lost in communication with colleagues 2

[coldmountain]

hi all,

I am a starter in a relatively big company, quite often I got confused in communication with my colleagues here. Can you help me to understand if the below email is a joke or truely insult?

The context is that I was under the impression that my collegue was going to do sth, and sent him an email to ask if he did it already.

What do you read in this email? How should I respond?

Thanks.


==========

Are you crazy? Do you need your head examined? He he and merry xmas.

Seriously,

I need to talk to you about this, and will call you shortly.

==========

 

[monkeydog]

You have been given a clue that your co-worker is going to call you between Christmas and New Years. Other wise he/she would have said "merry xmas and happy new year" (unless you are in Canada, then he/she would have said happy boxing day).

You are to sit tight until the week between Christmas and New Year, then you will be given further instructions.

 

[heieup]

First thing. CHILL OUT ! This is a definetly jokey email and this is how I would read it.

You : have you done this thing ?

Them : ha ha ha, not a hope, but don't worry too much about it at the moment. I'll give you a call to explain the situation, then we can discuss.

Your reply is quite curt, and would be perceived at best as a lack of any kind of sense of humour and at works as uppity from a new starter. If its REALLY burning you up like it sounds it is, go and see them or ring them up to clarify now. Otherwise don't worry about it and wait for them to ring.

 

[ivymike]

I'd just call up (on the phone, with real voices instead of text) and say "okay, I don't get it. What's up?"

 

[TomFin]

One of the downfalls of email is they are often misconstrued because they are read out of context. Suspicions and presumptions from your sub-conscious are actively interpreting or setting the mood of the letter. So if you've felt in the past that he is offensive you probably will tend to interpret the context in this offensive manner. If it is difficult to objectively translate the the email, then I'd suggest you converse with him/her face to face and set a sincere tone that will promote a sincere reaction.
Body language is sometimes easier to read than email.


Failure is a prerequisite of successful design

 

[HgTX]

So...what happened?

Hg


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