Is It Correct to Say “Looking Forward to Working With You”?

In today’s fast-paced business world, using the phrase looking forward to working with you is a powerful tool to shape professional image and convey positive impact. Is It Correct to Say “Looking Forward to Working With You”? A Complete Usage, Grammar & Professional Email Guide shows that when this phrase is applied correctly, it sets the tone, creates a polite, hopeful, and open impression, and fits many situations perfectly. Paying attention to grammar, formality, and usage ensures your messages don’t become commonplace but stand out in emails, networking conversations, team chats, or formal communications. Real-world examples confirm that correct usage is widely accepted, helping to build partnerships, follow-up meetings, and guide professional relationships effectively.

Choosing the right words can truly enhance communication, making each message feel personal, engaging, and meaningful. Exploring alternative phrases allows professionals to express enthusiasm with greater depth and sincerity, whether writing to colleagues, clients, or collaborators. Thoughtful word choices help connect meaningfully, build bridges, and foster warmth and anticipation. From my experience, well-chosen, heartfelt, and enthusiastic messages make writing stand out in emails, reports, or essays, enriching language, style, and professional connection.

When you notice this phrase in business-related discourses, context, sentence structure, and meaning matter. In formal professional settings, understanding etiquette, conventions, NLP, semantics, and clarity ensures your message is interpreted correctly. Correct grammar, syntax, writing rules, and linguistic subtleties are all covered by focusing on details, nuance, and analysis. For professional email writing, finding the right words, conveying warmth, thoughtfulness, and enthusiasm for new colleagues, partners, or projects is essential. Using this phrase strategically reflects intent, attitude, and helps foster rapport, strengthen bonds, and create welcoming environments for cooperative efforts, acknowledgment of past collaboration, and upcoming tasks or projects.

What “Looking Forward to Working With You” Actually Means in Professional Communication

This phrase expresses positive anticipation about future collaboration. When someone reads it, they hear:

• “I’m ready to get started.”
• “I’m optimistic about this.”
• “I value this relationship.”
• “I’m committed to moving forward.”

It strikes a balance between warmth and professionalism, which is why it fits well in emails across industries.

Why people use it so often

Your reader instantly understands the sentiment. It signals:

• Partnership instead of hierarchy
• Cooperation instead of pressure
• Motivation instead of hesitation

It helps set the tone for a smooth working relationship, especially when communication happens through email where tone can easily feel flat or cold.

When it adds clarity

This phrase is especially helpful when you’re:

• Confirming a collaboration
• Accepting an offer
• Acknowledging next steps
• Introducing yourself to a new teammate
• Welcoming a client or vendor

It removes guesswork and shows you’re ready to contribute.

The Grammar Behind “Looking Forward to Working With You”

Even though the phrase feels natural, many people use incorrect variations without realizing it. Let’s break it down.

Why “looking forward to” requires a gerund

The preposition “to” in this phrase is not part of an infinitive. It’s a preposition that must be followed by a noun or gerund (-ing word).

So:

• ✔ looking forward to working (correct)
• ✘ looking forward to work (incorrect)
• ✘ looking forward to work with you (incorrect)
• ✔ looking forward to collaboration (correct)

Structure of the phrase

Here’s the grammatical layout:

Component	Function
Looking forward	Present participle expressing anticipation
to	Preposition
working with you	Gerund phrase acting as a noun object

Correct vs. incorrect structures

Incorrect Use	Why It’s Wrong	Correct Version
“Look forward to work with you”	“work” is not a noun or gerund	“Look forward to working with you”
“Looking forward to work together”	“work” still not a gerund	“Looking forward to working together”
“I’m looking forward to collaborate”	“collaborate” is an infinitive, not a gerund	“I’m looking forward to collaborating”

Quick rule to remember

If it comes after “looking forward to,” it must be:

• a gerund: working, meeting, hearing, collaborating
• or a noun: partnership, progress, collaboration

This is the most common grammar mistake in professional emails, and fixing it instantly improves clarity.

When You Should Use “Looking Forward to Working With You”

This phrase fits perfectly in situations where cooperation is confirmed, expected, or mutually understood.

Ideal scenarios

• After someone accepts a proposal
  Example: A marketing consultant confirms a new project.
• When joining a new team
  Example: An employee responds to an onboarding email.
• When a client signs an agreement
  Example: A designer confirms receipt of a signed contract.
• When coordinating between departments
  Example: HR introduces a new service provider to IT.
• When a recruiter pairs you with a hiring manager
  Example: Before a scheduled collaboration or task.

Why these moments work well

Because the phrase:

• Signals readiness
• Reinforces commitment
• Sets a positive tone
• Helps eliminate awkwardness in early communication

Reader-friendly translation

When someone sees this phrase, they think:
“Great—this person is proactive and ready to contribute.”

When You Should Avoid This Phrase

Despite its usefulness, timing is everything. Using this phrase too early or in the wrong situation can feel presumptive.

Avoid it when:

• The collaboration isn’t confirmed
  For example, during a negotiation or before a contract is signed.
• You’re responding to a rejection
  It can come off as tone-deaf.
• You’re sending a complaint, escalation, or dispute email
  The tone doesn’t match the message.
• The message requires neutrality or distance
  Such as legal notices, compliance messages, or formal warnings.
• The recipient hasn’t committed yet
  For example: “Looking forward to working with you” in an application email can feel premature.

Why it can feel wrong

• It presumes agreement.
• It may pressure the recipient.
• It risks sounding generic.

Better suited alternatives for these cases

Use phrases like:

• “I hope we have the chance to collaborate.”
• “I look forward to hearing from you soon.”
• “Please let me know how you’d like to proceed.”

These maintain professionalism without assuming commitment.

Formality Levels Explained

Different workplaces and cultures interpret tone differently. Using the right level of formality helps your message land better.

Ultra-Formal

Use this tone for government, legal, diplomatic, or enterprise-level communications.

• “I look forward to the opportunity to work with you.”
• “I anticipate a productive collaboration.”

Standard Professional

Best for common corporate communication, onboarding, proposals, and interdepartmental work.

• “I’m looking forward to working with you.”
• “I look forward to working with you on this project.”

Casual / Colleague-Friendly

Ideal for internal teams or creative fields.

• “Can’t wait to work with you on this!”
• “Looking forward to teaming up!”

What Tone the Phrase Creates

“Looking forward to working with you” conveys a balanced, optimistic tone.

Tone elements this phrase triggers:

• Warm and approachable
  It makes you sound human, not robotic.
• Cooperative and team-oriented
  It shows that you see yourself as part of the solution.
• Motivated
  It signals energy without sounding aggressive.
• Confidence without arrogance
  You’re not begging or pushing—you’re simply positive.

Cultural considerations

In many countries, the phrase is standard, but some cultures:

• Prefer more formal closings
• See overly warm closings as unprofessional
• Expect hierarchical communication styles

In global settings, adapt your email tone based on organizational culture rather than nationality alone.

What This Phrase Reflects About You

Whether you realize it or not, people subtly judge you based on your closing lines.

This phrase shows that you are:

✔ Confident

You believe the collaboration will move forward successfully.

✔ Professional

You understand typical workplace communication standards.

✔ Cooperative

You value teamwork and shared goals.

✔ Approachable

You come across as friendly and easy to communicate with.

✔ Reliable

You commit to follow-through and positive engagement.

How different roles interpret it

Role	Interpretation
Recruiter	“This person wants to collaborate.”
Manager	“They’re ready to get started.”
Client	“They’re eager and professional.”
Colleague	“They’re friendly and approachable.”

Cautions and Misconceptions

Even though the phrase is correct, here are things to watch out for.

It can sound generic if overused

People often skim over phrases they see too often.

It may feel presumptive if used too early

Never assume a partnership before confirmation.

It can weaken impact when used in every email

Reserve it for moments that truly call for anticipation.

Some people misuse the grammar

Incorrect variations make you look less professional.

Avoid pairing it with a cold or aggressive message

Tone mismatch confuses the recipient.

Real Email Examples (Correct & Incorrect)

Here are real-world examples you can adapt instantly.

Correct Examples

Client onboarding

Thank you for sending the signed agreement. I’ll begin setting up your project timeline today.
Looking forward to working with you on this launch.

New team introduction

I appreciate the warm welcome. Please feel free to reach out as we coordinate next week’s deliverables.
Looking forward to working with everyone.

Job acceptance

I’m excited to join the team and contribute to the new initiatives.
Looking forward to working with you.

Incorrect Examples and Fixes

Incorrect	Why It’s Wrong	Corrected Version
“Looking forward to working with you.”	“work” isn’t a gerund	“Looking forward to working with you.”
“I look forward to working with you soon.”	Same issue	“I look forward to working with you soon.”
“Looking forward to working with you?”	Sounds unsure	“Looking forward to working with you.”
“I’m looking forward to working with you!!!”	Too emotional	“I’m looking forward to working with you.”

Strong Alternatives to “Looking Forward to Working With You”

Sometimes you want a twist, stronger impact, or different tone.

Formal Alternatives

• “I look forward to our collaboration.”
• “I look forward to partnering with you.”
• “I anticipate working closely with your team.”

Professional / Neutral

• “I’m excited to get started with this project.”
• “I look forward to contributing to this work.”
• “I’m glad we’ll be collaborating on this.”

Warm / Friendly

• “Excited to team up on this!”
• “Really looking forward to working together.”
• “Happy to be partnering with you.”

Concise

• “Looking forward to this.”
• “More soon—excited to get started.”
• “Talk soon.”

Creative but appropriate

• “Ready to hit the ground running.”
• “Let’s create something great together.”

How This Phrase Helps Build Professional Relationships

This phrase is far more than a polite closing line. It builds rapport, trust, and momentum.

Here’s how it strengthens relationships:

• It humanizes digital communication
  Emails can feel cold; this phrase warms them up.
• It sets a positive expectation
  People feel more comfortable working with someone encouraging.
• It reduces friction
  Your recipient understands your intention quickly.
• It builds psychological safety
  A positive tone encourages open collaboration.

Why tone matters in the workplace

Work relationships thrive when communication feels:

• Clear
• Respectful
• Positive
• Predictable

This simple phrase checks all four boxes.

Quick Facts to Clarify Common Confusion

Topic	Quick Fact
Grammar	“to” must be followed by a gerund
Professionalism	Accepted across industries
Global usage	Common in US, UK, EU, Australia, Asia
Email etiquette	Best used after confirmation
Variations	“Look forward to working with you” is equally correct
Synonyms	collaborating, partnering, teaming up

Common Mistakes to Avoid

Watch out for these common errors that weaken your message.

Grammar mistakes

• Using “work” instead of “working”
• Incorrect capitalization
• Omitting context before using the phrase

Tone mistakes

• Sounding overly formal in a casual setting
• Sounding overly casual in a formal setting
• Using the phrase before agreement is confirmed

Writing mistakes

• Using it in every single email
• Pairing it with a negative message
• Relying on it instead of adding value to your email

How to Craft the Perfect Email Closing With This Phrase

A strong closing feels natural and purposeful. The best closings follow a structure.

Structure of a polished closing

• Restate the value or next step
• Add the closing phrase naturally
• Choose a matching sign-off
• Add your signature

Example

I’ll prepare the initial draft and send it for review by Thursday.
Looking forward to working with you on this.

Best regards,
Maya Lopez
Project Manager, BrightScale Media

Key tips for better closings

• Match tone with the rest of the email
• Keep the sentence short
• Avoid overusing exclamation points
• Use a sign-off that complements your relationship

Sample Sign-Offs That Use the Phrase Correctly

Formal

• “Looking forward to working with you.
  Kind regards,”
• “I look forward to working with you on this matter.
  Sincerely,”

Professional

• “Looking forward to working with you.
  Best regards,”
• “Looking forward to working with you on this project.
  Warm regards,”

Friendly

• “Looking forward to working with you!
  Cheers,”
• “Can’t wait to get started.
  Thanks again,

Multi-sentence closings

Thanks again for trusting me with this project. I’ll share the initial progress soon.
Looking forward to working with you.

Best,
Evan

Conclusion

Using the phrase looking forward to working with you correctly can elevate your professional communication. It is more than just words; it is a tool to convey enthusiasm, professionalism, and readiness for collaboration. Paying attention to grammar, context, and formality ensures that your messages are clear, polite, and well-received. Thoughtful word choices help build rapport, foster positive impressions, and strengthen professional relationships. With consistent practice and awareness, even tricky situations in emails, meetings, or networking conversations can be handled confidently, leaving a lasting, positive impact on colleagues, clients, and collaborators.

Faqs

Q1: When is it appropriate to use “Looking Forward to Working With You”?

You should use it when ending emails or messages to express enthusiasm for collaboration, especially in professional settings, team projects, or client communications. It signals readiness, positivity, and a professional attitude.

Q2: Can this phrase be used with colleagues or only with clients?

It can be used with both colleagues and clients, as well as collaborators and partners. The key is ensuring it fits the tone of the email or message and matches the formality of the situation.

Q3: How do I make my email more personal while using this phrase?

You can add context-specific details, reference projects or tasks, and combine it with thoughtful words. This makes the message feel personal, engaging, and heartfelt, without losing professionalism.

Q4: Is it correct to use this phrase in formal emails?

Yes. When used correctly, it is widely accepted in formal emails. Make sure your grammar, tone, and sentence structure are correct to maintain politeness and clarity.

Q5: What are common mistakes to avoid when using this phrase?

Avoid overusing it, placing it in the wrong context, or pairing it with informal language in formal correspondence. Also, ensure proper grammar and syntax so your intent and enthusiasm are clear.