People saying 'you're welcome' in emails

[dipdye]

Who has time for this?!

Sent an email to say thank you, which IMO closes the conversation. Person emails back 'you're welcome'.

It's just unnecessary

It's called being polite. Just because it's unnecessary doesn't make it a bad thing.

I have literally just done this. It took me about three seconds to type.

It may be unnecessary but it's a perfectly reasonable and polite reply. You'd expect it if it was face to face, it doesn't take a second to write down so why not! Why does it bother you?

You sound like hard work

Is it because you wanted the last word

“Who has time for this?” I imagine you posting this on here is taking up more time.

Bloody polite people eh? How dare they! Not sending a 'You're welcome' is ok in an email context, but actually objecting to people doing it, because you're soooo busy that you begrudge the 3 seconds it takes to type or read it...?!

It's basic courtesy, particularly in professional circumstances.

Not really worth getting annoyed about. I find lots of people don't do it as much as they used to, but it doesn't bother me if they do. Let them have the last word if they want to and leave it at that.

Typing it once - no time at all.
Typing it to everyone every time - adds up to a complete waste of time and being massively unproductive.

Also, the other person then has to take the time to open and read it and establish it's a pointless email they didn't need when they probably have lots of other stuff to do. YANBU OP, email etiquette is different to in-person and time wasting is rude.

Who has time for this?!

You posted way more than two words on MN about it. And presumably you'll be checking in.

The unnecessary thank you ones annoy me

@Wandda

“Who has time for this?” I imagine you posting this on here is taking up more time.

Christ - what a thread. Slamming someone for having the temerity to be polite.

I take it you enjoy creating problems where none exist.

@Anonymous48

It's called being polite. Just because it's unnecessary doesn't make it a bad thing.

It absolutely does make it a bad thing. If you are senior (and obviously very busy) it's a nightmare for your inbox to be filled with pointless emails like this.

When I was working up the ranks I made an effort to never send an email to a boss unless it had important information in it. I even stopped with the pointless greetings and 'hope you are well' bullshit. I was told a few times that it was appreciated. Now as a boss I just don't want to see it. I don't care!

Did your email just say "thank you"? Because that riles me up.

Although it irritates me when people say "you're welcome" in conversation.

@girlmom21

Did your email just say "thank you"? Because that riles me up.

Although it irritates me when people say "you're welcome" in conversation.

Even when they say it after being thanked?

I’m with you OP. I get hundreds of emails a day sometimes and this would wind me up! Tbh even some “thank you” emails are unnecessary, like where I have been cc’d into an email by someone thanking someone else. So unnecessary - like people are worried that if everyone on the chain doesn’t see their “thank you”, they’ll be judged. Or they just are serial “reply all” people and don’t think about it (and they’ll be first up against the wall when I come to power 😜).

Not just a small irritation either. Apparently if every British person sent one fewer thank you email a day, it would save 16,433 tonnes of carbon a year, equivalent to tens of thousands of flights to Europe. I can’t link to the bbc article for some reason, but it’s googlable!

Is it from a customer services email address. I find on twitter they seem to have to have the last word sometimes so I wonder if they are told they have to respond to a message for their metrics.

It doesn't annoy me as they're just trying to be polite, but it is a bit unnecessary and clogs up my email box.

I also read that 'If every British person sent one fewer thank you email a day, it would save 16,433 tonnes of carbon a year, equivalent to tens of thousands of flights to Europe.' Obviously that amount of carbon is a drop in the ocean compared to what we actually need to cut but still!

Yeah @DrSbaitso - i think it's just unnecessary most of the time.

Sometimes I get it, or 'no problem' or whatever but if someone's stepped aside to let you pass of the pavement and you say thanks they don't then need to respond again.

I do this sometimes, I always thought it was just being polite and did not require any response.

@girlmom21

Yeah *@DrSbaitso* - i think it's just unnecessary most of the time.

Sometimes I get it, or 'no problem' or whatever but if someone's stepped aside to let you pass of the pavement and you say thanks they don't then need to respond again.

Oh well, thank you for clearing that up for us.

@thisplaceisweird

"It absolutely does make it a bad thing. If you are senior (and obviously very busy) it's a nightmare for your inbox to be filled with pointless emails like this."

Oh, please. I'm not buying that for a second.

In our new hire training we specifically say not to do this - the number of mails we get is nuts, and all this noise just builds up. Add in the cc's as above, no, too much. It's not the real world, of course you say 'you're welcome' in real life, but in work email world - if you are not adding to the conversation then don't send it.