I hope you are well

Author
Discussion

944fan

Original Poster:

4,962 posts

184 months

Friday 27th May 2016
quotequote all
Why has it seemingly become the norm to start emails to people with this line? Especially from people who you hardly know. Pretty much every email I get from a client or supplier starts with this.

I am guessing it is some attempt to be reasonably polite but I doubt for a second anyone actually gives a juddering fk whether I am well or not. What do they expect me to reply?

Note: first person to reply to this thread saying "I hope you are well" can have 10 bell-end points :-)

chr15b

3,467 posts

189 months

Friday 27th May 2016
quotequote all
sets the tone for the email.

a bit like smiling before answering the phone?

Vocal Minority

8,582 posts

151 months

Friday 27th May 2016
quotequote all
Pretty much.

It's a just a social courtesy - gentle, friendly start to the email rather than 'Oi! fk-knuckle!'

Maybe it does stand up to much logical analysis and

Adressee

Straight into Business Item 1

onto Business Item 2

Respond when you have something to respond with (because logically kind regards means bugger all)

Sender.

would be more straightforward.

But not much social convention is entirely logical. It does make the world a little less jarring though


Vitorio

4,296 posts

142 months

Friday 27th May 2016
quotequote all
Pretty much the same as "how do you do?" or the colonial version "how are you?" when meeting..

As a non native english speaker i will occasionally get tricked by this into giving an actual answer rather then the customary mirror reply.

Cotty

39,387 posts

283 months

Friday 27th May 2016
quotequote all
There are a couple of people who write that on emails to me. Still find it a bit odd.

Edited by Cotty on Friday 27th May 14:52

Flip Martian

19,500 posts

189 months

Friday 27th May 2016
quotequote all
Weird, I got one for the first time this morning from someone in a different organisation I've never met before. Clearly as she was asking me to ring her, the 2 things link together and indicate she's stalked me online, found out how devastatingly good looking I am and this is the prelude to me fathering her kids and the important work matter is just a pretext.

But probably not. hehe

To be honest, I did think it a bit of an odd, but pleasant, way to start an email. If you get a lot of them though, I can see how that would be irritating.

Muzzer79

9,805 posts

186 months

Friday 27th May 2016
quotequote all
944fan said:
Why has it seemingly become the norm to start emails to people with this line? Especially from people who you hardly know. Pretty much every email I get from a client or supplier starts with this.

I am guessing it is some attempt to be reasonably polite but I doubt for a second anyone actually gives a juddering fk whether I am well or not. What do they expect me to reply?

Note: first person to reply to this thread saying "I hope you are well" can have 10 bell-end points :-)
It's the e-mail equivalent of starting a phone call with

"Hi 944fan, how are you?"

You can't use that exact terminology as most of the time you're not (or at least shouldn't be) using e-mail for conversation. So, it's kind of a rhetorical version of "how are you"

I hope that if someone phoned you up and said

"Hi 944fan, how are you?"

You know that they likely don't give a juddering fk how you are, but are simply being polite. If you wouldn't know how to respond to either e-mail or telephone versions of the conversation, you're a simpleton

Impasse

15,099 posts

240 months

Friday 27th May 2016
quotequote all
I hope you are suffering from quite a severe cold.

krisdelta

4,566 posts

200 months

Friday 27th May 2016
quotequote all
Email can be "read" in many tones - it's a very good way of setting a positive, friendly tone.

blindswelledrat

25,257 posts

231 months

Friday 27th May 2016
quotequote all
944fan said:
Note: first person to reply to this thread saying "I hope you are well" can have 10 bell-end points :-)
Definitely agree with this bit and I cannot wait for someone to excitedly type this out without bothering to read your post.

DOn't agree with your annoyance at that phrase though.
Its just a basic courtesy. Why do we say "Hello" to people? Its all nonsense and yet we have always been a courteous race and it feels a bit rude to launch into business without anything else.

nitrodave

1,262 posts

137 months

Friday 27th May 2016
quotequote all
Jeez, cheer up. It's just someone being polite.

Like an email which ends with 'kind regards' or 'all the best'.

Don't read so much into it

Cotty

39,387 posts

283 months

Friday 27th May 2016
quotequote all
nitrodave said:
Jeez, cheer up. It's just someone being polite.
Just makes me worried that they have heard something I haven't.

Or did they think I looked a bit ill last time we met so they are checking up on me.

Edited by Cotty on Friday 27th May 15:11

CalNaughtonJnr

477 posts

160 months

Friday 27th May 2016
quotequote all
I get regular e-mails from a supplier saying 'Hope your well'

madmadmadmad

catso

14,769 posts

266 months

Friday 27th May 2016
quotequote all
Ty replying with a couple of opening paragraphs listing and describing all your illnesses and general unwellness, they won't ask again...

Otispunkmeyer

12,553 posts

154 months

Friday 27th May 2016
quotequote all
CalNaughtonJnr said:
I get regular e-mails from a supplier saying 'Hope your well'

madmadmadmad
Hope your well is full of nice fresh water?

ZesPak

24,420 posts

195 months

Friday 27th May 2016
quotequote all
CalNaughtonJnr said:
I get regular e-mails from a supplier saying 'Hope your well'

madmadmadmad
Hope my well what?

Vocal Minority

8,582 posts

151 months

Friday 27th May 2016
quotequote all
I have to say, getting visibly annoyed about it is somewhat odder than asking it in my book!

Or do I need a whoosh parrot and its a grammar point?

anonymous-user

53 months

Friday 27th May 2016
quotequote all
Cotty said:
Just makes me worried that that have heard something I haven't.

Or did they think I looked a bit ill last time we met so they are checking up on me.
hehe

Yup these niceties just lead to confusion. What we need is a complete lack of warmth and empathy in emails, Work correspondence especially should be almost Spocklike in its cold, distant directness.

I propose we start emails by writing what we really think.

"Hi 944fan, I hear you look like your trousers have shrunk., are you free for a meeting at . . . . "

"Cotty, I really can't be arsed having to meet you so please just email me the proposals for . . . "


anonymous-user

53 months

Friday 27th May 2016
quotequote all
Vocal Minority said:
I have to say, getting visibly annoyed about it is somewhat odder than asking it in my book!

Or do I need a whoosh parrot and its a grammar point?
You're one of those people with empathy and feelings aren't you?

227bhp

10,203 posts

127 months

Friday 27th May 2016
quotequote all
When I go to the shops they ask me if i'm alright.

A. They don't know who I am nor care.
B. If I say no they don't know what to say.
I have no idea why they ask, why not just say 'Hello, that's £6.99'.

coffee