It’s my party, I can bitch if I want to.

I’ve decided that one of my favorite things is to complain about crap that annoys me, so I’m gonna start picking some of my pet peeves and whining about them here.  Please feel free to leave comments about your thoughts on the topic. Or, feel free to respond on Facebook at The Tangent Girl Volumes, link below!

https://www.facebook.com/TangentGirlVolumes/?ref=aymt_homepage_panel

Episode One: Stuff people put into emails

Exhibit A: People who put the same meaningless platitude at the end of every one of their email

OMG. Seriously folks – email is already a hard enough medium to convey your actual tone/ meaning/ intentions. When you stick the same line in every email, verbatim, I am unlike to find any validity in the statement.

“I appreciate everything you do.”

“Thank you for your dedication to the team.”

“Thank you, have a wonderful day.”

These are not made up, they are real-life examples from my real-life life. They actually make me more irritated than leaving them out entirely because I feel like I am supposed to be grateful that you are thanking me, when in reality you just stuck this crap into your automatic signature. I’d like to tell you where to put your generic cut and paste appreciation, but I’ve gotten used to living in a house and having food to eat.

Exhibit B: People who do not write in complete sentences in their emails

Okay, I get it – brevity is NOT my specialty, and I am certain that annoys the hell out of people who read my emails. (But we’re not talking about them, so who cares what they think? If they want to complain about my run-on emails they can get their own blog). But seriously, sending an email where the subject is actually the first line of the email and/or then the body of the email isn’t even written in complete sentences / is full of unnecessary abbreviations is NOT concise, it’s just rude (and lazy).

“Subject: benefit form

is in G drive. after complete, email to Suzy. advise if any issues.”

 

“Subject: <blank>

Rescan and return.”

 

“Subject: Attendance needed

Re: new entry policy  – – Mtg tomorrow @ 1p, 1st flr CR . Mngrs or their reps should attend. RSVP COB. TY.”

 

Again, REAL examples (with names changed because in addition to a roof and sustenance, I also like having running water and lights.) I mean “TY”??? You can’t even freaking type out “THANK YOU”??? Your time is not that precious folks, and this is a work email not freaking Twitter.

Exhibit C: People who copy new (unnecessary) people into the email every time they reply, but email you privately to ask why you added someone who actually NEEDED to be on the email.

True Story:

• I was sent a very terse email by an org leader about a project my group was affected by, but I was not in any way in charge of. I replied with the answer to their question, but also indicated that “Suzy Q” was the person organizing it so she might have more information than I did.
• The leader then emailed back, copying in 3 additional people who I knew for a fact had nothing to do with the project and didn’t know anything more than I did, and called me out for “not knowing what was going on.” I replied again (after many deep breathes and a few squeezes of my stress ball) that I was sorry I didn’t have more information, but that I wasn’t a part of the planning group for the project. I indicated that I’d copied Suzy here to my reply, as she was leading the project and should be able to provide more information.
• The leader replied, deleting Suzy Q from the email, but copying several other leaders that I work under, but who STILL HAD NOTHING TO DO WITH THE PROJECT, and indicated that they really needed to “follow up” and “investigate” this issue as it was ridiculous that he had not been informed previously (he had, by his own boss) and that I couldn’t supply the information he needed even though I was “working on” project.
• The leader then emailed me separately and copied the Director of HR, indicating that I “had no right” to copy someone “from outside” in his email (they were from a different arm of our organization, you know, THE SAME ORGANIZATION?), and that the HR-D would be in touch with me to discuss my inappropriate actions.

(Note: I told my superior what was going on they told me exactly what that leader could do with himself and to let them know immediately if any such “conversation” occurred with HR. Funny enough though, HR never got in touch with me about these supposed ‘transgressions’. Shocking, huh?)

Exhibit D: People who put unnecessary emoticons in an email as a way of being passive aggressive.

Oh wait – I do that. >.<

My bad… :’-(