Is this misconduct?

John_

rossm6 said:

Do you agree that the following is out of order?  What would you do about it?
A customer complained at work about an issue.  Originally I dealt with the issue so my manager explained to me the customer's complaint (it had nothing to do with me but rather one of the company's products).  He asked me to draft an email to the customer.  I did so although I knew it would be largely pointless because he always rewrites my emails.  Today I have reasonably grounds for suspecting he somehow sent the email from my mail address to the customer without my knowledge or consent.  Do people agree this misconduct?  Hopefully tomorrow I will get to the bottom of it.

What do you mean by your email? Your personal email, or the work email, which is not yours?

Is it not more likely that you sent it by accident?

rossm6

I'm not especially worked up about this incident, although it did strike me as being both a weird and somewhat disrespectful thing to do to an employee in any situation.  It's unfair also in this particular situation because the email should have come from my manager.  This is one of the core elements of their job.

By the way I only posted to get further opinions.  Of the two I had told already one thought it was outrageous and I should definitely take matters further.  I tend to agree with what has been said though and not.  That being said however, the truth will have to come out because I need to know who has been emailing for me so I can respond to a customer who is now asking me questions when it should be somebody else answering.  It's ridiculous those higher up than me in the company who only dictate anyway can't just respond themselves in their own name.  At least tell me if you're going to email disgruntled customers in my name.

KiKi

Why do you think it came from your email?  What *exactly* makes you think this?

Dox

rossm6 said:

the truth will have to come out because I need to know who has been emailing for me so I can respond to a customer who is now asking me questions when it should be somebody else answering.  

Why should it be somebody else answering when you drafted the e-mail? Get a sense or proportion in these matters.

rossm6

I can't be certain that it did come from my email address yet - crucial of course !!  But somebody else at the company - not me or my manager - emailed the customer a copy and paste of the original email that was sent and at the bottom is my signature.  Prior to this my manager asked me to email him a draft so I think he must definitely have sent this original email.  The question is did he use his own email address and accidentally leave my signature at the bottom (more unlikely I think) or he sent it from my email address.

KatrinaWaves

So it was probably just Forwarded... 

rossm6

Dox said:

rossm6 said:

the truth will have to come out because I need to know who has been emailing for me so I can respond to a customer who is now asking me questions when it should be somebody else answering.  

Why should it be somebody else answering when you drafted the e-mail? Get a sense or proportion in these matters.

Well, I shouldn't have drafted the email.  Anyway, I assumed it would be used as a basis for his own.

Manxman_in_exile

Is it that common for managers to have access to their staff's email accounts?  Why - have they got nothing better to do with their time then nose around their staff's emails?  Before I retired I wasted enough time having to deal with my own emails without micro-managing those of my staff.

And why would a manager send out an email from somebody else's login?  (OK - I know we only have the OP's side of the story but I'm a bit surprised that a lot of posters here seem to think it's OK if it did happen.  It would definitely be a disciplinary with my former employer - for, I would add, quite obvious reasons).

rossm6

KatrinaWaves said:

So it was probably just Forwarded... 

No, the email I have seen that was sent was nearly completely rewritten.  Only a couple of my sentences were kept.

rossm6

Manxman_in_exile said:

Is it that common for managers to have access to their staff's email accounts?  Why - have they got nothing better to do with their time then nose around their staff's emails?  Before I retired I wasted enough time having to deal with my own emails without micro-managing those of my staff.

And why would a manager send out an email from somebody else's login?  (OK - I know we only have the OP's side of the story but I'm a bit surprised that a lot of posters here seem to think it's OK if it did happen.  It would definitely be a disciplinary with my former employer - for, I would add, quite obvious reasons).

I'm assuming it's possible on Outlook to send an email from a chosen "from address" if you have a certain status level.  So I'm not suggesting any funny business happened besides this (logging onto my PC or anything).  And yes, I'm rather surprised like you that everybody else doesn't seem to think it is even an issue, as if this is a normal occurrence in the work place.  I've certainly never encountered it before.