Responding to corporate announcements?
Discussion
PH Collective wisdom is required! I work for a large multinational, and the area I work in has just had a new chap promoted to position of head honcho and cheif procrastinator and equity extractor. Now, Mr new honcho has started sending around ocassional "announcements" or "bulletins" that contain information about what he is focusing on and what his focus entails.
I actually think this is a very good idea. It gives the impression that he's actually doing something and that he knows vaguely what is going on. So, would it be overly ass-kissy to respond to one of these announcement things thanking him for taking the time to do them, telling him that I find them useful and thereby encouraging him to do more? Or should I just get a f**king life?
I actually think this is a very good idea. It gives the impression that he's actually doing something and that he knows vaguely what is going on. So, would it be overly ass-kissy to respond to one of these announcement things thanking him for taking the time to do them, telling him that I find them useful and thereby encouraging him to do more? Or should I just get a f**king life?
Yep - tell him you appreciate the bulletins and why - keeping your reply brief will reduce the brown-nose effect. Write out what you want to say, then reduce word count by 50%. It will work!
Just one thing though - don't tell your colleagues. It'll look at best like brown-nosing and at worst like showing-off.
Just one thing though - don't tell your colleagues. It'll look at best like brown-nosing and at worst like showing-off.
king hell, talk about a waste of time! no wonder nothing gets done in offices.
I think you should 'reply all' and thank him effusively for doing a wonderful job. You should then forward every single announcement from now on, to everyone in the team who already received but prefaced with a 'FYI Guys...' just to reinforce it in your team's mind.
Ironically, an ex colleague of mine once did this in all seriousness, thinking it would 'raise his profile'. Weirdly, everyone thought he was being devastatingly sarcastic and the net result was, everyone thought he was actually quite funny and cool for doing it, even though he was being a nob. Funny old world...
Ironically, an ex colleague of mine once did this in all seriousness, thinking it would 'raise his profile'. Weirdly, everyone thought he was being devastatingly sarcastic and the net result was, everyone thought he was actually quite funny and cool for doing it, even though he was being a nob. Funny old world...
One from some rich c0cksucker who was CEO at the Big Bank I worked for.
Public School Knob said:
"Hello team
I've spent this month touring Asia, finding out about all the marvellous things that our people do in that region. How they make peoples' lives better and more rich. How they go the extra mile for customers. That's what this is all about, for me....."
JUST FOOK OFF YOU KNOBHEAD. You earn £10m a year for doing NOTHING. Don't rub my nose in it you fat bespectacled bender. Perhaps you should tell them that you spent some of this month exlaining to your long suffering wife how you managed to get caught by an office cleaner emptying your nuts into the mouth of a teenage boy at the weekend.I've spent this month touring Asia, finding out about all the marvellous things that our people do in that region. How they make peoples' lives better and more rich. How they go the extra mile for customers. That's what this is all about, for me....."
Edited by Vesuvius 996 on Tuesday 12th August 15:41
BMWBen said:
PH Collective wisdom is required! I work for a large multinational, and the area I work in has just had a new chap promoted to position of head honcho and cheif procrastinator and equity extractor. Now, Mr new honcho has started sending around ocassional "announcements" or "bulletins" that contain information about what he is focusing on and what his focus entails.
I actually think this is a very good idea. It gives the impression that he's actually doing something and that he knows vaguely what is going on. So, would it be overly ass-kissy to respond to one of these announcement things thanking him for taking the time to do them, telling him that I find them useful and thereby encouraging him to do more? Or should I just get a f**king life?
These things usually come from a 'dead' return email address. Does he send it from there or his personal work email?I actually think this is a very good idea. It gives the impression that he's actually doing something and that he knows vaguely what is going on. So, would it be overly ass-kissy to respond to one of these announcement things thanking him for taking the time to do them, telling him that I find them useful and thereby encouraging him to do more? Or should I just get a f**king life?
Personally, I think you should respond if it comes from his own email, not if it comes from a 'corporate' account.
It might be looked on by others as 'brown nosing', yet it would probably be looked on by him as an employee taking a real interest, someone who should be noticed and encouraged.
It is however essential and accepted corporate etiquette that you sign the return email as: "Your Most Loyal and Obedient Servant" and then he'll know for sure that your not taking the piss.....
Go for it, just the once mind. Not to every announcement!
And be careful if discussing it via email with your closer colleagues: I worked for a company many years ago where the German MD sent out an email on a Friday afternoon to the head office staff saying that seeing as we'd hit our number for the quarter ahead of schedule he would be buying drinks that evening in the local pub. The MD wasn't a popular bloke and one of my colleagues replied to one of his mates that 'he'd rather sleep with his grandmother than let the MD buy him a drink'. Unfortunately he'd pressed 'Reply All' though...
Never got the chance to hold a disciplinary hearing; he posted his resignation letter and dropped off his laptop, tools and company car to security on the Saturday morning!
And be careful if discussing it via email with your closer colleagues: I worked for a company many years ago where the German MD sent out an email on a Friday afternoon to the head office staff saying that seeing as we'd hit our number for the quarter ahead of schedule he would be buying drinks that evening in the local pub. The MD wasn't a popular bloke and one of my colleagues replied to one of his mates that 'he'd rather sleep with his grandmother than let the MD buy him a drink'. Unfortunately he'd pressed 'Reply All' though...
Never got the chance to hold a disciplinary hearing; he posted his resignation letter and dropped off his laptop, tools and company car to security on the Saturday morning!
Can you guarantee he will actually read the email? Unlikely to get past the admin screen I suspect.
If you really want to brown-nose, tell him how great the emails are and what a fantastic impact all the changes he has made are having.
Then take some of your boss's ideas (the good ones, if any) and try to pass them off as yours saying something like, "I don't want to go behind [insert boss's name] back but he should really have noticed that having our own staplers would be a good idea."
If you really want to brown-nose, tell him how great the emails are and what a fantastic impact all the changes he has made are having.
Then take some of your boss's ideas (the good ones, if any) and try to pass them off as yours saying something like, "I don't want to go behind [insert boss's name] back but he should really have noticed that having our own staplers would be a good idea."
Vesuvius 996 said:
One from some rich c0cksucker who was CEO at the Big Bank I worked for.
"Hello team
I've spent this month touring Asia, finding out about all tehe things which our people do in that region. How they make peoples' lives better and more rich. How they go the extra mile for customers. That's what this is all about."
JUST FOOK OFF YOU KNOBHEAD. You earn £10m a year for doing NOTHING. Don't rub my nose in it you fat bespectacled bender.
Small office I worked for had a middle manager like that. Tried to bring in the whole black belt karate lean sigma omega crap thats flying about these days. Kept sending out "Urgent Customer Service Annoucements" with just drivel and random businessisms that made no sense."Hello team
I've spent this month touring Asia, finding out about all tehe things which our people do in that region. How they make peoples' lives better and more rich. How they go the extra mile for customers. That's what this is all about."
JUST FOOK OFF YOU KNOBHEAD. You earn £10m a year for doing NOTHING. Don't rub my nose in it you fat bespectacled bender.
I left shortly after the words "think wok" were used in an meeting. I am a normal hard working person and I do not understand why some people need to engage in this pointless drivel.
Most of the employees left - company went bust a year later.
It did teach me a lot in running my own business though - we have won lots of IT clients by just being honest and straight with people...
Edited by TheCarpetCleaner on Tuesday 12th August 15:43
If you find them useful and to your benefit then say so. (ETA taking on board TonyT3s advice about where they've come from)
If there's one thing lacking in every place I've ever worked, big and small, it's communication between colleagues (I'm chief culprit I admit) and feedback is a vital component of that.
If there's one thing lacking in every place I've ever worked, big and small, it's communication between colleagues (I'm chief culprit I admit) and feedback is a vital component of that.
Edited by DrTre on Tuesday 12th August 15:44
To be fair - these emails do seem to contain useful information. I can't give anything away as to content obviously, but they do serve to give a bit of direction as to what he considers we should think is important.
If they were about his latest hookerfest in thailand I wouldn't be asking the question
And I actually don't think he's too well paid for the very reason that I will have his job one day, and I want that much money :P
If they were about his latest hookerfest in thailand I wouldn't be asking the question
And I actually don't think he's too well paid for the very reason that I will have his job one day, and I want that much money :Plunarscope said:
I think it's a great idea to show your appreciation.
I'd also recommend pointing-out all the spelling and grammatical errors and volunteering to proof-read any future bulletins.
This will demonstrate your proactive nature and will surely get you noticed.
DO IT.I'd also recommend pointing-out all the spelling and grammatical errors and volunteering to proof-read any future bulletins.
This will demonstrate your proactive nature and will surely get you noticed.
Send him and email saying "and by the way it's 'lose' not 'loose....'"
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