Is this unprofessional?

[Bertha Venation]

I just got a CC of an email from a colleague.

His signature contains a personal tag line: "Plan for tomorrow but live for today"

I find this very unprofessional. Not so much within the company but this was sent outside the company. Way unprofessional IMO.

What's your opnion?

[Rabrrrrrr]

1. Yes, it's unprofessional if one is in businessy kind of business.

I could see if one's business is art, or personal coaching, or home decorating or something like that where one is working with clients on a truly personal and human level.

But if it's a regular kind of business, then yes, that's unprofessional.

[av8rdave]

2. At face value, it seems ok

Bear in mind, though, that I haven't worked in that kind of environment in many, many years. I'm probably not qualified to know if it's professional or not.

[QueenOfCalifornia]

3. Depends

on what kind of company it is... Do you guys sell coffins?

[madinmaryland]

4. Kind of strange, though. Is this in the family/estate planning business?

[Bucky]

5. Slightly unprofessional, certainly too informal for most b-to-b transactions

But the world is becoming increasingly informal. There are companies today where you can get away with wearing jeans on Casual Fridays. That's certainly not how it was when I was in the business world.

[QueenOfCalifornia]

6. Didn't you have to wear

this:

[dawgmom]

7. I agree with you

I've nothing against the sentiment -- I just think sharing a personal philosophy like that doesn't belong in the workplace, unless you're sharing it in the context of staff training or staff motivation in some way. For it to go out to clients, however? Nope. But then, I don't even care for it when people modify the backgrounds on their business emails, to make them a pattern or something other than white. So, I'm kind of a tightass about such things. ;)
I have a colleague who has the logo of his alma mater in his signature line. Annoys me everytime that his mail hangs when it loads on my Blackberry, because of the memory it uses.

[JustABozoOnThisBus]

8. email has a way of getting forwarded to your boss

who sez "I hope you planned for tomorrow, 'cause you're outa here!"

Anyway, I much prefer "Free your mind, and your ass will follow". I think Clinton said that.

:hi:

[harmonicon]

9. who cares about being professional?

I understand not wanting someone to be insulting or discourteous, but I think that ideas of "professionalism" wreak of the worst class-based hierarchical stench possible.

[HarukaTheTrophyWife]

10. It would fly where I work, but I'm in life insurance

[mike_c]

11. good thing you don't work in my profession....

Yet another reason I love academia. No neckwear, no strange costumes-- well, except at commencement-- and no "business" nonsense.

BTW, I think his tagline was just fine. I think one of my colleagues uses that one or one very much like it. Oddly, having written this reply, I realized that my sig file is just contact info, and nothing personal.

[redqueen]

12. So much more professional than the stuff my boss has on his...

he has religious stuff about how we should always be praising and thanking god and crap like that.

:puke:

[Sequoia]

13. I received a business email with: Jesus is the reason for the season.

There's just piles of emails with snooty little quotes in smaller font.

[mentalsolstice]

14. Making a few assumptions

I know from reading here in th Lounge, that you work for a law firm...is this colleague an attorney or support staff? What department of the firm do they work? What is the relationship they have to people outside of the firm (clients, suppliers, b2b)?

I'm a retired attorney, however, I always worked in the non-profit/academic arena. The sig line doesn't offend me, but my employers had rules on such things, and this probably would've passed the smell test.