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Glasgow U | Career > Work

Gen Z, Your Emails Are Doing Too Much

Ayesha Shahid Student Contributor, University of Glasgow
This article is written by a student writer from the Her Campus at Glasgow U chapter and does not reflect the views of Her Campus.

If you’re Gen Z, there’s a good chance your emails are doing the most: extra polite, overly cautious, and slightly allergic to sounding direct.

It’s almost instinctive. We’ve grown up texting, softening everything with emojis and “haha”s, making sure never to sound too serious. But when that same energy shows up in professional emails, it doesn’t always land the way we think it does.

I realised this properly during my summer internship. The difference in communication styles was obvious straight away. Managers and more experienced colleagues were clear, to the point, and importantly, didn’t apologise for asking for things. Meanwhile, I’d be rereading my own emails five times, adding “just” and “no pressure” like it was a personality trait.

Why We Do This

Phrases like “just checking,” “sorry to bother you,” and “no worries if not” feel polite, but they actually water down what you’re trying to say. If everything is optional, how is anyone supposed to know what actually needs doing?

This is where we tend to get it slightly wrong as a generation. We often confuse being nice with being effective. In reality, over-softening your emails doesn’t make you easier to work with – it can make things slower, confusing, and sometimes even frustrating for the person reading it.

Nice vs. Effective

Take this, for example:

“Hi, just checking if you had a chance to look at this but no worries if not!”

Compare it with:

“Hi, could you please review this by Thursday? Let me know if you need anything else.”

Neither is rude. The second is just more definite. And honestly, after seeing how people actually communicate in a work environment, that kind of candour is the norm, not the exception.

Simplicity is underrated. People are busy, inboxes are full, and no one has time to decode whether your email is urgent or not. A straightforward message is actually doing everyone a favour.

A lot of this soft language, I think, comes down to  not wanting to seem difficult or demanding. But there’s a difference between being respectful and constantly downplaying yourself. If you’re asking for something that needs to happen, it’s totally okay to sound like it needs to happen.

Small Swaps, Big difference

  • “Could you confirm…” instead of “just wondering if…” 
  • “Following up on the below” instead of “sorry to chase” 
  • “Could you review this by Friday?” instead of “whenever you get the chance”

That said, no one’s saying you need to turn into a corporate robot. You can still sound like yourself. You can still be friendly. This isn’t about being cold as opposed to being intentional.

At the end of the day, good email etiquette isn’t about sounding like the nicest person in the room. It’s about being honest, respectful, and easy to respond to.

So do yourself a favour. Next time you type “no worries if not,” ask yourself why you’re saying it. Because if it actually matters, then, respectfully, there are worries if not.

Ayesha Shahid

Glasgow U '29

Ayesha is a writer at the Her Campus Glasgow chapter. She writes about all topics, taking a particular interest in Wellness and Culture.

Beyond Her Campus, Ayesha works as an HR intern at IES and loves working with people. Her Campus will be the first time her writing will be for the public eye as she usually writes for herself. She is currently an undergraduate student at The University of Glasgow studying a joint honours degree in Business Management and English Literature.

In her free time, Ayesha can be found in a coffee shop, nose deep in a book during the day, and out for a drive with her friends at night. She prides herself on her dad joke capabilities and you’ll never catch her not listening to her favourite artists.