Dear Deid: My Manager is ignoring me. I don’t know why, but she seems to be bent on avoiding me like the plague. She says she’s busy dealing with other people and doesn’t want to talk to me about anything personal. Is this normal for a Dear ED?
Dear Mr or ma, it is not normal. In fact, it is illegal for your employer ( Dear ED) to keep you away from work because you don’t want to work anymore. If it is not your fault or you have been let go unfairly you should get a fair opportunity to show the company that you are still the employee of interest they wish to keep. The last thing they want to do is fire you on bogus trumped-up charges or some other nonsense.
It is now (after the holiday) a bit chilly in the office for me. I’ve just read some comments by one of my co-workers who described the Christmas vacation as sneezing in stasis’. I’ve never been one to take Christmas too lightly, though I had the time of my life at Christmas time with my family. So when I read this comment, I had to write a letter to Dear DEI Esq: “Dear Mr or ma, I understand your frustration because, as you know, I am a great fan of the Christmas spirit. I also know how hard it is to deal with being ignored during this time of year.
Okay, so you’re upset and your feelings are coming through loud and clear now. You are now feeling very alone, which is not a good thing when you’re trying to build up a positive work environment or you are trying to create better communication within your company. You are also feeling hopeless. So please sit down and try to be objective while writing your letter. This will make it easier for you to compose yourself and express exactly how you really feel.
Your next step is to send the aforementioned letter to your supervisor. I know this can seem very scary at first when your first thought is to hide in a cupboard and wait for your boss to come barging in to dump your letter into the trash can. What I suggest is that you send this letter to your supervisor anonymously so that your manager doesn’t even know that you are upset. Just like you wrote to Dear DEI Esq: My Manager is Singling Me Out! Just tell your supervisor that you are fed up with being treated like dirt, you want to vent your anger but you don’t want to get into a fight. Just tell them that you think your supervisor needs to hear that you are fed up with not getting any respect.
The key here is not to argue with your manager. Simply state your opinion in a calm manner and politely request that they take some time out and listen. You don’t have to do anything crazy. In fact, it is highly recommended that you not say anything to your manager at all until they let you do so in private. I know that for me it took about 3 months before I was finally given the chance to send back a letter explaining my reasons.
Once you do write that letter and have it received by your boss, take some time out and calm down. If you are able to do this, you will be able to compose yourself and say whatever you need to say. This will go a long way in making you more persuasive than if you were to keep on fighting with your supervisor over the entire issue. Trust me; it will be worth it in the end.
Finally, once you do receive the letter from your manager, don’t delete it. Keep it handy and read it over the next day or two. If your manager is willing to give you a second chance, then it is definitely worth a second look. However, if you feel that your case doesn’t fit the above criteria, then you should send back your letter immediately and don’t even think about writing another one until all issues are resolved.
