To hate it when people CC managers into emails for no reason?

[CCMeNot]

I find it so passive-aggressive when someone copies a manager into an email thread when it’s completely unnecessary. If we’re having a straightforward discussion or resolving a minor issue, why escalate it by looping in management?

It feels like a power play - a way of signalling something without saying it outright or trying to cover themselves unnecessarily. To me, it undermines trust and open communication.

AIBU to think this kind of behaviour is petty and unprofessional or is it just standard office politics I need to get over?

Not necessarily. I started copying in managers after 1 particular individual denied all knowledge of issues that i repeatedly discussed with her, deleting emails sent just to her, denying receipt of them and having no strong IT department to find the emails from deleted basket etc to back me up. Always her word against mine. It was infuriating and as a consequence, every email from then on was copied to the managers. FAFO

eta...I worked in a small dept that involved audit and compliance, so my files HAD to be squeaky clean to evidence and highlight issues/people that weren't following regulations. So attention to detail was upmost

We're required to cc the boss on most communications. Then he complains about how many emails he gets.

Then again, we're not even allowed to send external emails. We have to forward them to the boss/manager & they forward them on.

The manager likes to cc the boss when they've picked up an error - she's gotten as far as she has by throwing everyone else under the bus.

But, yes, I hate it.

I can be a power move but it can also be a quick way of keeping someone's manager in the loop on what someone in their team is being asked to do.

It's very context dependent.

Exactly.

I’ve got a terrible manager so always cc her manager on anything important. Not prepared to take the flak for her incompetence.

I do that lol. But its when im discussing or organising things that are above my authority. Like if it will require payments, or further work from others..I can't authorise taking chunks out of the company budget or unilaterally decide what my boss will do for them, or make commitments without their knowledge.

I am new in a managerial position so as my confidence and responsibilities grow and I am authorised with budgets that will lessen. But its in no way a slight or dig at the other person, its just how the different departments do different things. I would cc in the finance manager if Its about invoices type thing so they know ones coming to pay.

It depends surely?

Last but one manager = trusted us implicitly and left us to get on, copied into very little, stuff where she could influence for the better or would be interested.

Previous manager - incompetent and would get involved and fuck up if copied into stuff so copied into nothing.

Current manager - young, ultra keen, micro manager and inexperienced so copied into every single email to give her something to read and keep her busy.

There’s a strategy to these things.

This. It's a known issue at my place that the manager of X dept never responds or acts on emails unless you copy in the boss.

Exactly. And the people who have a problem with it usually have something to hide.

I work in a place where everyone seems to be copied into everyone all the time. Even the thank you’s and the ‘your welcomes’ following the thank yous. Absolutely sick of these time wasting copied to everyone emails clogging my inbox

But yes, every slight issue with anything gets copied to managers.

As a manager that would drive me nuts! I get too many emails as it is!

As a rule I don’t cc my manager but if I’m annoyed i’ll let her know she’s being cc’d to get someone to do something. Then she knows she doesn’t have to read it.

It would drive me insane too but its the culture in my place

This is nonsense. All managers have access to their staff email accounts. They don't need to be copied into anything. If a staff member is on a PIP then their line manager will be aware and can check their email account whenever they wish.

There is absolutely zero need for someone to CC a manager unless they are playing house and trying to undermine their colleague.

There is always a reason. And it is usually perceived incompetence.

Not sure you can make that claim for all work places. It’s only a very recent thing in mine that I can see the emails staff on the lower grade, not the grade up from them who I still manage and my own manager cannot see my emails unless I cc him.

2 or 3 of my team do this. They’re anxious types that don’t like to take ownership of anything if they can help it.

I’ve sent up an outlook rule whereby mail I’m cc’d into goes straight into a separate folder. I look at this folder once a week or so before deleting it.

This!!!

I don't have access to my reports emails and my manager doesn't have access to mine - I guess in a disciplinary/pip scenario access could be granted but I imagine it would need a lot of jumping through hoops.

There are at least seven or eight benign reasons someone might do this. Assume it's one of those.
If it's clearly an escalation and you are in the right, now you know who to copy in when you send your proof that they are wrong / mention that the deadline hasn't passed yet, or whatever.

I used to do this at an old office because there were a lot of dickheads who never did any work and often left me in the shit because they hadn’t done something they were supposed to. If you know you’re not a dickhead that never does any work then just do a reply to all confirming you’ve done the thing.

I very much dislike people who copy in about 16 people who have nothing to do with the matter in the email, random department heads, head of organisation, they’d probably copy in my mum if they could. And it’s never because I actually did something wrong, it’s because they either didn’t get the answer they wanted or not within the 15 minutes or so they were prepared to wait.
Stop doing that!!

I cc a senior staff manager in certain messages and it is purely because without that cc, I will not get any cooperation.

The lack of cooperation is petty and control issues including taking away a lot different access from my team so we need to ask permission and always get told no so it needs a senior staff member to get a sliver of cooperation.

This thread is eye opening. It’s very standard practice in my org, and in fact there might be 5+ managers on the CC sometimes! It’s not viewed as micromanaging or a passive aggressive move, just a way to keep people in the loop in a fast paced environment.

I always assume it is because people who do this don't have the authority to make any decisions themselves without supervision.