8/29/09

Condesending Emails

August 30, 2009

Q: As I promised in last week’s newsletter, here are only a few of the condescending ACTUAL Emails and/or posted notices that have been sent by upper management to their employees. Some are laughable, some are sad but most all are demeaning, uncalled for and ridiculous. The mannerisms, the wording and the intended content could have been more professionally stated, but because these folks think they are omnipotent leaders, they get away with this. And they wonder why employees resign.

1. A: "Just a reminder to take care of all personal matters before you punch in. This includes personal hygiene, morning beverages or food, or any other personal task that is not directly work related. You should not be attending to any of these matters once you have punched in to start your work day."
2. "I RESPECTFULLY ASK THAT EACH OF YOU PAY ATTENTION TO YOUR WORK AND IF YOU SHOULD HEAR SOMEONE ELSE'S PERSONAL BUSINESS, THAT YOU IGNORE WHAT YOU HAVE HEARD."
3. "DRESS CODE - THE DRESS CODE IS FOR EVERYONE TO FOLLOW… IF YOU ARE UNSURE WHETHER OR NOT YOUR OUTFIT MEETS THE REQUIREMENTS, IT PROBABLY DOESN'T… WE ARE BUSINESS CASUAL… IF EVEN ONE PERSON CANNOT FOLLOW THE GUIDELINES, THEN EVERYONE WILL DRESS BUSINESS."
4. “I want all the folks here to prioritize their time when responding to emails. Write them out when you have quite time and your thoughts are focused other than during the responsibilities of the day.”
5. “It has come to my attention that most of you are receiving lots of Emails from customers and vendors. Please notify those people to keep their Emails to business issues only and I’d appreciate it if you’d respond to them during breaks or after hours so it doesn’t take away from your daily tasks.”
6. “Clear your desktop of all distractions when you plan to respond to Emails. If you don’t have time right now, send the person and Email and let them know when they can expect to hear back from you. Then wait to respond to the Email when you are free of distractions.”
7. NOTICE: Office will be cleaned on Saturday. Each employee is responsible for dusting, cleaning their own desk and surrounding furniture as is written in each office employees’ job description. Also each employee is responsible for picking up around his or her area if they want their floor vacuumed. The shelves on unit by water cooler where coffee pot and supplies are located are to be cleaned by office employees who use the coffee area.

Let’s take a vote…..Which one above is your favorite. I will post results in next week’s newsletter.

September is here, I hope it turns out to be a great one for you both personally and in your business life. Call or write if I can assist in anyway.