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.
#41
Not quite the same, but a company wide email went around advertising a position for store manager in a store somewhere. A few hours later the manager of that store replied all asking why their job was being advertised, and said they had had a conversation in which they said they were thinking of looking for a new job but hadn't resigned. Awkward.
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6points
#42
In my first job as a graduate engineer I had a job to do outside that created a lot of plastic swarf. Not a big deal, would get swept up at the end.
Went in to get a cup of tea and the office busybody went out and photographed it all and complained to a very broad CC of senior management and various heads of department. This was around 2006 and the line he used, in complete seriousness, was “we don’t want another Buncefield”.
Director of Technology replied to all… 100% not accidentally: “DO NOT WASTE MY TIME WITH THIS”
Went in to get a cup of tea and the office busybody went out and photographed it all and complained to a very broad CC of senior management and various heads of department. This was around 2006 and the line he used, in complete seriousness, was “we don’t want another Buncefield”.
Director of Technology replied to all… 100% not accidentally: “DO NOT WASTE MY TIME WITH THIS”
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6points
#43
I replied all, including the guy sat next to me, calling him ‘thick as mince’. Painful.
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5points
#44
One of our IT admins sent an email asking everyone to update their work phones and tablets. Went to around 400+ people.
Que around 60 replay all emails saying "mine is updated" or "how do we update"
My manager replied all to an email thread accusing me of not finishing a task on time, I had finished it, but he was checking his emails from newest to oldest and hadn't seen my email with the task completed. I didn't hold my tongue on that one and put him right.
Que around 60 replay all emails saying "mine is updated" or "how do we update"
My manager replied all to an email thread accusing me of not finishing a task on time, I had finished it, but he was checking his emails from newest to oldest and hadn't seen my email with the task completed. I didn't hold my tongue on that one and put him right.
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5points
#45
My friend turned down a colleague’s request for a task as he had something urgent to do for the COO. He slagged off said COO in the email (not even that badly, just saying it was a ‘waste of time’), accidentally cc’ing ‘UKOffice’.
I immediately told him what he’d done and he went white and legged it to find the IT guy (presumably to try and get him to turn back time). The COO was an arrogant jerk who had him fired over it.
My friend later sued for unfair dismissal, and won some tasty sum of money.
I immediately told him what he’d done and he went white and legged it to find the IT guy (presumably to try and get him to turn back time). The COO was an arrogant jerk who had him fired over it.
My friend later sued for unfair dismissal, and won some tasty sum of money.
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5points
#46
Used to work in a secondary school and before they implemented any rules that would stop people from sending to all@domain.co.uk there was one fairly savvy person who realised he could do it, and decided to have a laugh with it.
Decided to send an email at 3am of himself in a clown mask, to the all@ group. That caused a stir.
Decided to send an email at 3am of himself in a clown mask, to the all@ group. That caused a stir.
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4points
#47
A few years ago, one of the administrators at work (a rather reserved, shy man) accidentally sent an email around to the entire university academic staff containing a link with Rebecca Black’s ‘Friday’ with ‘happy Friday 😀’ just underneath. It was clearly just meant to go to one person, and would have kind of been okay in a silly way if he didn’t follow it up with such a formal apology.
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4points
#48
!!! At my college, a Christmas message went round. I don’t think that it’s an exaggeration to say that it’s 10,000 staff.
The reply from an admin of the principle sent back a veiled racist message about how it was exciting that Christmas has been mentioned publicly, and how they thought it was banned…
Heads rolled! (They didn’t, but they were shunted into equality and diversity training and given a warning)
The reply from an admin of the principle sent back a veiled racist message about how it was exciting that Christmas has been mentioned publicly, and how they thought it was banned…
Heads rolled! (They didn’t, but they were shunted into equality and diversity training and given a warning)
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4points
#49
Mine. It was a spam [privates] enlargement email that made it through the filters. I replied saying "no thanks I'm good"... Apparently my boss running over laughing was the first indication that I had replied all to about 1000 employees in a distribution list.
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4points
#50
A coworker replied to a email about corona restrictions and guide lines with an emoji. Thumbs up, is what he send to everyone in the company.
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3points
#51
A few years ago I was working for a small (<50 people) recruitment company, and it was common for us to send emails to the whole company asking for likes & shares on linkedin job postings to get more notice. I don’t remember the exact quote, but one day a relatively new hire who was a friend of the director accidentally emailed everyone an email addressed to that director, saying ‘got the beak boys, beers lads beers lads beers lads’.
No one got anything done for the rest of the day.
No one got anything done for the rest of the day.
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3points
#52
When I worked in the home office, a Muslim woman sent an email to her Muslim colleague, chastising her for not wearing a headscarf and hitting her with that whole 'your body is like a pearl' Mohammed Ali quote.
She also managed to CC in everyone in the ODPM (now the, ugh, 'Department for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities').
It caused quite a stir, obviously, and was quite popular with racists.
She also managed to CC in everyone in the ODPM (now the, ugh, 'Department for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities').
It caused quite a stir, obviously, and was quite popular with racists.
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2points
#53
Dell used to like hassling us to sell their equipment for them. Once our "account manager" put all of the different companies they were hassling into the CC field instead of the BCC field so everyone could see each other's email addresses.
They then noticed their mistake and replied to everyone apologising. Which triggered a load of the contacts at different companies around the UK to reply all and then start getting into fights with each other over not hitting reply all.
I think I had to feel embarrassed on behalf of a lot of people who apparently thought throwing a hissy fit in writing to a load of companies they don't know was in any way professional.
They then noticed their mistake and replied to everyone apologising. Which triggered a load of the contacts at different companies around the UK to reply all and then start getting into fights with each other over not hitting reply all.
I think I had to feel embarrassed on behalf of a lot of people who apparently thought throwing a hissy fit in writing to a load of companies they don't know was in any way professional.
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2points
#54
Mine was the following, when the two company bosses (one short, one tall) were coming to visit the client site I was working at:
"Stayed out drinking in the club until 3 last night, then busted a gut to get to (client) before Little and Large arrived this morning. Exactly what I needed with a massive hangover! Turns out I needn't have bothered because they went to (other client) on the way."
In my hungover state I'd replied to all on the weekly client planning email, rather than the one between me and my mates. For once I was glad that the bosses never seemed to read my emails, because it was never mentioned.
"Stayed out drinking in the club until 3 last night, then busted a gut to get to (client) before Little and Large arrived this morning. Exactly what I needed with a massive hangover! Turns out I needn't have bothered because they went to (other client) on the way."
In my hungover state I'd replied to all on the weekly client planning email, rather than the one between me and my mates. For once I was glad that the bosses never seemed to read my emails, because it was never mentioned.
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2points
#55
Work football group chain. One guy who isn't best is playing. Then someone replies all "It's OK, you're not
He still hasn't lived that one down and it was years ago.
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-2points