An overflowing inbox is stressful enough, but reading work emails with phrases like “Going forward” or “Not sure if you saw this” can send some workers over the edge, at least according to a new study.
ZeroBounce, an email validation platform, revealed the results of its survey of 2,000 American and European professionals on email vernacular. Specifically, the survey examined common email phrases and whether they are perceived as passive-aggressive.
The phrase that topped the list of most passive-aggressive email sayings? “Just to be clear.” That statement was cited as the most passive-aggressive phrase by 21 percent of respondents, followed by “Per my last email” (14 percent), with “Kindly note” and “As previously discussed” tied for third place at 10 percent each.
Other hated sayings included “Just checking in,” “Not sure if you saw this,” “Going forward,” “For future reference,” and “Friendly reminder.”
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ZeroBounce also asked respondents what passive-aggressive phrases they still use in their workday. Seen as necessary evils, apparently, “Thanks in advance,” “Following up,” “Just checking in,” and “Any updates” were at the top of that list.
“People may not intend to sound passive-aggressive when they write an email,” Liviu Tanase, founder and CEO of ZeroBounce, said in a statement. “But some phrases have picked up so much baggage that the reader perceives light hostility. ‘Just to be clear’ is a perfect example. It sounds neutral, but more than half of the professionals surveyed read something else into it.”
The survey also examined phrases that go beyond being irritating and are instantly stress-inducing. The most stressful email phrases are “Need this ASAP” (56 percent), “Can we chat?” (40 percent), “Action required” (34 percent), and “Let’s take this offline” (27 percent).
See the full survey results here, including data on how many unopened emails workers consider “too many.”
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