Answering emails is a normal part of life and a ceaseless task at many, many jobs. So typically it can be a relief to finish it and move on with one’s day, perhaps another email. But every now and then, one has that moment of panic when they realize who all the email was unintentionally sent to.
Someone asked “What's the most embarrassing “reply all” you have seen at work?” and people shared their best stories. So get comfortable as you scroll through, upvote the best examples and if you’ve had similar experiences, be sure to add them in the comments below, after making sure you aren’t accidentally texting it to the wrong person.
#21
Each month my company asks everyone to individually and anonymously ‘nominate a hero’ within their team or the company etc. Someone that’s gone over and above or helped you out. One lady in particular who’s known for being arrogant and rude hit reply all, with the following written in the third person ‘I’d like to nominate {insert her own name} as the hero of the month. She’s never nominated by anyone in the company and I truly believe she deserves more recognition for her efforts’ She attempted to recall the email and failed.
Report
11points
#22
A colleague once sent an email to the entire organisation saying "Hi daddy" and a load of gobbledegook. We are a multinational company with 1000s of employees across the whole world.
Presumably they'd left their laptop unlocked and their toddler decided to have some fun.
Presumably they'd left their laptop unlocked and their toddler decided to have some fun.
Report
10points
#23
Had a worker at the company in a higher position.
She did a "mail all" telling everyone what a [bad] company it was.
10 min after she mailed saying she was sorry and pls forget what she wrote. Next email was hr saying Mrs x doesn't work here anymore.
Now imagine everyone coming in at work in the morning and seeing the same 3 mails in succession minutes apart the day before after closing.
She did a "mail all" telling everyone what a [bad] company it was.
10 min after she mailed saying she was sorry and pls forget what she wrote. Next email was hr saying Mrs x doesn't work here anymore.
Now imagine everyone coming in at work in the morning and seeing the same 3 mails in succession minutes apart the day before after closing.
Report
10points
#24
My co-manager at the coffee shop got into an altercation with a barista via email. The barista, feeling insulted, forwarded their conversation to the entire barista staff (intentionally). I sent him a private email lambasting his behavior, and said, "note how I'm sending this privately, out of respect". Accidentally clicked "reply all" and sent that email to the entire staff. Easily the most hypocritical thing I've ever done.
Report
10points
#25
With covid restrictions In Hospitals changing week to week over the last year or so, an email went out regarding staff parking in the patient car park. I don’t know which was better the reply all of “in relation to your earlier email, kindly foxtrot Oscar” or the reply all response from one of our doctors from Romania who didn’t understand and asked what foxtrot Oscar meant, or the reply all response from one of the nurses advising that the original poster was telling the management team to [buzz] off.
It was great!
It was great!
Report
9points
#26
Yeah 'CEO and Retail Director' is a bleep bleep bleep.
The guy was my Manager and sent reply all. I work for Multinational huge business. (Telecom). He added the reply all. Which was around 20,000 colleagues.
He went AWOL and haven't spoke to him in 8years lol.
The guy was my Manager and sent reply all. I work for Multinational huge business. (Telecom). He added the reply all. Which was around 20,000 colleagues.
He went AWOL and haven't spoke to him in 8years lol.
Report
9points
#27
Two colleagues received a rather demanding email from a rather entitled client. Colleague A meant to reply or forward only to colleague B, but instead hit 'reply all' with this gem:
"Does he want us to wipe his [behind] for him too?"
Didn't lose his job, but it was touch and go.
"Does he want us to wipe his [behind] for him too?"
Didn't lose his job, but it was touch and go.
Report
9points
#28
There was a mass email from HR reminding staff (600-700 in total) there was still time to sign up for some event. One person replied to say they were unavailable that day and went into detail about the... "sensitive" medical procedure they were booked in for.
Report
8points
#29
This one’s pretty harsh. Jane, a nice (if, to be frank, rather annoying) lady with pretty substantial weight issues, sent the following e-mail.
“Hi guys,
Was in Tesco and noticed they have a deal on Krispy Kreme donuts. Every time you spend over X with your club card you get entered into a draw to win free donuts.” (or something like that, it was a while ago)
John, who didn’t have a very high opinion of Jane, wrote back:
“Trust her to enter this!!!”
Ouch!
“Hi guys,
Was in Tesco and noticed they have a deal on Krispy Kreme donuts. Every time you spend over X with your club card you get entered into a draw to win free donuts.” (or something like that, it was a while ago)
John, who didn’t have a very high opinion of Jane, wrote back:
“Trust her to enter this!!!”
Ouch!
Report
8points
#30
Our receptionist sent a company wide “who knicked my sausage roll from the fridge” email. EVERYBODY replied all with “it was me”. It was hilarious carnage, “it was me” pinging around the office for hours :) “it was me” inception. (Ps, it wasn’t me)
Report
8points
#31
I worked as a sales rep and one of my accounts sent out their invitation for their Christmas event. It went out to all of the sales reps they did business with including my new girlfriend who worked for a competitor. I sent her an email response detailing all the "activities" we would be getting into after the event...but hit reply all.
I didn't hear the end of that for the longest time, and just when everyone seemed to have forgotten, well it was approaching the month of December and the Xmas event again. Initiate round 2 sequence haha.
I didn't hear the end of that for the longest time, and just when everyone seemed to have forgotten, well it was approaching the month of December and the Xmas event again. Initiate round 2 sequence haha.
8points
#32
A lady announced she was expecting a baby.
The email went round asking for donations to the pot to buy her and the baby a gift.
Reply all:
“Jesus Christ mate, you just know that’s going to be an ugly little [kid] if it looks like its mum.”
The email went round asking for donations to the pot to buy her and the baby a gift.
Reply all:
“Jesus Christ mate, you just know that’s going to be an ugly little [kid] if it looks like its mum.”
7points
#33
Company I used to work at so if someone figures it out from said company, I don't care, I don't work there anymore.
Site wide email was sent out from HR, to approximately 1500 people, with details of an upcoming LGBT event and looking for volunteers to help/join an LGBT committee to promote better practices and create and develop policies in relation to LGBT issues and/or discrimination in company.
Member of onsite security team hits reply all and types
"I don't mind all this gay stuff but I hate it when it's rammed down our throats all the time"
After the uproar and outrage and his subsequent apologies he was fired and removed from site pretty sharpish.
Site wide email was sent out from HR, to approximately 1500 people, with details of an upcoming LGBT event and looking for volunteers to help/join an LGBT committee to promote better practices and create and develop policies in relation to LGBT issues and/or discrimination in company.
Member of onsite security team hits reply all and types
"I don't mind all this gay stuff but I hate it when it's rammed down our throats all the time"
After the uproar and outrage and his subsequent apologies he was fired and removed from site pretty sharpish.
Report
7points
#34
Not quite reply all, but embarrassing sending an email company wide when you thought it was one person story:
I started working at a company run by very religious people. We can’t swear in the office, nor can we say things like ‘oh my god’ as you will be instantly reprimanded
The guy that ran the purchase department was supposedly a drummer in a metal band, I’d had a few conversations with him but not managed to bridge the gap between friends and coworkers. I could tell we had a lot in common though.
I was asked to send an email to the purchaser about ordering more ink for a printer. I misunderstood and thought this was the guy’s private email, and not a company wide ‘purchase’ account that had multiple people auto cc’d as a result.
I signed the email off, and then wrote in small letter a bit below;
‘Hail Satan’
The entire production department were in hysterics when he called them over to see the email he’d just been sent.
I started working at a company run by very religious people. We can’t swear in the office, nor can we say things like ‘oh my god’ as you will be instantly reprimanded
The guy that ran the purchase department was supposedly a drummer in a metal band, I’d had a few conversations with him but not managed to bridge the gap between friends and coworkers. I could tell we had a lot in common though.
I was asked to send an email to the purchaser about ordering more ink for a printer. I misunderstood and thought this was the guy’s private email, and not a company wide ‘purchase’ account that had multiple people auto cc’d as a result.
I signed the email off, and then wrote in small letter a bit below;
‘Hail Satan’
The entire production department were in hysterics when he called them over to see the email he’d just been sent.
Report
7points
#35
Working in the games industry Ive seen and heard a lot!
Here's one...
After receiving a group email, sent by the female producer to the large QA team, one of the team replies to all "she well wants [me]". How he kept his job I don't know!
Here's one...
After receiving a group email, sent by the female producer to the large QA team, one of the team replies to all "she well wants [me]". How he kept his job I don't know!
Report
7points
#36
I remember from a few years back, shortly after I joined my present employer, an email being shared with our UK office about payroll issues. One unfortunate soul hit reply all to that, and in their included a number of personal details in their email, including their current salary.
7points
#37
A lady in my work who wasn’t very tech savvy always thought that generic office wide emails were personally addressed for her. When they emailed out plans for the office Christmas do to everyone she replied “that’s nice” to all.
Report
7points
#38
Smallish law firm, circa 2009.
Firm-wide e-mail saying "Can the driver of the silver Peugeot, registration DY52XCJ, please move their car as it's blocking in [HR director]."
(Plate details are made up).
Reply all from a paralegal: "Who the [hell] cares?"
HR director cared very much. The paralegal was gone within the hour.
Firm-wide e-mail saying "Can the driver of the silver Peugeot, registration DY52XCJ, please move their car as it's blocking in [HR director]."
(Plate details are made up).
Reply all from a paralegal: "Who the [hell] cares?"
HR director cared very much. The paralegal was gone within the hour.
Report
7points
#39
I work for an online retailer that holds customer-centrism to the highest esteem. Everything revolves around the customer, and we do almost anything we can to meet their needs. Cue a guy on my team sending out a Cracked article on "10 Ways Customers are Wrong." He intended to send it to our team, but he sent it to every customer service site in the world. When I saw the email notification pop up I looked over at him and watched his face go red. He only got written up, but it was enough to get him sent home for the day.
Report
7points
#40
The worst "reply all" I've seen was something from HR about a #metoo awareness session, and one of the sales guys replied, some generic "sounds great!" response - we were a business unit of about fifty people, so not that egregious, if unnecessary.
The next reply all, though, was from his mate who said "Jesus christ fella, you're not the type of guy to benefit from #metoo!"
The original guy replied "it's not like they need to know that ;)"
Neither realised they were doing this over reply all until someone else replied all telling them, cue reply all apologies and "it was just an in-joke".
They got spoken to by HR but nothing else as far as I'm aware. While I don't have any questionable sexist views to broadcast in the first place, I often think back on it as a reminder to check if I've hit reply all or just reply.
The next reply all, though, was from his mate who said "Jesus christ fella, you're not the type of guy to benefit from #metoo!"
The original guy replied "it's not like they need to know that ;)"
Neither realised they were doing this over reply all until someone else replied all telling them, cue reply all apologies and "it was just an in-joke".
They got spoken to by HR but nothing else as far as I'm aware. While I don't have any questionable sexist views to broadcast in the first place, I often think back on it as a reminder to check if I've hit reply all or just reply.
Report
6points