Emails to Seniors
Emails to Seniors
(OP)
I have just run into problem with one of my manngers who warned me on the way I address the Senior managers within my organisation. I did point out exactly what was wrong with my emails to them. I think, he thinks I taking them lightly without enough necessary respect. On contrary, that has not been in my head. I normally write my messages starting with Hi ( 1st name), Hello ( 1st name) e.g
Hi Paul,
............
...........
Regards,
Mafuta.
I consider this warning as a serious issue against my career, the man went as far as suggesting that I should be considered for the course on emailing to be run by HR department. Surely, this sounds akward, an Engineer with years in the field.....not good at all!
Please advise the appropriate way of sending official emails especially when corresponding to someone very senior to you.
Cheers.
Hi Paul,
............
...........
Regards,
Mafuta.
I consider this warning as a serious issue against my career, the man went as far as suggesting that I should be considered for the course on emailing to be run by HR department. Surely, this sounds akward, an Engineer with years in the field.....not good at all!
Please advise the appropriate way of sending official emails especially when corresponding to someone very senior to you.
Cheers.





RE: Emails to Seniors
RE: Emails to Seniors
I do on occasion need to correspond with the director of engineering for my division, and in those cases I address him by his first name alone:
John,
----
Regards,
Isaac
We have had dozens of face-to-face meetings during my tenure at the company, but I doubt he'd remember my name if we passed on the street (although perhaps he would, since high-up managers tend to have a knack for that). I would not start an email with "Hi John" unless the email was of a personal nature, which wouldn't happen w/this particular director - it's too informal a greeting for the office. There's a director of engineering at another company who I occasionally correspond with, and I initiate my emails to him "Hi Bill," but they're personal in nature.
Even when addressing my peers, "Hi" seems too informal for work... except when dealing with those few overly-sensitive people who must be reminded that we're friends before I ask them to do their job, lest I get put on the back burner.
RE: Emails to Seniors
RE: Emails to Seniors
Try signing off as "ivymike". See if the dirtector follows e-tips.
- Steve
RE: Emails to Seniors
I've worked at one company in the US in which it was actually in the employee handbook -- "Courtesy titles required."
I had to address everyone as Mr. Jones, Mrs. Wilson, Doctor Bledsoe, etc... -- in writing, e-mail, and verbally.
More often, it's been quite informal -- but there are sticklers out there.
Good on ya,
Goober Dave
RE: Emails to Seniors
RE: Emails to Seniors
Likewise, there are those with doctorates who eschew that title. Obviously, your company has people who are sensitive, and it behooves you to talk to your manager and find out whose toes you've trod on, deal with them accordingly.
TTFN
FAQ731-376: Eng-Tips.com Forum Policies
RE: Emails to Seniors
One thing i try to do is always pose a question when writing an email to a senior person requesting something. so i would say "could you please send me this file?" that way it doesn't seem like an order. might not be your issue at all, but just throwing that out there.
RE: Emails to Seniors
Tobalcane
"If you avoid failure, you also avoid success."
RE: Emails to Seniors
Actually, our company is more concerned about the way we close an email then as to how we open one. That is, we're required to include a complete signature which shows our full name, title, organization (including the corporate group), location (don't need a street address, but we do need the city, state and country) as well as our phone number.
John R. Baker, P.E.
Product 'Evangelist'
Product Design Solutions
Siemens PLM Software Inc.
Industry Sector
Cypress, CA
http://www.siemens.com/plm
http://www.plmworld.org/museum/
To an Engineer, the glass is twice as big as it needs to be.
RE: Emails to Seniors
And you are apparently afraid to as him what the rules are.
And your company had an internal course on how to email.
Hello Dilbert!
RE: Emails to Seniors
It could be that your manager was told to have a word with you by his manager.
Maybe it is the content of the email. Some people, and these are usually graduates, tend to write emails as if they are talking face to face with a person, they use text talk and leave out punctuation. In addition the emails can be too waffley or conversely can be so concise that they are completely unclear.
Please remember that many senior managers are not as internet savvy as you may be.
My recommendation is take the course. You will be surprised at what you learn or are forced to remember. When writing emails, do not send them immediately - leave them a day and then re-read them. Include the spell checker on the email.
RE: Emails to Seniors
That said, as others wiser have pointed out, only your internal email course will put the rules down for your particular firm.
Hg
Eng-Tips policies: FAQ731-376: Eng-Tips.com Forum Policies
RE: Emails to Seniors
To me the slightly informal salutation is fine, but I would expect to see 'reasonably proper' grammar, punctuation and spelling (depending on your relationship).
RE: Emails to Seniors
After all it's a minor issue and he took it differently! I'm new to this organisation, some ppl tend to be ???!! to new comers at this stage. Good enough, I'm used these situations.
Much appreciations....
RE: Emails to Seniors
Aaah the perception of doing the right thing at times....
drawn to design, designed to draw
RE: Emails to Seniors
If I'm sending something to a generic info@... address then I treat it as if I am writing a letter, starting off with Dear Sirs.
Of course we could go back to what they did in my father's generation/place of employment and call colleagues you've known and worked with for 10 years by their surnames, no title, just the surname.
RE: Emails to Seniors
Notes to upper mgt were reserved for serious issues particularly when asked.
RE: Emails to Seniors
So I dutifully sent all messages to him to review first.
Once a few projects etc. started to slip, and the response of 'I sent it to you for review' become my most commonly used phrase with him, the restriction was lifted.
I agree with others that don't use salutations, just the name. I'll also tend to use 'gents' - something I picked up at my first employer in the UK - for group emails. Just be careful there's no folks of the female persuasion on the distribution!
What is Engineering anyway: FAQ1088-1484: In layman terms, what is "engineering"?
RE: Emails to Seniors
Different opinion?
RE: Emails to Seniors
RE: Emails to Seniors
I'll use 'All' or something for mixed distribution.
What is Engineering anyway: FAQ1088-1484: In layman terms, what is "engineering"?
RE: Emails to Seniors
RE: Emails to Seniors
What is Engineering anyway: FAQ1088-1484: In layman terms, what is "engineering"?
RE: Emails to Seniors
Bob,
blah blah blah.
Thanks,
-Kirby
If I'm writing to someone I haven't corresponded with before I Go a bit more formal:
Mr. Smith,
blah blah blah.
Best Regards,
-Kirby
If they keep up the formality so do I. If they respond back using just my first name I switch to using just their first name.
I would recommend thaking the email course to learn the practice in your corporate culture.
-Kirby
Kirby Wilkerson
Remember, first define the problem, then solve it.
RE: Emails to Seniors
I still like leaving the salutation out entirely, sez I for the third or fourth time. There's a perfectly good "To:" field taking care of that. If people don't know why they're getting the email and need a little context, then a "dear supplier" or "dear implementation team" or something specific like that might help. (I do like signing the email at the bottom even though there's a perfectly good "From:" field, because that way they don't think maybe I pressed "send" by mistake.)
Except that I personally am allergic to "dear". I get away with a lot of informality, so I say something like "Hallo implementation team" or something only slightly sarcastic like "esteemed implementation team". However, as I said, I usually use no salutation, which avoids all kinds of problems.
Hg
Eng-Tips policies: FAQ731-376: Eng-Tips.com Forum Policies
RE: Emails to Seniors
I'm quite happy with my use of it however HgTX's points should be considered by anyone else considering risking using such a term.
I sometimes leave of the salutation but somehow it seems wrong so I like to put something.
What is Engineering anyway: FAQ1088-1484: In layman terms, what is "engineering"?
RE: Emails to Seniors
The usual thing when Investors in People come round (in the UK) is to discover management has called them in because management think the workforce are not communicating properly etc and the usual discovery, it appears, is that it is management who are not communicating properly. All very natural but a bit of a surprise to management.
In the same way, emails are generally considered quite informal.
When writing a letter I always use formal address "Attention Dr. XYZ, Technical Director,
Dear Dr. XYZ.
In an email, and it has taken me a while to get used to this, I would simply sayd "Hi Dick, here's the info you wanted."
Every so often I will lapse back into formal salutations and people think I am stuffy.
So the people who need to be on this HR E-mail course are MANAGEMENT.
They need to be told: Its an email, stupid.
This is the global convention on emails. They are quick and informal and should be brief.
The solution is not to send people on email courses but to imply hand down a direction that says all communication should be by inter-office memo.
Memo:
To:
Managing Director.
Subject: Restoration of Gas lighting in the plant.
On a happy note, pardon the pun, you are not alone:
htt
Next weeks HR course is on text messages.
Dear Mr Manager,
WTF? This is 4U.
Sorry, it doesn't go.
Of course HR will never identify who really needs training. Not when it is a Management Vs the rest situation and let's face it, managers are generally less computer literate and more status concious than the rest of us.
JMW
www.ViscoAnalyser.com
RE: Emails to Seniors
RE: Emails to Seniors
Tata