Unprofessional E-Mails

[JayKay]

This is a disturbing trend I, along with some of my co-workers, have noticed.

 

Naturally, we use email to communicate a lot. It's easy and faster than a phone call.

 

We work for a hospital; this is a professional environment.

 

Naturally, we are all pressed for time and understand that shortcuts (shorthand/brief statements/getting to the point) are important.

 

But it's STILL important to show respect, courtesy and a degree of professionalism....at least among our generation!

 

Here are some examples of emails we've received from either students, interns or new hires;

 

 

 

 

 

hi....just wanted to thank u 4 letting me shadow u yesterday. can you sign my paper? I forgot to ask u. i will leave in your mailbox can u have it back to me soon no salutation, no greeting, and what's with the 'u' thing? Ever hear of caps?

 

 

Dear X

 

i would like to sit in on your weight loss class it goes towards credits i need for my community rotation

can u let me know wehn classes are running sometime next week

please get back to me soon (no name, no closure, again...did we all forget punctuation? Try spell check too!

 

 

 

 

Dear X

 

I left the meal plan u had me work on in ur mailboz mailboz?

I hope it's OK i worked a long time on it!

can u let me know what time to come sit in on class next week thanks

 

 

 

 

 

when is the cholesterol screening next week i need to attend that thanks

 

No greeting, no signature....this is a STUDENT communicating with an INSTRUCTOR

 

 

I guess it's a generational gap and perhaps we are all a bit curmudeonly. But these casual, poorly spelled, poorly punctuated emails come across as very rude and unprofessional to us grizzled veterans

[bab]

I agree, that is very unprofessional. I just went back and read quite a few emails from my students, and I didn't even have one that was in a similar vein. I would think I would be likely to get them as there is only about a 5 year age difference between myself and my students, but I don't. I wonder why?

[BeFree]

This has been a topic in many of my conversations with family and fellow employees. I actually had to explain to one of my sales coordinators how inapropriate this is. I would actually perfer that she does not communicate with my customers for this very reason. When I tell her to use complete sentences when emailing customers, she is shocked. She thinks there is nothing wrong with the way she writes.

 

I have read many articles about generation "Y". They have spent so much time text messaging one another, that their written skills are horrible. I will have to start including this as part of my sales training classes. I am trying not to show complete disgust when I explain the importance of not writing as if you where in high school texting one of your friends.

 

Please if you are part of this generation, make it stop!

[travellingman]

But these casual, poorly spelled, poorly punctuated emails come across as very rude and unprofessional to us grizzled veterans

 

you need to get with the times, with text messaging and IM'ing business communication is getting less formal everyday

 

I rarely put a salutation in an internal company e-mail

 

also, what's "professional" exactly?

 

15 years ago, it would have been "unprofessional" to wear khakis and a golf shirt to work. Today, at my office, anyone with a suit is presumed to be an overbearing salesman or some clown banker from New York who has no clue about the technology companies he's investing in.

 

You can either get on the bus, or get run over by it. The world's changing, and behaving like a pissed off school teacher only makes you look like an old fart.

[travellingman]

I will have to start including this as part of my sales training classes.

 

Which you won't be teaching where I work!

 

We have the opposite problem - aging salesmen who don't get that you lose credibility when you overdress, and have no understanding of the customer's technology. When a sales person gets to the point that his clients are on his AIM buddy list, the dollars flow in, trust me.

 

Did you just come out of a time machine from 1979 or something?

[travellingman]

When I tell her to use complete sentences when emailing customers, she is shocked. She thinks there is nothing wrong with the way she writes.

 

She sounds like she'd do great in any company where the future is more important than the past, tell her to send me a resume.

[No Stress Lady]

you need to get with the times, with text messaging and IM'ing business communication is getting less formal everyday

 

I rarely put a salutation in an internal company e-mail

 

also, what's "professional" exactly?

 

15 years ago, it would have been "unprofessional" to wear khakis and a golf shirt to work. Today, at my office, anyone with a suit is presumed to be an overbearing salesman or some clown banker from New York who has no clue about the technology companies he's investing in.

 

You can either get on the bus, or get run over by it. The world's changing, and behaving like a pissed off school teacher only makes you look like an old fart.

 

 

Depends entirely on the industry you work in.

 

I work in finance and there is no way I would send a client or business contact an e-mail typed in "text-speak" - our clients and the third parties that we deal with expect all the correspondence they receive to be grammatically correct, not couched in some sort of hybrid text-speak!!!!!!!!!

 

I probably wouldn't put a salutation in an internal email - it's a small company so we're all pretty informal with each other. But anything transmitted to clients or third parties is always formally composed.

 

But I can see that things may be different in the technology arena - just depends what sort of industry you're in really.

[travellingman]

I work in finance

 

If you worked for an American hedge fund, you'd be on AIM more than I am. UK usually leads Europe, but lags the US, in technology adoption. I bet the person in your job 5-10 years from now will be AIMing or YMing clients with abbreviated text.

[No Stress Lady]

If you worked for an American hedge fund, you'd be on AIM more than I am. UK usually leads Europe, but lags the US, in technology adoption. I bet the person in your job 5-10 years from now will be AIMing or YMing clients with abbreviated text.

 

More than likely!!!

 

We deal with high net worth individuals and even the younger ones (late 20's early 30's) still seem to prefer face to face meetings, phone calls and formal letters rather than IM. We obviously use email extensively but still address clients with a salutation and don't use abbreviations like "u"!!!!!

 

I think it also depends what financial field you're in - we're dealing with an older client base at present but I can see that the communication channels and styles will change enormously in the coming years and as our client base gets younger.

[magda]

One should communicate on the level of the person one is talking to. If the client uses net-speak, no problem. But until that is established, it's best to spell out whole words, use complete sentences, and grammar.

[No Stress Lady]

One should communicate on the level of the person one is talking to. If the client uses net-speak, no problem. But until that is established, it's best to spell out whole words, use complete sentences, and grammar.

 

I agree Magda

[travellingman]

it's best to spell out whole words, use complete sentences, and grammar.

 

And if you're in the technology sector, even better to do all of the above in Hindi.

[No Stress Lady]

And if you're in the technology sector, even better to do all of the above in Hindi.

 

 

LMAO :lmao: :lmao:

[phyrespryte]

Recently I sent a teacher an email telling him that I couldn't attend class because I had the flu. I also included a brief description of my project and asked if I could email him the sketches. My grammar is hideous, but I did spell out all my words.

 

Well that same day according to my friend, he made a huge fuss and told the class to not send him long emails.

 

The email was about a paragraph long. This post is longer than the email!!!

I guess people just don't have time to read anymore.

[Outcast]

It's not a question of youth or age. It's a question of courtesy. It takes much longer to read umpty-thousand and three variations of words than to read the words as they're supposed to be spelled. Because the spelling is left to each individual, you have to learn a new orthography for each person you communicate with, which takes up time which could be spent in more productive endeavours.

 

Those who excuse this pathetic inability to write properly are just condoning laziness and sloppiness. It's not 'with the times', it's just slovenly.

 

Every time I see that sort of writing, I deduct 60 IQ points from that individual in my estimation of him.

[Citizen Erased]

This has been a topic in many of my conversations with family and fellow employees. I actually had to explain to one of my sales coordinators how inapropriate this is. I would actually perfer that she does not communicate with my customers for this very reason. When I tell her to use complete sentences when emailing customers, she is shocked. She thinks there is nothing wrong with the way she writes.

 

I have read many articles about generation "Y". They have spent so much time text messaging one another, that their written skills are horrible. I will have to start including this as part of my sales training classes. I am trying not to show complete disgust when I explain the importance of not writing as if you where in high school texting one of your friends.

 

Please if you are part of this generation, make it stop!

 

No offense to anyone but WHAT THE HELL? I am a part of the so-called Generation 'Y' and I in fact have better written skills the my boss! I think that indeed, teens do tend to now write in emails as they do in text messages, but it is not the majority and I am sick of being grouped into the fat, lazy, illiterate club that adults put the generation 'Y' into, which I am not a part of, and in fact many adults emulate those exact characteristics! I am sorry but I really get annoyed when people use generalisations like these, I would like to think that my friends and myself are not looked down upon like we were stupid.

 

On the other hand, I myself have noticed that some people do not realise the professionalism which is required when addressing customers or elders (such as your boss or a lecturer). I mean, smiley faces in emails! It is all well and good on msn, but there is a time and a place, and work is neither of those.

[Citizen Erased]

Those who excuse this pathetic inability to write properly are just condoning laziness and sloppiness. It's not 'with the times', it's just slovenly.

 

Every time I see that sort of writing, I deduct 60 IQ points from that individual in my estimation of him.

 

:lmao: 60 IQ Points hey? I agree with Outcast, in that those who write in such a way do tend to be lazy and abbreviating in such things as emails, faxes or even written letters (you would be suprised at what I have seen grown men and women write nowadays as well, I received a letter with no punctuation, using 'u' and everything, written by at 45 year old man!)

It is not appropriate, I mean, I dont even like using abbreiations in text messages because I find it annoying and others may not know what you are even saying!

[Outcast]

I mean, I dont even like using abbreiations

 

And abbreViations need those annoying apostrophes, don't they?

 

People who write posts complaining about spelling and grammar inevitably make spelling and/or grammar mistakes. Except me

[BeFree]

Travilenman,

 

That is the lamest reply ever. No I did not get out of a time machine! I am 32 years old. And I believe that professionalism is top priority. You are obiviously trying to justify writing to customers as if they were 17 years old. You need to get into the real world. I don't care where technology takes any of us, to treat customers, managers and fellow employees as if they were your buddies, will never take you to the next level. No, I don't over dress. But I do know how to talk to ADULTS. You may want to try it. I am in the hospitality industry. I think that we should communicate as adults and talk a language that ALL people understand and respect. The girl that works for me, will never make over $25,000 a year until she improves her written skills. This wave of writting as if you are in a hurry to finish your homework will end! Then where will you be??? Left behind, wondering what happened. Get over yourself. You gvie people your age a bad name. But why would I waist my time telling you, you will quickly find out! The same why my generation found out that not all web based companies would make millions of dollars.

 

Darlin CooCo,

 

Sorry did not mean to put you in a generalization, I have a couple of Sales Coordinators that are Gen. "y" that have excellent written and verbal skills. You are correct, I myself hate generalizations. I apologize.

[Citizen Erased]

And abbreViations need those annoying apostrophes, don't they?

 

People who write posts complaining about spelling and grammar inevitably make spelling and/or grammar mistakes. Except me

 

:lmao: Isn't it always the way that when you try to complain about something you make an a$$ out of yourself!

 

BeFree- It's cool, I just got a bit annoyed, you know how it is!

[BeFree]

Darlin Coocoo-

 

It may make you more upset, but they are actually studing this issue in masters programs regarding then generation "y". I know it is not across the board, but there are more and more articles being written about the gen "y" that discuss this along with other aspects.

[Lil Honey]

I am trying not to show complete disgust when I explain the importance of not writing as if you where in high school texting one of your friends.

 

Those who excuse this pathetic inability to write properly are just condoning laziness and sloppiness. It's not 'with the times', it's just slovenly.

 

And to think that I just heard on the radio this morning that a couple high schools have failed the MEAP assessments . . . What a shame . . .

 

Before we “get with the times,” we’d better “get back to basics.”

[SmoochieFace]

...with this pathetic *fad* of the times.

 

I don't give a damn if it's a Gen X, a Gen Y, a Gen Z, or a Gen Dumbass thing but writing like that is absolutely dumb! Another example of the dumbing down of people in general.

 

So writing *professional* emails in the style of teenage high-school hallway speech is now the *in* thing, huh? People now have to do this sort of thing to be *cool* and *with the times*, right?

[I Luv the Chariot OH]

I hate reading internet-speak as much as the next person, but it's silly to be so anal about it. There's a reason these people are student interns and not full-time employees.

[SmoochieFace]

There's a reason these people are student interns and not full-time employees.

 

And they will stay that way unless they decide to improve their skills.

 

Of course, if they tire of being interns they could always work as pizza delivery folks... not too many skills needed there except knowing how to drive, how to read back orders, and how to collect payment.