For decades, professional communication followed a familiar script: polite greeting, proper punctuation, tidy sign-off. Grammar wasn’t just correctness. It signaled credibility, care, and respect.
Then came Slack.
Today, a perfectly acceptable workplace message might read: “got it will review”
No caps. No period. No pleasantries. Just… efficiency.
For many Gen Z professionals this isn’t lazy—it’s logical. But for those raised on “Dear Richard” and “Best regards,” it can feel sloppy and incomplete. What’s happening isn’t really the death of grammar but the evolution of norms.
A new argot
Gen Z grew up communicating in real time—texts, DMs, comments, and chats. Their writing tends to mirror speech: fast, direct, and informal.
In this world speed often beats structure. Lowercase feels friendly. Minimal punctuation feels natural. These habits show up in workplace tools like Slack and Teams, where communication is less “compose and send” and more “type and go.”
When good intent gets lost in translation
Here’s where things get interesting (and occasionally awkward).
A senior leader might read “ok will do” as rushed, lazy, or disengaged. Meanwhile, a Gen Z employee might read a fully punctuated, three-sentence reply as stiff, stodgy, and overly formal.
These aren’t major conflicts, but they can add up to confusion about tone, intent, or professionalism. And they can color the way people view their colleagues.
Help your people bridge the grammar gap
Comms professionals can play an important role here. Help people understand that the platform is part of the message. Not all communication is created equal, and neither are the platforms we use. In most cases:
- Formal documents, executive communications, and external messaging require a more traditional style with full sentences and standard punctuation.
- Internal chats and quick updates lend themselves to a short, succinct, and informal style.
To be most effective, employees may need to toggle between styles throughout the day, adjusting their tone to suit the audience and context. Think of this as code-switching for the digital workplace. The key is knowing how to match the style to the message, audience, and channel.
In all cases, the priority remains unchanged: clarity.
- Does the message make sense?
- Is the intent clear?
- Does the audience know what to do next?
Sometimes “ok will do” isn’t careless. It’s just a fitting response in a busy digital workplace. Help the employees in your organization to understand when “ok will do” is ok—and when it isn’t.
Consider a short playbook for your employees that spells out best practices for different communication styles. The O’Keefe Group would love to partner with you on this (or any of your other employee communications needs).
