How would you reply to this work email?
 

What follows is the closing paragraph of an email I received from one of my mid-level supervisors at work. In the first two paragraphs, she criticizes a writing project I had submitted for her review and editing. Here's how she closed:

For the record, I'm an attorney, and this has rendered me purt-near speechless.

Edited to add: In a tears-rolling-down-my-face-laughing-at-the-irony sort of way.

Point out her mistakes in the email in a response? Maybe she was having a bad day.

Is your supervisor a man or women? Just wondering.

Woman.

Please don't tell me she's an attorney too. I would send that to her supervisor for revision. I would think my 12 year old would have a better grasp of grammar. Not me though.

I would just print out the email and ask her what she wanted because you couldn't understand the request.

I would not reply with another email. Don't want to leave a paper trail or start a paper war.

I kinda thought your supervisor was a women by the tone of her email. "I cannot convey to you the depth of my disappointment in the drafts you submitted to me yesterday." See guys don't get disappointed, we just get piss off and guys don't send email like that, we will just go and have a talk with the other person.

She is an attorney, too. And a former teacher. Can you say "Peter Principle"? :)

I will not send this, but it hit me while I was taking out the trash just now, the response I wish I could send:

My work speaks for itself. So does yours.

THAT is the ideal response. Too bad you can't send it.

Unless you have had some other similar replies from her, I would say she is completely off base. While I'm certain she doesn't expect to be a babysitter I'm sure she has seen and read other things that you have written. What would prompt her to be so abusive in her critique of your work, any recent run-ins?? Sounds like she has a bug up her arse for you otherwise perhaps she is just an idiot.

I would imagine that what you submitted was good quality in your mind, how can there be such a misconnect in expectations?

Print and frame it on your office door.

Some people who are supervisors or bosses feels that they have to find mistakes with whatever their employees submits for them to review or they are not doing their job.

I had my share of bosses who spent not hours but days revising details on architectural drawings, and they wonder why the projects are never completed within the allocated hours.

I wonder how much time she spent on composing that email to you? Sounds like she's a micro manager.

Unattributed. And on the inside, where she will have no right to remove it.

Just curious, are you younger and better looking than she is?

Tom

I suspect I have a pretty accurate mental image of your supervisor. Give us some more details on where you work and how long you've been there, and how old the supervisor is. More than a few of us have navigated similar shoals. Maybe we can offer some advice. Some senior lawyers just think this is how you are supposed to treat junior attorneys. I expect she grew up in a firm somewhere where she was abused and now she thinks this is how she is supposed to act.

Slip some exlax into her coffee.

Boy, that's a loaded question. No respecting women let alone an attorney will give you an answer to that question.

Usually, I am more than happy to give advice, in situations like these though... it usually ends up with me hanging myself, therefore, I will keep my mouth shut... good luck though.....

what would Danny Crane do?

"Denny Crane, Hope you die.."

Better yet what would Danny Bonaduce do? :D