Precept Employee Benefits Blog

As an HR or employee benefits professional, you no doubt have to deal with people all day long. You have to answer the same questions over and over, and you are probably expected to do it with a smile on your face. Even when it comes to firing someone or laying someone off, you are expected to try to make the situation as painless as possible for all involved (I’m assuming; I’m not actually in HR, but being in the industry, this is what I have picked up).

So when I read the story of the scheduler for a congressman in Washington, D.C., who flipped out when someone called her Liz instead of Elizabeth (and I mean FLIPPED – 19 emails on the subject), it reminded me that many people take communication these days for granted. It seems rare for people to just pick up the phone anymore, since email is seen as so much easier. Email, though, is also far less personal. And therefore, it is easy for people to misinterpret the meaning behind the words.

We all know that it’s important to be careful with email. Not only does it last forever, it can also get into the wrong hands (remember the last time someone accidentally hit “reply to all”?) – like, say, a reporter who goes and posts not only your 19-email diatribe, but also your full name. While I disagree with the scheduler’s reaction to what appeared to be an honest mistake, I feel bad for the fact that being a federal employee makes her information that much easier to get. You only have to read a few of the comments to realize that this woman is probably getting hundreds of mean-spirited emails and phone messages. All because she didn’t stop to think about the consequences of her knee-jerk reaction to being called by a nickname.

So the next time you receive the 50^th email asking about vacation time, paychecks, or the HMO plan, don’t send back the first thing that jumps into your head (“As I’ve said 50 times already, it’s all in the employee handbook!”). Take a deep breath, smile (remember that old saying that people can hear your smile through the phone? I think it works with email as well), and remember that you don’t want to be like the person whose bad day turned into an Internet phenomenon.

Related article: http://www.politico.com/blogs/anneschroeder/0609/No_namecalling.html?showall

And please, if you read the article above, refrain from doing what many of the comment-writers appear to be doing, which is harassing this woman with unnecessary and mean emails and voicemails.