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Original poster

To hate it when a colleague replies to an email *copying in unrelated people*

119 replies

elemenopeee · 29/01/2019 22:53

I've sent Susan a query. Nothing stressful, nothing concerning, just a straightforward question. Susan replies and copies in all manner of bosses and line managers.

Why do you do this Susan?

Firstly - if I wanted others to read my email to you I'd have copied them in.

Secondly - you are embarrassing me as the higher ups then feel they have to respond to me, and do. But it was a simple query, Susan, you should have found out the info yourself and got back to me. Now I feel like I'm wasting their time with a simple query.

I'm absolutely cringing with embarrassment.

OP posts:
missbattenburg · 30/01/2019 07:15

hugging

I read that as laughing at people who are worried about how they are perceived at work and writing secret reports on them.

AnotheChinHair · 30/01/2019 07:16

I work 4 days a week. I go to college the 5th day. There's a senior colleague of mine that hates this so much, she takes every possible opportunity to 'expose' why it's such a bad idea for me not to work 5 days a week. I therefore copy all people I feel might be 'impacted' by me not being at work that one day, so no one can say they did not have the relevant information. It's very stressful.

Mercedes519 · 30/01/2019 07:20

I got an auto response the other day which said in so many words “as this is cc’d it goes into a folder and I might look at it some time” which is brutal but effective.

As a manager I get cc’d into stuff and would normally read to see what it is someone wants me to do. Normally it’s that I give someone a kick up the butt or it’s that they are excusing themselves for not having done something but want to look like they are trying.

Mysticbottom · 30/01/2019 07:21

Can so relate. I've had a weird experience in my current job where people randomly copy in my boss 2 levels above me to an email chain, but go through the email thread and delete and tidy up THEIR emails in the chain before they do it. On both occasions it totally changed the tone and nature of the email thread. It's embarrassing and strange. And totally unrelated to anything my big boss needed to know Hmm

Mysticbottom · 30/01/2019 07:21

In both cases I am a a fair bit senior to the two people who did this as well, although different departments

Consolidatedyourloins · 30/01/2019 07:26

@Mysticbottom

That's simply unacceptable and requires disciplinary measures Shock

I think you need to speak to this person's manager, and send them the 'before' and 'after' email.

planespotting · 30/01/2019 07:34

We used to do it a lot in my team, because we work different days and share projects and that. So we would copy the manager in charge of the project.
But then some people would copy senior managers who NEVER would bother with us. Obvious power move to get them to know they were doing stuff. I might add in this case were always young males that somehow moved up quicker than any of us
Oh well

SaturdayNext · 30/01/2019 07:47

I learnt from a previous manager to always add a read receipt to some people so I knew the email had arrived and been seen! Now outlook allows them to not send a read receipt which is a pain

No, it's not a pain, but demanding read receipts is. I always refuse to send one because it feels dreadfully controlling and Big Brotherish, and I'm afraid people who demand them instantly move down my mental priority list.

EvaHarknessRose · 30/01/2019 07:55

Its so others are aware when she is not in the office, she might have been asked to do it.

ResistanceIsNecessary · 30/01/2019 07:58

I will skim things I am cc'd on - and only ever reply if there is something that needs to be nipped in the bud. One colleague has a bad habit of running off and getting it wrong, and by cc'ing she thinks that it covers her in the event that it comes back on her. Fortunately it seems to be working as she's getting better at not including every man, woman and child in the emails she sends.

The rest of the time I delete them. If there is something that you need from me, then ask me directly. I have my own work to do - and that does not involve me ploughing through your email to try and figure out if you've buried a task for me in there.

ResistanceIsNecessary · 30/01/2019 08:00

No, it's not a pain, but demanding read receipts is. I always refuse to send one because it feels dreadfully controlling and Big Brotherish, and I'm afraid people who demand them instantly move down my mental priority list

Completely agree - I always decline to send them, regardless of who the email is from. Please don't try to micro-manage me from a distance; it's rude and counter-productive.

Original poster
elemenopeee · 30/01/2019 08:12

@cauliflowersqueeze "I don’t mind it nearly as much as people forwarding my emails when I don’t want them to. 😡"

This is why I hate it! I feel really exposed!

OP posts:
BuilderEtiquette · 30/01/2019 08:13

I agree OP, It’s annoying and makes me like/trust the person less.

I have to confess I do it but only with one person in my company. He heads up a suppprt department but never replies to my requests let alone does them unless his manager (also my manager) is cc’d. When the manager is cc’d I’ll get an almost instant, overwhelmingly helpful response. It still makes me feel like a dick though.

Original poster
elemenopeee · 30/01/2019 08:15

Don't get me started on read receipts Grin

OP posts:
BrightStarrySky · 30/01/2019 08:18

It can be part of the company’s culture or procedures and is not necessarily intended to be passive aggressive. My company is notorious for this. As a result I make sure that anything awkward of possibly political, etc, is handled in person or over the phone. I always write my emails assuming others may read them, so there is no potential for embarrassment if they are forwarded or copied to others.

EmeraldShamrock · 30/01/2019 08:22

It is annoying, so much so our management all wants relevant information cc'd.
Our admin queries are not relevant.
It is just one colleague and if she gets a customer complaint she cc'd the entire company.

Gwenhwyfar · 30/01/2019 08:25

"I have read receipts, especially when a person who does it for all their emails!

I always refuse to send"

That's nice of you. A unit where I work receives very important and urgent info, but has a policy of never replying. If they don't send read receipts either, that means I have to phone them until I get confirmation they've read my email. Their refusal to answer creates more problems for them in the end.

Agree with those saying Susan might have been told she has to cc bosses into everything. I've had bosses like that in the past. I don't have to do it where I work now, but still copy my boss into a lot of things because she needs to be informed (a lot of people will go to her for info rather than me).

Doidontimmm · 30/01/2019 08:27

Oops I did that yesterday, however my Director had asked me to.... the recepient made it aware she was really peed off.... unknown to her it was not my decision!!

Silkie2 · 30/01/2019 08:31

You could start the email

Dear Sue,
You may not get this for a few days due to your restricted hours, but I would love a response by next wed if you can possibly manage it....

RangeRider · 30/01/2019 08:36

Also the copying in my boss and your boss (plus everyone you've ever met, my mum, the office cat) when you want me to do something. I'm going to do it and dont need 400 people plus the cat all pecking at my head demanding to know if I have finished yet.
I don’t mind it nearly as much as people forwarding my emails when I don’t want them to
Both of these! ^^
If you're asking me straightforward qs that you expect me to have the answers to don't cc everyone else. If I don't know the answer I'll email them myself, and if I don't respond to your emails then you can contact them. But if you include them all from the start I'll leave them off my reply and I'll take my own sweet time getting back to you with an answer that I knew without even engaging my brain.

Notmyideamovingon · 30/01/2019 08:47

Doesn't really happen where I work as it pisses the bosses off. As a public authority every single e mail is foi able so they are always very very polite. We do have case management software where every interaction is recorded though which is handy for arse covering (which I reckon is 90% of cc e mails).

Satsumaeater · 30/01/2019 08:53

What I used to do when people did this to me was actually mention the cc'd people in the email eg

Hi Susan, I notice you've been cc'd in on this email so copying you in on my reply too.

Probably annoyed them a lot, but if you don't want me to mention it, don't do it.

Interestingly in my last job I had someone specifically asking me to reply to all on something and cc'd in all sorts of people. I suppose that was because she wasn't going to be around.

Satsumaeater · 30/01/2019 08:55

I should say I didn't do the cc thing all the time, only when I could see they were trying to make a point by cc'ing someone in.

I never actually had someone reply and say they'd asked the person to cc them in because they were their manager etc.

BrightYellowDaffodil · 30/01/2019 09:08

No, it's not a pain, but demanding read receipts is. I always refuse to send one because it feels dreadfully controlling and Big Brotherish, and I'm afraid people who demand them instantly move down my mental priority list.

This, in spades. Anyone read receipt requests get deleted and the request ignored. It smacks of “I want to know that you’ve got it so I can chase you up and demand you treat my email with a higher priority.”

If it’s SO important that you absolutely NEED to know that the recipient received it, send it by recorded post.

TopicalUseOnly · 30/01/2019 09:17

I agree with insomnibrat .

The people Susan keeps cc'ing in have long since given up reading all the crap she copies to them. Susan is famous for wasting everybody's time.

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