using 'Hi' instead of 'Dear' in work emails...

[Crosbybeach]

...when you don't know the person you are emailing/responding to. Also if they have used 'Dear your name' to respond with Hi, when you don't know them just seems too casual.

I don't have a problem with people emailing me with 'Hi Crosby' when I don't know them. But if I don't know someone and it's a formal email, I'll always use 'dear'.

Am I hopelessly out of touch? (mid 40s...)

Good Morning or Afternoon for formal, Hello for less formal and Hi only if really informal.

It grates on me when I get marketing emails and the like if they start with Hi.

We were taught that you should treat work email exactly as you would a letter so Dear... Yours F/S at the end.

So was I when the medium was in its infancy as a means of work communication, but I rarely come across anyone who treats it as such now.

Suddenly I'm reminded of this 1980s gem.

I'm glad it's not just me!

When I know people it probably depends on the kind of email I'm writing - so I have to write quite formal letters to external people I work with a lot so will use Dear x in those circumstances. But I'm also sometimes having to write them a quick chatty work email and will use Hi x.

Inside the organisation I'll usually use Hi even if I haven't met them, unless they are very senior. If I have met them it's Hi from the first.

I just find Hi to external people you don't know grates when I see my colleagues doing it - it just looks too casual.

I wonder if so many people got used to email for personal use that have trouble adjusting to work environment.
Such as answering the phone.

Oh and same colleagues will 'Hi' senior people they've never met...in fact they just indiscriminately 'Hi'.

Would they do it in person?

It may well grate with the people receiving those emails.

I think it probably does grate with some people, but the main guy who does it is American (working in UK) and he just doesn't see a problem with Hi.

A teacher at school many many years ago once told the class that you should never start a letter with "Dear" if you don't know the person, as they can't be dear to you otherwise.
Not sure if this was correct back in the day or still is though!

'Dear' makes a very poor impression on me, it makes me think that person is not up to date with technology and modern communication methods.

"Hi" is completely fine in 99% of emails. I think you are being a bit fussy.

I would use Hi in a work email if I know the person well or if a less well know person has started this.

Sometimes I use neither, just the person's name to start the email. No doubt that is bad form too!

I think Dear at the start of emails sounds sarky.

If it's the first time I've emailed someone or if it's someone I don't know that well or have more of a formal relationship with I tend to use,

'Good morning/Good afternoon'

If it's a colleague I know well I use 'Hi' or 'Hello'

Toby sometimes that's useful too!

I think I may well be out of date. But I do work in what can be a very formal environment at times so 'Hi x - we are considering closing you down for non-compliance' somehow doesn't seem right...

I always say good morning/ afternoon, but that's what I've always done. Will put hi if it them turns into a quick back and forth email convo and the other person initiates it.

My company has us use hi, I use it almost all of the time unless I need to make a formal request outside of the company.

My emails are normally from outside the company and I follow their lead - if their email to me starts 'hi', then that's how I'll respond, likewise 'Dear'. Internally it tends to be hi.

Hi everyone,

There's an industry standard for emails and it's "hi" in my experience. It's fine to use "dear" if it's someone you don't know or if you want to be especially formal but don't expect them to notice, because everyone's eye just skips to the beginning of the actual message.

How you sign off is more important!

Best wishes (or similar appropriate sign off)
goldenhen

I very rarely use hi externally (I work in law) and, depending on my relationship with the person I was emailing would either use Dear Sirs or Dear < name >. Sirs would be a 'Yours faithfully' closer and if I used a name it'd be 'Regards'. If I've built up a good relationship with the other solicitor / insurer we tend to be more casual (usually after we've had a chat on the phone abs established that the other person isn't an arse!).

Internally hi is fine, as I don't need to be so formal.

I hate Hi in writing full stop. I will open an e-mail Dear, unless it's to someone I know very well and it's an informal subject in which case I'll use Hello.

I don't think dear or hi are necessary in all emails - to: email address, subject, message content.

I am your age, and I agree with you. First email, Dear, after that Hi, but probably not in all contexts to all correspondents.

We get 'Dear' from management. I hate it. IMO if you're in first-name terms with your staff and it's not the most formal of environments, then it should be Hi, Hello or (at a push) Morning/Afternoon. I'd rather have no greeting at all than Dear, which always makes me feel like I'm going to be reprimanded!

Dear is more affectionate than formal to me