Teams messages: Hi

[Ultravox]

AIBU to hate it when a colleague starts off a conversation like this?

Colleague: Hi

Me: Hi

Colleague: How are you?

Me: I’m fine thanks - how are you?

Colleague: I’m fine. Can you send me that sales spreadsheet please?

I mean I guess I don’t have to ask them how they are, but it feels rude not to after they have asked how I am! But really, are either of us going to type about how we really are on a teams chat? And without any context of what they actually want I can’t really say how busy I am. Honestly it would save so much time if they just wrote

Hi Ultravox. Could you send me that sales spreadsheet please?

YABU: you are a killjoy - they are just being nice and you should smalltalk for a bit and ask them how they are too

YANBU: it’s a waste of time and typing - just cut to the chase!

I sometimes say "Hi" on a chat message to see if they are there and free to chat.

If not, I will likely send them an email instead

That's a win as far as I'm concerned. It can't be that important if they won't tell you what they want.

Yanbu, in my experience people tend to message the 'hi' when they want to check you are free before they hit you with the long tedious thing they want from you. I tend ignore the 'hi' until they actually state what they want or i just respond with 'hi, how can I help?' To encourage them to get to the point.

Wholeheartedly agree with this!

This made me laugh as a few of my colleagues does this. When I see the Hi message pop up, it just reply No 😊 it is a running joke now.

Please don't!

"Hi Disappearing. Are you free to chat about the Bates project? If not, when would be a good time?" would be so much more efficient.

In my old team ‘hi’ meant are you free to chat?
If I responded ‘hi’ back it meant yes, I don’t see the issue with it really….

Just respond ‘how can I help’

I have to admit I'm occasionally guilty of this when I forget I'm typing a Teams message and not an email and hit 'return' after the opening greeting 😆

In my books in business there is no how are you,no hope you are well. Anything other than Hi, can you please send me such & such with further explanation as to why it's required & of course a thank you is not necessary. All the pleasantries can be saved for social time & not when I'm busy concentrating on my work.

This would drive me insane.

However, I’d just cut it off by saying ‘hi, how can I help?’

Rather than waffling about and doing it in return.

Also this! I’m quite new to teams and I’ve done this a couple of times!

They annoy me intensely and I ignore them until the rest of the message finds its way to me,

Oh, I can go one better. One of my exes would just type 'k'. Used to drive me up the wall. He was a moody miserable bastard who despite being a grown arse man acted like a twatty teenager most of the time. Wasted five months on him, got dumped a few times (why I took him back after the first time I do not know! 🤦🏻‍♀️) and then he dumped me permanently which made me very happy. 😁 His mum didn't like me because I was still married to my ex husband (although separated for years) and still had my married surname, which would have been the case whether we'd been divorced or not.

Love all your ways of dealing with this. Especially the “NO” 😂

I think in future I’ll just ignore the Hi until the actual meat of what they want is written.

I do not reply to a message of Hi. When they cut to the chase I then respond.

I was on a meeting yesterday where one person had a message pinned on their Teams that they're working to a "no hello" policy - as in, just tell me what you want.

Seemed a bit like overkill, just do it. I just say Hi <name> hope you're ok - have you got/can you tell me etc.

sometimes I can make myself free to respond to something quick/ urgent, but not something lower priority. If you start with “Hi, are you free to discuss x” I can take into account what’s needed. If I have to reply “hi”, then wait to find out what it is, it means my mind gets taken away from what I’m in the middle of, so it’s much more distracting

I would hate that.
And as I am not British, I would, after a while of them doing that, tell them to say it all in one message.

I have colleagues who do this and I hate it. Although I have never been pulled on anything and I maintain great quality, the "hi" message always feels like it is going to follow bad news 😅

Anyone on my team here, please start with a full sentence!

I've sent this link to people in the past 😆

Oh god, I think I might have had to stab him with a toasting fork!

Oh I hate it with a passion!!! I ignore the message until they follow it up with their request/query. I wish they'd just get to the point

I do hope people are okay as an opener. Just for politeness.

The alternative is asking if they're well/okay.

And then they might actually answer.

That rarely ends well.

No, not as an opener. It’s meaningless and comes over so stupidly. Nobody needs to ask or make statements about health.