How to ask a colleague for help

When you ask a colleague for help, put everything in the first message: what you're working on, the exact problem, how much of their time you need, and when. "Do you have 10 minutes this afternoon to look at the pricing table with me?" is easy to answer. "Hi, are you there?" is not.

The messages

Copy a message, then replace the parts in [square brackets] with your own details.

Formal

For someone in another team, someone senior, or someone you've never worked with.

Hi [Name], I hope you're well. I'm [your name] from [team], working on [the October launch]. I'm stuck on [how the discount codes are calculated], and [Colleague] said you know this part best.

Would you have 15 minutes this week to look at it with me? If you're busy, a link to the right document would also really help.

Neutral

For a teammate you work with every week.

Hi [Name], could you help me with something quick? I'm trying to [export the report] and I keep getting [an error about missing dates]. Do you have 10 minutes this afternoon?

Casual

For a close teammate, in the team chat.

Hey, do you know how to [merge these two sheets]? I've been going around in circles for an hour.

Why this works

• The context comes first. Your colleague can decide in five seconds if they can help. Many people don't answer a lonely "Hi" until they know what it's about.
• The time is small and specific. "15 minutes" sounds easy to give. "Can you help me?" sounds like it could be all afternoon.
• There's an easy way out. "If you're busy, a link would also help" makes the request polite. People say yes more often when no is easy.
• The formal version says who sent you. "[Colleague] said you know this part best" explains why you're writing to a stranger.

Saying thank you after

A short thank-you, with what changed, makes people happy to help again:

Thanks so much for your help with [the export] earlier. It's working now, and the report went out on time.

To make the thanks visible, copy their manager or say it in the team channel: "Big thanks to [Name] for fixing the export today."

Common mistakes

"I have a doubt." In Indian English, and for speakers of Spanish (tengo una duda) and Portuguese (tenho uma dúvida), doubt means question. For most native speakers, a doubt means you don't believe something.

• ✗ I have a doubt about the report.
• ✓ I have a question about the report.

"Can you explain me?" Explain needs "to" before the person, and the thing usually comes first.

• ✗ Can you explain me how this works?
• ✓ Can you explain to me how this works? / Can you show me how this works?

"Please do the needful." It's common in Indian offices, but it doesn't say what you need. Readers outside India often find it confusing or old-fashioned.

• ✗ Please check the attached file and do the needful.
• ✓ Could you check the totals in the attached file and correct any mistakes?

More on these: Indian English phrases at work and common mistakes Spanish speakers make. If the answer is slow to come, see following up politely.