That sentence at the start of an email!

[Notradespeopleareavailable]

Whenever I receive an email in work or professional capacity, I always know from the first sentence that something is expected of me (eg either to do an unscheduled piece of work, or something has happened that is going to result in a bill / or friend wants a favour doing). The sentence is -

Hi Notrades, I hope you're well?

Personally I wish everyone would ditch this faux concern opener and just get straight to the point in their emails / texts. I avoid the 'are you well' question and maybe some people think I'm quite rude (or abrupt).

Which approach would you prefer?

I only put 'hope you are well' type statements in emails to people I have rarely or never emailed before. I find they tend to do the same. As a manager most if my emails are information giving or an instruction which is to be acted upon fairly immediately. I don't bother with the niceties for those (unless I am apologising because the request is quite 'heavy') but I also use 'please'. I never put a question mark even if I phrase it as a question (Could you please...) in case they think they have a choice!

Agree. I never do a 'hope you're well' on a work email as it's phony and I hate that. Just Hi X, I am doing XYZ, please can you help me by doing ZXY, thanks, the end.

But I noticed all the young 20-somethings fresh out of uni do it at work. All of them.

I use I hope this finds you well and will reference annual leave if they have had an out of office on. I only do this to people I know and don't see often.

I have also been bollocked for sending terse email responses to someone senior. I'm still not entirely clear if the feedback came from them directly (I"ve known them for 20years and they re very no-nonsense) or from the manager in the middle who tends to be a bit overawed by senior people.

E.g to colleague I bump into periodically
Dear X
Not seen you for ages. I hope you are well and that you enjoyed your holiday (I saw your out of office). Could you possibly send me X.
Thanks,
Mavis.

to colleague i see at least two times a week
Dear X
could you please send me X.
Thanks
Mavis

I work in the NHS the standard email sign off is almost always Best Wishes. My sister & brother (not NHS) think this is cringey and advocate for Kind Regards.

@MauveMavis

I use I hope this finds you well and will reference annual leave if they have had an out of office on. I only do this to people I know and don't see often.

I have also been bollocked for sending terse email responses to someone senior. I'm still not entirely clear if the feedback came from them directly (I"ve known them for 20years and they re very no-nonsense) or from the manager in the middle who tends to be a bit overawed by senior people.

E.g to colleague I bump into periodically
Dear X
Not seen you for ages. I hope you are well and that you enjoyed your holiday (I saw your out of office). Could you possibly send me X.
Thanks,
Mavis.

to colleague i see at least two times a week
Dear X
could you please send me X.
Thanks
Mavis

I work in the NHS the standard email sign off is almost always Best Wishes. My sister & brother (not NHS) think this is cringey and advocate for Kind Regards.

Ooh definitely kind regards (or regards if I'm pissed off with them). Best wishes sounds a bit like a birthday card from an old auntie.

It's funny how organisation cultures and 'rules' on this type of thing are so different.

Aren't most emails sent because they want something?

I personally find 'I hope you are well?' really trite. No you don't want to know what kind of day I am having. You said I hope you are well last time, and you didn't say it this time, what does that mean? If you actually cared how I am, pick up the phone, because I work at home and live alone and you know that is bloody hard sometimes.

I prefer putting the niceties at the end. However we have this 'well-being' culture at work so I have started putting hope your day is going well etc. on my emails. I'm stopping as soon as I leave though! 😂

I remember once reading that niceties at the end of an email feel more genuine. I now tend to go straight into what I'm asking for, then add something more thoughtful at the end. I try and avoid "I hope you're well" and put something more specific to them or at least something that sounds more personal.

I do think it reads better now, something polite at the beginning feels like a perfunctory polite thing to do when you want something, whereas at the end I hope gives a sense of 'now I've got the work stuff out of the way, let's see how you are'

Who knows, maybe everyone who reads my emails thinks I'm horrible

I’m ok with a “Hope you’re well.”

I’m fine also with “Kind regards.”

I will wince a bit at a “Best” sign off though.

I hate 'kind regards'. It sounds really passive aggressive to me - even if that's now how it's meant. I can't believe they really do have kind regards for everyone.

I hated that bit in the pandemic where every email seemed to contain the line 'I hope you are staying safe in these crazy times' or similar.

@pembelimum

Absolutely agree on kisses though - not appropriate at work. And I don't ever want to see a smiley face emoji from somebody I don't know pretty well (ie. well enough to go to the pub with).

I agree with everyone you've said except the smiling face emoji - I think it can soften an otherwise sharp sounding message, if for example you made an error but in the grand scheme was easily fixable by someone in the know, an apology from you and a 'it's no bother, :)' from me sounds better to me

Stay safe makes me seeth.
I get straight to the point and always have. No one's ever complained. Well either that or everyone hates me

@Justforphoto

Same with unsolicited callers to the house, as soon as they say "how are you today" I know all they want is money. It's about engaging in a conversation to make it harder to say no. My default is to think no as soon as someone says it.

Or the no need to look worried....crap.

I agree with you OP but it can sound abrupt without it. I try to add something to it, ie ‘hope you are well and enjoying the good weather’ or something equally banal!!

I loathe ‘best’ as a sign-off too.

As long as it’s not “I hope you’re keeping well in these unprecedented times” (shudders) I don’t mind it.

I think it’s a nice way to say, “hey feel free to answer how you are if you can be arsed/need someone to talk to quick but also feel free to ignore as I don’t care that much”

@AndAllOurYesterdays

I hated that bit in the pandemic where every email seemed to contain the line 'I hope you are staying safe in these crazy times' or similar.

I just wrote similar without reading the full thread, glad I’m not the only one

Oh I shudder at 'I hope you are well' usually it comes from people I've never spoken to before. It's so unnecessary, unimaginative and insincere.

I use this a lot but sometimes feel it’s too overpersonal so change at time to “I hope all is well”. It does feel a bit fake but I feel like I need an opener. It is quite nice when people respond thanking me for my concern and telling me they’re well :)

I tend to use it more for people I haven’t contact in a while. If I’ve spoken to them earlier that day I don’t bother.

I don’t do the apology thing much apart to people I know and when I’ve asked for 10 things already in the last half hour!

I agree OP.

I always cringe if someone I don’t know asks after my health or uses the cliched term ‘stay safe.’ The same goes for emojis or emoticons and exclamation marks. I also can’t stand ‘speak soon.’ So presumptuous.

It’s all a bit ‘recruitment consultant’ / ‘estate agent’ in my opinion.

I like ‘Dear Ms Bullfinch’ Please find attached blah blah in relation to blah blah. ‘kind regards.’ John Smith. No bullshit, just straight forward and professional.

I prefer the Frank approach.

It requires less of my time. If someone puts niceties in an email I feel obliged to respond likewise, and that takes up time I often just don't have.

If I feel the need to be nice I'll phone the person and follow up with a Frank email.

I don't use greetings like "Kind Regards" in emails either.

I'm male in NZ and I find most women are similar and I think there isn't as much of the social conditioning here.

I do this even if I am not requesting something. I genuinely do hope colleagues are well, especially during the pandemic. I like getting "how are you" in an email. I keep my responses positive and it's a way of catching up.

I had my emails criticised in a previous job as being rather blunt so I try and keep them friendly.

Whoever said it's about organisational culture is spot on. Email etiquette varies a lot between companies and it's important to strike the right tone but also not get sucked into anything too annoying.

It is also cultural as @TomPinch points out (Tena Koe, TP). Apologising for even sending the email (sorry to bother you) is a bit of a British trait and probably more so for women but men do it too. I've had to train myself to write 'British' i.e. less direct. I still get told I'm a bit blunt when it's effectively an instruction not a request and there is a deadline involved.

Having said that the very English, Oxbridge educated boss who forwarded me an email with "Please deal" got a slightly frosty response the first time he did it.

I don't mind 'Hope you are well" especially if I've not heard from the person for a while. I do mind too much waffle or not enough background or context, depending on what the email is about or asking me to do.

Anyway, hope you are all well in this unprecedented times, sorry I know you must be terribly busy but if you could all reply in due course as soon as you can, I'd really appreciate it. Stay strong, take care and thanks for your help.
Kind regards
Gewutrz (smilyface emoji)xxx

Some countries I've work don't bother with any of it and it comes off harsh.
For example.

"can you have x done by Y?"

"done. It's in z folder."

I'll only do niceties if I genuinely like someone and haven't hard from them in a while. Like months and months. I tend to do it at the end of an email.

I do really despise the "thanks" e-mails. They waste my time.

I say it when I haven't spoken to someone for a while and I like the person. I like them and truly hope they're well