There is almost never a good reason to hit “reply all.” Especially not when “all” includes a listserv that goes out to thousands of employees at Time Inc., the country’s largest magazine publisher.
It’s still ongoing (send us more of the chain!), but we were forwarded a portion of it as of about an hour ago. It’s going how these things usually go: with some genuinely baffled folks, some angry that it’s 2016 and no one knows how email works, and some trolls just content to sow chaos.
It started with a polite request from a photo editor, curious about their healthcare plan.
Hello,
Can you confirm what date the HSA seed money will appear in our Wageworks accounts? I have not yet received mine, and wanted to make sure there wasn’t a problem, as last year we’d already gotten it by this time.
Thanks and best
Unfortunately that photo editor didn’t send her email to HR; she sent it to the Health and Wellness listserv.
One human resources employee asked another for help, and hit reply all so that the original question-asker would know it was being worked on. That reply all sent it off to everyone.
[Redacted], can you help?
And we’re off.
Not sure why I got this email. But I actually had the same question. I wrote to the Time Inc. One Exchange this morning. Asking why I don’t see the Time Inc. HRA balance in Wage Works.
I don’t know why I am on this email
Im also receiving this for some reason….
Clearly we are all ACCIDENTALLY in the group TI HR HEALTH WELLNESS. This is an IT fix. Stop replying.
I think you got the wrong [name redacted]
Nope, [name redacted], this is for you. And everyone else.
Please remove me form this email.
Que esta pasando aqui – no entiendo!
PLEASE STOP REPLY ALL. I AM NOTHING TO DO WITH THIS MATTER.
Thank you.
[Name Redacted]
This Old House Magazine
Note that a replyallpocaplyse can only be averted if people stop hitting reply all to complain about it—and once the smartasses show up, it’s too late for even that.
Keep us in the loop! I’m on the edge of my seat!
Ditto
[Original question-asker], this must be the worst moment of your life, but the most amazing at the same time.
Then the trolls came.
I’m selling Girl Scout Cookies!
Check out the latest of issue of InStyle!
While we have you all: Who’s on college football tonight? Signed, Thayer [Note: not actually from Thayer Evans.]
[A photo of a child clad in Spongebob Squarepants pajamas, for some reason]
Found the solution: to remove yourself from this email chain, click here.
You’ll pry the reply-all button from my cold, dead hands.
God bless you, Time Inc. employees. But you belong to the chain now.