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.

I agree with all of this, and have often had similar thoughts.

This thread is very interesting but I wish there were some global answers!

I've had to use Kind regards in a new position in the last 7 months, even though I hate it.

It seems old fashioned, too formal and meaningless to me.

But I can't come up with an alternative (emailing parents from a school).

Best wishes is too birthday-cardish.

I quite like the examples from TTTT upthread (From, Fred)
but fear they could be taken as rude?

I'd love to find an alternative.

@Clafoutie @Beesandhoney123

Me too! 😂

I also have certain 'rules'. I try hard to reply to quick-answer emails as soon as I can.

I'll do my best to be prompt with replies to my team so that I'm not holding up work.

But if it gets peremptory or demanding, I'll flag for a later reply, regardless. It's important actually as it isn't always good to be too responsive.

Me too 😂

So...Sirs is something that etiquette guides need to conquer.

At the moment, and I'm not saying this is right, if you're very formally writing to a group of business people (a newspaper for example) the correct form would be Dear Sirs, or Sirs.

I personally like formality but think it needs updating, ie there should be a term equivalent to Sirs that isn't "guys"

Same here

I don’t think you can win with signing off - kind regards, regards, best wishes, thanks, yours sincerely, best. They’re all completely stupid and/or offensive depending on who’s reading it.

We should all just unilaterally decide to STOP.

write the email and then just, well… send it?

Holy shit, I've just signed 'regards' my whole career thinking it was just a normal sign off

I set up my email signature so that it says 'many thanks, head cheffer, then my organisation details". I found out the other day people think that's rude because it's part of my email signature apparently I'm supposed to type it each time and put my first name and then have an email signature.

I'm so glad to read these types of posts 😂

I'm usually a best wishes kinda gal but I also get bored real quick and change to kind regards and sometimes thanks. I'm dying for something quick and easy. I've even BW'd on occasion but it feels really cheeky!

I'm veering more towards committing to something in my signature and then not giving a shiny shite about choosing each time anymore!

Oh lol x-post, I can't even do that now!

I don't like regards or kind regards. It feels too like 'yours faithfully'. After all, very few people would say 'give my regards to X' any more. I prefer best wishes. I expect I would start to use it if I worked somewhere where everyone else signed off with regards or kind regards.

I was interested to see the posts about Teams messages. I got a Teams message from a colleague for the first time yesterday. I never realised you could use it outside meetings.

Not vital and doesn't need to be saved to a client file: Teams!

Very important communication regarding a client: email!

I'm a teacher but I seem to send a ridiculous number of emails (we do use teams as well).

For colleagues, I usually use Hi Firstname and sign off Best Wishes/Many Thanks, or sometimes just my name if I'm in a rush.

For students, generally the same as above, but they'll always get a sign off.

Parents get "Dear Mr/Mrs Lastname" and "Kind Regards" but I'll usually match their level of formality on the reply.

I don't read anything into other people's replies, though- with students I'm just happy they haven't written the whole body of the email in the subject!

Not vital and doesn't need to be saved to a client file: Teams!

Very important communication regarding a client: email!

Exactly.

Plus: needing quick reply or decision: Teams

We work a blended model. Colleagues need to use Teams in lieu of dropping into me with a quick question. Sending emails (or waiting till our one-to-one catch ups, worse) really slows work down.

Years ago, I was taught to use “Best regards”. I quite like it, but I fear it might not make sense.

“Kind regards” sounds a bit more old-fashioned to me.

“Best wishes” sounds as though you’re not expecting to hear from the recipient for a long time.

“All the best” sounds as though you never expect to hear from the recipient again, but you hope they have a nice life.

Clafoutie - I wouldn't find it rude if it was something like 'would you like a break?' - don't worry. This is a colleague asking me to arrange something - fairly important, i.e. if I didn't bother then it could cause problems. So to the other poster mentioning why not just send a Teams message - first, we don't have Teams but do have a different messaging app; but second, I need an email so it's in my 'to do' email folder.

‘Kind regards’ is fine-pleasant even. Nothing says “fuck you” like ‘regards’ though.

Surely they would just Teams you? I really struggle with email being the channel for informal requests.

You see I struggle far more with the micromanagement of different messaging types and formats for different requests than I do with the formats themselves. In the post COVID world of messaging apps etc there is a proliferation but I feel like people are contorting themselves trying to come with new bits of etiquette for it all and at the end of the day none of this really matters. My view is as long as the message is delivered quickly, politely and clearly it makes no difference whether its Teams or email or Slack or whatever.

Missives will go out every week at my place with requests to keep certain things on email vs other things on Teams. Last week it was please don't use Teams for messages of longer than a sentence.

I really can't get worked up about this and I actually find the attempts to police this overbearing and counterproductive.

See I think "kind regards" is far for "fuck you" than "regards". Because its so fake sounding. Regards is functional. Kind regards is unbelievably inauthentic.

'Best' is urgh! Horrible sign off that makes no sense.

I also don't really like 'Good morning' as a sign on... because you just know that the email request is going to change the good morning 🤣

Far more fuck you

Last week it was please don't use Teams for messages of longer than a sentence.

😂😂

I use "best regards" for work emails

I’ve had the same from a client in the Middle East. It always made me smile!