards”.

I don’t understand what this business of capitalising the second word is,
e.g. Kind Regards or Many Thanks
On what basis does the second word require a capital letter? When I see this it makes me think less of the sender- probably unfair, but true.

'Many thanks' is my default 95% of the time

'Regards' if I am absolutely fuming (so funny that loads of us have said this, yet I was appalled to see DH uses it as standard and he's the most chilled, easygoing person ever! Nothing in it for him! Weird)

Watching this thread with interest. I send so many emails every day and find 'kind regards' is received better than 'regards' (I can often receive arsey replies when I end with 'regards' - honestly!) but I see 'kind regards' as a bit silly and I don't know why.

I’m a solicitor. We use either regards, best regards or kind regards. I always use best regards unless someone has annoyed me, in which case it’s just plain regards. I always think kind regards sounds a bit wet / weak.

Kind regards or many thanks, it depends what's in the email.

My signature is auto 'Many Thanks,' and I very rarely change it!

As I know everyone in house and we are a company of emails and not face to face. I tend to just put my initial, but to be fair I am known for being blunt so probably makes sense. If an email has taken some effort it’s Kind regards, or if pissed me off regards.

I also get annoyed with chats that start with ‘how are you’ ‘how’s the weather etc’. I guess I am rude, but just come out with it you aren’t contacting me for a chat, what do you want me to do? Just realised I’m not a very patient person

I used to work with someone who'd sign of with "KR" I could never work out if it was supposed to be deliberately rude or if she genuinely didn't think she had enough time to spell out the words 🤷‍♀️

Kind regards
Name
Is my signature.

I sometimes put 'many thanks' just before the kind regards bit, if it's appropriate.

Seems perfectly fine to me.
I don't care what others put. These things don't bother me.

My lecturer always signed off with best
So passive aggressive

Email???? I only use Teams these days, no need for a sign off at all, but at most my initial.
T.

Wow, I've been doing it wrong...I use "Regards" as "Kind regards" sounds over familiar. Wonder how many people I've pissed off!

Email???? I only use Teams these days, no need for a sign off at all, but at most my initial.
T.

^

You were too cool for school, weren't you, T?

All good wishes

@pinkcattydude

I also get annoyed with chats that start with ‘how are you’ ‘how’s the weather etc’. I guess I am rude, but just come out with it you aren’t contacting me for a chat, what do you want me to do? Just realised I’m not a very patient person

I did a course once where the course director mentioned that when emailing, the first email in the chain must always have a conversational sentence at the start, followed with the content of the mail, then some other polite bit, then sign off- so for example:

Good morning John,

Hope you are making the most of this wonderful weather.

Blah blah business bit.

I trust this is acceptable- let me know your thoughts when possible.

Kind regards,

Billy

Coming from a fairly cut-throat industry I found this hilarious. Especially the intro sentence bit. My clients or colleagues would have thought I was still pissed from the night before if I started wittering on about the weather at the start of an email.

I have a friend who signs off using ‘kindest regards’ - it gives me a warm glow (she’s lovely).

Apart from that it’s:

Formal & you’ve irritated me - Regards
Formal - kind regards
Informal - best wishes
Informal close friends/colleagues - All the best/thanks

Thanks.

I've seen people write 'best' too, I hate it, makes them sound completely up their own arse!

We went through a period at pandemic peak where pretty much everyone’s standard sign of seemed to become “stay safe!” Well thank you for that because I was about to break lockdown to go lick everyone in Tescos until you intervened.

Like most people, my default is kind regards or occasionally many thanks if asking for help. Regards mean you have really pissed me off and I want you to know it yet still you have no cause for complaint.

@Mamette that course director obviously went on to run a recruitment agency. I get spammed by them all the time and without fail, they all start their emails that way, even when Ive never met them. It’s just too chummy for my taste. Cant abide over familiarity.

May the road rise to meet you.

Joking!

Either Best wishes or Kind regards. Or many thanks if I’m asking/hoping they will do something for me.

Typically just my name. Kind regards if I’m being deliberately formal. Best wishes if I mean it. Thanks if I’m asking for something.

Thanks
Many Thanks
All the best
Best wishes

Nearly signed one ‘Lots of love’ the other day though 😂

Best wishes as standard for external and distant colleagues.

Just name for close colleagues if email is informal or chat.

Usually start with Hi— occasionally Dear—; sometimes Hello— (if I’m channelling particularly lovely former colleague).

I’ll add “many thanks” or other pleasantries as required. In recent months there have been frequent and sincere “I hope you are well” “I hope you and yours are well” and occasional “How lovely to hear from you”s.

Keeping you warm

Sorry, what?

I think this thread is a good illustration of why mirroring can be useful. E.g. if you know Dave will think you're being rude if you leave out the empty opening fluff about the weather/his state of health but Jane will find it irritating then you include/exclude it as appropriate. (Pretty easy to figure it out based on whether the person engages with it).

Somebody upthread mentioned a dilemma about how to address emails. I usually start with just the name and then revise to mirror the person I'm corresponding with depending on whether they use Dear User or Hi User or just my name.

Easier than trying to second guess how you're being interpreted or deal with people becoming terse and irritable because they're reading non-existent subtext into a sign off/greeting. Everyone has different ideas about what's polite.