I have to keep this as vague as possible, because everything we do is supposed to be confidential.
I have been working, in a volunteer capacity but under great pressure, with a small group of colleagues to produce a report based on an investigation. The small group is contained within a larger group.
There is a person in the larger group whose job it is to shepherd these reports to completion. Our report is the last one to be completed within the larger group.
Today this person sent out an email to two others in the larger group (not in our small group) saying that he believes that we falsified some of our data. How do I know this? Because he also copied me on the email. Accidentally? On purpose? I have no way of knowing, but I can’t imagine why he would have wanted me to see this. I also have no idea what his motivation is for making this charge, which we can so easily disprove, nor why he sent it to those two people, who seem to me to be innocent bystanders. I can’t really believe that he thinks that I would have gone along with such a thing, or else he is also a complete and total hypocrite.
It has been three hours and I can’t get my urge to (figuratively) kill under control. I am literally trembling with anger. I haven’t done anything yet. I don’t want to descend to his level, but I do want him to suffer in some way, even if it is only for him to realize how low he has gone.
Advice, please. What should I do? The larger group meets to vote on our report on Monday.
Did he say exactly what data he thought was falsified and did he say who was responsible? Maybe there is something he is aware of that you are not? I’m just saying you have to be bulletproof before you go up against him.
As others said, don’t act while angry. Doing so can only make you vulnerable later on. This is a time for cold, calm, calculated, cunning action.
Why does he think you and your cohorts falsified data? Try to figure out his inner mind workings (is he deliberately screwing with your minds? Is he lazy and doesn’t believe that the stuff is real when he could verify it is real? Does he have a hidden agenda?)
What does he gain from falsely accusing you like this, and what are his motives?
What do the other people on your team who were accused, feel about it?
It’s very frustrating when things like this happen, but you have the advantage of advanced notice. This gives you the opportunity to prepare. Pull everything together that you need to demonstrate your case, and then answer the email. Something like, “Hey Bob, it looks like you have some questions on our data. The source is xxxx. Please let me know if you need any other information. The team would be happy to walk you through it.” Attach the relevant materials. Go ahead and cc anyone else who should be part of that discussion, such as the rest of the team who worked on that report, and anyone else who should sign off on the final version.
It might be best to brief your team before you send out that email, so you don’t get a flood of panicked responses.
As far as what happened with this person, there are a few possible explanations: he’s ignorant and needs you to spell things out as if to a child; he’s an asshole, so go ahead and spell things out, as if to a child; and/or email is an unreliable communication medium, and even the well intentioned can give the wrong impression online.
In the email (which he may or may not have intended me to see) he provided his case. He did a few hours of research which he feels contradicts some data in the report. We have actual physical copies of records that support the data. He claims to be a data expert, but he doesn’t know anything about the processes behind the numbers.
The other members of the smaller group don’t know about this yet, at least not from me. That’s one of the actions I am debating.
He can’t hurt me in any tangible way, but I am hurt nonetheless. I’ve never been accused of anything like this in my life. And there will always be a few who will believe any accusation no matter how well it is disproven.
I’m tempted to read out the email without warning in the meeting, and then make myself cry in front of everybody so they’ll all hate him. Yes, I’m a guy, but I can do that.
Unfortunately, crying in public is more likely to make you look like “guilty” than “innocent but hurt.”
Your best bet is to get all your maligned partners together, discuss it with them, quickly but in depth, and prepare a joint refuting of this guy’s accusations. Bring out the data howitzers, level his accusation with facts (but make sure to keep it short and not sprawling.)
What exactly is this guy proposing as the plan of action too? Did he say, “I think your data is falsified, so I want you to cut this section out of the report,” or is he saying that the report should be axed altogether, or that you should be fired, or that he’s calling HR, or what exactly is he about?
At this point my strongest inclination is to forward the email to the larger group along with some of the data that refutes his claim, and to call him out to explain himself. I have written my accompaniment to this forwarded email, but I haven’t sent anything yet. As you can see from the time stamp, I’m still having trouble sleeping.
His goal is to get the report axed. I don’t know why. There’s nothing in it one way or another for any of us.
And when I said “cry” I didn’t mean great big boo-hooing, just choking up from emotion and a possible tear in one eye. Believe me, I’m normally so restrained that this would have a big effect. As Fearless Leader is so fond of saying, we’ll see how it goes.
Send him an email, and copy everyone else in, to let him know that you fear someone has obviously hacked into his account. You know this to be true because the email was sent to you accidentally and you have irrefutable evidence that makes the accusations in the email a nonsense. Hopefully, forewarned, he will be able to identify the culprit before his name is tarnished.
My advice – just be professional. Refute the claims professionally in a “reply all”, and feel free to add any recipients you deem important. I wouldn’t use any stronger language than “I’m disturbed that anyone might feel we falsified the data, but here is the proof that it was not falsified. I take this responsibility extremely seriously and I urge anyone with further questions or concerns to contact me ASAP.”
Your presence in the “To” field may have been a typo: they meant to address it to Roderick Frumm and it was sent to you because of auto-complete.
This. And maybe, if appropriate, “From a quick perusal, here’s the flaw in the way you analysed the raw data: in the ANOVA, you didn’t take into account XYZ and its effect on PQR.”
In a corporate setting, I’d advise to CC at least the immediate supervisors (yours and theirs), but that doesn’t seem to fit here.
Maybe he doesn’t know shit and is stirring the pot to see who takes it highly personally, possibly assuming that person is likely the guilty one.
I don’t see how he implicated you specifically, yet you do seem to be taking it extremely personally.
If I was you, I’d pretend complete and utter ignorance. But carry the indisputable evidence with you at all times. IF it comes up act totally surprised and say you just happen to have proof otherwise. Show it and be indifferent to their reaction, just walk away. If questioned about the email say you assumed you were included in error and didn’t pay it any mind.
If it’s not you, if there’s proof it’s not true, then you should be calm and indifferent as you have zero to worry about.
Assume he’s sincere. He really is worried that you all fucked up the data. Did he actually use the word “falsified”, or did you read that as the obvious implication of what he said? Basically, counter-accusing and making this about yourself and your integrity will make him angry and make this a personal thing between the two of you that makes everyone else annoyed and disgusted by both of you. Assume his motives are pure: he’s misguided, too arrogant to look past his own impression. Treat him like he’s misguided and confused. If his motive is really to smear you and the team, he will make this obvious. Let HIM be the one to make this obvious.
Your goal is to get a meeting. In your email (and I’d cc your supervisor, and maybe the supervisor of the two people he dragged into this), say something like “there seems to be some confusion here. I’ve attached the documentation that shows the source of the data, but I’d really like for us all to meet so that I can put any concerns to rest”. At the meeting, let him explain why he thinks the data is unreliable, and then demolish his claims.