Ah, emails — the modern-day battlefield of the corporate world. Forget actual face-to-face conversations or picking up the phone, like some civilised human beings. No, we’ve evolved into a land of endless emails, ccs, bccs, and the dreaded reply-all button. What used to be a simple exchange of information has now become a sophisticated arena for passive-aggressive warfare. If you’ve ever been cc’d in an email, you know exactly what I’m talking about.

Let’s start with the cc. For those who don’t speak corporate jargon, it’s short for “carbon copy,” which in itself is a relic from the days when people actually used paper. But in today’s office environment, cc-ing someone in an email is less about keeping them informed and more about telling them, “Hey, I’m watching you, and now, so is everyone else on this email chain.” It’s the corporate version of side-eye.

Take a typical scenario: you ask a colleague for something—let’s say, a report—and they don’t respond. Instead of sending a friendly follow-up, you cc their manager. That’s not just a reminder. Oh no, my friend, that’s a power move. It’s saying, “I asked nicely the first time, but now I’m bringing in the big guns.” Suddenly, everyone in the office knows this person didn’t do their job, and it’s all downhill from there. Nothing says “team spirit” quite like publicly shaming your co-worker in front of their boss, right?

Then there’s the reply-all option, a button so dangerous it should come with a warning label. There are two kinds of reply-all situations in the corporate world: the innocent ones and the ones that make you want to pull your hair out. The innocent ones are rare. Maybe someone genuinely needs to inform the entire team about something relevant. Fine, we’ll let that slide.

But the other kind? Oh boy! It’s that one person who replies to a company-wide email — sent to hundreds of people, mind you — with something like “Thanks!” or “Noted!” As if we all needed to see that. No, Ahmed, I do not need my inbox flooded with 300 variations of “Okay, got it!” from people I’ve never even met.

And let’s not forget the nuclear option: the passive-aggressive reply-all. This is where true email warfare unfolds. Imagine this: someone sends a group email, and instead of addressing an issue privately, you get the dreaded public correction. “Actually, as per my previous email…” Oh, the horror. Translation? “You clearly didn’t read the first email, and now I’m going to humiliate you in front of everyone.” It’s like watching a gladiator fight with spreadsheets.

The best part is the aftershocks. Once the passive-aggressive reply-all bomb has been dropped, everyone pretends like it didn’t happen. People in the office suddenly avoid eye contact, there’s awkward silence in meetings. The tension is so thick you could cut it with a butter knife. The email in question might be long buried in your inbox, but the wounds it leaves? Those are deep.

Of course, some people try to pretend email etiquette isn’t just passive-aggressive warfare. They’ll tell you about ‘best practices’ such as not cc-ing unnecessary people or keeping emails brief. But all of us know the truth — emails are the modern-day weapon of choice for subtle office domination. They’re how we stake our claim, assert our authority and sometimes just throw a bit of shade.

So, next time you’re about to hit reply-all or cc someone, ask yourself: am I providing valuable information, or am I just starting a quiet little office war? Either way, remember — there’s no “Undo” button in real life.

The writer is head of content at a communications agency