“Happy Friday” is ranked as one of the worst ways to begin an email and it is also one of the worst ways to end a piece of correspondence.
While “Happy Friday” may seem like a friendly send-off to colleagues as they approach the weekend, it can easily offend for many reasons.
Here are three excellent reasons never to use this expression.
#1: IT CAN BE ANNOYING
This expression may be used by people who are trying to lift the spirits of a colleague or make the recipient feel relieved that the workweek is coming to an end.
But your colleague may be involved in working hard to complete an assignment, or be involved in a project that needs to get done. If so, your “Happy Friday” will be irritating. His or her reaction might be to feel this writer knows little about the pressures of work or completing assignments.
According to a study a full 69% of employees say their mental health has worsened over the past year, so there’s a good chance your colleague is not having a happy Friday.
#2 IT CAN BE INSENSITIVE
Beginning or ending your email with “Happy Friday” presumes that everyone is having a great day. But how do you know?
I get emails from people I don’t even know wishing me a “Happy Friday.” I was in the hospital when a few of these came, and I was not having a happy time. It is presumptuous to wish someone a happy day when she could be sick, tired, or overworked.
In such cases, the words “Happy Friday” will only deepen the recipient’s misery. According to a study by the American Psychological Association, half of adults in the United States reported feelings of emotional disconnection, isolation from others (54%), left out (50%), or lacking companionship (50%).
So wishing someone “Happy ‘Friday” may elicit a deeper sense of loneliness, with the recipient feeling bad to be left out of the happiness circle.
#3 IT IS A CLICHÉ
If you are still tempted to use this expression, don’t succumb to that temptation because it is a cliché that gives rise to other clichés.
In some of the emails I get “Happy Friday” is followed by “wishing you a lovely weekend” and “hoping you had a great week,” and “hoping you are well.”
“Happy Friday” also gives rise to “Happy Monday,” “Happy Tuesday,” or Happy [any day of the week, or any season].
I am much more likely to read and respond to emails that don’t begin or end with this awful expression. Give it up!
Instead, you might begin your correspondence by mentioning your last communication with that person. For example say “thank you for following up with me” or “I loved your thoughts about . . . .” And conclude with action, such as “I’ll look forward to hearing from you regarding next steps. In short, use your opening and closing to frame the subject matter of the correspondence.