While I think that Corporate America can sometimes go a bit overboard when it comes to adhering to 'professional standards', I must confess that I do tend to get frustrated with unprofessional behavior in certain contexts.
Email etiquette is one of those things that seems to constantly evolve yet doesn't seem to lose its grip on outdated customs (the nebulous rules regarding salutations and sign-offs are perfect examples of this), so I can understand why so many people, quite frankly, just don't give a fuck about email etiquette. That being said, some email practices just seem objectively bad to me, and I can't for the life of me understand how they manage to go unchecked in so many different companies.
Take the colorful/rainbow text emailer, for instance (there's at least one in every office). Just...WTF are they thinking? Aside from the fact that their shit is hardly ever legible (regardless of the color of your screen's background), how do they not know how obnoxious their messages come across to read when nearly every other person in the office -- including C-level executives -- send normally colored emails? It's not cute, it's ridiculous, especially when the emails are important and/or mandatory to read.
Another big one for me is the complete disregard for the subject line. I can't speak for everyone else, but if I receive an email with no subject, it's not getting opened unless you're the owner of the company (and even then you're gonna get the side-eye from me). I can barely tolerate poorly written subject lines, but if you can't be bothered to tell me what your email is about, I can't be bothered to read it.
Anyway, I'm curious what examples you all have. Where in the proverbial realm of unprofessionalism do you draw the line between innocuous behavior and obnoxious behavior?
Email etiquette is one of those things that seems to constantly evolve yet doesn't seem to lose its grip on outdated customs (the nebulous rules regarding salutations and sign-offs are perfect examples of this), so I can understand why so many people, quite frankly, just don't give a fuck about email etiquette. That being said, some email practices just seem objectively bad to me, and I can't for the life of me understand how they manage to go unchecked in so many different companies.
Take the colorful/rainbow text emailer, for instance (there's at least one in every office). Just...WTF are they thinking? Aside from the fact that their shit is hardly ever legible (regardless of the color of your screen's background), how do they not know how obnoxious their messages come across to read when nearly every other person in the office -- including C-level executives -- send normally colored emails? It's not cute, it's ridiculous, especially when the emails are important and/or mandatory to read.
Another big one for me is the complete disregard for the subject line. I can't speak for everyone else, but if I receive an email with no subject, it's not getting opened unless you're the owner of the company (and even then you're gonna get the side-eye from me). I can barely tolerate poorly written subject lines, but if you can't be bothered to tell me what your email is about, I can't be bothered to read it.
Anyway, I'm curious what examples you all have. Where in the proverbial realm of unprofessionalism do you draw the line between innocuous behavior and obnoxious behavior?
