Should I email my MD

[marrymeadam]

One of the MD's in my company is still in the dark ages and likes to laud around dictating into his stupid dictaphone for some mug to type up for him. He isn't in my office but as I am the only admin on a certain day of the week I have to do the stupid things once a week. I hate it, the main problems I have are that he clearly eats whilst doing his dictation so you can hear him clearing his mouth/teeth when he is talking. I can't stand mouth sounds they make me violent. And the worst thing is he tells me how to spell things. Today already he has told me how to spell Matt and adage, he treats me like I'm stupid. Do you think it would be unreasonable to email him and point out that I am a university educated individual that actually has the same letters after my name as him and am perfectly capable of spelling simple words without him having to tell me? And to ask that he doesn't eat whilst dictating or I won't be able to do it anymore?!

Introduce him to the wonderful world of speech to text software and the multiplicity of apps available on every smartphone - otter.ai is, IMO, one of the better ones.

Generally speaking, it's still better to have S2T transcripts proofread as it's not perfect, but at least it would mean you wouldn't have to listen to him eating fucking crisps or whatever.

Add the sounds into the message....?

I have a friend called Mat because it’s short for Mathieu, no double t. It’s not patronising to tell you how to spell a name that has variants, even if it’s the “normal” spelling. For all he knows, you have a background from a country where “Mat” is normal or have married a Mat or have a child called Mat.

@billyt that would be funny! @AffIt the thing is he isn't stupid tech wise, he must know there is no need for it, none of the other MD's do it. It is a power play

@WindscreenWipe he knows my cultural background and it would be worth doing if it was the less common spelling maybe but it's not just names he does it with all sorts of simple words. It's patronising

Does it with simple words. English not your first language? If so, the word I would use is racism.

Simple words but we are both white British and a similar age. More to do with him being an important man and me being a little woman I suspect

Peak MN

Loving this thread already

OP If you’re above audio typing why not get another job?

@Pleasebeafleabite I am not above it, although in this day and age with the tech we have it is pointless, but I don't need to listen to someone slobbering in my ears or telling me how to spell very simple words!

PLEEEEEASE start transcribing things with sound effects 😂

I saw this patient [CRISP PACKET OPENING SOUND] on June 24th. She has been [RUSTLES FOR CRISPS] suffering with [CRONCHING SOUNDS] backache and leg pain [CRONCH] for [CRONCH] two weeks. [CROOOOOOONCH]

I am referring her [SWIG OF COKE, BURP] to your clinic [UNPEELS BANANA] for further tests

Regardless of your education and the letters after your name, you aren’t the MD and your role presumably involves admin tasks. If you don’t like doing admin tasks, look for jobs which don’t involve admin. If you find it difficult to transcribe accurately because eating noises distort the words, then offer that feedback.

@ComtesseDeSpair I'm the office I actually work in I have lots of admin tasks. I enjoy them, I love my MD, I don't like this dinosaur that I have to deal with some times. I asked if I was unreasonable to say that I don't like the sounds of eating or patronising tone.

YANBU to be annoyed. YABU to actually send an email complaining.
Who cares about new technology if they don't like using it? I still love paperback books even though I could get a kindle.

A “power play” over whom though?

It just seems more of a strange affectation than that.

If you stopped doing this part of your job what would you be proposing to start doing instead with that time?

@Basilthymerosemary that is what I needed feedback on otherwise this afternoons typing would have had me sending an email later and regretting it!

@ImmigrantAlice he thinks he is better than me as I am a lowly administrator. I do it because it fits my life. I could do other jobs but I enjoy it on the whole. I could do lots of other things with my time

Using a dictaphone isn’t necessarily “lording it“ or being a dinosaur: it’s a recommended method of recording thoughts and ideas or committing things to memory for many people with dyslexia or who are neurodivergent. Far from being something we should be looking to eradicate, if we want inclusive workplaces we need to normalise ways of working which work for individuals, rather than try to make them fit in with what works for some other people.

If this sort of role is your long term career path then you need to develop an attitude and outlook to fit. I’m a Company Secretary: whilst it’s a senior position which requires legal and financial qualifications, because of the close interaction of the role with our Boards, sometimes that means that I end up doing very basic things for incredibly senior, experienced, busy and often somewhat out of touch men. But I don’t have an ego, it’s ultimately within my remit, and I’d only offer feedback if something about their instructions hampered the process - i.e. eating noises making accurate transcription more difficult.

This isn't a long term career path. I wanted a part time job around my children. I am in my late 40's. I enjoy the other aspects but could do without this nonsense.

I still use a dictaphone. I can dictate meeting minutes in 45 minutes that would take around 2 to 3 hours for me to type up.

Audio tools are ok to a point but much better to have somebody think about it as they type up.

Unfortunately my time is more valuable to the business than the person’s who is transcribing them. I have been known to do them from the wacky warehouse before now. I am sure the secretaries loved me.

The eating sounds rage thing is misophonia.

I'd request an adjustment - he doesn't eat whilst dictating things you have to type.

I think if you can sort that out you might feel less tense about spelling etc.

it is fine to be very annoyed with this. but I'm afraid it is your job to put up with it. sending an email is going to get a big black mark by your name and won't necessarily change things.

if you can speak to him face-to-face, you could say that you find it hard to type comments around the eating noises. but the rest, you have to put up with.

@parietal I will speak to him face to face when I can

Its not your job to put up with it. He shouldn't be eating while dictating, its not rocket science.

I'd say could he speak more clearly as ypur struggling to make put his speech when he is dictating and eating (boke)

I worked in a law firm where we all dictated and the secretaries typed it up and emailed/posted. It was actually quite useful to avoid wasting time rewriting the same few sentences because you're overthinking. Once it was said, you just went with it. It also saved time printing, saving on the right file etc. The older solicitors dictated everything because they were crap typists. the younger ones saved it for letters and longer documents. It wasn't a power play. It just made sense to employ more secretaries at that salary than solicitors. Also, the clients were charged for every 6 minutes of our time, not the secretaries time.

We tried speech to text software but it was expensive and everything needed careful checking and editing because there were so many mistakes.

I wouldn't dream of eating while dictating but I'm sure some of the older partners would. I still remember a secretary crying with tears then asking me to come listen. My boss was working late in the office, had paused to fart but forgot to turn the dictaphone off. If someone had decided to have a word with any of the partners about dictation etiquette I suspect they'd start looking for a new secretary.