With so many of us working remotely, email etiquette has never been more important. A study from The Daily Telegraph found that employees got 83% more stressed (an oddly specific number) when reading emails. So why not be the person who takes some of the egad out of emails by injecting a little e-levity into them?

Yes, the humor you use will vary depending on who you're sending it to. And no, you're not a comedy writer so don't try to be! (Do you know how much comedy writers get paid? Me neither, but I assume it's a lot!) Instead of going for the guffaws by trying to be funny, just go for the smiles by keeping things in a spirit of fun. Here are a few options: 

• Use catchy headlines. 35% of survey respondents said they open emails based solely on the subject line. So write catchy subject lines that make people want to read your email. Instead of "Update on the 2021 Financials" how about "Read What the Critics Are Saying About the Latest Numbers!" Instead of "Meeting Update" how about "Late Breaking News Shakes Up Our Next Meeting!"  Or, "3 and a Half Reasons This Email Matters!"  
• Include a humorous/upbeat salutation. "Dear homo sapiens," "Hello fellow mammals," "Greetings to my all time favorite client in the history of clients" or "To my favorite-est, nicest-smelling colleagues in the world."  
• Theme it! Reference whatever offbeat theme day it happens to be. "Happy International Goof Off Day everyone!" or "I hope you'll get to enjoy some bacon today, on official Bacon Day!"
• Punch it! Include the setup part of a joke and tell the email recipient they'll get the punchline once they've responded to your email.
• Offer funny options. "Please feel free to respond via email, phone, or interpretive dance" or "I have 3 and a half suggestions on how to..."
• Be quotable. Add a humorous thought of the day or quote to sign off with or embed one in your email signature: "Writing my name in cursive is my signature move!" or "I lost my friend’s audio book and now I’ll never hear the end of it!"
• Add a fun alternative job title to your email signature, such as these real life examples: "The Director of First Impressions," "The Queen of Fun and Laughter" or "The Manager of Vibe!"
• Tag it. Add a funny tagline or motto to your email signature: "Making our numbers rock, one spreadsheet at a time!"
• Many happy returns! Add some rah rah rah to your blah blah blah auto-responder. "I'm trapped in all-day Zoom meeting and I can't find the exit! I'll respond once they've let me out!"