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

[iwanttowalkoutofwork]

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.

Thanks for the helpful people.

Dispointed you sound like an awful person. The only thing your suitable to reasorce is robots.

anything else gives a very unprofessional appearance.

Clumsy wording. I'd correct that in a piece of writing at G.C.S.E.

He didn't name me expelicity, but linked to my work and everyone knows I did that project and even if they didn't linking to it makes it clear it is me. He's kinda using it as an example, I don't think that is needed. I've raised a few times about this, manager is rubbish at managing and has spoken to him before. Had been quiet for 4-5 months.

The guy is very self important and the same level as me, although has some junior members that he manages so probably thinks he's above.

Explicitly obviously, I am tapping away on my phone in a loo. So grammar ppl can do one.

So as a HR professional disappointedone it's your view that the action taken by the staff member in highlighting the OPs mistake, clearly identifying her while doing so, was correct? I'm genuinely baffled that a HR person would think this a prudent course of action.

Gosh it must be amazing to never make mistakes.

Disappointed - you know that phrase; "People in glass houses"?

Maybe you should reflect on that for a moment.

If you can tear yourself away from your very important consultancy work that is.

If we have to issue advice/highlight procedures etc it's always anonymised. Even in cases of misconduct the organisation would never identify an individual, particularly if further action is being taken. To do otherwise is to leave the organisation open to all sorts of claims. Any good HR person would follow this approach. This doesn't mean that action isn't taken where necessary, against the staff member concerned, but it certainly isn't broadcast to everyone.

"so grammar people can do one" LOL

Jeez, I'm an HR professional and have my own business blah blah blah. That kind of public shaming is never on. We are also there to make sure things are done properly and that does mean fairly when considering employment law and good practice because getting the basics right and having happy employees means they are more productive... but ultimately because doing that means we are much more likely to manage our arse covering for the business because prevention (ie getting stuff right in the first place) is better than cure (ie managing disciplinaries, grievances, high turnover and sickness rates, redundancies, compromise agreements, tribunal hearings etc etc).

Op, in the first instance if you can, have a word with the person who sent it. Tell them how it made you feel and that it was unnecessary. If you don't get anywhere have a word with your line manager.

I make mistakes too occasionally. But I take responsibility for them, own up, apologise and put it right.

Responsibility is often a core value or behaviour required by the top firms. Certainly all the ones I work for and I work for some fantastic employers.

Sadly disappointed is a perfect example of why the HR dept in the public sector organisation I work for has such a fucking awful reputation and why staff morale is at a historical all time low.

My personal favourite is when a small mistake is spotted, is emailed and all executive managers are copied in. Yeah, because they have all the time in the world to read petty grievances and put issues like, erm saving lives, to one side.

I think it's very unhelpful when 'all team' emails are sent to deal with the actions of one person. My old manager used to do this all the time and we all knew it was the actions of x being criticised, but x clearly thought it just meant everyone else was doing it too so carried on regardless . It felt like the manager was afraid to take on x over his shortcomings and wasn't very inspiring.

A direct email to discuss the problem would obviously have been the more suitable approach, this was just PA and cowardly frankly.

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

Same with me but guess what? Shit happens and people have ended up in court.

"The only thing your suitable to reasorce is robots."

You tell her, OP!

Seriously though, I hope some of the advice on here is able to help you.

If it wasn't anonymised so everyone would know who it referred then you could claim that this is bullying. Pointing out someone's mistake is OK if you're advising the person making the mistake OR making their direct line manager/supervisor aware if it's an ongoing error but to email it to people who are not involved is nasty and unnecessary.

Good luck OP. For what it's worth, I think saying that you dont find this way of pointing out mistakes productive is a point worth making. Whatever and however you say it, please do not accept this bullying and shaming behavior.

Disappointed you have managed to repeatedly offend people on this thread, and to leave a number of us with the impression that you are downright nasty. Perhaps you should reflect on your that before directing the OP to consider her mistakes.

I have worked in a retail head office. Disappointed do you have any idea how much people in retail are paid? It's either minimum wages or slightly above. For that amount of money you are not getting people who have perfect written or spoken English, nor do you expect to. You expect employees who have shortcomings which mean they are prepared to accept that wage.

Despite her apparent English errors the OP is quite correct. The piece of work should have had her identity removed from it before it was sent out to the rest of the staff. Feedback should have been given to her directly in confidence. And if the information needed to be distributed more widely it should have been done in such a way that the OP was not identifiable. I would think that your 'HR hat' would have alarms which instantly rang on hearing about that, not least because going forward it could definitely be used in a bullying, harassment or unfair dismissal case in the future. But perhaps despite your oh so perfect English you're not as good at the HR aspect of your job as you'd like to think you are...

And yes OP, forward to your manager complaining and saying it was unprofessional of your colleague to forward without making it anonymous.

Mistakes are also learning tool for the wider business, but to send something like that out which can identify the person that made the mistake is not on. It is unprofessional, and depending on the relationship the two employees have (in this case it doesn't sound good) can be seen as undermining and possibly bullying behaviour.

I would send something to your boss stating your grevience, along the lines of I realise I made a mistake, however I feel undermined by x's reaction, I expect any issues to be raised to me first and not in a company wide email.

I think it's fine to forward it to your manager but not because it was a minor mistake or because it's not productive to blame one person. A minor mistake can cause larger problems and if one person is responsible then it is productive to bring it to their attention. There is nothing to be gained by pretending it wasn't one person's fault.

However, you are entirely entitled to feel upset and to forward the email to your manager with an email stating that you don't think this is a productive way to a) raise an issue with your work b) embed good learning practices with other staff c) use RL examples as learning opportunities. I'd also mention that in the context of the earlier complaints/concerns you've had concerning this colleague, that you want to discuss the company's grievance procedure.

If you have an union, then have a chat with them too. Your manager isn't allowed to be ineffective when dealing with potential bullying.

Praise in public, censure in private. People management 101. But he's not even your manager! I would 100% complain, that's a really low (and unnecessary) blow.

Regardless of any issues with performance the OP might/might not have, employees still have the right to expect that any issues be dealt with in a confidential manner.... not circulated to colleagues.

Any HR professional would know this and would certainly not condone this behaviour in the workplace, yes I'm talking about you Disappointed

That was in no way predictable was it? Poster makes snide comments about the op's grammar and claims that she doesn't make mistakes.

Within a minute or so, someone spots a basic punctuation error in her own snottily worded post.

Talk about wandering into an elephant trap!
Tell me Disappointed, is your much vaunted HR professional's hat white, conical and have a large letter D painted on the front?

Of course on the Internet anyone can claim to be anything...