Vent: My old boss told me I was writing emails like a robot and it stung

I used to write these super formal emails at work, like "per my previous correspondence" type stuff. My boss pulled me aside after 6 months and said nobody talks that way in our industry, it comes off cold. He showed me how his emails sound more like how you'd actually talk to a coworker. I changed right away, started using shorter sentences and casual phrases. Took about 2 weeks to break the habit but now people actually reply to me faster. Anyone else get feedback that totally changed how you communicate?

3 comments

3 Comments

alex_wilson7924d agoProlific Poster

Hard disagree honestly. That formal email style is what keeps things professional and covers your butt when things go south. Casual emails can get misinterpreted real quick, especially if someone's having a bad day and reads your "hey" as disrespectful. Legal teams love seeing that paper trail with proper language too, not something that looks like a text message. Plus not everyone in a company wants to be buddy buddy, some people just wanna get the info and move on. Your old boss basically made you change your style to fit his preference, not because it was actually broken. If you're getting faster replies now it might just be people feeling pressured to respond, not actually communicating better.

hugo_robinson2524d ago

@alex_wilson79 Fair point but casual emails build better working relationships faster.

nancy81724d ago

My old boss made me write formal emails too. Guess I'm just not professional enough to sound like a robot.