Email is still the backbone of working life, and it is easy to underestimate how much of it other people receive. Microsoft’s analysis of Microsoft 365 activity found that the average worker receives 117 emails a day and skims most of them in under a minute. Courteous email respects that reality. It is easy to understand, easy to act on, and arrives with the right people copied.
The good news is that people answer email faster than its reputation suggests. A study of more than two million users and 16 billion messages by researchers at Yahoo Labs and USC found that half of replies arrived within 47 minutes and over 90% within a day. The median reply was just 43 words. Short, prompt and clear is the norm, not the exception.
The anatomy of a courteous email
| Part | Good practice | Avoid |
|---|---|---|
| Subject line | Specific and scannable: “Budget draft — feedback by Thu” | “Quick question,” “Hi,” or a blank subject |
| Greeting | “Hi Priya,” for colleagues; “Hello Dr. Okafor,” for first contact | “Hey” to someone senior you’ve never met; no greeting at all in a first message |
| First line | The point or the request | Two paragraphs of background before the ask |
| Body | Short paragraphs; bullets for several items; one topic per email | A wall of text mixing three unrelated questions |
| The ask | Clear action and date: “Could you confirm by Friday noon?” | “Let me know your thoughts” with no deadline |
| Sign-off | “Thanks,” “Best,” “Kind regards,” plus your name | Overly casual sign-offs in formal contexts |
| Signature | Name, role, and one way to reach you | Quotes, large images, or six phone numbers |
Write for the reader who skims
Because most email is skimmed, put the most important sentence first. A useful test: if the recipient read only your subject line and first sentence, would they know what you need? If not, rewrite.
- Lead with the request or the answer. Background can follow for those who want it.
- One email, one topic. Separate subjects make threads easier to search and to answer.
- Use bullets or numbers when you have several questions, so each can be answered in turn.
- Bold sparingly — a deadline or a decision, not whole sentences.
- Name the attachment in the body (“The attached contract, v3…”) and actually attach it before sending.
- Reread once, out loud if it’s sensitive. Tone that sounds fine in your head can read as curt on screen.
To, CC, BCC and reply-all
The address fields are a courtesy tool. Used well, they tell everyone exactly what is expected of them.
- To: people who need to act or reply.
- CC: people who need to know, but don’t need to act. Say so if it helps: “CCing Jordan for visibility.”
- BCC: large external lists (to protect people’s addresses) or moving someone off a thread: “Moving Sam to BCC to spare their inbox.” Avoid using BCC to secretly copy someone’s manager; it tends to be discovered.
- Reply-all: only when every person on the thread needs your reply. A “Thanks!” to forty people is the classic misstep.
Do
- Acknowledge receipt when a full answer will take time
- Change the subject line when the topic changes
- Introduce new people you add to a thread
- Say thank you when someone helps you
- Use “schedule send” for messages written late at night
Don’t
- Write in ALL CAPS or stack exclamation points!!!
- Forward a long thread with just “FYI” and no summary
- Deliver criticism or bad news to someone’s team by email first
- Mark everything “urgent” or high priority
- Send anything you’d be uncomfortable seeing forwarded
Reply times: what’s expected
There is no universal rule, but a few defaults keep relationships smooth. For work email, aim to reply within one business day. If you can’t answer properly yet, a short acknowledgment is courteous and stops the sender wondering whether the message arrived.
Holding reply
Hi Marco, thanks for sending this. I want to give it a proper look and will get back to you by Wednesday afternoon.
Personal email is more relaxed; a few days is usually fine. Out-of-office replies are a courtesy when you’ll be unreachable for more than a day or so. Include your return date and someone else to contact for urgent matters.
Following up without nagging
A follow-up is not rude; it’s often a favor to a busy person. Keep it short, reply in the same thread so the context is there, and make it easy to say yes.
Polite follow-up
Hi Aisha, just bringing this back to the top of your inbox. Are you able to confirm the venue by Friday? If it’s easier, a quick yes or no is plenty. Thanks!
Avoid passive-aggressive phrasing such as “Per my last email” or “As previously stated.” They read as reproach. “Just checking in on this” does the same job kindly.
Tone: warmth without fluff
Email strips out the facial expressions and voice that soften spoken words, so short messages can feel sharper than intended. A greeting, a “thanks,” and a complete sentence or two go a long way. At the same time, warmth doesn’t require padding: “I hope this email finds you well” is harmless, but a specific, sincere line is better.
When someone helps you, say thank you, specifically. Research by Amit Kumar and Nicholas Epley found that people writing notes of gratitude consistently underestimated how positive recipients would feel and overestimated how awkward the message would be. A two-line thank-you email is rarely wasted. For longer handwritten notes, see our thank-you note guide.
Speed helps courtesy
Much email rudeness is really time pressure: rushed replies, missing greetings, unanswered questions. If you spend hours a day in your inbox, faster typing gives you room to be thorough and kind. The free Keystride typing lessons from All Things AI start at the home row, and a quick typing speed test will show your current words per minute and weakest keys.
Templates for common situations
Introducing two people
Hi Lena and Tom, I’m connecting you because you’re both working on community gardens. Lena runs the Eastside program; Tom is starting one in Northfield. I’ll let you take it from here — Lena, I’ve moved myself to BCC.
Declining a request
Hi Chris, thank you for thinking of me. I can’t take this on this quarter, but Dana knows the system well and may be able to help. Best of luck with the launch.
Apologizing for a slow reply
Hi Ren, sorry for the delay on this. Here are the answers to your three questions…
For the rest of office life — meetings, chat apps and shared spaces — continue to our workplace etiquette guide.
Frequently asked questions
How quickly should I reply to a work email?
Within one business day is a courteous default for most work email. If a full answer will take longer, send a short acknowledgment saying when you'll reply. Research on millions of email users found that most replies that do happen come quickly: half within about 47 minutes and over 90% within a day.
Is it rude to start an email with just the person's name?
Not in most workplaces. "Hi Sam," or simply "Sam," is normal for colleagues. For a first message to someone outside your organization, "Hello" or "Dear" plus their name is the safer choice. Match the formality the other person uses once they reply.
When should I use reply-all?
Only when everyone on the thread needs your answer. If your reply is a thank-you, a yes, or a question only the sender can answer, reply to the sender alone.
How long should I wait before following up?
For routine requests, two to three business days is reasonable. For time-sensitive requests, say so in the original email and give a date; then a follow-up the day before that date is fair.
Are emojis unprofessional in email?
It depends on the relationship and the workplace. With close colleagues who use them, an occasional emoji is fine. In first contacts, formal requests, or anything sensitive, leave them out.
Sources
- Kooti et al., "Evolution of Conversations in the Age of Email Overload" (WWW 2015, arXiv)
- Microsoft WorkLab — Breaking down the infinite workday (Work Trend Index, June 2025)
- Chicago Booth — Expressing your gratitude is more powerful than you think (Kumar & Epley, 2018)
Statistics are quoted from the linked publishers as of October 2026. See our methodology.