What Work Emails Say Vs What They Actually Mean

1. I'm checking to see how you're getting on with...

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Work emails are always super polite and they never actually say what they really mean. I mean, if we did that most of us would get fired pretty sharpish! So when someone in the office tells us 'I'm just checking to see how you are getting on' what it really means is: it's been a long time...are you actually even doing any work? It's a lot less civil sounding, right?

2. To put it more simply...

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Again, if you hear the words 'to put it more simply', this person isn't being nice, they're basically just calling you stupid! It really means something more along the lines of... let me say this in a way your simple mind can understand it. And that is something none of us want to hear, especially when we're at work doing our job, yet we all know what they really mean!

3. Correct me if I'm wrong...

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You may have said this yourself, or someone at work may have typed this sentence to you in an email. If you see this just know that what is really being said isn't actually 'correct me if I'm wrong'. What it means is, I know I'm right and you're wrong, and even if I'm not wrong, do NOT correct me! Why not just say what you really think and save us guessing?

4. Just a suggestion...

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Oh, the patronizing sentence that we don't want to hear, ESPECIALLY when we thought we were killing it and doing an excellent job and someone has to reply with 'just a suggestion...'. Because they don't just want to add a suggestion, they're really saying 'You're doing it wrong. Let me tell you how to do it better and please listen to me because I know more than you'.

5. Friendly reminder...

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How could a sentence literally telling you that it's a 'friendly reminder' sound so much the opposite of friendly? This means 'you've totally forgotten to do something, or you're super late' and this friendly reminder isn't actually that friendly, in fact, our hearts sink when we see this email because we know we've missed something we shouldn't have and this person is annoyed about it!

6. Should you require any further information?

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This email 'should you require any further attention?' usually comes after you have asked a couple of questions or you've had to be talked through how to do something again. So what this person is really saying is 'I've literally told you everything and you've not researched anything  yourself so please... don't ask me another question or bother me again!' Well, that's us told.

7. I'm not sure if you received my last email...

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When you look into your inbox you can't possibly reply to them all. So there are those we avoid for a while...and hope they'll miraculously go away on their own. That's when we receive the 'I'm not sure you received my email' when we absolutely did, and this person also knows that we did. So they're essentially saying 'why are you ignoring me because I know that you are, and you need to stop'.

8. Would you like me to forward it back to you?

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And sometimes after ignoring an email for TOO long we just pretend we have never even received it. So that's when we receive the email to say 'would you like me to forward it back to you?'. Because what they are saying to us really is 'We both know that you have the original message that I sent and I'll prove it to you, so don't try it on'. They've caught us out!

9. Sorry to bother you, but...

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Now when you get the 'sorry to bother you but...' email we know we're not in trouble and we're actually in demand. Someone sees us as helpful and in need of assistance. So what it means is, 'I need your help, I hope you're not mad'. And unless you've got a huge pile of work on that you're struggling to get through (or you don't like the person), this one usually isn't so bad!

10. Thank you in advance

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When you receive a 'thank you in advance' you know that you've got no choice to do whatever they've just asked you to do because all it actually means is 'I hope you're about to do what I asked you to do'. Otherwise, it would be a question, because giving thanks in advance is way too premature so you can hardly reasonably refuse the demand now, can you?

11. Let's discuss this further in person

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Oh no, this email has got to be one of the worst. The dreaded 'let's discuss further in person. This is just usually a polite cover to say what they really think which is less polite, 'let's not argue over email, because I'm very annoyed right now'.  When you get this email it's time to head to the office and get this one sorted out as it definitely (unfortunately) can't be avoided.

12. According to my records...

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Nobody wants to be watched super carefully or micromanaged because you feel as though you're not trusted. And so when you get the email 'according to my records...' it touches a nerve inside us. It means 'I'm keeping my eye on you and have records of the work you're doing' and absolutely nobody wants to receive this kind of email, ever. It rarely equates to good things.

13. In case you missed it

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When somebody sends you an email you saying 'in case you missed it', it means 'you need to do what I asked you and you're taking too long for my liking' so they're nudging you into action to remind you and make it very clear that they want this sorted now. It's top of their to-do list and so they think it should be on the top of yours too. You better get it done then!

14. Just a follow-up

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If you've been assigned some work you'll probably receive an email starting with something along the lines of 'just a follow-up'. You'll probably get it within a couple of days of what was asked of you because they really mean 'Let me know what's going on and whether you have actually done what I asked you to do', but they word it to sound much less pushy and much more casual than what it is.

15. As you're probably aware

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What is it about work emails that all sound so passive-aggressive? No matter how falsely polite they've been worded, they just have negative undertones which completely mismatch the tone that they intended on creating which is friendly and positive. So even when someone emails 'as you're probably aware', it really means 'I know that you know, so stop pretending you don't'.

16. With respect

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Now here's one we DON'T want to hear 'with respect'. Despite the fact that they've told us they're trying to remain respectful, we know that at this point they're really saying 'you've crossed the line and I've totally lost it with you'. As soon as an email takes an ultra-formal turn, you know that you're in trouble and this person is not happy with you!

17. Please let me know if I misunderstood

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Nobody wants to be told that they're wrong, even when they say 'please let me know if I have misunderstood' which sounds like an invitation to tell them they're wrong. It doesn't mean what it says at all. It really means 'I know I didn't misunderstand, and I know you're wrong and you're treating me like I'm stupid because you think it's MY fault... oh, and definitely don't tell me I'm wrong.'

18. Great...

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So we hate to break it to you but when you see the word 'great', it's really not that great. A better word would be 'fine,' but that would look totally passive-aggressive and not the kind of falsely upbeat atmosphere we're trying to maintain in our office. So they'll keep throwing out over-enthusiastic adjectives to try and keep everyone happy. Great.

19. Should you require further assistance

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Could the words 'should you require any further assistance' sounds any more formal? If someone is emailing this, it sounds like you're not on good terms within the workplace. Or, perhaps you just don't know each other. But what this email in any circumstance truly means is 'I've spent all my time helping you can you actually do anything for yourself?' Now that sounds a lot less formal!

20. Going forward...

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If you've had an email that at any point says 'going forward', it sounds like you've had a bad few days in the office. This office garble actually translates as 'In the future, NEVER do what you did again. You messed up and now we're all in trouble.' So, it's one of those emails that we don't want to see... EVER. Especially from the boss of the workplace...

21. We'll pick this up again tomorrow

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You may have sent this kind of email yourself when you're just done and you've had enough for the day and just can't wait to go home. When someone says 'we'll pick this up again tomorrow' what it is a disguise for is, 'I've had enough with you and really can't bear speaking about the same subject over and over when we're clearly not getting anywhere'.

22. Let me know if you have any questions

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This one is a standard email 'let me know if you have any questions', at times it really does mean what it says - I know, it's rare. This email in particular all depends on the context and the person writing this email. At other times what it actually means is 'I've given clear instructions so don't ask any questions and make me lose even more time on the matter'.

23. We'll have to check if this is feasible

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You're throwing your suggestions around and you think you've come up with some really great ones. Then you receive an email saying 'we'll have to check if this is feasible'. And you already know that it's a nonstarter with the rest of the workplace which doesn't like your idea. Because what this email means is 'your idea sucks and it sounds completely unrealistic.'

24. Thanks for your understanding

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When you receive the 'thanks for your understanding' email, this is when you know that you're about to be told something that you don't want to hear or that whoever sending the email knows you won't like. Because what this actually means is 'I've made a decision I know you won't like and I hope you don't cause a fuss about it'. See, we knew we wouldn't like it!

25. A quick favor...

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Oh, we all know that when somebody emails asking for 'a quick favor' it's not going to be quick at all. And even when they're writing the email it's a total disguise for what they are really saying which is 'It's not that quick but I want you to do something for me'. But pretending it's quick doesn't make it any quicker, so how about some honesty around here?

26. Per company policy

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Another thing that you do not want to see ping into your inbox is the words 'per company policy', this is when it gets really formal and you know something's up. This email truthfully translates into 'I have no control over this because the policy says so, so don't even bother arguing about it.' Things are serious and it could mean that something is about to change!

27. Sorry for the inconvenience

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When you receive this email, at least the onus isn't on you! This person is apologizing so that means that you're in the clear, this is their fault entirely. That being said, it's probably messed up your work a bit if they say 'sorry for the inconvenience'. Removing the work speech from the email, this means 'Okay, sorry I have messed up and I don't want this to make me look bad.'

28. I'll keep that in mind

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You've told the workplace about your idea and proposal and then you receive the email saying 'I'll keep that in mind'. This means 'I'll disregard what you just said because I don't agree with or like your idea. But I'll be polite and at least pretend that I'm mulling it over and considering it just to appear less harsh'. When you see this, you're ideas have been dismissed, sorry!

29. Just a heads up...

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Nobody minds getting this email because the casual tone already alerts you to the fact that it's probably not that serious. You're not in trouble, otherwise, the language would not be colloquial. So when you see 'just a heads up' this is usually a way to say 'there may be a potential issue and I want to let you know before anyone else', and on a more casual basis!

30. Could you clarify your position

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When you've been asked to 'clarify your position' on a matter, it really just means 'I don't agree with what you've said and I want to challenge it'. So, when you receive this email, just know that you're in for some kind of debate with someone who has an opposing viewpoint to you. If you want to start some real drama in the office, maybe open a few emails with this one!