Work email question

[MiloAndEddie]

If you were forwarded an email by someone where another member of staff had made an (unfair) disparaging remark about you, would you contact them about it? The person who made the comment I mean.

Depends what it was and who they had said it to.

Reply all

And state what actually happened.

Followed by a" if you have any queries please do not hesitate to discuss with me on Monday

They said it to their line manager and it was forwarded to me asking for an update on the situation

It sounds like a professional disagreement rather than a personal comment so I would address it professionally, either directly with them if appropriate or via my line manager if not.

Your line manager forwarded it to you asking for your version of events?

No, you only reply to your line manager answering their question.

In that situation, in any of my previous workplaces, I would pretend I'd never seen it.

In my current workplace, I'd have a face to face conversation with my line manager but we have a really good working relationship and I know he'd address it with the person in question (if he hadn't already).

I mean I'd pretend not to see the disparaging comment, not that I'd ignore the entire email.

The comment was calling me ‘a waste of time’

Their line manager forwarded me the email asking me for an update on the query without fully reading it I think

As another poster suggested, I would reply to the manager copying in the person who made the disparaging comment, but just to politely update on the query.

It'll make them squirm, knowing you've read their comment, and you keep your nose clean professionally.

“Which part are you asking me comment on, that I’m a waste of time or regarding the update?”

I'd do that, @CeramicMary

But I am now self employed, so might have quite different boundaries now than I did when an employee.

I wouldn't contact the person who made the comment. I'd raise it with my line manager - do you have a good relationship with yours?

If depends on your relationship with the person who's forwarded imo. Depending on which manager it was in my place, some I'd go for a 'waste of time - ouch' kind of comment followed by an update on the query - bonus points if the update can demonstrate how any delays are absolutely not your fault (top marks if it highlights its original employees fault!) If one I'm less close to/need to be more professional I'd probably go for a more passive aggressive 'sorry to hear X thinks I'm a waste of time' followed by an update as helpful as I could muster. May consider cc'ing in the other employee with approach 2 (not approach 1) but definitely wouldn't go to them directly