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My Supervisor at work Used caps to put EMPHASIS on things I shouldn't do as critique. Should I let her know she's basically raising her voice at me?

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The Albatross

The Albatross

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Oct 25, 2017
39,098
There's a tone in using caps for sure, but it's probably best to leave this alone. Your supervisor has every right to emphasize something with you as your supervisor. It's one of those things that makes me grind my gears and pisses me off, but usually if I just walk away from it for a half hour, I'll feel better about it, take the feedback and try to just act on it.

IF she does this a lot and if it's hurting her team and productivity she'll probably get that as negative feedback from HER supervisor.
 
MagicHobo

MagicHobo

Member
Oct 27, 2017
1,602
She clearly has no respect for you. I mean, offering to critique an interns work sent over on a friday and having the audacity to format it with caps? What was she thinking? Clearly nothing good. I wouldn't even escalate this to HR, just ghost out of the situation for your own safety.
 
Avitus

Avitus

Member
Oct 25, 2017
12,929
Bran-dono said:
It's tricky to be sure, but I'm also an intern, and don't want to come off as a doormat.

I also need to be careful, as I can be scathing and don't want to get myself in trouble.

Edit: Shadow222, yeah that's what I also considered.
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Interns are doormats.

Sounds like you just need to learn to let certain things slide.
 

Deleted member 33533

Banned
Nov 17, 2017
12,864
It's super rude and unprofessional but it's not worth making a whole thing about it mostly because it will create a hassle for you as opposed to them. If it becomes a regular thing, you can mention it casually.


Video Games Are Dumb said:
She probably has problems with people NOT READING her emails and is tired of getting questions she already ANSWERED in the email.

Heck I do it on this forum because people seriously DONT READ.
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Eh, it's still super unprofessional. It comes off as if you believe you're above the person and are looking down at them as some sort of idiot baby. There are definitely ways to emphasize the importance of things in a work email without coming off super condescending.
 
Video Games Are Dumb

Video Games Are Dumb

Banned
Oct 25, 2017
6,033
Milwaukee, WI
SuperiorTrashTalk said:
It's super rude and unprofessional but it's not worth making a whole thing about it mostly because it will create a hassle for you as opposed to them.



Eh, it's still super unprofessional. It comes off as if you believe you're above the person and are looking down at them as some sort of idiot baby. There are definitely ways to emphasize the importance of things in a work email without coming off super condescending.
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I dunno chief, I get work emails all day like that and I've never taken it as personal blow to my self worth.
It's just conveying important information, no different than an instruction manual.
 
jaekeem

jaekeem

Member
Oct 27, 2017
3,743
Not worth getting into a workplace argument over something that might just be how she emails. Esp not as an intern

it would be another thing if she yelled at you over the phone
 

Deleted member 33533

Banned
Nov 17, 2017
12,864
Video Games Are Dumb said:
I dunno chief, I get work emails all day like that and I've never taken it as personal blow to my self worth.
It's just conveying important information, no different than an instruction manual.
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Instruction manuals are written to be clear and easy to understand by the widest range of people as possible. This is not an instruction manual though, it's an email being sent specifically to a person whose capabilities you should be aware of. Just because you choose not to take it personally, doesn't mean it's not rude.

I have on coworker who does this to me. They are in a different department but I provide services to their department as part of my job. She's always typing things out like "Have this done TODAY" or "PLEASE have this done THIS WAY". She doesn't need to emphasize those things, she can just write them because I can read. It's not like I have a history of misreading and messing up requests. Similarly, when I send something to another department that I need them to return to me after working on, I simply type "Please send this back to me when it's finished." and not "Please SEND THIS BACK TO ME WHEN IT'S FINISHED".
 
Mudcrab

Mudcrab

Avenger
Oct 26, 2017
3,415
Oh you're an intern?

Definitely start a fight over this and assert your dominance just in case your assumption is correct.
 
Video Games Are Dumb

Video Games Are Dumb

Banned
Oct 25, 2017
6,033
Milwaukee, WI
SuperiorTrashTalk said:
Instruction manuals are written to be clear and easy to understand by the widest range of people as possible. This is not an instruction manual though, it's an email being sent specifically to a person whose capabilities you should be aware of. Just because you choose not to take it personally, doesn't mean it's not rude.

I have on coworker who does this to me. They are in a different department but I provide services to their department as part of my job. She's always typing things out like "Have this done TODAY" or "PLEASE have this done THIS WAY". She doesn't need to emphasize those things, she can just write them because I can read. It's not like I have a history of misreading and messing up requests. Similarly, when I send something to another department that I need them to return to me after working on, I simply type "Please send this back to me when it's finished." and not "Please SEND THIS BACK TO ME WHEN IT'S FINISHED".
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Well, you should talk to her if it's effecting you.
 
bananab

bananab

Member
Oct 27, 2017
2,866
Interns generally aren't brought in to help teach their mentors about professional norms. FWIW I use caps for emphasis and honestly find it kind of weird and goofy when someone sends me an email that has formatted text such as italics or bold. Like why did you go out of your way to do that.
 
jaekeem

jaekeem

Member
Oct 27, 2017
3,743
SuperiorTrashTalk said:
Instruction manuals are written to be clear and easy to understand by the widest range of people as possible. This is not an instruction manual though, it's an email being sent specifically to a person whose capabilities you should be aware of. Just because you choose not to take it personally, doesn't mean it's not rude.

I have on coworker who does this to me. They are in a different department but I provide services to their department as part of my job. She's always typing things out like "Have this done TODAY" or "PLEASE have this done THIS WAY". She doesn't need to emphasize those things, she can just write them because I can read. It's not like I have a history of misreading and messing up requests. Similarly, when I send something to another department that I need them to return to me after working on, I simply type "Please send this back to me when it's finished." and not "Please SEND THIS BACK TO ME WHEN IT'S FINISHED".
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Have you told her to chill with the caps? It's diff when you're coworkers I think
 
TeddyShardik

TeddyShardik

Member
Oct 27, 2017
1,649
Germany
I use caps in SELECT words for emphasis regularly in my private life...

Maybe I wouldn't do it in professional messages, but I would still assume people would take it as me emphasizing something, instead of the internet custom of SCREAMING at someone.

But maybe I'm just old.
 
Doober

Doober

Banned
Jun 10, 2018
4,295
Some of these threads, man.

You're an intern. You have nothing to leverage against your boss even if she meant to yell at you.

This is like the last thread with the guy with no experience or skills complaining because his recruiter gave him a job where he had to work alongside conservatives.
 
Doc Kelso

Doc Kelso

Member
Oct 25, 2017
5,166
NYC
I've bolded AND put things in all caps if I want to draw attention to the detail, especially if it's something small but important. The amount of times that I say something is okay or something is NOT okay is way too high—and has large implications—to not make sure it's as visible as possible.
 
Tapiozona

Tapiozona

Avenger
Oct 28, 2017
2,253
Doober said:
Some of these threads, man.

You're an intern. You have nothing to leverage against your boss even if she meant to yell at you.

This is like the last thread with the guy with no experience or skills complaining because his recruiter gave him a job where he had to work alongside conservatives.
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This. Dumbfounded you would even consider saying something, especially as an intern. Since we're heading half of the story, I'll assume you probably did something wrong or have f'd up in the past to warrant the caps.
 
deathsaber

deathsaber

Member
Nov 2, 2017
3,101
Brush this one off and let it go. You are an intern and as such, kind of are the doormat. Just take the advice and try to learn.

As far as the "Caps as yelling" thing goes- I hear you, and find it annoying too, but honestly most just use it for EMPHASIS (see?), and don't really mean much by it. I have a supervisor who takes to using it a lot, but he always basically says "look, if I'm emailing you, I am trying to communicate something, maybe offers suggestions, light critique, but if I was really mad and you were really in trouble, we would be speaking privately and you wouldn't be getting an email".

I'm guessing this is a similar thing, so, I wouldn't' worry about it.
 
OP
OP

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Tapiozona said:
This. Dumbfounded you would even consider saying something, especially as an intern. Since we're heading half of the story, I'll assume you probably did something wrong or have f'd up in the past to warrant the caps.
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TBH, I was thinking about it and yeah I fucked up a bit on the assignment thanks to a lax attitude. Yeah, it's whatevs. As someone said here already, interns are doormats no matter what. Lock up this thread, we're done here.

Thanks Era.
 
Temperance

Temperance

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Oct 25, 2017
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You MUST mark your territory/dominance in this new environment, just like prison. GO at your boss (top dog) or you'll never earn any respect.
 
AYZON

AYZON

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Oct 29, 2017
907
Germany
mine ends sentences with "...", always makes it look really condescending. Makes me irrationally dislike that person
 
Doober

Doober

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Jun 10, 2018
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Bran-dono said:
TBH, I was thinking about it and yeah I fucked up a bit on the assignment thanks to a lax attitude. Yeah, it's whatevs. As someone said here already, interns are doormats no matter what. Lock up this thread, we're done here.

Thanks Era.
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giphy.gif
 

Deleted member 33533

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Nov 17, 2017
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Video Games Are Dumb said:
Well, you should talk to her if it's effecting you.
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Yes obviously, but that's not really the point I was making. The point is that it's rude regardless of how the other person might take it. I don't write emails like that for that very reason. You shouldn't be writing personalized, professional emails to someone in ways that can be easily misinterpreted as condescending.

jaekeem said:
Have you told her to chill with the caps? It's diff when you're coworkers I think
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Yeah I have. I've also said something similar to her face because she carries that same energy in person. She kind of listened but she is like this in general - I've heard a lot of other people complain about her. Ultimately, it's only slightly annoying - I don't deal with her daily - so it wouldn't be worth it to me to go any further with it which is basically my advice to OP. Yeah it's rude but it's not worth it considering it will cause you more trouble than its worth.
 
Video Games Are Dumb

Video Games Are Dumb

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SuperiorTrashTalk said:
You shouldn't be writing personalized, professional emails to someone in ways that can be easily misinterpreted as condescending.
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But most people DON'T read it as condescending. I certainly don't and it looks like most of the thread doesn't. It's conveying information. I mean, you're telling me it bugs you, tell the people you work with too. Be the change you wanna see ect
 

Deleted member 9241

Oct 26, 2017
10,416
life advice: don't make mountains out of molehills

how thin skinned are you if you even gave it a second thought?
 
Tuorom

Tuorom

Member
Oct 30, 2017
10,929
It's the same thing as bolding. It is for EMPHASIS, to draw your eye to the important bits.

Sounds like it is a you problem. Why did you perceive it as an attack on you?
 
Secretofmateria

Secretofmateria

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I clapped back at my manager once and got what could only be described as a death stare. Funny thing is our working relatioship was a thousand times better after that, but i probably only got away with that because i had been a loyal employee and relatively high up for 5 years
 
joedick

joedick

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Mar 19, 2018
1,389
Bran-dono said:
It's tricky to be sure, but I'm also an intern, and don't want to come off as a doormat.
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This isn't like the movies, she isn't gonna be like 'I like the cut of his jib, give him a promotion!' Nothing good will come of it, unless you have a really good relationship with her.

SturokBGD said:
Triggered by uppercase letters at work...

I need to get off this planet.

Fire me out into space in a rocket.

DIRECTLY INTO THE SUN.
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Triggered by forum posts.

I need to leave the surface dwellers.

Dig a giant hole so I can live amongst the mole people.

THE MOLE PEOPLE.
 

Deleted member 33533

Banned
Nov 17, 2017
12,864
Video Games Are Dumb said:
But most people DON'T read it as condescending. I certainly don't and it looks like most of the thread doesn't. It's conveying information. I mean, you're telling me it bugs you, tell the people you work with too. Be the change you wanna see ect
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I think you have greatly overestimated how seriously I take this sort of thing. I think it's rude and unprofessional... to an extent. I don't think it's "Oh my god, I need to report this to HR" levels of rude but I do think it's condescending enough to be annoying if done repeatedly. I'm like annoyed while I'm reading the email and move on cause it's not worth making a big stink about it which is what I said to OP. If I was telling someone the best way to write any professional email or letter, I'd tell them to avoid doing this.

Also I don't know what you want me to do. I told her and I choose not to write emails that way. Why should I go around telling my coworkers, that's just encouraging office drama.
 
Tuorom

Tuorom

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Oct 30, 2017
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Deleted member 33533

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Video Games Are Dumb said:
I dunno, you seem to have very strong feelings about something I've never even batted any eye at. It's not singling out anyone.
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Ok so now you're just intentionally trying to make me out to be super upset. I literally said that I find it a little annoying but not worth making a stink of and you decided to cut that out of my quote and focus on the one little part you could counter out of context. Why are you doing that?
 
Regiruler

Regiruler

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Oct 28, 2017
12,304
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Doober said:
Some of these threads, man.

You're an intern. You have nothing to leverage against your boss even if she meant to yell at you.

This is like the last thread with the guy with no experience or skills complaining because his recruiter gave him a job where he had to work alongside conservatives.
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Do you have the link for this one?
 
Leo

Leo

Member
Oct 27, 2017
8,560
Sounds like you need to learn to let minor things like this go. It's part of developing as a professional.

As an intern, you have to put yourself in a position of learning, and responding to feedback like that would send a terrible message. Focus on learning and developing yourself, that's the point of the internship.
 
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