Ever receive an email signed off with “V/R” and had no clue what it meant? You’re not alone. It’s not the most common email closing. However, if you work with military personnel, government officials, or certain formal business sectors, you’ve probably come across it.
For those outside those circles, the abbreviation can be confusing. It isn’t intuitive like “Thanks” or “Best,” and without context, it can feel out of place or overly formal. It’s also a reminder that the sign-off is just one part of a larger opportunity: managing email signatures as a strategic, brand-aligned communication channel.
So, what does “V/R” stand for? It’s short for “Very Respectfully.” While this seems simple enough, there’s more to it than just formality.
Let’s break it down.
Why Do People Use "V/R" in Emails?
The phrase “Very Respectfully” has roots in military and government communication. It’s a quick, formal, and polite way to sign off an email, especially when writing to a superior or someone you want to show respect to.
Historically, “Very Respectfully” showed up in handwritten letters across the U.S. Navy and other military branches. It followed strict rules of protocol. Typically, junior officers would close correspondence to senior officers with “Very Respectfully,” while superiors might respond with simply “Respectfully.”
As communication shifted from paper to email, the formality stuck. “V/R” became a quick, digital shorthand, still carrying the same level of respect, but tailored for fast-paced inboxes.
Here’s when you’re likely to see it today:
- Military Emails: Service members often use “V/R” when emailing officers or high-ranking personnel.
- Government & Public Service: Common in emails from officials or professionals in structured environments.
- Formal Business Correspondence: Especially in industries with military ties, where formal sign-offs are part of the culture.
How Is "V/R" Different From Other Sign-Offs?
Think of “V/R” as the military’s version of “Best regards” or “Sincerely.” It’s short, professional, and straight to the point. Unlike “Warm regards” or “Best wishes,” it doesn’t carry any extra friendliness, just respect and formality.
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Should You Use “V/R” in Your Emails?
That depends. If you work in the military or government, using “V/R” might be expected. In other professional settings? Not so much. It can feel a little too formal, or even confusing, if the recipient isn’t familiar with it.
For example, customers might think a tech company offers virtual reality (VR) services if employees use “V/R” in their sign-offs. If the company doesn’t offer “VR,” it can come across as misleading.
Instead, try these alternatives based on your email’s tone:
- Professional: “Best regards,” “Kind regards”
- Formal: “Sincerely,” “Respectfully”
- Casual: “Thanks,” “Cheers”
- Expressing gratitude: “Much appreciated,” “Many thanks”
If you’re unsure, stick with something neutral like “Best regards.” It works in almost any situation.
Struggling to keep all your team members on the same page? Try using templates for your organization’s email signatures.
Why Your Sign-Off Matters
While “V/R” may not be the right fit for your organization, it brings up an important question: how can your sign-off reflect your company in a way that resonates with your audience? And leave a final impression.
The “peak-end rule,” which refers to the tendency people have to paint an entire experience based on the emotional high point or how it ended, is similar to an email signature sign-off. So, even after a great back-and-forth with potential customers, if your sign-off leaves them confused or uncomfortable, your chances of winning leads are slim.
How Tone Affects Engagement and Trust
The tone of your email signature sign-off sends a subtle message about how you communicate as a brand. A warm tone can help your team feel approachable. A more formal tone may convey seriousness or structure. What matters is choosing a style that matches both the audience and the intent of your message.
For example:
- A sign-off like “Thanks again” can soften a sales pitch.
- “Respectfully” might fit a legal or compliance-related discussion.
- “Best regards” works well in neutral professional exchanges across departments.
Inconsistent tone across departments can confuse recipients or dilute your brand identity. One part of your team might use friendly, casual closings while another leans overly formal. That inconsistency can feel disjointed.
When tone is chosen intentionally, your emails sound more cohesive and trustworthy. It’s a small choice with a measurable impact on how people perceive your team.
Sign-Offs in the Digital Age
As more conversations move to platforms like Slack, Zoom, and Microsoft Teams, the role of email has shifted. It’s no longer the main space for day-to-day chats. Emails are typically revered for formal requests, decisions, and relationship-building, which often happen. That makes the sign-off more important than ever.
While a casual message in Slack might not need a closing, an email still does. It signals intention, reflects tone, and sets expectations for follow-up. In hybrid and remote workplaces, where tone can easily be misread, a well-chosen sign-off helps fill in those gaps.
Sign-offs are evolving. Choosing the right one is now part of adapting to a workplace where communication is split across multiple tools, but consistency and clarity still matter.
Matching Your Sign-Off to the Context
The best sign-offs aren’t one-size-fits-all. They shift depending on who you’re talking to, what you’re writing about, and where the message is going.
Here’s a table to help keep your tone, industry, and communication channel all aligned.
Tone | Suggested Sign-Offs | Common Industries / Roles | Best for These Channels |
Formal | Very Respectfully, Respectfully, Sincerely | Military, Government, Legal, Compliance | External email, policy updates, formal memos |
Professional | Best regards, Kind regards | B2B SaaS, Finance, Healthcare, HR | Sales emails, executive reports, onboarding |
Neutral | Regards, All the best | Operations, Admin, Cross-functional teams | Internal updates, project check-ins, summaries |
Friendly | Thanks, Cheers, Take care | Marketing, Partnerships, Creative Teams | Intro emails, team intros, follow-ups |
Grateful | Much appreciated, Many thanks | Customer Success, Sales, Support | Client follow-ups, NPS outreach, thank-you notes |
5 Things to Consider When Choosing a Company Sign-Off
When we send emails, we ultimately want someone to take a specific action. Your email signature is prime real estate to encourage engagement, like scheduling a meeting, clicking on a social media icon, or simply replying.
Here are five things to consider when crafting a sign-off for your team:
1. Audience Expectations
Your audience determines how formal your sign-offs are. Are your recipients internal staff, external partners, clients, or government agencies? A Gen Z consumer likely won’t respond to a stiff corporate sign-off that an older, government worker would expect.
2. Industry Norms
In defense, legal, or government sectors, sign-offs like “V/R” or “Respectfully” are common. So, these are great sectors to test out V/R. But, fields like marketing or fashion present a chance to play with more creative sign-offs.
3. Tone of Communication
Match your sign-off to your brand’s tone of voice. If you’re an AI company that’s trying to steer clear of stuffy, technical jargon to appeal to non-technical decision-makers, more formal sign-offs may be a disconnect from previous touchpoints.
4. Consistency Across Departments
Without standardization, sign-offs can vary wildly, even within the same organization. If your email marketing team got you leads with very casual, friendly emails, and a sign-off like “Very Respectfully” from your sales team could be jarring.
5. Scalability with Signature Tools
When creating email signature sign-offs, think of what works well when built into centralized signature templates. The best options are short, respectful, and formatting-friendly across platforms.
You’ll thank yourself later if you make sign-offs scalable. Otherwise, your admin teams will be saddled with manually quality-checking every employee’s email to make sure they’re on brand.
How to Standardize Formal Sign-Offs Across Your Organization
Having consistent sign-offs helps reinforce trust and build credibility, especially in formal or regulated environments.
Here’s how to make it happen at scale:
Create Role-Based Signature Templates
Build email templates based on job function and communication style. An email sign-off that’s great for an external affairs officer may not make sense for someone in IT.
Educate Teams on Tone by Department
Create clear guidance on when to use formal closings versus more neutral ones. Basing the tone on the audience helps avoid mixed signals.
Use Signature Management Tools
With centralized tools, you can apply approved sign-offs, formatting, and contact info across Gmail and Outlook without worrying if each user will get it right. Tools like BulkSignature make it easy to create custom email signatures with unique sign-offs.
Tip: Standardizing a sign-off doesn’t mean removing personality.
Common Pitfalls When Standardizing Sign-Offs
Standardizing email signatures and sign-offs often sounds easier than it is. Organizations run into challenges that delay or derail the process.
Here’s what to watch for:
- Lack of clarity: Without clear guidelines, teams default to their own preferences, leading to inconsistent tone and formatting.
- Poor communication: If the reason behind the change isn’t shared, employees may view it as unnecessary or disruptive.
- Low buy-in: When departments don’t see how standardization supports their goals, adoption stalls.
- Overcomplication: Too many template variations or over-designed signatures create confusion and slow down deployment.
These problems are common, but avoidable with the right rollout plan and a strong email signature management platform.
How Bulk Signature Helps Solve Common Sign-Off Challenges
Rolling out consistent email sign-offs across a growing team can get messy fast. People interpret tone differently. Some departments go formal, others stay casual.
Then there’s the manual work of updating signatures, reminding teams, and hoping everyone follows the rules. It’s easy for the process to stall before it really starts.
Here’s how a program like BulkSignature makes email sign-offs simple:
Keeps Everyone on the Same Page
Instead of relying on each employee to manage their own sign-off, Bulk Signature puts control in the hands of your admins. Signature formats, contact details, legal language, and approved sign-offs are set once and applied everywhere.
Role-Based Templates
Your marketing team shouldn’t sound like legal. Bulk Signature lets you assign different templates by role, department, or region. That way, each department’s tone matches the message, every time.
This creates a much more unified and personalized experience for clients and partners who interact with different people throughout their journey.
Easy Adoption
Bulk Signature works directly with Google Workspace and Microsoft 365, signatures update behind the scenes. Employees don’t have to deal with disruptive onboarding, waste hours watching training videos, or change their current processes.
Campaigns Stay Consistent
If you need to shift tone for a product launch, fundraising round, or policy update, you can push temporary changes across the org. Then, when you’re ready to roll back, everyone’s signature defaults automatically when the campaign ends.
Not only is this a massive time saver, but it prevents damaging mistakes. You don’t want customers to click on discounts you’re no longer offering, or for potential clients to find outdated information.
Track What’s Working and Improve What’s Not
Built-in analytics show you which signatures and sign-offs are getting clicks, opens, or replies. You can spot inconsistencies early and fine-tune how your organization signs off. This gives your marketing and sales team delicious insights into how they can strengthen their initiatives.
For example, if animated banners are generating a lot of conversions, your design and marketing teams can double down on what’s working and adjust future campaigns with clarity.
Tie It All Together with a Strong Email Signature
“V/R” is just a formal, efficient way to close an email, especially in the military and government sectors. If you’re in those circles, it makes sense to use it. If not, you’re probably better off with a sign-off that feels more natural for your industry.
And if you’re rethinking your email signature altogether, consider adding more than just a sign-off. A good email signature should include:
- Your name and title (so people know who you are)
- Company name and website (if relevant)
- Contact details (email, phone, LinkedIn)
- A simple call-to-action (like “Book a call” or “Check out our blog”)
At the end of the day, an email signature is a part of your professional identity. No matter if you sign off with “V/R,” “Best,” or just your name, the goal is the same: leave a positive, respectful impression.
Ready to ditch the manual signature update? Book a demo to see how we keep every email signature looking professional.
Frequently Asked Questions About V/R in an Email Signature
Is “Very Respectfully” a military thing?
Yes. “Very Respectfully” (abbreviated as “V/R”) was originally used in military communication protocols. It’s used to show respect in written correspondence, especially from junior to senior ranks. The term has also been adopted in government and defense-related organizations.
What does VR after a name mean?
When “VR” appears after someone’s name in an email, it usually stands for “Very Respectfully” and is used as a formal sign-off. It’s common in military and government emails, especially in the U.S.
However, you’re in the UK, “VR” after a name can also mean “Volunteer Reserves.” This shows that the sender serves as a reservist in the British Armed Forces. Knowing who you’re email is important context for understanding the meaning of “VR” when used after a name, rather than an email signature sign-off.
What does RV mean in an email?
In email contexts, “RV” is not a common or standard sign-off. If you see it, there’s a good chance it’s a typo for “V/R” (“Very Respectfully”). But, depending on who you’re emailing, it could refer to something context-specific, like initials or project codes. When in doubt, it never hurts to ask. Clarity is always better than assumptions.