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What should I do (work email battle)
1ddqd
Registered User regular
Registered User regular
Background:
At work, we have 2 teams working staggered shifts (in order to ensure coverage). Currently, my team works 12pm-9pm Mon and Tues, then switches to 7am-4am for Wed and Thurs. Friday we all work 8-5pm. That switch is my team; we go home at 9pm (get home at 10 for me) and come back at 7am (wake up 6am). Those hours, frankly, suck.
To remedy this, a few friends and I brought this up with our manager and VP; they said take it to a vote. A friend of mine sent an email out to everyone asking for their opinions. A few people have decided they don't like the idea and have nicely asked to be removed from the conversation.
Here is what I sent out, (what I thought was) a logical response to an email I got previously:
However, today, I got this:
So, now I feel offended. Literally, she said it was the worst idea ever. That means worse than genocide, or baby-killing.
I need advice on taking this furher, diplomatically, but while pushing her buttons.
At work, we have 2 teams working staggered shifts (in order to ensure coverage). Currently, my team works 12pm-9pm Mon and Tues, then switches to 7am-4am for Wed and Thurs. Friday we all work 8-5pm. That switch is my team; we go home at 9pm (get home at 10 for me) and come back at 7am (wake up 6am). Those hours, frankly, suck.
To remedy this, a few friends and I brought this up with our manager and VP; they said take it to a vote. A friend of mine sent an email out to everyone asking for their opinions. A few people have decided they don't like the idea and have nicely asked to be removed from the conversation.
Here is what I sent out, (what I thought was) a logical response to an email I got previously:
Me wrote:Personally, I feel that going from 12-9pm then 7am-4pm is horrible; you barely have time to eat dinner before having to go to sleep - lunch at 3pm is not the same as dinner. I know Doug's team doesn't have such a drastic chance in their sleep schedule (on the contrary, they get the chance to sleep in when the schedule switches mid week) but hopefully they understand the point of this request.
On a more scientific note, the Center for Sleep Research has studies showing that eating a meal before bed will result in the loss of stages 3 and 4 (DEEP SLEEP) - 2 of the 5 stages of sleep. So according to the professionals, we need to eat 3 hours before bedtime. This means going to sleep at 12 midnight. That means, in my case, I'd be getting 5 and a half hours of sleep, which wasn't sleep to begin with, since I ate dinner and lost out on stages 3 and 4 (not recommended).
So, logically, we should not be held to strict standards on the days where our schedule switches from 12-9pm to 7-4am. We're simply not given enough time for proper food and sleep. We could either work the same shift for 4 days instead of switching back and forth in mid-week, or we could have 2 breaks the day before we switch from 12pm-9pm to 7am-4pm (one break for lunch, one for dinner). These are the only 2 logical conclusions I can come up with. I'm more curious as to why the shifts were split mid week in the first place
However, today, I got this:
from a girl that sits behind me. Right behind me! Like she couldn't just say "Hey I don't agree with this," in an email. She took it a step further.Girl Behind Me wrote:There is no way in hell that I would ever agree to this schedule. This is the worst idea that I have heard and will fight it.
So, now I feel offended. Literally, she said it was the worst idea ever. That means worse than genocide, or baby-killing.
I need advice on taking this furher, diplomatically, but while pushing her buttons.
1ddqd on
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You say you want to be diplomatic, but you get all offended and assume she thinks you're worse than a baby killer or something. Chill out.
Edit: Also, you've stated your case in an email and worded it fairly well. If she's honestly being a bitch about it don't worry to much because if it is a good idea then usually majority will rule.
Critical Failures - Havenhold Campaign • August St. Cloud (Human Ranger)
If you want to move forward with this you're going to have to try to hear everyone out. It could be this lady (and the others that have shown resistance to the idea) have made lifestyle or scheduling changes to accomodate the existing work schedule.
You should elicit from her what issues she has with your idea, and what scheduling changes she might like to see (or what scheduling changes she might not be so against). Say something like "OK, you hate my idea, but are you against any scheduling changes, is there a scheduling change or break policy you'd like to see?" Perhaps if you can come to terms with her, then you can re-posit the scheduling changes to everyone and see if they are OK with it. One vocally resistant colleague is going to deep6 any chance you got at effecting change (b/c to management, the status quo works).
I think it less important to try to justify your position with scientific opinion, and more important to get a general consensus on what scheduled hours are going to work out for everyone. It doesn't matter if you're "right", it only matters that you can get everyone to agree upon your changes.
Bring it up with a boss or someone as to why the groups have such an odd schedule. That thurs/fri jump there is particularly troublesome, IMO.
That being said, don't bother responding to her email. It's confrontational and not something you should be dealing with at all. You've made your suggestions to -- I assume -- the people who would actually implement a change. If they like it they'll do something about it. If everyone hates the idea and complains, then it's obviously not something other people care about. If this girl is the only one that complains, then it is unfortunately her problem to deal with it.
"No way in hell" is not an appropriate phrase to bandy around in email, especially if you are discussing schedules and aren't just shooting the shit with a coworker.
If it's peer-to-peer I think it's fine. It's not the tone you'd give to customers/clients, and perhaps not between vertical steps in the organizational chart. But different companies have different atmospheres, so whatever.
edit: granted, if it was a reply-to-all instead of a direct reply, then that was kinda bitchy, but I think within the norms of office politicking.
Even in terms of a direct reply it's unprofessional. It doesn't solve anything and just adds to workplace drama. I'd save said email incase further incidents arise so you have documentation.
Here's an idea: don't take anything written literally and learn to read what she means instead of what it could mean if you'd take it to extremes. She is using a hyperbole to make sure that everyone understands that she strongly disagrees with your suggestion. She isn't saying that your idea is worst than eating babies for dinner. If you want to go out of your way to feel offended by it, sure go ahead, I'm sure everyone just loves workplace drama.
Or you could mark het down as "disagreed" and go on. If she's the only one then clearly logic isn't her best friend, if more people disagree with you it's time to hear what they suggest. It's pretty obvious that these midweek shifts are crappy and it seems clear to me that higher-ups who, I guess, work normal office hours haven't thought about the whole thing at all.
This, however, is about a professional matter - work schedules. Saying "no way in hell would I ever..." is an inappropriate phrase when you are discussing a work-related subject. Even hyperbole, I would argue, is inappropriate in this context. You just don't say shit like this when you're talking about something related to work. If you want to email your coworker and say "no way in hell am I going to Bob's going away party he tried to hit on me last night omg what a jerk" or whatever well that's probably unwise but not necessarily inappropriate (though it may be anyway considering your work's email policy), but belittling someone with a legitimate work-related query with a phrase like that is wholly unacceptable. I've temped and permed at a enough companies to recognize that by now.
However, to respond to the OP again, I really cannot recommend a course of action because it depends on too many factors that only you are privy to and can judge properly. There is no correct course of action here that applies to all contexts. At my last job I would have immediately forwarded the girl's email to my boss. In fact, I did so in a similar situation. I forwarded the email and said "I find this highly inappropriate" and it was dealt with. Sometimes you have to do the hard thing. But sometimes it is unwise or impolitic to do so. I think you have every right to be offended but it may not be the smartest thing to make a stink about it and really none of us can help you make that decision...it solely and wholly depends on the atmosphere in your office/department including the relationship between all of your coworkers, their relationship with your boss, and your relationship with your boss and coworkers.
So my ultimate advice is to just be wise. And be wary of the idiot girl sitting behind you.
And turn your desk around... when she said she'll fight it she may have been speaking literally...
for example at the end be like : And if you think you ownership over the yellow one, you are sorely mistaken.
Yeah, and you wouldn't solve anything and only escalate stress at work and cause the possible involment of other people.
What? I think you're suggesting he be sarcastic/ironic or something (though it's hard to tell), but "be abraisive/agressive in return" is, I'm sorry, very bad advice. I've seen people get called to HR for this. I've had to testify to HR about something like this (I wasn't involved directly but coworkers in my vicinity were).
No no no no no. Eye for an eye tactics almost always backfire in the business world, at least if you leave a paper trail, and as far as most companies are concerned, email solely exists AS a paper trail.
I did mean it in a sarcastic way. I think he would escalate it in a way that Jim would from the office. Act serious about something that has nothing to do with the argument. Make her fight that eventually making her confused and looking stupid.
Me being offended is really just an excuse to play. I will be overly cautious in any company-based emails, that's for sure.
Stop looking for excuses to pick petty fights. Stop using the obviously hyperbolic rhetoric of someone you already seem to dislike (based on your opinion of her friends) to justify "playing" with office politics and trying to get her in trouble.
If you were actually offended by what she said, then the advice given here has been mostly sound: forwarding the email to your supervisor with a polite note would have been appropriate, and you wouldn't have had to worry about it anymore. But you're not offended by what she said, you're just looking for ammunition you can use to "push her buttons."
You're not asking for advice on how to wrap your head around her incomprehensible rejection of your brilliant schedule, you're just trying to portray yourself as the wounded victim here. Which you are not. Your schedule sucks, I'll give you that, but from the sound of things, most of your coworkers seem to be pretty OK with it.
What should you do about a work email battle? Not have one in the first place. Stop playing, stop picking fights, stop having fun at the expense of other people. You have a problem with your own work schedule? Take your sleep research data to your boss, and ask if you could come in a couple of hours later on Friday, and stay a couple of hours later Friday afternoon to make up for it. Or, better yet, find a job that entertains and challenges you enough to ensure that you don't resort to looking for an "excuse to play."
tl;dr: Your coworker's response was a bit out of line, but when did two wrongs start making a right? You're deliberately over-reacting to a minor issue for the sake of getting yourself some cheap lulz. Stop it.
That should be the end of it.
Sorry, I think I was giving advice for a problem different than what the OP was asking about. I missed the part about "pushing her buttons".
Seriously though, in my place of work, requiring a supervisor/manager to intervene in handling a petty conflict would be a strike against both concerned. My personal ire would be directed to the member who brought it to my attention (not fair, but honest).