To not like "I hope this email finds you well" (or similar) as a professional greeting?

[WindsurfingDreams]

It just sets my teeth on edge. I know the person sending it probably means well, and I am not entirely sure why it annoys me to be honest so I may well be being unreasonable.

I suspect it's partly because I am chronically ill so can't remember the last time I was "well".

But partly it just feels so unnecessary and not particularly professional (particularly when sent outside the organisation).

Anyway, I am partly hoping this thread will give me another perspective so I feel less irritated when I see it

Ps yes I know it is totally trivial etc etc. I don't spend hours dwelling on it!

I personally don't take it to literally refer to health, more so to general wellbeing and the person being ok, things going smoothly, kind of thing. Having said that I really don't have a strong response to it either way.

I agree it drives me mad!! I'm copied to all emails my team sends to clients and it's a stream of 'hope you are well' to the same person multiple times a day. If I feel like saying something I'll say something personal like 'hope you enjoyed your trip to x place' or 'hope x's football match went well' but otherwise I launch in.

It's a very old fashioned and somehat nonsensical greeting really. Email's don't find anyone - they just arrive at the specified email address. Or are delivered to it. I don't think it's a very professional greeting and so would never use it in a work context. But, its also not informal, so wouldn't use it outside work either. Perhaps if I was contacting a distant, elderly, relative it'd be appropriate?

I hate the phrase 'it just sets my teeth on edge." Boils my piss!

YABU to take it so literally.

It's a modest, gentle, humane opener hoping the other person, at this moment in time, is finding life okay. Do you expect people to be blunt? Go straight into business? Maybe chat about the weather to be on safe ground? But what if the recipient is the victim of bad weather? What a linguistic minefield!

Perhaps rather than judging others for simple pleasantries maybe focus on why it triggers you so much. It's always easier to throw our anxieties out at other people rather than look inwards at, and process, our own triggers.

As they say, offence is taken not given.

One of the guys at our ho writes

"I hope this email finds you well as always"

Annoys me especially as this last week I have really NOT been well.

I use it, mostly because I just don’t have the social skills to come up with something more original. As a dyslexic I’m always conscious of making what I’ve written as clear as possible and limiting confusion. Someone should produce a checklist of things you should and shouldn’t say in an email I’d buy it. 😂

Send them this ☺️

www.instagram.com/reel/C94oJmwuaz6/?igsh=Z29ibTQ1YmFuYTJt

its just an opener as it sounds less like an order to ' do this that I am writing to you about NOW'

I often have to work with people where contact is by phone/email/teams for several months before face to face. I will be chatty with them on phone rather than just straight “work talk” and carry this on into emails. These are people I need engagement and a certain amount of rapport with as we may be collaborating for several months. So, I treat it as I did pre-covid when more was face to face. I think it’s just part of the social niceties, and I actually am interested in their response! People do tell me things good and bad about themselves and their lives over time so I do feel I have a relationship with them prior to actually meeting. For instance, as often at opposite ends of the country there will be a what’s the weather where you are bit, maybe plans for some activity, two minutes then move into the nitty gritty of work. Lots of people WFH are very isolated and this is the replacement for actual collegial in-person communication.
I’m not suggesting you blurt out all your health woes - that’s not for everyone but perhaps see it as general small talk.

I don't favour it either. Seems very twee and disingenuous.

Me too mostly, but I do notice and would rather just have 'Dear SeeSee' (in-organisation colleagues and regular outside contacts) or 'Dear Ms Rider' (everyone else).

Or kind regards ,when you know they are being anything but kind.

But you can't thank them for their email if you are sending the opening email. I would not use ' I hope you are well' in a reply email.

And starting off ' further to my email off' just sounds like ' You ignored my last email you incompetent! Bloody get on with what I need now.' Its just a bit abrupt.

Saying, I hope you are well, is not really a statement of hope that the person is well. Its really signalling, ' All's good between us. I'm not pissed at you and this email is not an order to do something, as I think I am entitled to order you about, even if I am not your Senior.'

Email communications are so easy to misinterpret, so ' hope you are well', just says, ' all's good between us, I hope you feel so too'. That is what it communicates.

My bug bear is emails addressed by name only without Dear or Hi, eg

"John

Where are the invoices?"

It just feels curt and rude to me.

It bothers me when people just jump right in, where are the basic manners?! I actually find it rude (maybe I am also unreasonable)?!

Agreed, I just start all emails with ‘ skibidy bruh, here’s what I need’

O love this. I so wish I worked in a place where we could do this! Unlike OP, I think the social niceties are important, as humans just work like that. They just do.

But I actually wish that in reality, we could just say what this dude above suggests. 😀

Haha I actually do a little lesson to my form group at the beginning of year 12 "how to write a polite email". I told them never put kind regards if you're asking for something, it's so cheeky. Always put Many Thanks instead. Also never ever start with "Hi", no addressee. I told them you can check the spelling of the teacher's name in the email address.

Hi,
I need my grade for the last Maths test.
Kind Regards,
A Cheeky Student.

Vs...

Dear Ms Longsuffering-Teacher,
Please can I have my grade from the last Maths test?
Many thanks
A Less-Cheeky Student

My students tell me they genuinely appreciate it, they never knew why they kept getting grumpy replies from teachers. How could they know if they aren't told!

But yeah I don't tell them to put meaningless filler like "I hope you're well". Just get to the point and then say thank you.

I work closely with a team in another country for three or four months of the year, but have very little contact with them outside that time of the year. I do use it when I get back in touch with them after a long period, as I feel like I wouldn't know if something particularly significant had happened for them in the meantime. So it would feel very weird to me to jump straight in. But I don't use it for any of the people I see or interact with very regularly.

As others have said, I don't mean well as in health, I mean essentially "I hope nothing bad is going on with you right now".

It's overly formal in my opinion. Reminds me of my Auntie who writes 'many happy returns of the day' in birthday cards.

Even in a professional setting I don't see the need to be so stiff with your writing style as long as it's polite.

I’ve just sent an email to my boss starting with this, interested to see how quickly she replies with what I need 😁

I’m disabled and chronically ill, but I have good days and bad…. As do we all? Or (for me) bad days and better days, maybe? What I’m trying to say, OP, is that I get it, but… take it as ‘I hope this email finds you having a better (even if that’s not very good) day’. After all, I’m sure you don’t give each correspondent your medical history?

What would you say if it was the first email you were sending? So not replying to a previous one or no previous email to mention. Genuinely interested. I am never sure whether to launch straight in, or if that sounds a bit abrupt.

@WindsurfingDreams I’m with you on this one. It is like you are not allowed to not be well. If I need a soft opener I would ask how someone is, not force wellness onto them.

^^this