“Unnecessary” Thank You Emails?

I’ve posted previously on the topic of thank-you curmudgeons. Then, a site visitor emailed me about this topic with a slightly different twist, so I thought I would share it with you.

It makes you wonder why some complain about “thank you” emails. Do they feel thank yous are a waste of time or annoying?

Grateful for Email Gratitude

I’ve been on the receiving end of many thank-you emails, and not once was I annoyed. They always make me smile. So, why the angst for some?

Here is a portion of an email received by a thank you protester, in this case for a slightly different reason than what you would think:

It drives me crazy when people junk up my inbox with a reply that only says, “Thanks”.

Hmmm… “Junk up” their inbox with too many “Thanks”? Correlating junk email with an expression of gratitude never crossed my mind. How about you?

Regardless of the topic or sentiment, a one-word email that requires their time (in seconds) to view is an annoyance. They have so many emails to wade through that the ones saying “Thanks” are just one too many.

I can’t imagine ever becoming annoyed by emails that thank me. Since so few do, why not treat thank you emails as a friendly gesture?

Then, the Thank You Twist

When I mentioned this to a co-worker and asked her to stop it, she said that it is proper etiquette to always respond with a “Thank You” to let the sender know that the message was received. Is that true?

There it is. If you’ve read what I write on this topic, you know I encourage prompt responses to every email. But I also state that discretion comes into play.

If you know the other side wants to know you have read their email, then by all means, reply with a “Thank You.” However, I don’t believe that is necessary for every single email received.

In this case, the recipient feels it is not about showing sincere gratitude but a coworker acknowledging their emails. I bet there may be other storylines between these two. Otherwise, there would be no reason to want to avoid thank you emails.

My first thought is that of all the things I see in the volume of emails I go through daily, this is what drives you crazy? Why not just hit the Delete button and go on to the next email?

Since we’ve already approached this coworker, you could kindly let them know that not every email requires a response. There is no need to send a “Thanks” to confirm receipt. Send a “Thanks” when you are sincerely grateful.

Accept Gratitude When Offered

No response is mandatory unless there is something that specifically needs to be confirmed or responded to—because you asked. And try not to get annoyed or tired of being thanked. Gratitude is one of life’s blessings.

Some folks are natural “thankers.” And I’m okay with that.

I think that if I wanted to know if you read my message, I would turn the tracking option on to send me a confirmation when the message was read.

That is not the correct approach either. Keep in mind that on the rare occasion that RR/Return Receipt is applied, it only acknowledges that the email was received/opened—not read.

What is the appropriate response?

Be open to gratitude.

A quick thank you will never go out of style… Even if done for reasons one disagrees with, it is still a nice gesture from someone making an extra effort.

Everyone should be concerned if society becomes so intolerant of being thanked that it is viewed as annoying. Very concerned.

Do you have an email situation you want me to write about? Let me know here.