Quote of the Week – 27/11/15

This week’s quote is a short one.

And without further ado it’s “Hey”.

You are probably wondering what an earth I’m on about but it’s quite simple. Seemingly everyone is using “Hey” in business correspondence, especially email and instant messaging.

A couple of made up but representative examples:

“Hey AM good to hear from you. How are you?”

“Hey AM, come and get your supporting documentation you requested”.

I would be quite interested to know when and where this trend to use “Hey” originated. It seems to have caught on suddenly and gone viral or mainstream overnight. I know business email is fraught with difficulty and one has to be careful before hitting the send button. (I’ve sent the odd email to the wrong person in my time but fortuitously my thoughts on Internal Audit weren’t attached.)  In terms of etiquette though, I tend to avoid ‘Dear’ and ‘Hi’ as these are overly formal and too informal respectively for use in the office. I just opt for the recipient’s name, a little ice-breaker such as “Hope you are well” despite the fact I’m not bothered about their health and welfare in the slightest (but hey, at least I’m honest), and continue.

For example:

“John,

Trust you are well. When did everyone start using “Hey” in business correspondence? Is everyone trying to pretend they are hip, hipsters or that they work at a hip company such as Apple even our current firm makes widgets on the out-skirts of Slough on a drab industrial estate? Hey, could you let me know in due course.

Kind regards,

AM”

But hey, I think we will leave it there.