Focus on what’s right for you. Ask yourself, “What am I accomplishing here? What will happen if I confront this person? What will happen if I don’t?”
Language or regional differences can cause miscommunications. When people try to use sarcasm or humor in an email, it is often misconstrued as rudeness. [4] X Research source
You could respond, “All of my reports are complete except the one that’s due tomorrow. Are you needing a draft copy for a project today?” Don’t demand to know what they mean or be curt. For example, don’t ask, “What’s that supposed to mean?” or “What are you trying to say?”
Say, “I had a follow-up thought about the project and thought it’d be easier to say it in person. Do you have a minute?” You could also say, “Your email suggested that the specs were supposed to be ready already, but the due date they sent me said they weren’t due until next week. Am I working off of the wrong timeline?”
For example, coworkers may sometimes make assumptions about your work habits. Don’t respond to an email that says, “It must be nice to get to take extra long lunches,” or “Everyone knows that your meetings don’t last all afternoon. ” As long as your manager knows the truth, you’re better off staying out of office drama.
Avoid being blunt in your response, as that can sound rude. [6] X Research source
After you write your response, set it aside for about an hour. If you know that you’re writing out of emotion, switch to a different task until you calm back down. Add the email address last to avoid accidentally sending it early. [8] X Research source
Choose one work-related topic to focus on.
For example, if the rude email asked about the status of a report, say, “Thanks for checking in. I received the new data this morning, so I’m updating my report. The new report will be available this afternoon. " This keeps the focus of the response on the work you were assigned and the progress of your project, not on your reaction to your rude coworker.
Don’t accuse them of being rude. Keep your feelings out of the email. Before you hit send, ask yourself if any part of the email is a defense of yourself.
Tell them if you feel that the contents of the email create a hostile work environment.
When deciding who to report the issue to, think about the politics of your office. As an example, if your manager is really close to the offending person, it might be best to go to HR.
Reporting the rude email(s) to HR will be the only way that anything can be done about your manager’s behavior toward you if it continues. You need to establish a record on file.
