A work associate of mine always starts her emails out by saying “I need . . .” As in, "I need you to do a,b,or c". I find this to be extremely rude, as if I'm being ordered, not asked. Am I being overly sensitive? I appreciate directness and all, but I would much prefer “Could you?”, “Would you?” “Will you?” when being asked to do something. In this case I’m usually being asked to fix a mistake that this particular individual (who is not my superior) made, which is why it gets under my skin all the more. A simple “please”, and “thank you” go a long with me, but those words never figure into the equation either. I see this a lot with emails ~ have we forgotten basic etiquette? It really, really irks me. Anyone else?
Perhaps I should post this up in my work area, as a "subtle" reminder:)
2 comments:
Why don't you gently point it out to her? She probably does not even realize that she's doing it... and will likely appreciate your bringing it up!
Courtesy goes a long way. I believe in "please" and "thank you". Those two phrases can get you out of lots of sticky situations. You could say, "Of course I'll help you out of this mess. You are welcome." The implication being she should be grateful for your assistance.
Post a Comment