Here’s how to tell your colleagues what you really think – without getting fired

Have you ever wanted to tell your colleague to stop bombarding you with emails, but didn’t know how? Laura Whaley from Toronto, Canada, might just have the answer for you.

The 27-year-old has become a hit for translating your true feelings into corporate-friendly emails. Simply put, she puts a professional spin on the things people want to say to their colleagues but can’t. 

Laura, who works from home as an IT consultant, has been filming her remote conversations with her co-worker, a corporate communications expert who she calls her work bestie, since 2020. The chats have since evolved into the popular online series How Do You Professionally Say?.

In the videos, she tells her colleague the things she wants to say, and he translates them into corporate jargon that gets the point across without coming off as rude or unprofessional. Her videos receive millions of views each within hours of being uploaded with her followers loving the handy tips.

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Many are calling for her to publish a book or develop an app where they type in what they want to say and it spits out the professional response.

We’ve rounded up some of the gems from the series to help you say what you want to say, in a professional way.

If you want to say: I’m not doing your job for you.

You should say: I do not have the capacity to take this on in addition to my own workload but I’m happy to support where it makes sense.

If you want to say: Please hurry up and get this done!

You should say: It is important that we have this completed in order to meet our target deadlines, which are quickly approaching.

If you want to say: Please stay in your lane.

You should say: Thank you for your input. I’ll keep that in mind as I move forward with decisions that fall within my responsibility.

If you want to say: Did you even read my email?

You should say: Reattaching my previous email to provide further clarity.

If you want to say: I’ll provide an update when I have one. Stop bothering me!

You should say: You have not heard from me because further information is not available at this time. Once I have an update, I’ll be sure to loop you in.

If you want to say: Stop emailing me!

You should say: To ensure that information does not get missed, can you please condense your communications into a single email where possible?

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In addition to her hilarious series with her work bestie, Laura also tackles other relatable workplace woes. One of her pet peeves is circling back to the idea a week later instead of deciding the course of action right there and then.

Another is managers waiting for people to join a meeting instead of starting it on time and colleagues who send work emails late on Friday afternoons.

Looks like Laura is the work bestie we all need.  

Sources: tiktok.com, Instagram.com, dailymail.co.uk, cnbc.com