I am a junior manager in my team and have an important role in the training, development and coordination aspects of my direct team.
Within my team, we are all good friends and we often plan things outside work as well, from trips out of town to museum or theater visits. And the overall company culture is very informal.
A more senior employee from a different team (we have hung out with her as well, though less often) wrote me an e-mail asking for information which one of my newest recruits knew about.
Now, this senior employee and my new recruit have something very noticeable in common, e.g. like being the only two in the company from a certain town (I am slightly changing the true story for privacy reasons, but it should have the same message).
I replied to both in CC, mentioning, in a completely neutral and intention-less manner "...for more information you can from now on rely on your fellow townswoman."
The senior employee replied that all was fine, and at the end of the her e-mail she wrote a P.S.: "You don't say fellow townswoman. That's wrong English. You say fellow citizen."
I double-checked an online dictionary, and replied to her a quoted a passage with the definition for "townswoman", showing that it was not wrong English.
Again, she replied:"Townswoman is incorrect English."
I thought she didn't rely on my source, or that she didn't read properly, so I checked another dictionary and sent her that definition as well.
I always put nice smileys in my messages.
The senior employee replied:"Is this some sort of joke? I don't find this funny, and have other things to worry about."
My new recruit seemed a bit nervous at that point. And I was upset, too, because I didn't even fully grasp what was going on.
I later explained the story to other colleagues to ask for advice and they all blamed me for "provoking" her, for trying to be a "know-it-all" and for "not stopping".
I am incredibly upset and feel wronged by this situation, especially because I truly had only innocent intentions, and hadn't even THOUGHT about provocation or showing knowledge. I REALLY REALLY REALLY still cannot understand what was wrong about what I did!
The only explanation I have: work makes people misunderstand such tiny things and drives them crazy.
Yet, I currently feel very alone as I cannot force myself to admit a fault that I don't even fully understand why it is mine.
Within my team, we are all good friends and we often plan things outside work as well, from trips out of town to museum or theater visits. And the overall company culture is very informal.
A more senior employee from a different team (we have hung out with her as well, though less often) wrote me an e-mail asking for information which one of my newest recruits knew about.
Now, this senior employee and my new recruit have something very noticeable in common, e.g. like being the only two in the company from a certain town (I am slightly changing the true story for privacy reasons, but it should have the same message).
I replied to both in CC, mentioning, in a completely neutral and intention-less manner "...for more information you can from now on rely on your fellow townswoman."
The senior employee replied that all was fine, and at the end of the her e-mail she wrote a P.S.: "You don't say fellow townswoman. That's wrong English. You say fellow citizen."
I double-checked an online dictionary, and replied to her a quoted a passage with the definition for "townswoman", showing that it was not wrong English.
Again, she replied:"Townswoman is incorrect English."
I thought she didn't rely on my source, or that she didn't read properly, so I checked another dictionary and sent her that definition as well.
I always put nice smileys in my messages.
The senior employee replied:"Is this some sort of joke? I don't find this funny, and have other things to worry about."
My new recruit seemed a bit nervous at that point. And I was upset, too, because I didn't even fully grasp what was going on.
I later explained the story to other colleagues to ask for advice and they all blamed me for "provoking" her, for trying to be a "know-it-all" and for "not stopping".
I am incredibly upset and feel wronged by this situation, especially because I truly had only innocent intentions, and hadn't even THOUGHT about provocation or showing knowledge. I REALLY REALLY REALLY still cannot understand what was wrong about what I did!
The only explanation I have: work makes people misunderstand such tiny things and drives them crazy.
Yet, I currently feel very alone as I cannot force myself to admit a fault that I don't even fully understand why it is mine.