Do your colleagues respond to your emails?

[MillyMollyMonday]

Nearly posted in staff room but didn’t want to out myself.

As part of my role I have to communicate with teachers about individual children (maybe once a week per class teacher).

Thing is, I hardly ever get even a one word reply or acknowledgment.

Now, the rational side of me is thinking that they’re just busy and see it as a one way stream of communication ( I don’t reply to all info- giving emails from management for instance). However, a bit of me feels a bit irrationally insecure about the lack of response.

Has anyone else got a no reply email etiquette in their profession? Is it just a school thing or should I take it personally? 😂

Do you ask for their input in your email?

There was a thread about people writing emails amor replying if they don’t need to. Quite a few posters, felt they were far to busy and it was annoying to receive a ‘thank you’ or any short acknowledgment. Cluttered their inbox apparently and pressing delete just took far too much time. Some even judges members of staff who were less senior for doing it and wasting their time.

I am guessing from that thread that a lot of people don’t reply to acknowledge and will only reply if a reply is needed. So I guess it depends. If you are looking for someone to confirm they received it, some people do and some people don’t.

I would expect a reply if you have asked them a question or for their input.

@sandytooth very good question. They do actually reply to the quick question emails but the longer ones (where I’m sending a report for instance) don’t get a reply.
I always invite queries etc but try to avoid giving them a job to do by asking too many questions that need a response. Actually, I think you’ve just helped me answer my own question!

If you send a long email, don't expect a reply.

Anything longer than 2 paragraphs should be a meeting or a phone call.

A report, to me, would be a 'for info' email that would then be discussed on the phone or in a meeting at a later date. I wouldn't try to discuss it by email, it's too big.

@Ekátn very interesting perspective. I think that on some level it’s about acknowledgment. I’m probably being a bit insecure in that though!

I stick a read receipt on emails to anyone who isn't likely to reply so I've got proof they've received it just in case

I don’t routinely acknowledge emails if there is no instruction to do so or no question asked.

So if I’m asked to comment I do, if I am
sent something for information/action I generally don’t unless it’s obvious that’s expected. So if there’s a deadline I will acknowledge that (usually negotiating 🙈), or if it’s from some very senior I might reply.

I’m in higher education though so not the same. But certainly academics don’t usually bat “thank you” type messages back and forth. We don’t spend a huge amount of time on niceties tbh.

Not a teacher but I send a lot of emails for training. Most get ignored ( even when it’s a meeting request) or I get a response with a question that has already been answered in the request originally sent so email actually not been read at all. I think in your case they probably believe it doesn’t need an acknowledgement. Can you add a read receipt so you know they have opened it?

Lots of food for thought. Good idea about the read receipt. It can sometimes feel like I spend a whole weekend working unpaid and it just ends up disappearing into the ether! (I don’t send it out of hours, though).

And I always click 'no' to sending a read receipt on those.

@NeverDropYourMooncup I’m confused!

Why do you click no?

you can get a delivery receipt in case people refuse to read receipts.

If an email does not require my input and is not something I have asked for I am unlikely to respond.

If you want people to respond put the request in the first few lines. "Can you let me know if this is what you are looking for?" "I need your input before the X meeting"

Keep your emails brief & to the point - I live in a world that if I reply "perfect!" "Thanks!" I have to have read the whole email in case I accidently agree to do something that is not possible. The longer the email the less likely I am to respond because I have to make time to read it. My pet hate is people writing pages of information that they can assume I know eg repeating our published corporate information " [My company name] is committed to blah blah blah" Well no shit Sherlock....

And I always click 'no' to sending a read * receipt on those.*

You don't get to choose on the emails I send. You don't even get a notification of the read receipt being applied to the email. I'm not sure why.

I'm not a teacher but ignore if not relevant, but presumably they will be reading these emails outside of teaching time and perhaps at the weekend also, so unless it specifically needs a response, then I can see why they don't.

If there are opportunities to speak directly maybe ask if the emails are useful in conversation.

Why do you click no?

Because read receipts are a bit passive aggressive unless you are asking for a response to an urgent query.

If you start asking for RRs on emails without any need to respond I will simply start ignoring your emails or have them auto sent to junk.

They're not 'passive aggressive'.

If you can auto-file the emails to junk they're clearly not important emails. I don't send emails that don't need some kind of action, but often I don't need to know what action has been taken, so I need to know they're aware that action does need to be taken and then it's on them to do whatever they need to next.

Can you add a read receipt so you know they have opened it?

Don't do this. As Unescorted says, it's really PA.

You send an email - the action is then with the recipient (to read, reply, or flag for action in some way). Read receipts are annoying & will be ignored.

OP it's almost certainly that a) your emails are long, so won't be read fully immediately and b) are updates with no action required. (I struggle with keeping emails brief too, and have to work hard to make sure I try to keep them succinct & action-focused)

need to know they're aware that action does need to be taken and then it's on them to do whatever they need to next.

A read receipt will only tell you they've opened the email & nothing about how closely they've read it or their planned action.

Very occasionally read receipts are important for something important or with legal / HR relevance but doing so routinely gets very annoying, fast. I would definitely ignore them.

@girlmom21 If they are added to an email that does not need a response what is the point of them? Maybe it is a organisation cultural thing here - it is used as a short hand for this is urgent, I need to know that you have read and digested this information. Any use of them outside that is considered unnecessary and PA prioritising of your work over that of the recipient.

I click no to read receipts too, I like to respond when I'm ready not have the other person sitting there thinking "she's read it why isn't she replying" a bit like the blue ticks on whatsapp. Which they probably aren't as they have better things to do, but I do find it irritating when it is used for non-urgent emails.

Non-answering is quite normal in our workplace too, if I send info to 5 people typically 1 will say thanks and that's enough TBH.

Mostly.

My boss never does though.

read receipt does sound a bit passive aggressive

which is why setting up a delivery receipt is far better, and they dont even have any involvement

I can get over 100 emails a day. I respond to the ones which require a response. The ones which are just telling me something I don't respond to. I don't have time.