You want to start your work email with some form of good wishes. But is the phrase I hope this email finds you well too outdated for a modern email exchange?
In this article, we’ll show you how to start and email politely using 10 unique alternatives. After that, we’ll discuss the appropriateness of this phrase in the current business world.
10 Alternative Ways to Say “I Hope This Email Finds You Well”
Below, you’ll find 9 unique examples of how to start a professional email:
- I trust all is well
- I hope all is well
- How are you?
- I hope you’re having a good week
- How are things?
- I hope you’re well
- I trust things are going well
- Is everything going well?
- I hope you enjoyed your weekend
- I hope the day is treating you well
1. I Trust All Is Well
I trust all is well is a good formal synonym for I hope this email finds you well. You can use it when reaching out to a fellow professional at another company.
The inclusion of “I trust” as opposed to “I hope” expresses respect for the receiver. In short, you are implying that you are confident in the recipient’s professional capabilities.
Thus, you trust in the fact that their work life is thriving.
See the example below:
Dear Harriet,
I trust all is well on your side.
I have attached a draft agreement for you to consider and alter as you see fit.
Regards,
Bailey
2. I Hope All Is Well
I hope all is well is a very polite email opening that comes across as less formal and stiff than I hope this email finds you well.
However, it still carries an appropriately professional tone. Therefore, you can use this phrase when reaching out to a client or customer to express some good wishes before getting down to business.
Have a look at the following email sample:
Dear Mr. Pollock,
I hope all is well with you.
I have provided some updated information about your recent investments below.
Kind regards,
Sally Bowl
3. How Are You?
If you’re asking how are you? in an email, you are probably expecting a more conversational exchange altogether. After all, a question tends to invite a response.
Therefore, this phrase wouldn’t be necessary if you are simply reaching out to provide a quick update.
However, if you are hoping to prompt a response from the recipient, this is a friendly and polite way to do so.
In short, it’s a good option if you are seeking guidance from a colleague and want to show an interest in them personally before asking any work-related questions.
Check out the email example below:
Hi Marissa,
How are you?
Have you had any updates on the Venson case, by any chance?
Let me know.
Best,
Sheila
4. I Hope You’re Having a Good Week
Another way of saying I hope this email finds you well is I hope you’re having a good week.
If you have a question for your employer, it never hurts to start your email with a courteous expression of goodwill.
I hope you’re having a good week is a good, pleasant opening line that is sure to maintain a good rapport with your superior. After all, jumping straight into your question may appear quite tactless!
To see what we mean, have a look at this email sample:
Dear Kamohelo,
I hope you’re having a good week.
I wanted to ask whether you have given any thought to the investment strategy I designed for Mr. Shawn’s trust last week.
Kind regards,
Ashona Kimani
5. How Are Things?
Perhaps a coworker of yours has recently relocated to a different office. Or they are in the midst of work-related travel.
It would be polite to show interest in their new circumstances before getting to the main point of your email. Therefore, you can ask how are things?
Let’s see an email example with this phrase in tow:
Dear Jarred,
How are things in the Chicago office? I’ve heard good things about the view!
In other news, I’ve received some feedback from Moira that I thought you might want to look at.
All the best,
Joshua
6. I Hope You’re Well
Another polite phrase to include in your email greetings to clients is I hope you’re well.
The benefit of this phrase is that it is courteous without prompting a response from the recipient. This is particularly useful if a response isn’t necessary for the context of your email.
In addition, this phrase is friendly yet impersonal, which keeps things suitably professional,
For instance:
Dear Mrs. Truman,
I hope you’re well today.
This email is to confirm that we have received payment for your yearly subscription.
Sincerely,
Saul Newton
7. I Trust Things Are Going Well
I trust things are going well is essentially a different way to say I hope this email finds you well in formal circumstances.
For example, if you are working in collaboration with another organization, it’s good to show that you are aware of the happenings at their company.
Saying “I trust” implies that you are confident in the organization’s success, whatever the present circumstances. Thus, it is a very respectful phrase to go with.
Check out the following sample email to see this phrase in action:
Dear Siella,
I trust things are going well with the merger.
Would your team be open to meeting the week after next?
Warm regards,
Nora
8. Is Everything Going Well?
Perhaps your employee is representing your organization on an important business trip. In this event, it’s essential to check in on their progress and offer support and guidance as needed.
Therefore, you can reach out with the phrase is everything going well? to prompt an update from your employee.
This will help you keep aware of things and will also make your team member feel supported as they take on this important task.
Therefore, let’s see this phrase in an example:
Hi Selma,
Is everything going well at the conference?
I would like to have a call this afternoon if it would suit your schedule.
Regards,
Kimberly
9. I Hope You Enjoyed Your Weekend
I hope you enjoyed your weekend is the perfect way to start a Monday morning email to a coworker you don’t know especially well.
Few, if any, of us are particularly excited to return to the office after those blessed two days off.
Therefore, you can make your colleague’s day just a little nicer with a kind message before you get down to brass tacks.
See the email sample below:
Dear Michael,
I hope you enjoyed your weekend.
Would you mind forwarding the contact details of Miss Bowl’s representatives?
All the best,
Cherrie
10. I Hope the Day Is Treating You Well
If you have a friendly dynamic with one of your colleagues, you can use a friendly and figurative phrase in your email.
I hope the day is treating you well is a great alternative to I hope this email finds you well in these circumstances.
As this phrase is a tad tongue-in-cheek and humorous, it may be a bit too risky for an email to a client or someone higher up in your work’s hierarchy.
However, if you are speaking to an equal that you generally get along with, this phrase is a fun one to go with.
Have a look at how we’ve used this alternative in our final sample email:
Hi Rory,
I hope the day is treating you well.
Are you free to meet this afternoon to discuss the Toil account?
Let me know.
Best,
Carlos
Is It Correct to Say “I Hope This Email Finds You Well”?
I hope this email finds you well is a correct and standard phrase to use in professional emails to colleagues, clients, or fellow professionals from other organizations.
This phrase is perfectly polite and suitably formal to include in business or work-related correspondence.
Therefore, it is generally a safe way to open an email whether you work at a small business or a large, corporate company.
Below, we’ve drafted two email examples illustrating how you can use this phrase in practice:
Dear Alina,
I hope this email finds you well.
Please see the requested memorandum attached below.
Kind regards,
Heather
Dear Mrs. Lotus,
I hope this email finds you well and thank you very much for supplying the information above.
I have forwarded it to the relevant department.
Sincerely,
Michael Desmond
Although the phrase I hope this email finds you well is perfectly grammatically correct, it is fairly generic and standardized.
Moreover, it comes across as rather overly formal and stuffy in some circumstances.
Therefore, you can try one or more of the alternative phrases from our list to sound more sincere in your emails and diversify your phrasing overall.
