8 Ways To Send An Email On Behalf Of Your Boss (+ Samples)

Let’s imagine that your boss has tasked you with sending an email on their behalf. You might be a bit concerned that you won’t be taken seriously, and that’s okay. This article will show you the best wording for such cases and how you can make it work.

1. Write It As Yourself

Sometimes, it’s best to avoid mentioning your boss completely. If you don’t want to show that your boss has tasked you with sending an email on their behalf, it’s always better to write it as yourself.

In fact, there are plenty of positives to this. It shows that you’re diligent and have a good work ethic. It also shows your boss that you’re confident enough to take the backlash (if you’re emailing about bad news).

Above all that, though, it’s good practice to only send emails you’ve written yourself. Unless your boss has given you a word-for-word email to send to others, you should probably look into writing one yourself.

• Dear team,
• I would like to ask you to come to my office to discuss a few things that we need to go over.
• Thank you,
• Ryan

• Dear all,
• I am writing to find out whether anyone would be happy to come to work on Saturday.
• I look forward to hearing from you,
• Jack

2. CC Your Boss

CC’ing your boss is the next step up from the previous section. It’s still ideal to write it from your own perspective (as if the boss hasn’t asked you), but it’s also wise to CC your boss to make sure they can see what you’ve written.

That way, if they need to take over at any point, they have the full email that you wrote out at their disposal.

• To: Workplace
• CC: Boss
• Dear all,
• I am writing to find out whether anyone can come in to discuss this matter over the weekend. It’s very important we get this sorted.
• All the best,
• Josephine

3. “I Have Been Tasked With”

“I have been tasked with” is the first way we can directly state that our boss gave us the orders to send an email. We do not have to refer to the boss by name directly, but it’s usually implied through the context of the email.

This works well without having to worry about CC’ing your boss in. It’s also effective if you’re worried about how people might receive the email. If it contains particularly hard-to-take information, you might want to divert the negative responses back to your boss.

Of course, this comes with some problems. After all, your boss has put you in charge of emailing for them for a reason. They clearly trust you with delegation and conflict resolution.

It’s probably best to show that you are in control, and “I have been tasked with” doesn’t always allow you to have this control.

• Hey guys,
• I have been tasked with finding a group of people to start working on this project. Do I have any immediate volunteers?
• Thank you for your time,
• Christopher

• Dear all,
• I have been tasked with liaison in this matter. Is there anything that you’d like to raise with me that I can report back?
• All the best,
• Mitchell

4. “(Boss Name) Has Asked Me To”

“(Boss name) has asked me to” is a simple one. This time, we can use the boss’s name directly to show that we have direct orders from higher up. This will let people know that we are writing on their behalf, but it’s important to word it correctly.

You don’t want to word this one in a way that makes you seem resentful to be asked:

• Mr. Harris has asked me to discipline you, but I’m not happy about it.

If a message like this gets back to your boss, you could also be in trouble.

You’ll want to make sure you’re still a voice of authority if you do use this opener in your emails on behalf of your boss.

• Dear Michael,
• Mrs. Bridgerton has asked me to inform you of the meeting change. We have a few different things we need to discuss.
• All the best,
• Sandra

• Hey Tom,
• Mr. Anderson has asked me to put together a list of all the people involved. Would you care to give me a full account of the events?
• Thank you so much,
• Harriet

5. Ask How Your Boss Wants You To Word It

Before anything else, it might be wise just to refer back to your boss. If they’ve asked you to fill out an email on their behalf, they might have a particular idea already in mind about how they want you to word it.

It could be useful to ask how they want you to direct the email. That way, you’re ensuring that you don’t make any rookie errors in your delivery.

If your boss is looking for you to create an authoritative email, then they’ll let you know that you need to speak with conviction. Similarly, if they’re only looking for you to update your colleagues, you might be able to speak with a less powerful tone.

There are plenty of ways you can word an email on behalf of your boss.

Let’s pretend we have this example:

• Dear Michael,
• I would like for you to take control of the project team going forward. Can you email them to let them know?
• Thank you,
• Mr. Smith

So, this is the email Michael receives from his boss. Michael might then choose to ask the following:

• Dear Mr. Smith,
• Thank you for the opportunity. What would you like me to say in the email?
• All the best,
• Michael

Now, Michael has double-checked with his boss to make sure he words the email correctly. This is going to help him set up a more confident communicative channel with his colleagues when he finally sends the email.

6. “(Boss Name) Has Assigned Me To”

You can use your boss’s name again in this variation. “Assigned” and “asked” are fairly similar when looking at a business context. However, “assigned” makes it seem like there’s more pressure on the job, and you might get more of a response when using it.

• He assigned the task to me.
• He asked me to do the task.

These two sentences are nearly identical from a business perspective. You might be able to tell that “assigned” comes with a bit more merit. It makes it seem like your boss has actually put you in charge of the situation, which helps when writing emails for them.

It’s also an easy way to start an email that covers the point straight away.

• Dear colleagues,
• Mrs. Winter has assigned me to this task, so you’ll have to direct all your questions to me if there’s anything you’d like to know.
• Thank you,
• Paul

• Hey guys,
• Martin has assigned me to head this operation. I want you to know that I’ll be here to answer any questions if you need me.
• Kind regards,
• Julietta

7. “Effective Immediately” From The Boss

“Effective immediately” is a good phrase that your boss should use in an email. Before they’ve even given you the task of writing an email for them, it makes sense for them to show other people that you have been assigned with the task.

Rather than you having to worry about getting everyone’s respect, you can get the boss to sort that for you.

There’s always a worry that people won’t listen to you or respect your authority when writing on behalf of your boss. It’s made even harder if you’re in the same position or paygrade as them (since they won’t believe you’re a superior).

That’s why it’s best for your boss to cut out the middle man, even if they only do it with a quick email. That will help everyone in the office to understand that you’ve been put in charge of a specific situation.

• Dear team,
• Effective immediately, Dean will be taking charge of these accounts, and he’ll write to you regarding the situation.
• Kind regards,
• Mr. Harrison

• Dear colleagues,
• Effectively immediately, Maria will be overseeing this project. She’ll write to you with further details.
• All the best,
• Mr. Hodgkin

8. “Until Further Notice” From The Boss

Again, it’s always better for your boss to make sure other people know that you’ve been put in charge of communicating something. That way, they’ll be more inclined to respect your authority when you inevitably have to send an email on your boss’s behalf.

Cutting out the middle man is a helpful way to make sure you’re getting the most out of your emails with colleagues.

It’s best to not have to explain why the boss put you in charge of certain emails. This way, you can make sure that everyone will listen to what you have to say without question.

• Dear team,
• Until further notice, I’m putting Ben in charge of this. You may refer to him when you need help.
• Yours,
• Jonathan Winters

• Hey team,
• Until further notice, Sarah will be emailing you about our one-to-one meetings. Please listen to what she has to say.
• Kindest regards,
• Mr. Winkler