# You edited my letter to management? You did WHAT? **URL:** \ **Category:** The BBQ Pit\ **Created:** [March 9, 2015, 4:06am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/you-edited-my-letter-to-management-you-did-what/714579 "2015-03-09T04:06:30Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 18\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![grayhairedmomma](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/47e85d/32.png) [@grayhairedmomma](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/grayhairedmomma)\ **Post date:** [March 9, 2015, 2:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/you-edited-my-letter-to-management-you-did-what/714579/21 "2015-03-09T14:19:03Z")
**kambuckta** , why didn’t you ask your supervisor who to send it to, rather than asking him to forward the email? Did you want the appearance of his support for your idea? ---
**Author:** ![CairoCarol](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/cairocarol/32/3825_2.png) [@CairoCarol](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/CairoCarol)\ **Post date:** [March 9, 2015, 2:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/you-edited-my-letter-to-management-you-did-what/714579/22 "2015-03-09T14:23:39Z")
> [@you\_with\_the\_face](#): > > If I trusted her competence and writing ability, it probably wouldn’t have phased me. So what you’re saying is, if she changed it to: “it probably wouldn’t have fazed me,” you’d be okay with that?" 🙂 ---
**Author:** ![you\_with\_the\_face](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/y/ecccb3/32.png) [@you\_with\_the\_face](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/you_with_the_face)\ **Post date:** [March 9, 2015, 2:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/you-edited-my-letter-to-management-you-did-what/714579/23 "2015-03-09T14:27:04Z")
> [@CairoCarol](#): > > So what you’re saying is, if she changed it to: “it probably wouldn’t have fazed me,” you’d be okay with that?" 🙂 Totally! See, I can handle correction when it’s merited! ---
**Author:** ![Chefguy](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/chefguy/32/138_2.png) [@Chefguy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Chefguy)\ **Post date:** [March 9, 2015, 2:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/you-edited-my-letter-to-management-you-did-what/714579/24 "2015-03-09T14:52:10Z")
> [@kambuckta](#): > > Got an email back with the edited letter. > > He’d removed, “As we all know…” and flipped a couple of paragraphs around without changing my words at all. He’s a lucky arsehole today…that’s for sure! > > Still, the point remains that he shouldn’t have altered my words at all without permission. I’ll leave it (revenge is a dish best served cold etc) for a later date, but will keep all evidence of rank stupidity! > > 😉 English majors just can’t help themselves. I had a boss who would likely have done the same thing. She never saw a memo she couldn’t improve. ---
**Author:** ![Bone](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bone/32/407_2.png) [@Bone](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bone)\ **Post date:** [March 9, 2015, 3:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/you-edited-my-letter-to-management-you-did-what/714579/25 "2015-03-09T15:42:18Z")
Why would you send your memo to someone else to send to someone else? That seems inefficient. ---
**Author:** ![Zsofia](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/z/7bcc69/32.png) [@Zsofia](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Zsofia)\ **Post date:** [March 9, 2015, 4:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/you-edited-my-letter-to-management-you-did-what/714579/26 "2015-03-09T16:13:34Z")
Some workplaces will NOT allow any bucking of chain of command. ---
**Author:** ![DrDeth](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/b487fb/32.png) [@DrDeth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DrDeth)\ **Post date:** [March 9, 2015, 10:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/you-edited-my-letter-to-management-you-did-what/714579/27 "2015-03-09T22:18:59Z")
> [@Snowboarder\_Bo](#): > > Upon reflection, it occurs to me that you may want to have a chat with your HR department about this as well. Daffy Duck: _It is to laugh._ How many times do we have to say this on the SDMB- HR is not your friend. And OP- your supervisor and company owns anything you write. They can edit it as they please. ---
**Author:** ![dropzone](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dropzone/32/7515_2.png) [@dropzone](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/dropzone)\ **Post date:** [March 9, 2015, 11:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/you-edited-my-letter-to-management-you-did-what/714579/28 "2015-03-09T23:29:22Z")
Yeah, pretty much what **DrDeth** said. It’s a company and you have rented your brain to them for the duration of your employment. Your supervisor was within his rights to edit your email because what you say reflects on him, especially if he is forwarding it. And never trust HR. They may pretend to be on your side, but they are leased, too. ---
**Author:** ![doreen](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/858c86/32.png) [@doreen](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/doreen)\ **Post date:** [March 10, 2015, 12:48am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/you-edited-my-letter-to-management-you-did-what/714579/29 "2015-03-10T00:48:28Z")
> [@Zsofia](#): > > Some workplaces will NOT allow any bucking of chain of command. True, but in those places you don’t send your supervisor an email that’s meant for a third party for your supervisor to simply pass on. My workplace is has a very strict chain of command. I write an email to my immediate supervisor about whatever my issue is. He then decides whether the issue is his call or whether he needs to forward it to his supervisor, possibly with a comment. She may make a decision or she may forward it to the next level. This is,however, for issues related to my actual work. If I’m communicating with areas outside my chain of command ( timekeeping, payroll, health benefits, legal), then my supervisor doesn’t get involved at all. If I don’t know how to direct it, I might ask my supervisor ( or more likely his administrative assistant) how to direct it and in certain situations I might copy him but the idea of sending him an email that didn’t require his approval and expecting him to forward it doesn’t make sense to me. ---
**Author:** ![OldOlds](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/o/a3d4f5/32.png) [@OldOlds](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/OldOlds)\ **Post date:** [March 10, 2015, 1:24am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/you-edited-my-letter-to-management-you-did-what/714579/30 "2015-03-10T01:24:16Z")
> [@DrDeth](#): > > Daffy Duck: _It is to laugh._ How many times do we have to say this on the SDMB- > > HR is not your friend. > > And OP- your supervisor and company owns anything you write. They can edit it as they please. I agree with all you’ve said, in general. But I have seen people get in a world of hurt for misquoting or misrepresenting emails. Including someone at a VP level. I’d be interested to know if there are legal issues with selective editing of an email such that it changes the meaning in a meaningful way. That is somehow different than a report which goes through a formal editing process…? ---
**Author:** ![Claverhouse](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/13edae/32.png) [@Claverhouse](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Claverhouse)\ **Post date:** [March 10, 2015, 1:32am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/you-edited-my-letter-to-management-you-did-what/714579/31 "2015-03-10T01:32:20Z")
Did your original email include the words _cunty_, _goat fucking_ and _shit_ ? ---
**Author:** ![GrumpyBunny](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/bc8723/32.png) [@GrumpyBunny](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/GrumpyBunny)\ **Post date:** [March 10, 2015, 1:58am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/you-edited-my-letter-to-management-you-did-what/714579/32 "2015-03-10T01:58:05Z")
> [@Claverhouse](#): > > Did your original email include the words _cunty_, _goat fucking_ and _shit_ ? I always use those in the first draft. Also “motherfucker” and “soul-sucking twatwaffle”. ---
**Author:** ![Northern\_Piper](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/northern_piper/32/5304_2.png) [@Northern\_Piper](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Northern_Piper)\ **Post date:** [March 10, 2015, 5:50am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/you-edited-my-letter-to-management-you-did-what/714579/33 "2015-03-10T05:50:59Z")
> [@The\_Second\_Stone](#): > > As someone who regularly advises clients with workplaces and in workplaces, everybody needs to understand that HR works to protect the company from its employees and potential bad employees. Any worker other than the owner is expendable without regret in that mission. Any employee who goes to HR is subject to being viewed as the enemy. “You can’t spell ‘hurt’ without ‘HR’.” – Dilbert. ---
**Author:** ![kambuckta](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/53a042/32.png) [@kambuckta](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kambuckta)\ **Post date:** [March 10, 2015, 5:59am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/you-edited-my-letter-to-management-you-did-what/714579/34 "2015-03-10T05:59:14Z")
Bwahahaha…it’s all good as I mentioned upthread. The changes made were probably merited, but still, as mentioned HE SHOULD’A ASKED ME FIRST! Cunty, fuckhead and mangrove goatwarbler were NOT mentioned in my letter. I will make sure that next time they ARE, so that any sudden edits will be obvious. 😃 ---
**Author:** ![kambuckta](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/53a042/32.png) [@kambuckta](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kambuckta)\ **Post date:** [March 16, 2015, 7:43am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/you-edited-my-letter-to-management-you-did-what/714579/35 "2015-03-16T07:43:31Z")
Interesting that I still haven’t had a response to my email, apart from the edit stuff, a week down the road. At what point would you be requesting a response? Given that I still don’t know if or who the email was forwarded to, what would you do? ---
**Author:** ![Steken](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/e274bd/32.png) [@Steken](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Steken)\ **Post date:** [March 16, 2015, 7:46am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/you-edited-my-letter-to-management-you-did-what/714579/36 "2015-03-16T07:46:43Z")
"Hey chief, A friendly reminder: I haven’t received a reply to my e-mail re: [subject], sent on [date], about a week ago. Any news on that front? All the best, / **kambuckta**" ---
**Author:** ![Boyo\_Jim](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/87869e/32.png) [@Boyo\_Jim](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Boyo_Jim)\ **Post date:** [March 16, 2015, 1:01pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/you-edited-my-letter-to-management-you-did-what/714579/37 "2015-03-16T13:01:52Z")
> [@kambuckta](#): > > Interesting that I still haven’t had a response to my email, apart from the edit stuff, a week down the road. > > At what point would you be requesting a response? Given that I still don’t know if or who the email was forwarded to, what would you do? What email? You sent one, you got a response. That’s all we know from this thread. ---
**Author:** ![SJL4041](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/73ab20/32.png) [@SJL4041](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/SJL4041)\ **Post date:** [March 16, 2015, 2:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/you-edited-my-letter-to-management-you-did-what/714579/38 "2015-03-16T14:41:20Z")
Uh, didn’t you write a letter suggesting a complete overhaul of the bonus structure and compensation scheme? Is that something your managers generally decide in a week? Or was your request something that is probably impossible to implement in the short-term but which they may consider some time in the future? Doesn’t seem like a time-sensitive or pressing issue that needs to be addressed immediately. Some supervisors have their hands full with high-maintenance employees. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/you-edited-my-letter-to-management-you-did-what/714579.md?page=1)