AIBU to think the CC button is unnecessary at work

[justhereforthecraic]

I have currently started in a senior role at my work which i am really excited about. I will be working alongside 3 other seniors.
My issue is that every time I email 2 of them with a GENUINE query that can most likely be sorted at our level, they both CC their manager in.

For context, we all have different managers as we are all in different localities. Anyway, in a meeting last week with my line manager, he said that he basically detests being CCd into emails unless there is an urgent need. He would prefer for us to work together as the Senior group to get a solution and if we cant, it can be escalated upwards for further input. He also said if it was an urgent need, he would prefer a phonecall. I totally agree with this.

This is a mere rant really.... She didnt even give any of us a chance to come up with a plan or try and work togethr ?!?!

i also think its sheer laziness.... and a "LOOK AT ME " kind of tactic....[sceptical]

Anyway.... Rant over!

Can we delete the CC button?! or maybe just delete certain staff!

My manager likes to be CC'd in on everything so he can see what's going on.

Pointless as it just means his inbox is so full that he never replies to the emails you actually send him.

It useful. However lots of people misuse it, which is when it becomes an issue.

Mind you, I work with people who donr seem to understand what the cc box is for at all. I get emails that I am cc'd into, that are for me. And the names in the 'to' box are the ones that just need it for information.

Sometimes it is necessary.

Lots of people have no idea how to use it though and copy in the world and his wife. It sounds like you have this problem.

It's useful as everything not directly for me can go into a separate folder, so I only skim read when I have time at the end of the week. I generally stop anyone who is too enthusiastic with using it; sometimes it's nerves or passive aggressive crap, either of which need better methods to fix the root issue. OTOH I've worked with useless fools who don't have enough work to do and like to be CC'd on everything; generally I'll comply, but I trained one out of it because he'd interfere unhelpful. In your shoes OP, I'd give it time; if the other managers get in the way unhelpfully then start a campaign against excessive email; if they're just CC'd silently then exercise your eyes but otherwise ignore.

In my last job the cc button was known as the cya button. 'Covering your arse'.

I use cc a lot for when people in the wider team need to know what's going on, but I don't need a reply/any action from them. Often yes, it will be my boss I'm keeping appraised, but I don't think my colleagues see it as a slight against them, just sensible communication.

As a manager I like it too. I don't micro manage, I'm happy to leave the team to get on with things, but for that very reason, it helps if they cc me so when people ask me about things the team are working on I have some idea of what's happening!

If your boss doesn't want them he needs to tell them, it's very unprofessional to be moaning to you about it.

Reply all is something else altogether and really should be banned

I often cc managers in to emails as I know the person won't reply otherwise

It has the desired effect

Reply all should definitely be banned. I feel like screaming every time someone replies all to say ‘thanks’ to some inane email. Just respond direct, I do not need to know you have manners and know how to say thanks!

Or the reply all to say, ‘why am I included in this email trail’! The rest of us don’t bloody know why we are either but it becomes like a sodding chain letter unless we all ignore it🤷‍♀️

What's to say that their Line Manager hasn't requested to be CCd into every email?

I had one like that fucking micromanager who was so convinced I did bugger all every day, I was supposed to list everything I did. And when that took up too much time, demanded to be CCd in. After I overloaded their inbox with every single email for three days, the entire micromanagement exercise ceased, never to be repeated.

It can also be handy when somebody does it thinking that they're going to get you into trouble. Especially when they're copying their manager into clear evidence of their unprofessional communications and threats...

It has uses. If I cc my bosses in, it's usually because it's something I either need them to see has been sent on their behalf or I need the recipient to know they're on the bosses radar.

I once used it to trap my countersigning officer. He is unpopular anyway for being a nosy micromanager and LOVES to do it performatively. So when he sent me a pointless, patronising "check in" email about training I had completed & sent 2 months previously, attempting to barge in & "manage" me through it with a ton of important but nothing to do with me people (who couldn't give a toss) cc'd in. Luckily I was able to check the date I'd originally sent the work, and did the "as per my email x/y/z" and my finger must've slipped as I hit reply all & somehow cc'd our over-boss in. Never had a peep out of him again, he always messaged me via my direct line manager after that.

I get CC'd into billions of emails and never read them unless something kicks off and I need to back track through the trail. I've got a rule that shunts them all immediately into a folder and out of my inbox.

I have another rule that highlights ones I've been BCCd into as they're usually more interesting, people tend to BCC when they think the shit is about to hit the fan or hope they can cause it to.

I have rules that filter out the emails from the people I know send only crap that doesn't need to be read or replied to and rules that send auto email replies based on key words (thank you power automate in O365), and rules that forward emails from certain people about repeat topics to the correct email address because despite being told 83,000,000 t8me s5hey just won't learn to send it to the right person.

I have another rule that highlights ones I've been BCCd into as they're usually more interesting, people tend to BCC when they think the shit is about to hit the fan or hope they can cause it to.
Ha! I love a BCC, always a good sign that scrolling is needed.

I’ve never understood the CC function anyway. Just put them in the “send to” box because they will receive the email anyway 🤷‍♀️ CC is pointless imo

god would hate to work with you, you have completely misunderstood what cc is for. People in the "to" usually have something to action or must know. People in the "cc" just need to know it's going on.

If I'm asking someone for something for the 3rd time, especially if it impacts my ability to do my job, you had better believe our boss(es) will be on the cc line

God I'm with you OP!

I have a rule to move emails I'm cc'd into to a different folder and I only look at them if I get a chance and I don't read them all.

In our business it's really not done to cc in someone's line manager, it reflects badly on the cc-ist and correlates strongly to a them-and-us attitude to "staff" and "management".

Fair play to those who work for organisations where leadership style is less developed though.

Get involved! Use the Bcc🤣

I get this, there’s someone I work with, doesn’t reply to lots of emails sent to them. They always email others cc’ing their boss in so when others don’t immediately reply the boss is on to them asking when the task is going to be completed 🙄

CC is needed sometimes. But my work have also sent out emails about “e-mail pollution” ie don’t be copying people into shit they don’t need and clogging up their inbox. YANBU OP.

My manager cc’s me in when he’s sending snotty emails to people higher than him.. because he knows how much I enjoy reading them

It's useful but often abused so I can see what you mean.
But like a PP, I'd like to ban "reply to all".
In my last job there were frequently general emails sent to everyone in my grade (and there were lots of us) that then turned into arguments between smaller groups using "reply to all" to either try to make themselves look important or as an attempt to draw others into the row. Used to drive me mad. If you had to add everyone manually I bet people wouldn't bother.

@Timeforausernamechange22

It’s a shame emails you are cc into aren’t then sent to a separate folder so you can review them like once a day or so, instead of clogging up your inbox.

Extremely easy to set a rule to do that in Outlook.

Would take you no more than 5 mins to setup, even if you're a novice!

It does sound like your colleagues are abusing the cc function. The button does have legitimate uses though. I tend to use it to include other members of a sub-team when I'm working on a task collaboratively with them and emailing on behalf of us all, for example.

Its for when you need someone to be informed but not feel they need to reply. Its not rocket science.

100% required to LM for covering your back, where I Work.

we have a Reply To All "swear" box in my team. At the end of the year it is donated to charity - but slim pickings since we started that so we all just bung in a fiver anyway.

@howardmoonseyebrow

Get involved! Use the Bcc🤣

I get this, there’s someone I work with, doesn’t reply to lots of emails sent to them. They always email others cc’ing their boss in so when others don’t immediately reply the boss is on to them asking when the task is going to be completed 🙄

Bcc is banned where I used to work to the extent that it's a disciplinary matter. It's not right to have people in an email chain that others don't know are there.