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Business Etiquette
Eating Crow
A rookie mistake any savvy emailer could make
Ever make an email gaffe? I did.
And I’m having a panic attack.
I responded to an email from the village schnorrer asking for my marketing expertise for the local art show (read: no one else wanted to do it). The work is always voluntary, arduous, time-consuming — and perpetually unsatisfactory in her eyes.
My sanity is more than it’s worth.
Actually, that email came after her previous night’s 9pm call — which I didn’t answer; one, because it’s bad form to call after 9pm (or 8.57pm as the call was made); and two, the woman calling is a condescending pain, the type who’s momentarily nice when she wants something but is never content.
When I responded to the email on the first round, I didn’t respond to her. I forwarded it to my husband with a precursor of “no f*cking way” would I accept.
So why do I feel such guilt?
Because I was caught.
I eventually responded to her with a polite “no thank you” and added a consolation prize consisting of a nugget of people to contact. Unfortunately, I responded to her email not realising that my response to her was after that ‘f*cking’ email sent to my…
