Dear Prudence,
I work for a large behavioral health organization in admissions. I coordinate scheduling with the staff at one of the clinics, including one person who later became front-office manager. She has a rude way of responding to group emails with questions that might be directed at me, but she never addresses me directly the way others do when they ask for my assistance or even uses my name. It’s very weird for me, and I have taken to ignoring her in response, although it’s confusing to understand if she is even doing this on purpose. I do not know her well, but what I do know of her is not great. She announced loudly and aggressively in a meeting that “they” (meaning their clinic and front office staff) do not need “INTAKE” (a reference to me, I believe). Is there a more effective way for me to address her rudeness? I have tried addressing her by her name, but she does not seem to notice or change this way of doing things (like responding in kind as a typical person might do). The majority of my other interactions with clinicians and other staff are more polite, so she is also bucking the norm and seems to ignore these examples of better behavior. I have not been direct with her, due to not even being sure what she is trying to do, and also because I expect a bad reaction and do not want to waste my energy on her.
—Email Etiquette