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AIBU?

Share your dilemmas and get honest opinions from other Mumsnetters.

Original poster

sending an email to everyone on a team where your blaming one person is unpleasant, nasty and bullying

102 replies

iwanttowalkoutofwork · 27/03/2015 09:26

So this morning I got into work to find an email along the lines of

"Please all can you make sure you give all the information needed so avoid problems like below:"

Below was a link to a peice of work I did that had some knock on (minor) affects and had my name plastered all over it.

Firstly I could of given more detailed notes for the file that might have prevented it but to send an email to everyone pointing out my mistake has really upset me. The person that did this email has a much easier job than me, doesn't have to write anything - just review other people's work to tell them of mistakes. I'm not perfect I make mistakes , but I'm not in a serious job where anyone's life is at stake. Its just a clothes shop!

Aibu to be upset by this? I want to just forward it to my manager and to say I find it not productive to blame one person and highlight their minor mistake to everyone.

OP posts:
MrsFlannel · 27/03/2015 09:30

YANBU and do forward it.

JemimaPuddlePop · 27/03/2015 09:31

Yanbu but I wouldn't be telling your manager you 'don't find it productive'.

I would be forwarding it to the manager and making it clear I felt shamed and bullied, and that I expected my personal performance feedback to be 100% confidential. I'd then be asking what action they intended to take against the individual, to see if it was sufficient to stop me contacting HR to raise an official grievance.

DisappointedOne · 27/03/2015 09:33

Could HAVE.

wowfudge · 27/03/2015 09:53

How deeply unconstructive of you Disappointed. You know the phrase, "If you don't have anything good to say..."?

mickeyfartpants · 27/03/2015 09:56

Was it anonymised?

DisappointedOne · 27/03/2015 09:56

Okay, with my HR hat on, stop making mistakes, OP. It matters not whether you're a brain surgeon or a street sweeper, mistakes (such as the one i've already identified) aren't usually just laughed off by employers, especially when there's a "knock on effect". Your attitude to work stinks. Perhaps they're sick of your mistakes and this was the only way to make you sit up and take notice.

CalleighDoodle · 27/03/2015 09:58

I totally agree withjemima.....and disappointedone

tywinlannister · 27/03/2015 09:59

I think if it was anonymised then its fine to use as an example of what not to do. Especially if this persons sole job is to highlight mistakes to the team.

YANBU if not.

LittleMissRayofHope · 27/03/2015 10:01

Some did this at my last place of work.
She had to run a banking report which, when it was being run would mean the entire company couldn't process any financial transactions - it was a retail firm!! She decided it needed to be run between 9-10am and if anyone ran a transaction during that time she would send out a snotty email to the entire company stating he name of the individual employee that had interrupted her report and therefore forced her to start over.
Imagine having to explain to a customer 'sorry sir I can't close the contract and take payment for a further 45 minutes cos of another department' Blush

My name was on it one day and I seriously pissed off. Thought that was a seriously unprofessional way to behave.
Forwarded said email to regional director who agreed and pulled her up on it, also told her to run it at close of day as per her job description

Some people are very self important and inflate themselves above their station.
Forward it and state your reasons and that it is unprofessional.

Fitzers · 27/03/2015 10:03

Okay, with my HR hat on, stop making mistakes, OP. It matters not whether you're a brain surgeon or a street sweeper, mistakes (such as the one i've already identified) aren't usually just laughed off by employers, especially when there's a "knock on effect". Your attitude to work stinks. Perhaps they're sick of your mistakes and this was the only way to make you sit up and take notice.

With your HR hat on eh? If you are a HR professional you should know better than to dish out nonsense like this. The person who sent the email didn't address it to the OP personally but sent it to the larger team and clearly identified the OP. This is what any decent HR professional would be more concerned about. It's not even clear if the person who sent the email is in a supervisory position over the OP, if they aren't they should have discussed the issue with the OPs supervisor who in turn would have dealt with it with the Op. If they do have a supervisory role they still should have discussed it directly with the OP and if it needed to be advised to all staff it should have been anonymised.

ChazsBrilliantAttitude · 27/03/2015 10:05

DisappointedOne
I assume you never ever make mistakes at work then? Every single one of your emails is grammatically perfect and elegantly expressed?

I work in a high pressure responsible job and have seen mistakes made by highly professional people that potentially could cost millions because human beings are not robots or perfect.

OP, I would raise it with your Manager as it is a form of bullying and poor practice to publicly shame a member of staff. The one key piece of advice I would give from where I work is "everyone makes mistakes, but learn from them, don't keep making the same mistake".

CocktailQueen · 27/03/2015 10:07

Agree with Jemima - great advice.

Without knowing more, and the other side of the story, it's hard to advise.

DisappointedOne · 27/03/2015 10:08

Yes. I'm a fully qualified, chartered HR professional and manager with many years' experience.

I'm also aware that we don't have the full story, and frankly the OP's lackadaisical attitude towards accuracy, spelling and choice of username indicate that this probably isn't a one off. If she's got less than 24 months' service with the company (which is highly likely if she's making silly mistakes as admitted) then she needs to be careful about her next steps if she wants to keep the job.

My advice stands, based on the information given.

whatwhatinthewhatnow · 27/03/2015 10:09

I don't think that's quite the same missray. In that instance the person was not doing her job in a completely inappropriate way. But this persons job is to highlight mistakes. Which she has done. Albeit with the OP's name on it which is another in this whole mistake mire...

Stinkersmum · 27/03/2015 10:09

Disappointedone your posts are just another reason for me to think that HE actually stands for Human Remains, not Human Resources. And just confirms my belief that HR depts are there solely to cover the employers backside and fuck all to do treating employees fairly.

Altinkum · 27/03/2015 10:09

This reply has been deleted

Message withdrawn at poster's request.

meglet · 27/03/2015 10:10

stop making mistakes Hmm . stop being human then Wink .

yanbu. sounds really unprofessional.

Stinkersmum · 27/03/2015 10:10

HR, not HE.

whatwhatinthewhatnow · 27/03/2015 10:10

Sorry was doing her job in a completely inappropriate way.

DisappointedOne · 27/03/2015 10:10

I have my own consultancy, along with my IT consultant husband. Sloppy mistakes would cost us a lot of money (DH manages systems for some of the major banks, hedge funds and telecoms companies - even a tiny mistake by him could cost millions, so guess what, he doesn't make them. A mistake by me could see a company in court, so guess what, I don't make them.)

Of course I use proper language and grammar - anything else gives a very unprofessional appearance.

DisappointedOne · 27/03/2015 10:12

"And just confirms my belief that HR depts are there solely to cover the employers backside"

Ultimately, that's about right (alongside other strategic things).

"and fuck all to do treating employees fairly."

That's what unions are for.

I actually supply services aligned to both, but yes, that's how they're split in many large organisations.

DisappointedOne · 27/03/2015 10:14

"stop making mistakes Hmm . stop being human then Wink ."

Was it a mistake, or was she being lazy? "I could of [sic] given more detailed notes........... which might have prevented it"

Good job she's not a paramedic!

TheOriginalSteamingNit · 27/03/2015 10:16

Someone did this to me in a meeting the other day. Was utterly obvious it was at me, and that it had been brewing a while though never mentioned before. Thoroughly embarrassing and I went bright red and felt quite upset.

I know my line manager sympathises, but there's not much else to do, is there?

Stinkersmum · 27/03/2015 10:17

Disappointedone - "A mistake by me could see a company in court, so guess what, I don't make them."

If you were using proper grammar that should read ". A mistake by me could see a company in court, so guess what? I don't make them." Practice what you preach. Or take your perfect pants off. They don't fit.

PullTheBricksDown · 27/03/2015 10:20

I have a colleague who regularly sends all team emails designed to try to shift blame/responsibility on to others. Colleague is themselves lazy as anything. Nothing has been done to address that situation so when I get the chance to do the same to colleague, I do, and that's what I advise you to do OP. It's nice to think HR and/or management will back you up, but it's also quite possible they won't be interested and you'll have to fight your own corner.