OT: Trying to get my boss in trouble

M

Madonna

Cathlete
My boss is making me and everyone angry in our department. He sends emails to us that border on harrassment. He is very petty and is a stickler for coming in on time and working overtime. He says our bonuses will be based on how much overtime we put in. We are all salaried employees.

Now let me tell you what I did. I took some of the emails he has sent us and printed them out. I put them with an anonymous letter to his boss. I did this so that his boss could see the kind of emails he has been sending out. Most of them use his boss' name as a scapegoat for something he wants us to do. I also included a letter about how I feel about my boss, which was not complimentary. I did not sign the letter and typed it on my computer. I cut off all the email addresses and such so as not to identify myself.

I put it in a company envelope, addressed it to his boss (ran the envelope through my printer to address it), and mailed it. My boss will have no idea which one of his eight employees sent the letter. But he will wonder like hell who did!

What do you guys think will happen and did I do an awful thing? I didnt know what else to do and I felt his boss needed to know how he has been conducting himself.


Madonna
 
Good for you! I would love to be able to get my boss in trouble!
I was very unhappy in my job for a little while and then I got a part time position with the airlines.Since then I have only been working at hairstyling 3 days a week.Just enough for me to do my customers,mine my own business and go home.I have been doing this since the end of June.
Earlier this week she calls me and wants to know if I can start working MOnday nights b/c the other girl was really busy monday night.This girl as been working Monday nights, by herself, for 4 yrs.She also told me that she had nothing to do with the phone call.She wasn't the one who is unhappy, it was my boss.She is just not an happy person.Then she ends it with.."I have to keep everyone happy around here".
I really think the reason she is doing this is b/c she thought I couldn't handle two jobs.Now she wants to throw something else in there.Well, she can forget it.There is no way I am changing my schedule.If she don't like it,I will leave.
Yesterday before I left work I said, "I must go home and get dinner and then get ready to go to to work again". And she said" oh, you have to work tonight"? I said,"my dear, you don't know the half of it, I am always comming and going".I wanted to get my point across that just b/c I am not there, doesn't mean that I am seating home twidling my tumbs.
Don't let people push you around.You have to stick up for yourself.Life is to short to be getting up every morning and going to a job that you hate.If you don't take charge of a situation, no one else is going to do it for you.Beleive me, I know.
Good Luck,
Lori
 
My DH is in upper management and he said you did the right thing. The fact that he harrasses you guys via e-mail is pretty stupid.

Take care,

Vickie ;-)
 
Good for you girl!

You definitely did the right thing. Let us know what happens!!!}(

Blessings from our home to yours...Runathon http://www.handykult.de/plaudersmilies.de/lach.gif[/img]
 
Hi Madonna,

Good for you! You might also consider going to your HR department, that is what they are there for, and they can also make sure that proper action is taken and arm you with ways to combat your boss in a professional (e.g. safe) manner...

Good luck, he sounds like a tyrant.

Jill
 
Madonna:

I am sorry but I feel concerned for you. There is no way I would ever have done what you did. I prefer the suggestion of the last poster, alerting the HR department and seeking their advice before acting alone....

If his boss does not like your tactics, it isn't going to look good, and even though you may think you have not left any traces to you, who knows....what if others are accused and all deny it?

If this guy is so totally unprofessional, which he is, by the way, is it professional for you to emulate his tactics? I mean, does this not force you to play at his level?

I just would not want to be doing that. It is easier to play the moral and professional high ground if you keep your behaviour clean and above board. I would never want to do anything in the workplace that I would not care to put my name to.

People do have integrity: I am sure that had you gone to his boss in person, respectfully requesting an interview and taking evidence of the man's emails with you, the big bossman would have listened. No-one condones this kind of behaviour after all. And if they do, why would you want to work there?

Sorry if this is not what you want to hear, but you are safer if you keep your professional record clean, I really do think.

Clare
 
Madonna,

I really have to agree wholeheartedly with Clare as well. The professional high road is the only way to go - both for your career as well as your own peace of mind.

I am living proof of Clare's good advice, I had a schizo,demoralizing boss w/unreal demands who was holding me back from a position that I was angling for. Long story, short: I got a face-to-face with his boss (the CEO!) and although I was scared-to-death, I calmly explained the issues, my boss was subsequently fired and I was promoted. Additionally, many scared subordinates of his were forever in my debt.

I would also encourage you to contact HR and request their assistance. It is generally their job to be discreet if you just want to use them as a sounding board. I wish you the best of luck.

Kim
 
Hi Guys:

Just wanted to give you an update on my boss situation. You know what happened? Nothing. Its true. No one ever said a word to me or anyone else in my department. It has got me wondering but I know my boss got a real shock, a reality check.

Now, for those of you who thought I should go to HR. I think that would have been a big mistake. HR would have gone right to my boss and told him I was complaining. Then I would have been on the bad guy list. Also, if anyone approaches me and asks me if I sent the letter, I can deny it just as much as anyone else. They won't know who is lying.

I do not think the things that my boss has done warrants him being fired. That was not my intention. I wanted him to quit bullying us, that is all. I do not want him to lose his job. HR departments are not there for the employees, they are there to protect the company from YOU.

Madonna
 
Madonna, you are so right. The HR deparments of the companies I have worked for have always been there for the company, not the employee. That is why I stand by what I said before: You definitely did the right thing.

It is wonderful if other people have HR depts. that actually do what they are supposed to do and protect the employees. However, in my experience and in my observation of other companies, if you complain, you get "marked" as a "troublemaker." They then have their "eyes" set on you and begin keeping a record so as to document "your performance" as a back up when they "let you go." I prefer not to live in the fairy land of "but, that is what they are there for, to protect the employee" shpiel.

Like someone else said: "You gotta do what you gotta do."

I just do not trust the HR departments. Period.

Blessings from our home to yours...Runathon http://www.handykult.de/plaudersmilies.de/lach.gif[/img]
 
It's possible his supervisor tossed your letter and the email copies without taking any action since it was anonymous.

I've had some pretty bad supervisors. Most of the time there wasn't an HR department to complain to, but even if there was, I probably wouldn't go that route. I'm always afraid the backlash - assuming the bad boss keeps his job - won't be worth it.

If things are bad enough and the bad guy shows no signs of moving on, I look for a new job. Life's too short to be miserable on the job.

Angela
 
Wow I must be really lucky then, the HR department I work for is wonderful and takes employee satisfaction very seriously, and would never do something to get an employee in trouble. They would find a way to work the situation out so that everyone can be professional and productive. My job isn't in the employee relations area but I have an insider view to what goes on. HOWEVER if that isn't the case where you work then you do truly have to do what you have to do. Disatisfaction with management is one of the biggest reasons people leave their jobs.

Jill
 
As a supervisor of 45 people, I can tell you that even with that many, nothing is ever anonymous. Of course, if your boss is that out of touch with his employees, he may not be able to figure out with only eight! Personally, unless it is a name optional evaluation or survey, I usually just feel resentful if someone acts anonymously instead of talking or writing to me directly.

Wow -- I hate it that there are so many workplaces out there where no one feels comfortable saying to their boss, "hey, I need an explanation" or going to their boss and saying, "did you really say this? Just want to know where we stand." I would even prefer it in my profession if folks would talk to my boss instead of just gossiping with their co-workers and spreading discontent. A lot of them, though, have no trouble telling me I suck to my face. x( Fortunately, that doesn't happen too often. If it's tactfully presented, I'm pretty good about taking constructive criticism and making changes if possible.

I would guess that your actions had a combination of effects: The big boss didn't appreciate your boss crediting items to him that he didn't say, the big boss gave some advice that things should be handled more tactfully, and it was, to a certain extent, blown off as, "you know these employees, when you ask them to work overtime, they just don't like it. They've always complained about that."

Check your personnel policies in case you feel a need to take future action. It's quite probable that nothing will change. Most companies have a non-retaliatory clause for formal complaints. If you complain anonymously, and your boss merely has an inkling it was you, you would have a hard time claiming protection.

Just a few rambling Saturday morning thoughts ...
 
Madonna,

As an employee in an employment at will state & a former HR employee myself, I have to agree with you that a lot of HR deparments are there for protecting the employER from the employEE.

However, I agree with Gvaughn, NOTHING is ever done anonymously. Especially if you have spoken to ANYONE inside your company about even thinking about doing this. You may feel that those letters cannot be traced to you but I would bet they can be & very easily. And from personal experience, you may trust the people you talk to, unfortunately, if push comes to shove they will rat you out to protect their own jobs.

You may want to check with your HR policies to see if you have a chain of command because what you have done could be fire-able offense. You should NEVER go over your immediate supervisor's head without first checking with HR. Also, if you are an employee at will, that means they don't have to have a reason to terminate your employment but this could be used to do just that.

I don't mean to scare you but those are the facts in a lot of states. Employees have very little job security these days. Even with a stellar record, employees can be terminated for no cause.

Good luck & watch YOUR back.
 
I wanted to add my $10. I don't agree with the comments Claremc or Kqravel made. Clearly they are not in your situation and probably never have been. After reading there remarks i was thinking how i'd feel after hearing that. Not to happy (as clearly you are already worried otherwise you wouldn't of been on this board venting). This board is supposed to be about supporting each other ... sure we have different view, but it wouldn't hurt to think...is what i'm about to say going to help the situation? if not, Claremc or Kqravel ... not bother saying it. My boss is a complete c...t and that is putting it lightly. He treats people like sh...t and thinks its ok. If we say anything out life only gets worse. I think what you did was very brave and you (from me) deserve a big thumbs up. If nothing comes of it, then so be it, but maybe the e-mails will stop. If not...what did you lose?
 
I think I know where Madonna is coming from and also Claremc and Kqravel and Runathon and the others. Sometimes it is better to work through the HR dept....sometimes that's still pretty dangerous, too! What you did, Madonna, was very brave and so far hasn't backfired. I pray it doesn't. I don't think Claremc or Kqravel aren't being unsupportive, just giving you the best advice they know of. But I think everyone here is very sympathetic...who hasn't had a boss-from-hell at some point??? Hopefully your boss will get into trouble on his own incompetence and unprofessionalism and others will see what you and your co-workers are putting up with!!! That has happened where I work (we have a boss who really needs to retire and won't!), so I'll keep you in my prayers. Your situation is unpleasant and just leaving and finding another job isn't that easy!!!
 
icklemoley,

Your reponse seems to be built around a series of erroneous assumptions and crass generalizations.

My response to madonna was honest, was what I thought would be in her best interests professionally, and an alternative line of action from the one she took should she face similar situations again. There is always more than one line of defence. Madonna herself seems to have accepted my response, and that of others on here who would not condone her actions, in the honest spirit in which they were given, witness her comeback. So I hardly think she needs you to stand in for her as her knight in shining armour. She's s big girl and she knows how to make up her own mind, as her email and actions in the workplace clearly denote.

As far as assuming I have never been in a power-hierarchy in the workplace such as the one Madonna currently inhabits, you are so grossly mistaken. I have dwelled in one for 12 years in the US and I continue to act professsionally so that my comportment is above reproach. There are ways to get where you want to go without mucking out with the pigs in the trough.

If you post in a public forum, you are making yourself open to a variety of viewpoints. No-one is forced to toe the line of the first poster to respond. Neither should anyone fear that by voicing a different opinion, they will be slammed. If madonna did not want to risk receiving responses that disagreed with her actions, she did not need to post the details of her actions in this public forum. And here, my argument is not with Madonna, so I hope she will not read this as an attack on her. It is not intended to be. To Madonna I send my best wishes.

My comments are addressed fairly and squarely to Mr. Wayne who, it seems, is the only one on this thread so far to have crossed the line of civility in his response to this thread. The only one being offensive is you Wayne. It is out of place on these forums. According to your own logic, you yourself "have not helped the situation," nor have you supported members of this forum. According to your own dictates of conscience, you would do well to address your support directly to madonna, and keep your thoughts on other posters to yourself.

Rudeness like yours is simply not called for.

And remember, these forums are for support and advice and guidance. That's what Madonna asked for: that's what she got. In her words: "did I do an awful thing?" You clearly think she did not. OK. I and others clearly think it was not professional. Madonna will, at the end of the day, have to make up her mind for herself. That's the beauty of a variety of viewpoints: they help us to judge our own actions in a wider perspective and set out a line of action for future circumstances.

Clare
 
Regarding HR...

Indeed it may be the case that many HR departments function mainly to protect the company from its emloyees, lawsuits and what have you. Personally, I have a good rapport with the HR dept. in my company and feel that I could go to them were I in a situation similar to yours. Just remember that your boss is an employee as well and it certainly would be a great act of protection to the company to have documented complaints on file that could be used in support of his termination.

If no one ever complains about him and puts their name to it, how can HR ever know about the things he's doing? Why do you assume that the company would rather continue employing one man who angers and harasses his employees rather than continue employing the hard workers like you who report to him? In my opinion the company would be protecting itself a LOT more by terminating him, thus reducing the chances of being slammed with a sexual harassment lawsuit.

Just my opinion. I hope things work out for you!
 
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