Why is ‘Kind regards’ a bad sign off

[SuperiorM]

So, I’ve just heard that ‘Kind Regards’ is considered passive aggressive. Maybe I’m just old and out of touch but it sounds more like a more friendly’Best wishes’ to me. I suppose I’m going to have to stop using it.

You need to tell us more! What had you done?!

Yeah everyone was doing that in covid. And it's like.. actually my dear family member is in hospital and I can't see them as they might kill me.

The really passive-aggressive term in my workplace is “as you may be aware…” which generally translates as “this thing is really important, which you would know if you’d actually read the last fucking email”

I've only ever seen an email open with "Name" when the person is getting a telling off

I use kind regards as default, or many thanks if asking for something. Regards means I’m slightly pissed off and thanks means I’m at the end of my tether. I detest being emailed as just name without a salutation, I find it rude and aggressive and never do it however irritating the recipient. My boss just uses thanks at the end after her interminable lists of instructions and I find it dismissive.

Kind regards seems really outdated to me now- krs is even worse. I stopped using it professionally about 5/6 years ago. Best wishes is friendlier. I don't know anyone that uses kind regards professionally in my industry now.

Oh dear, I have used best to colleagues or other professionals I have met and know a little! I don't use Best Wishes because I tend to use it on greeting cards to neighbours or people I don't know so well. Used to use Kind Regards but it seemed to be dwindling and I thought it was out of date.

Many Thanks - what I use after emailing someone to ask for something.

Kind Regards - what I use when I'm being rather formal with someone, usually external, when I'm having to smooth things over.

Regards - 'I think you're a twat'

Think I've only had to use Regards once, so long ago can't even remember who on.

I use Best Wishes or Many Thanks if they've actioned something for me.

I really dislike Kind Regards and it always makes me feel slighted for no logical reason 😂

Back in around 2000 I sent an email to a colleague (let's call him Captain Smith) who had retired from a long career in the Royal Navy. I think he saw email as equivalent to a telegram as he once sent me an email that read

Apologies unable attend meeting Smith

This was long before smartphones so that would have been typed on a desktop PC.

In our company it means "everyone in this office knows about it but chances are the others dont"

I have Kind Regards as part of my email signature to save typing it out constantly. I don’t consider it out of date and I’m in my early 30s. It’s just a standard polite sign off which suits most situations.

I also get incensed by read receipts and never, ever click the permission to show it as read.

I use kind regards ☺️
Didn’t realise it was passive aggressive

Same! The turning it off used to really irritate one of my stuffier colleagues, which was an added bonus

At my work, the policy is "Hi" and "All the best." Last place I worked didn’t have a specific policy so I went with Kind Regards, and dropped the Kind part when the person was pissing me off.

I don't like "Best Wishes" as I feel like best wishes are what you write in a birthday card, not a workplace email.

@EarringsandLipstick nothing I barely knew her! I was so curious I had to ask if she had to meant to send it and she said no, she'd sent it from her phone accidentally..

I have a range of sign offs.

Cheers - for people I work with f2f or know very well.

Best wishes - for people I actually like.

Kind regards - for higher ups and general email purposes.

Regards - for people who are getting annoying.

And just my name... for those who have really pissed me off.

What's your industry?

A friend of mine, prone to dramatics, told me she thought signing off Kind regards was telling someone to eff off. She was surprised when I said it wasn't in my experience.

😂😂😂

Like a telegram, love it!

I like Kind Regards and think it's fine. Friendly but still professional.

I have been known to use:

.....ta-ra a bit

....toodles (also toodle-pipksi)

and

....See ya wouldn't wanna be ya.

Depends who it is though.

Don't like 'Best.'

British emails are the worst. "I hope you are well", "sorry to bother you", "many thanks", "kind regards". Just tell me what you want, mate?!?!

It’s just a standard polite sign off which suits most situations.

In your work environment - that's the point! It's variable, as this thread demonstrates!

If I get an email that just starts "Ocrumbs," then I know that person is angry and loosing their ability to be polite as the are frustrated by the situation/I've done something really really silly.

I use 'Kind regards' or 'Many thanks' when I am politely chasing nice people who have forgotten to pay us. I sign off with 'Thank you.' if I'm chasing fuckers who won't pay.