Member-only story
PUBLIC SERVICE
Is Civility Dead?
Think before you toss that email grenade
Shoot first, ask questions later
Carpentry and other trades teach a mantra, “Measure twice, cut once.” It’s easier to prevent a mistake than fix one. A little foresight is better than a lot of hindsight. Don’t shoot first, ask questions later.
Or, think twice, click send once.
For people who work in local government, most days are rewarding. But not all. Some days are spent on a battlefield, as when a constituent emails a barrage of hateful vitriol to which staff at all levels must scramble to respond. Unwarranted and undeserved, these diatribes carpet-bomb a city or county department with superiority, entitlement, and blame. They describe, in detail, how jobs should be done. They imply staff don’t care, never have, never will.
They shoot first, ask questions later.
In the crosshairs
Email snipers are people who never asked for a conversation, never walked the halls, never said hello. They’ve never seen diplomas on walls or looked into faces with decades of experience. They don’t care about awards won for innovations designed to improve their customer experience and their lives.
