things that aren’t good ideas by Alison Green on March 8, 2011 Just FYI, I get a lot of email at Ask a Manager. I have an auto-reply set up that explains that the volume of mail means that I can’t answer everything. And if I ask you why you’ve sent me the same exact email three times in the past few weeks, this is not a good answer: A lot of people think it is a complicated situation and can’t give a straight suggestion. Therefore I sent you an email every week to be able to receive an answer. That’s all. You may also like:my colleague's auto-reply says she might never answer your emailhow to write the perfect out-of-office messagemy employee says he's "already thought of" every suggestion I make { 11 comments }
Becky* March 8, 2011 at 10:28 am Me too. Also, I cannot believe that people do that kind of thing. Those are the same people who call to follow up on a job application every couple days, without regard for what the job ad said or what you have told them already.
DJO* March 8, 2011 at 10:59 am These people are known as They Who Don’t Have Good Judgement. AAM’s advice would be wasted on them anyway.
Rachel - Former HR Blogger* March 8, 2011 at 11:54 am I guess it’s a compliment because she/he assumes you can give a good answer? Although that does not address why she/he felt they could be annoying about it.
Josh S* March 8, 2011 at 2:36 pm Some people just have no sense of social propriety. I’ll give the guy/gal the benefit of the doubt and suggest they have aspergers or some other Autism spectrum disorder that prevents them from understanding proper etiquette. Otherwise it’s just rude.
Phyr* March 8, 2011 at 4:17 pm While I would normally want to know what they are asking, I have a feeling their actions sum it up pretty well. :3
Richard* March 9, 2011 at 7:07 am I’m kind of hoping that their question was ‘How soon should I email for a follow up after not getting a reply from a job interview?’
Nate* March 9, 2011 at 11:42 pm You *know* the email that person sent those three times is something that has been answered here at least six times.
Emily* March 9, 2011 at 11:51 pm This reminds me of a series of phone calls I’ve been getting lately. Someone calls my office at just about precisely 5:25pm a couple of times a week, leaves a name and number (not even a “please call me back,” let alone any details about the purpose of their call, just, “This is _____. My number is ###.”) They are never available when I phone the next day, morning or afternoon. I’m glad you asked why your person WHY they kept sending the same e-mail. Next time I return the call, I’m going to drop similar hammer in the voicemail. I’m all for courtesy, but I can’t help you if you won’t give me any info or even a valid way to reach you!