Message #65511

[spitfire78]

To me, rude is rude no matter what the reason.  I understand this person may be unhappy, depressed, and unappreciated.  But that is no reason to make everyone else around you unhappy, depressed, and unappreciated.  

I am a big believer in the philosophy that we are responsible for our own lives.  If he/she is not happy with their life, it is up to them to change it - to the extent they can.  Meanwhile, there is no cause to be rude to others - especially professionally.  He/she will never improve their professional situation by that type of an attitude.

It is difficult to address that type of a situation in an impersonal environment like e-mail.  Anything you say could be interpreted completely differently from the way you meant it.  If you truly feel this person is being unnecessarily rude, perhaps mentioning it to your manager is the way to go.  That leaves it in his/her hands to deal with as he/she sees fit.  You shouldn't be made to feel uncomfortable every time you need to communicate with this person.

Good luck - let us know what you decide to do and what happens.