4 ms·
A bit of a digression, and maybe this is a west vs. east coast thing--I couldn't detect the author's location--but starting an email to one's manager with "Hey
by sk5t 9y ago
A bit of a digression, and maybe this is a west vs. east coast thing--I couldn't detect the author's location--but starting an email to one's manager with "Hey $name" seems disrespectful. Additionally, asking folks "please don't address me with 'Hey'" I imagine to be ticklish business.
- fnbr 9y agoHow would you address your manager?
- ndh2 9y agoJust pick one from this list: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_Kim_Jong-il%27s_titles https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_Kim_Jong-il%27s_titles
- sk5t 9y agoAlways "Hi $name" or "Hello $name". "Hey" feels to me like a California-ism and just a touch too informal for email in particular. Whether the downvotes on my original comment support or reject this hypothesis, I cannot say.
- pertymcpert 9y agoI think it probably rejects your hypothesis. I use it frequently with multiple managers and directors. It entirely depends on your relationship with the person. Sometimes you can cultivate a relationship where being so formal and subservient is unnecessary, if not counter productive. Edit: Not in California, or the US.
- kelnos 9y agoI am in California, so perhaps this is just confirmation of your guess that it's a California-ism, but I certainly use "Hey $name" and even less formal things (if that's possible) to address my manager (and even my CEO). I did the same when working in upstate NY, though (~15 years ago), and my impression is that such informality isn't particularly unique. I've actually never worked anywhere such formality was expected, and suggesting something like that would probably get you some weird looks. I wonder if it's an industry thing? Perhaps some industries tend to enforce politeness/formality between rungs in the career ladder more than others?
- kaishiro 9y agoCan I ask which coast you're on that this would be an issue? Depending on your answer I may have been backhandedly offending managers for the past 15 years.
- MekaiGS 9y agoI work for a F500 financial services company and everyone uses Hi $name on every email.
- sk5t 9y agoI'm accustomed to "Hi" or "Hello," or sometimes no salutation other than first name. East coast, mostly financial and manufacturing.
- LandR 9y agoI'm pretty sure I've started emails to my manager with yo!and a lot worse. If your worried about how you're subordinates are addressing you in an email you need to get a life. Not sure I'd want to work somewhere where my manager is stuck up / has an inflated sense of his importance. Maybe I've always been lucky to have relaxed managers, sort that I can go get drunk with.
- matte_black 9y agoI personally don’t care what my manager thinks of how I address him. They are a manager in name only and I never let them forget that.
- gregshap 9y agoI've generally stuck to "Hi [Name]" for managers and employees with whom I had a strained relationship. Otherwise "hey" felt fine. This is in East Coast software companies and academia. Overall I'd say I hey'd about 80% of bosses and 95% of employees at least some of the time.
- Raphmedia 9y agoYou are on their property, on a domain that carry their first and last name. I think it's safe to say that they are free to use a friendly tone in that context.