Email issues...best way to handle them? 15

[wahnula]

Howdy folks,

I am Admin for our small office SBS2003 domain (10 users). I have one user that is presenting what I feel might be a problem, but I would like other opinions before I take any action.

I am not the boss, I am the Senior Designer and the person in question is a Junior Designer, so there's kind of a competition between us, but I am clearly the lead revenue producer and a much more experienced worker (as well as the network builder and SysAdmin).

There are two issues I'd like some feedback on:

1. His email signature, on every piece of electronic correspondence, is usually religious and/or political in nature. His current sig is "Only 2 defining forces have ever offered to die for you.....Jesus Christ and the American Soldier. One died for your soul, the other for your freedom"

I'm not sure if this is proper on business correspondence, but I don't want to encroach on his "freedom of speech" either. I realize this is a private network and the business has the right to represent itself any way that they choose, but this is an individual that may appear to be speaking for the business.

2. Forwarding, forwarding, forwarding. And not just to office workers, but others, maybe friends, hopefully not customers. The last one was a caricature of Barack Obama entitled "Worth a thousand words". In the caricature, Barack was standing in front of a sign saying "White House" and thinking "Well first off, that sign's gonna have to go" and then a blurb at the bottom saying "THEN THE BIBLE-REMEMBER WHEN I WAS SWORN AS A SENATOR-I USED THE KURAN. THEN THE FLAG-REMEMBER I WON'T SALUTE IT. THEN THE PLEDGE OF ALLEGIANCE-REMEMBER I WON'T SAY IT. READY FOR A CHANGE? VOTE DEOMOCRATIC[sic]"

Then there was a logo at the bottom, ACLU, with the "C" represented as a crescent and star, and it says Anti-Christian Lawyers Union and underneath Jihad with a Law Degree.

I found this personally offensive, maybe racist and possibly illegal, and forwarded it to the boss for review. The boss is very non-confrontational, and it's easier (and typical) for him to do nothing.

Am I making a big deal out of nothing? Are there any guidelines for business networks that I could cite as reference?

Thanks as always.


Tony

Users helping Users...

 

[harebrain]

I will avoid using words like "peurile"

Probably a good idea if you're going to misspell them.

Honestly, if people don't think this can be done with tact and finesse, I wonder what kind of workplace they have. Or what kind of relationships they foster with their co-workers.

 

[wahnula]

Thank you for your contributions.

Tony

Users helping Users...

 

[Foamcow]

I don't understand why the boss can't take his employee to one side and politely ask him to remove the signature. He only need give the reason that some customers have thought it inappropriate and doesn't need to quantify his request further. He's the boss.

You can't really blame the "Junior" for continuing if nobody has told him he shouldn't be doing it. Whether we think it's unprofessional or not is beside the point since he plainly doesn't. I'm a firm believer in benefit of the doubt and I'd be highly surprised if "Junior" thought for one moment that his email signature was inappropriate.

Once this has been done and with an email policy in place if "Junior" continues with the behaviour he gets a disciplinary letter. Any further problems can be taken up with his workmates at his next place of employment.

Bottom line, it's about communication. If work colleagues don't communicate then there's something wrong - case in point, the "Quickbooks lady". If she didn't like all the forwarded mail then why on earth did she not simply ask him to stop sending them?

--
Tek-Tips Forums is Member Supported. Click Here to donate

<honk>*:O)</honk>

Tyres: Mine's a pint of the black stuff.
Mike: You can't drink a pint of Bovril.

 

[wahnula]

I don't understand why the boss can't take his employee to one side and politely ask him to remove the signature

In most cases one would think this would be easy, but remember the boss is non-confrontational. It's his management style, sort of lead-from-behind, and he's been burned many times in the past, but it's just the way he is. And besides, I don't think he feels strongly enough about the situation to be forced into action. It's mostly MY beef. He may still act upon it, as he highly values my opinion and agrees it's not professional. We're talking about religion here, and it's a sensitive subject.

If work colleagues don't communicate then there's something wrong...If she didn't like all the forwarded mail then why on earth did she not simply ask him to stop sending them?

It's hard to answer that question, not being her. I would assume that it was easier to delete them quietly rather than
speak up and do something that might be taken the wrong way. She's super-nice and very busy, and being included in his circle of "friends" may have been a gesture of friendship. I just don't know.

I'm a firm believer in benefit of the doubt and I'd be highly surprised if "Junior" thought for one moment that his email signature was inappropriate.

Same here. I don't think it's an attempt to "stir the pot" or evoke attention to him or his cause. Just bad judgment.

I started this post after I reviewed the sales figures and tried to understand why his closing percentage was so small, and wondered if it was my competitive nature that found fault in his signature. In my business, developing a close relationship with the customer is key in getting them signed up. Alienating them in any way must be avoided. I have received the support I sought, but lack the authority to lower the boom. I hope the boss sees it my way, time will tell. Thanks for the response.

Tony

Users helping Users...

 

[Dollie]

I would think it's easier to simply state "this is how your e-mail signature should be formatted, and we have provided a template for you on the server. This is what you will use in your business e-mail and it is not to be edited in any manner."

Fairly simple reason: name recognition for the company, not "oh no not that troll" recognition for the employee.

 

[wahnula]

this is how your e-mail signature should be formatted, and we have provided a template for you on the server.

Is that possible? To create user's signatures in Exchange with the corporate logo and be done with it? I run SBS2003SP1 with Exchange 2003. I know this isn't a tech forum but I'd sure love to know how to do this. This forum points to this link that requires running a VBS script to put a disclaimer on all outbound communication, I'd like to use our company's logo if possible.

It's easier to be formal and have strict policies in a larger org, we're much more casual and this is the first sticky issue like this that has developed in the last 10 years. I agree with Foamcow that the user probably has no idea his signature is inappropriate.

Tony

Users helping Users...

 

[SQLSister]

If the guy is truly clueless that this is a problem, you might try the indirect approach. In the course of a conversation about various customers, happen to mention how one of your customers was complaining to you about some emails he or she was getting from some other company that had religious content and how that person was so angry at getting them that he would never do business with that company. Say something like, "wow I had no idea there were people who felt that strongly about it." (if you think you can say this with a straight face.)

"NOTHING is more important in a database than integrity." ESquared

 

[wahnula]

(if you think you can say this with a straight face.)"......I doubt it!

I have decided the direct approach would be best...if the boss approves it. Honestly telling him that he is possibly alienating customers, that some of our (my) biggest clients are not Christian etc. I will report back after I have "the talk".


Tony

Users helping Users...

 

[EdwardMartinIII]

Good luck with that talk.

My experience is that such things are not noticed no matter how overt the "subtlety." Then, when one is forced to swing the clue-by-four, all of a sudden it's taken as "I want to eat your children."

But, may it be painless for you.

I think Dollie's suggestion of having a boss say "This is our new company email footer. Everyone will use it and don't change or edit it" is the simplest most straightforward approach.

Edward

"Cut a hole in the door. Hang a flap. Criminy, why didn't I think of this earlier?!" -- inventor of the cat door

 

[Dollie]

Wahnula, while I'm probably not the best person to answer Exchange questions, I can sure try to help.

We create HTML signatures for each of our users, and they are allowed to only change address and phone information. All of the other strict formatting and information stays the same and is not changed. The signature files are available on our common file server, and each person also has a copy with instructions on how to set up their signature in Outlook as well as in webmail.

The only personal statement that we've ever allowed is the "think of the environment before printing this e-mail" statement that many people are using now. If someone's not using the right signature, everyone knows.

 

[wahnula]

===>"Then, when one is forced to swing the clue-by-four, all of a sudden it's taken as "I want to eat your children." Good one EdwardMartinIII!!!

I'm going to look into adding a default HTML footer to all email going through Exchange, I'll post in the SBS forum to see if there's an "easy" way...VBS isn't my strong suit.

Thanks folks for your patience and suggestions.

Tony

Users helping Users...

 

[wahnula]

Dollie,

I presented your idea to the boss today...and he liked it. He favors himself a computer graphics kind of guy, and he will be developing a corporate signature, with our logo and what he wants in the sig, to be placed on the server and accessed by users to modify and deploy as their ONLY email signature. Let's hope this works! Thanks again.

Tony

Users helping Users...

 

[jet042]

Interestingly, NPR ran a story this morning about e-mail in the workplace and how it has affected the corporate landscape as far as lawsuits. Technically, it's not related to this issue, but it does show that there is national attention being paid to how companies manage their internal and external e-mails. Here's a link.

http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=91363363&ft=1&f=1001

 

[wahnula]

Update:

The boss really liked Dollie's solution, and preferred it to me talking the issue over with the "offendant"...

Since I couldn't figure out how to get our current logo in HTML format, I posted in the Office forum: thread68-1482127 and received advice on using this product and I am in the process of figuring it out so I can apply it to all our signatures.

I plan on being a regular in the Exclaimer forums until I get this thing setup...intuitive it is NOT! I'll post back if I can get it going and it solves the problem.


Tony

Users helping Users...

 

[KornGeek]

E-mail should never include vulgarity/profanity or statements that could be misconstrued to demean any person, or groups of persons, including our competitors.

So, it's OK to intentionally demean a person (or group of persons), as long as that was the purpose and it's not being misconstrued.

 

[SantaMufasa]

How about "interpretted"?

Mufasa
(aka Dave of Sandy, Utah, USA)
[I provide low-cost, remote Database Administration services: www.dasages.com]
A fo ben, bid bont.

 

[Dollie]

Yay for Wahnula's boss!

One great thing about Outlook is that you can copy and paste formatted text from Word into the signature field and it will retain the formatting.

I'm really happy that I've actually been some help to someone instead of appearing to follow Mufasa from thread to thread!

 

[SantaMufasa]

Frankly, Dollie, it's an honour for me to have Mufasa appear in the same sentence/breath as Dollie.

Mufasa
(aka Dave of Sandy, Utah, USA)
[I provide low-cost, remote Database Administration services: www.dasages.com]
A fo ben, bid bont.

 

[SQLSister]

santa,
A fo ben, bid bont?

"NOTHING is more important in a database than integrity." ESquared

 

[Dollie]

SQLSister, absolutely yes!


I had only seen this in Latin, I'm glad to know the welsh version as well!