Inside Gen Z's Email Vibes: Professionalism with Personality

No "Best Regards": How Gen Z Is Reinventing Email Etiquette With Chaos, Clarity, and Vibes

From lowercase greetings to "Sent from my iPhone" left unironically, Gen Z is casually dismantling corporate email culture, one unapologetic sign-off at a time.

There’s a new language quietly taking over the workplace. It doesn’t come with emojis (well, sometimes), and it’s not written in Slack shorthand. It lives in inboxes. And it's crafted by Gen Z, the generation that grew up with text bubbles, TikTok, and Gmail tabs but now finds themselves inside work emails that still say “To Whom It May Concern.”

Spoiler alert: We’re not concerned.

From the outside, Gen Z’s email style might look too casual or even chaotic. But look closer and you’ll see something deeper. It's intentional, honest, emotionally intelligent, and lowkey brilliant. We’re rewriting the rules of professional communication, and it's not about being rebellious. It's about making work feel a little more human.

Wait, Do Emails Even Matter to Gen Z?

Surprisingly, yes. While we live on DMs, emails are still the official language of work, school, and adulting. We know how to use them, we just choose to use them differently. For us, email isn’t about showing off our vocabulary. It’s about being clear, respectful, and real.

We grew up during a time when the line between professional and personal blurred. School turned remote. Jobs went hybrid. Communication got faster. And somewhere along the way, the “Hello Mr. Smith” format started to feel a little too stiff.

The Gen Z Email Starter Pack

Here’s what Gen Z email etiquette really looks like. Spoiler: it’s not in the textbooks.

1. Lowercase Subject Lines

We’re not yelling. We’re chill. A subject line that says “quick update” or “today’s deck” gets the job done. We’re not here to write headlines.

2. The One-Line Greeting

No need to fake pleasantries. You’ll see things like:

• “hey, just checking in”
• “hi again!”
• “hope things are good on your end”

We’re keeping it light. Not because we don’t care, but because we don’t believe in fake small talk.

3. No Corporate Jargon

Gen Z doesn’t use phrases like “per my last email” or “please advise.” If you see that, we’re probably quoting it sarcastically. We’ll say, “just wanted to make sure you saw this” or “can you give it a quick look?”

We don’t talk like robots. Why should our emails?

4. Sign-Offs With Personality

Forget “Kind regards.” You’ll find us ending with:

• “thanks again!”
• “talk soon”
• “peace”
• “bestie” (yes, it’s been done)
• or… nothing at all

It’s not disrespectful. It’s just casual clarity. The vibe is “I respect you, but I also don’t need to perform it.”

Gen Z vs. Millennial Emails: Spot the Difference

Millennials were the first digital natives, and they brought us the emoji-laced, perfectly polite email. Gen Z is taking it a step further or sideways.

Millennials might say:

“Hi Sarah, just looping you in on the project update. Please let me know if you have any feedback!”

Gen Z might say:

“hey — update’s in the doc. open to thoughts.”

Same message, less fluff. That’s the key.

We don’t cut corners. We just cut the excess. Efficiency is love.

Why We Email This Way: It's Not Laziness, It's Logic

This style isn’t about being edgy. It’s about energy. Gen Z is tired. We're burned out from constant digital overload and formalities that don’t serve us. We’re over-policed in every communication space — school, social media, even Notes app apologies.

So when it comes to work? We’re choosing honesty over hierarchy. We believe clarity is kinder than sugarcoated diplomacy.

But What About Professionalism?

Here’s the plot twist. Gen Z does care about being professional. We just define it differently. For us, being professional means:

• Meeting deadlines
• Being clear and responsive
• Respecting others' time
• Setting boundaries

It doesn’t mean pretending to be someone we’re not. Authenticity is the etiquette.

We’ve seen too many “professional” emails that hide passive aggression or say nothing useful. Gen Z prefers directness over decorum. We'd rather know what you really need and how to get it done.

The Rise of the "Real" Workplace Email

One reason this shift is working? It’s actually improving communication.

Our emails get read. They feel more like conversations than declarations. Managers are starting to notice. Some even adopt the tone back. Gen Z’s style cuts the bloat and builds connection. It’s more accessible for people with neurodiverse needs or for teams that value transparency.

And yeah, sometimes we’ll throw in a meme at the end. Or a “pls see attached lol.” Because humor is also human.

Emails With Vibes and Value

Gen Z isn’t killing email. We’re just giving it a personality transplant.

If the workplace is going to evolve, then so should the way we communicate. We’re not disrespecting traditions. We’re making space for authenticity, brevity, and maybe even a little weirdness. After all, no one ever felt emotionally seen by “To whom it may concern.”

So if you get an email from a Gen Z colleague that starts with “yo” and ends with “lmk,” don’t panic. We still got the job done.

We’re just doing it our way.

Stay in the loop on how Gen Z is reshaping everything from emails to executive culture only at Woke Waves Magazine.

#GenZWorkCulture #EmailEtiquette #ProfessionalVibesOnly #DigitalGenZ #WokeWavesStyle

‍