A Transcript
Date: Tue, 17 Jan 2006, 3:34 PM
To: BEVIS
From: Female Manager
Subject: Internal Newsletter Submission
Hi BEVIS,
Can you please include the attached memo in our internal newsletter. I haven't completed the necessary form as the document does not fit the automated submission process.
Many thanks,
Female Manager.
>Date: Tue, 17 Jan 2006, 2:48 PM
>To: Female Manager
>From: Male Manager
>Subject: Internal Newsletter Submission
>
>Hi Female Manager,
>
>Please check the attached and let me know what you
>think. If OK send it to the little dickhead in the
>webteam who apparently doesn't know what year it is.
>
>Cheers,
>
>Male Manager.
Please note: The names have been changed to protect the ridiculously-guilty.
.
posted by BEVIS @ 8:51 am
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14 Comments:
After EVERYTHING else! At least now you have it in writing.
I don't know that I'd necessarily sue him (having been through such a process myself) but this definitely needs to go to the workplace harrassment people.
(and don't you fret little frog, WE love you!)
x
Or at the very least step on some necks.
It's good that some people are able to forward stuff like that. I'd be interested to know what you'll do when you leave.
We had a guy send a 'leaving email' which took a shot at nearly every senior manager in the place. He sent it the night after he left and sent it to everyone in the technology department. Luckily for him he was starting up his own business and didn't need a reference, but I always thought it was a risky move. If I find it, I'll post it. That was one of the best cases of burning bridges and stomping all over the ashes.
BEVIS, go to town. Wreak your havoc and plenty of it.
I can't believe that someone would put something like that in writing. I can't believe that the next person would then accidentally forward it to you unless they're on your side?
That's just terrible. I'm sorry. I know that you know what year it is. You have that much vaunted Marvellous Memory. You even remember my wedding anniversary and I don't usually remember that one.
I don't recommend doing a "leaving email" unless you can do that thing you do where everything looks like you're smiling but really it has a double meaning. There is that thing of possibly needing a reference for your next job and you don't want people saying that you were narky or hard to get along with.
But I know that you know that.
Chin up, my love. Not long now.
Did I mention that there's a job going in my office? :) Apparently I'm a wonderful boss.
Thanks everyone. I'll respond to your comments individually (as I have answers to most of them) next week.
I got to 11am at work today, and couldn't handle it anymore. By 11:45am I was in bed at home, lying in the foetal position in the darkness and cuddling my cat until I fell asleep. I woke up about an hour ago.
Wifey and I are going away for the weekend with some friends; leaving in about two hours. Hopefully this will help, although because of where we're going, it will mean almost no relaxing and certainly no job-hunting. But I trust I'll feel better about going to work again on Monday when I get back.
I'll post any comments you guys leave over the weekend when I return to my computer (either Sunday night or Monday morning).
Love youse all.
Can I bring that to council with the correct names?
Elaine, as someone who has worked at Bevis's office, and from what I can read between the lines, I'm afraid I think 'Male Manager' IS the 'workplace harassment people'. Seriously.
Bevis, is this the original worriesome thingie or is this in addition? Does The Bearded One know about it all? I have Fridays off if you want me to go and string him up by the braces and tell him off for running a crap establishment. Nothing I haven't done before.
And what the frack (been watching Battlestar again) is with Female Manager forwarding it to you? Is this Aidan we're talking about?
Hm. This should probably have been an email. Or a singing telegram.
OH MY GOD I FUCKING HATE THEM! Apologies for the swearing, but I cannot believe they are so moronic. 'Male Manager' is such an arsehole that I just CANNOT BELIEVE IT. Even after working with him and hating him, I cannot believe how stupid he is. And 'Female Manager' is a nasty, powermongering cow. She couldn't cut it in the union industry so she decided to get fat of student money. Bitch bitch bitch.
Oh man, these are the people in charge of my beautiful organisation. It was something I believed in. I cannot bear the pain of knowing it belongs to them.
And those student reps who just sit there and let it happen. I am in tears just thinking about it...
I wish I could give you a turkish delight.
Don't worry about answering my previous questions - I figured it all out. Charlie says you all NTEU-ed up so use their support.
As I'm not sure who you are, Anonymous, it might be better if we discussed this in person before you do anything with it. (Perhaps email me at my work address or drop in and see me next week sometime?)
I have a plan for Council to find out about the whole story, but at the right time and in the right way. Still, I may very well appreciate your support, if that's what you're offering.
And I'd say a similar thing to you, CBomb. Hopefully you can keep 'mum' about this whole thing until I'm ready to take it further myself (at which point, any support would be greatly appreciated!). Unfortunately I think the man to whom you are referring is just as guilty (after the fact) and may need more than just stringing up by his braces. But enough said in a public forum. I've gotta pack for my weekend away.
Thank you both!
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TIME LAPSE WHILE MY CRAPPY MODEM CATCHES UP TO ALL THE COMMENTS COMING THROUGH ...
------
CBomb and Her Radicalness, thanks again. I hope I can rely on you both to hold your (wonderfully indignant at this disgraceful injustice) tongues for the moment. I'd hate for this post to unravel any chances I might have at making this situation 'right', by giving them a chance to circumvent my plans for holding them accountable. If you know what I mean.
I know I can rely on you. You guys rock.
And to everyone else, apologies again. I had to say the above now (before the cat got out of the bag, as it were), but I will answer your other comments in a couple of days.
Cheers.
Enjoy your weekend away and I'll see you next week in the office. You have my support too. It's obviously up to you how you want it handled but I'm willing to go rampaging on your behalf if you want. It's completely unacceptable and some people really need to be knocked down a peg or so.
Sheriff of Nothing, yes - really. And I can tell you for certain that yes, I have every right (and an excellent case) to be suing him. I've already had all my options checked out. I'll keep you posted on what I decide to do.
Elaine, let me clarify that this was the original email I received the other week that upset me at the time. (Although yes, it wasn't the first instance to make me unhappy at this place.) I understand what you're saying about me suing (I've had the reasons Why Not explained to me in full), but I'm at the stage where I'm assessing what I want to achieve before I decide on the best course of action. Naturally, I haven't provided all the details here for anyone to know the full facts on what's going on, but there are certainly a few avenues open to me. Thanks for the encouragement! And CBomb's right when she implies that taking it to the workplace harrassment people could prove to be more than a little fruitless. :)
Gregory Surlyboy, that's what I like to hear! An Ideas Man!
Clokeeeey, the 'Female Manager' in this story is very much on the 'Male Manager''s side, believe me. The fact that she forwarded it to me was not her assisting me in any way. It was a complete lapse in concentration on her behalf and nothing more (albeit a perfect moment of beauty from my perspective, that she gave me such a prime example of their foolishness in print). I've considered an email to everyone telling them about it (I create the internal newsletter, after all - as this post demonstrated - so I could send a doozie of a final edition if I wanted to!), ... but I won't do anything like that. Why leave behind the 'legacy' that I was nothing more than a hot-headed trouble-maker? That plays right into their hands when they try to discredit me after I leave. If my complaint (and there will be one; to what degree and taken to what body, I don't yet know) is going to be taken seriously and hold any weight at all, I can't have burnt my bridges before I double-cross them. I'm sure you'll all hear about my departing exploits when the time is right. :)
LadyCracker, hehe, thanks. I promise I'll do my (level-headed) best.
Riss, the 'Female Manager' was not on my side; she just didn't think before forwarding me the email. I can't believe it either. Shows what kind of place I work in and what kind of joke managers run the joint. The reference he made to me not knowing what year it was came from the reminder email I sent out about the internal newsletter they're talking about. I copied the last reminder email from 2005 (to save me re-doing all the text and formatting, etc), and forgot to change 2005 to 2006 when I amended the rest of the submission deadline. That was my big 'crime'. The email in question only went out to internal people anyway - it's not like anyone outside the organisation saw it. What's worse is I'm doing two jobs at the moment, and it's the busiest, most stressful time for the website of the organisation's history, due to a complete change-over of the entire website that I'm trying to do on my own. And instead of supporting the monumental role I'm single-handedly pulling off for the organisation, this is the thanks I get??! Moreover, it's clear that the two of them had already discussed me & my 'crime' in derogatory terms before he sent his email, because his reference to my mistake was too subtle to make sense to her unless they'd already commented on my error prior to him writing that email. So that fills me with confidence as well! Thanks for the job info; I'll look into it. :)
Jay, thanks man. I actually had a pretty rough weekend, unfortunately. (I know: Woe-is-me, eh?) I'll try to stick it out this week (I hope I don't fold like a cheap suit; I'm pretty stressed and highly uncomfortable being there), but my regular manager is back from maternity leave tomorrow, and I'm not sure how the whole thing's going to play out with her until she speaks to me about it. Could be good, could be indifferent, could be pretty darn bad. I appreciate your support and will keep you informed. Please keep the whole thing quiet around the office, though. Especially as I'll be handing over my role to my replacement this week, so I won't be alone in my office anymore. :)
Cheers everyone! You rock.
Where have you gone?
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