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Topic: paranoid employers
| Author | Message |
| Guiseppina S. | Posted – 2/12/2008 12:07:06 PM | show profile Long story short, my new employer monitors emails. It's a written policy. Even longer story short, IT midget gives me emails that were sent between my employees about, well, me (the new boss) and the others. Some of it was foul . . . stuff you would never want to know that others think about you and many things I cannot forget. According to policy, I have to write up these folks. I want to blow it off for new-boss ranting/adjustment period, but MY boss is insisting I take action. This will burn any cred I have with my freshman team. I'm also angry; I wish I had never seen these comments. Management isn't always easy, but this is a lose-lose. Help! |
| write2rachel | Posted – 2/12/2008 12:10:56 PM | show profile It sounds like you really don't have a choice... that it's part of your job. That said, I do think it's stinky. Who hasn't said something nasty and a boss at some point? I think it should be up to that boss/person whether they want to take action or not. If you can't get out of it, you could also call a meeting with those that wrote the emails, letting them know that you don't hold anything against them, but have no other choice... Either way, it sounds like you will be the bad guy. Not so fun being the boss! ------ www.rachelcericola.com |
| write2rachel | Posted – 2/12/2008 12:12:30 PM | show profile correction That should read... "about a boss." I hate that you can't edit your posts! |
| foodlit | Posted – 2/12/2008 12:21:01 PM | show profile I would just tell them that they shouldn't write anything in an email that they wouldn't want to say directly to you because unfortunately, all email is monitored and it gets to you anyway! That really stinks. |
| observer | Posted – 2/12/2008 1:41:08 PM | show profile well it might be a silly policy but it's an interesting situation. on a personal note, i'm having a tough time here at work with my boss. however, i would never criticize or complain about her in an e-mail to others in the office. if i was stupid enough to do this, then i know i would be responsible for the outcome it getting into the "wrong" hands. |
| foodlit | Posted – 2/12/2008 2:08:18 PM | show profile As an fyi too, not a good idea to send resume attachments from your work email or to email back and forth w/recruiters. Many companies even if they don't monitor all emails, still have 'trigger' words set up that won't get through the firewall...'resume' for instance, or any attachment may automatically get flagged. As a recruiter, I'm amazed how many people contact me via their work email, it's just not smart. Why risk it? |
| Guiseppina S. | Posted – 2/12/2008 2:13:46 PM | show profile you would think . . . that people would have enough common sense not to do that, but they don't. Oddly, the more I am forced to address it, the more it really hurts my feelings (I know. . . girly). I was very willing to pass it off as a changing-of-the-guard adjustment, but some of the emails threw some tough personal punches. It's not easy to lead people who truly hate you. Now I'm just venting. I want to turn this around and make it a positive by NOT addressing it, and to prove to them that I am part of their team, not the bad guy. But as long as the management shackles me from making this more diplomatic decision, I'll have to deal with head on and the fallout afterwards. SUCKS! |
| Mag Girl | Posted – 2/12/2008 2:49:53 PM | show profile What a tough situation. You say you want to be seen as part of the team, but they would also lose more respect for you if they knew you found about about the e-mails and did nothing. You'd be considered a pushover, and they would likely find ways to subvertly bully you. I think it's all in the way you address. SHow concern for their feelings while still showing them that this kind of talk and treatment will not be tolerated. At some point after you address the e-mails, maybe you can take the staff off site for a team meeting, have coffee, and talk about how you can all work better together and you can more effectively communicate. Sorry you have to deal with this... |
| fourfold | Posted – 2/12/2008 3:06:30 PM | show profile Agree with the advice to address this in a meeting rather than "write them up." Get them all together and say it's come to your attention that there have been complaints about the way the department is being run. (Put it in neutral terms; don't point the finger at yourself.) Ask for your staff's feedback on how improvements can be made. Keep the whole thing professional in tone. They'll all go slinking back to their desks. I'm interested in your comment that you want to appear "part of the team" and "not the bad guy." Get over that. You can't be friends with your staff. You can have an open, approachable management style--in fact, that's to be desired. But you have authority over them, and they won't forget it. So ditch the "can't we all be equals" mentality. |
| Guiseppina S. | Posted – 2/12/2008 4:09:33 PM | show profile Great points and ideas. Thanks for the input! To clarify, I'm not trying to be their friend, but right now I am public enemy #1. The position was open for 6 months and some people assumed they were the natural promotion. . . You can figure out where this is going. I am the boss, but I'm not the bad guy who 'stole' the promotion. I want their suggestions so they can contribute to their working environment. Still, I want to make it clear that I have the final decision, but that I am looking out for their best interests. |
| AWC | Posted – 2/12/2008 4:41:44 PM | show profile A few years ago I started a new job, and immediately my boss wanted me to reprimand an employee for various "infractions." I really didn't want to, since I was the new manager and had not yet built any relationships or trust with my new staff. But I caved in and did it. It was the wrong thing to do. Looking back, I should have been more forceful with my boss -- he was unfairly putting me in a bad situation from day one. This incident really did "color" my whole time in that job, and the relationships I had with my employees. Needless to say, I am no longer working for that organization. |
| struman | Posted – 2/12/2008 5:19:16 PM | show profile | email poster If they don't care to get caught doing such they should do old-fashioned note passing or use cell phones and text message, or talk in person. If they are not smart enough to realize that companies can easily trace and read anything that they write on computers within the companies network, then they deserve to be written up for their own stupidity. |
| Guiseppina S. | Posted – 2/12/2008 5:35:10 PM | show profile AWC, you absolutely hit the nail on the head and confirmed my biggest fear. I've only been here for 3 weeks; perhaps it's time to hit the pavement again. |
| AWC | Posted – 2/12/2008 6:28:32 PM | show profile G.S.: I certainly didn't mean to scare you, and my post above is a very "edited" version of my past experience. Like you, I made my long story short. However, looking back, that incident is one of my greatest regrets as a manager. My boss shouldn't have pressured me to act, and I in turn treated my new employee badly. Lesson learned. However, I'm sure you'll make a better decision in this situation than I did. Good luck. |
| Chamsah | Posted – 2/12/2008 8:10:10 PM | show profile My two cents AWC wrote "A few years ago I started a new job, and immediately my boss wanted me to reprimand an employee for various "infractions." I really didn't want to, since I was the new manager and had not yet built any relationships or trust with my new staff. But I caved in and did it." This smacks of a boss who was too much of a coward to take care of this himself. Totally lame. Guiseppina: there is a way you can turn it around use this to your advantage. (I managed a group of people for many years so I understand your dilemma.) Since your boss sounds like he's more bark than bite (otherwise he would have done it himself) you can handle this the way that you feel is appropriate and leave almost no room for his complaints. Meet with everyone as a group. Don't use any negative words, or mention that there have been complaints about you. That will immediately put you on the defensive and that's never a good place to start. Besides, they are smart enough to figure out what's going on. The more gracefully you handle it, the better you come off. Say that since you are new to the group, you'd like to talk about your management style (my door is always open, I am available for guidance, please come to me with problems and we can figure them out together... etc, etc). Then ask for their suggestions on how to make the dept run more efficiently. Take notes. Address their concerns in a positive, understanding tone. Even if you disagree and know you can't change them. Then be done with it. Your staff will feel like you're listening to them and taking their concerns seriously. They will know you are the one in charge yet you are still have a stake in their work, which is the balance you are hoping for. That's also what you need to motivate people to work well together. I think the negative emailing will stop. The ones who continue to complain are likely the problem employees, and they never last long anyway. If your boss asks if you addressed the "problems," you can honestly say yes. Because the insults weren't the real problems in the first place. Good luck! |
| candylilacs | Posted – 2/12/2008 9:39:14 PM | show profile Another tack... I do agree with the meeting of your team. I think you *should* also mention that as supervisor you are given access to any emails written by your employees and that you management reserves the right to do random e-mail checks (as in manual) so therefore, "Do not write anything you wouldn't want me or big boss to read." I think that makes it pretty clear. If your boss asks about reprimands, say that you gave your entire team a verbal warning. I'm not a manager, but as a teacher, that's what I did. ------ http://www.mswritesguide.blogspot.com |
| writesonwater | Posted – 2/13/2008 1:44:28 AM | show profile | email poster Lilacs and other posters nailed it. Don't hit the pavement. You can do this. And don't worry about trying to be buds or one of the common people. A wise teacher I know starts each school year with a get-tough stance, and makes an example of subsequent miscreants. Kids get the message, the rest of the year he can keep a very light rein. They do need a reminder that emails can and will be read, and that this is a workplace. It's not the KGB, it's the way many American offices run. Plus, I'm all for freedom of expression, but sometimes organized gossip and hate campaigns, even run under light cover of email, can be demoralizing all the way around. Keep it professional -- it's the workplace. The first verbal warning in a meeting sounds like a good idea to me. ------ http://writingporch.blogspot.com/ http://jlouiselarson.blogspot.com/ http://familyrootsandwings.blogspot.com/ |
