Dear Staff?

Question

As an administrative officer, i am receiving quiet a lot email address to "Dear Staff". When I learnt to write a letter, normally address the people you are not sure as "Dear Officer, Dear Sir/Madam, or To Whom May Concern", never heard "Dear Staff", I do think it is not very polite way. Am I overthinking?

Clive · Accepted Answer

Here's how I see it.

Dear Staff sounds reasonable to me for an email that is sent to all members of the staff.

Dear Officer sounds a bit odd to me.
Dear Sir/Madam seems excessively formal.
To whom it may concern is only used in some rare contexts, eg a letter of reference.

As you know, the 'standard' salutation is Dear Mr Smith or Dear Tom.

Emails are not letters in the traditional sense. In my experience, emails from colleagues often have no salutation at all, and just get straight to business.

Clive

Dear Staff?

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