Well, here we are again. You need something from a colleague, but haven’t received a response yet. It’s time to follow up. You pull up the thread, click “Reply,” and have the urge to start typing, “Do you have those answers for me? Per my last email, the deadline was this morning.”
But here’s the thing: You know that phrase, “Per my last email,” can come off as passive-aggressive. (If we’re being totally honest, that’s probably one of the reasons you’re considering whipping it out in the first place!) So, before letting those words hit the keyboard, think about taking a detour.
Luckily, there are smoother ways to communicate your urgency and keep things moving without the risk of sounding too demanding. Let’s take a look!
The phrase “As per my last email” is commonly used to communicate that you’ve already addressed or explained something in a previous email. While there's no hidden agenda, some individuals might interpret it differently, perceiving it as a passive-aggressive approach.
It can leave your co-worker feeling called out, and in general just rub people the wrong way. It’s a true test of your professional communication skills (not to mention your patience!).
Of course, the best way to avoid having to go down that road is to set your expectations clearly and concisely in your initial message. Lead with the most important information; include a call to action; create accountability by adding a due date; and, if there’s a lot of relevant background information, include it below and alert the reader it exists.
Unfortunately, regardless of how obvious you think your request is or how comprehensive the information you share, you may need to follow up to get what you need or repeat yourself until everyone’s on the same page. So what do you do?
It can indeed be infuriating when someone asks you a question they’d surely know the answer to—if only they’d actually read your previous note. However, letting your frustration take over probably won’t be very productive.
So, how do you politely refer to a previous email? Here are six better ways to follow up than saying, “Per my last email…”
Sometimes the best approach is simply to point someone right back to the original request, minus the passive-aggressive phrasing. The call to action, in other words, is to read and respond to the original email. In these instances, reply to the thread—so that the original is easily referenced—and be direct and concise. You could try:
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In some cases, pointing your colleague back to the original request won’t feel like quite enough. Maybe you want to emphasize exactly what it is you’re asking for and why. So reiterate your request in one to two sentences.
Pull out the most important point along with the deliverable you’re waiting on and the deadline, directing the reader to the original email for more information. For example, you might say:
You can also combine these first two approaches with something like:
This tactic can be effective for readers who don’t always take the time to read all of the information, and can be a softer approach than jumping right to, “Can you look at my last email?”
Start with a question to get the reader’s attention and, if needed, use it as an opportunity to change tactics, timelines, or expectations.
Have you ever started drafting an email and thought to yourself, “This would be so much easier and faster to explain over the phone?” Your colleague’s silence might stem from the same feeling—that sitting down to draft an email with all of the requested information will take too long.
So pick up the phone, especially if you’re in a time crunch and need a quick answer. If you get the person live, you can say something like:
If they don’t pick up, leave a quick voicemail, something like:
Send a follow-up email as a reply to the original thread (not least because nowadays there are some people who never check their voicemail at all). You might write something like:
This is probably my favorite tactic because I like to read expressions and body language, and I like to create opportunities for spontaneous ideas that can emerge from face-to-face conversations.
Has it worked? Absolutely. Has it backfired? Yes! When you spring your follow-up on someone, you run the risk of getting a distracted, half-baked answer because that person isn’t able to give you their full attention (and you might irritate them by interrupting them).
You have to know your audience and respect the way they process information and approach their work. Plus, it can be tricky to find an ideal time to drop by when everyone’s busy running in and out of meetings. So use this tactic when there’s time and when you’ve developed a solid rapport with your co-worker.
And if you speak with your co-worker over the phone or in person, send a simple email afterward so there’s a record of what you decided. Your note can start with, “Thanks for your time,” or, “Glad we got an opportunity to speak about X.” Then, “Just to put it in writing…” or, “Confirming via email that we decided you will do X and I will do Y by the end of next week.”
At the root of a follow-up message is the fact that you need something and getting it is likely going to benefit everyone involved in the long run. So avoid stirring up unnecessary and counterproductive resentment. Instead, be patient and positive.
Keep your language direct and to the point, set clear expectations, highlight the pertinent information, emphasize a specific call to action, and hope that this time around you get the response you need.
We all get busy and miss emails certainly. When glancing at one’s inbox, we all use subject lines to determine how to collate and manage our priorities. So when someone receives an email with “following up” or “follow up” in the subject line, it’s a reminder even before opening the message that they need to pay attention.
Depending on how timely the request is, you could dial it up a notch by including the words “urgent” or “timely” in the subject line to raise the flag to your colleague that this email demands his or her attention.
