President's Corner
Take time to reconsider before you send that email/letter
September 03, 2009
I was speaking with someone a few days ago who, in a fit of anger over how she was treated, almost sent off a letter to her boss (with a copy to her boss's boss) that was highly critical of both individuals. You can imagine the potential outcome of this - publically embarrassing one's supervisor and the supervisor's supervisor.
Here are a few guidelines you may want to consider when writing an email or a letter while annoyed:
- When you finish writing, set the letter or email aside for a few hours, then reread it and consider the impact of what you have written;
- Consider rewriting sections that seem to harsh or critical; consider adding more facts and removing any runours or accusations;
- When you have finished reviewing and editing the letter or email, set it aside again for a few hours, then reread it and consider the impact of what you have written;
- Repeat steps 2 and 3 until you are confident that what you have written explains and supports your point of view without causing the recipient to feel belittled, insulted, accused, or attacked.
Sun Tsu wrote, ". . . to fight and conquer in all your battles is not supreme excellence; supreme excellence consists in breaking the enemy's resistance without fighting." In other words, it is not necessary to overwhelm or overcome your supervisor; all that is necessary is to succeed in convincing her of the validity and value of your point-of-view.
Hours of work
September 01, 2009
The CUPEU collective agreement defines the usual working day as beginning at 9:00 am and ending at 5:00 pm. Twice in the past year, professional employees have run into problems because they have not come into work on time. Please be aware that professionals, like all other Concordia employees, are expected to be at work on time. Arriving even a few minutes late can, if repeated on a regularl basis, get you into serious trouble. Do you need a work schedule that is different from the default 9:00 to 5:00 schedule described in the collective agreement? If so, please consider negotiating an alternative schedule with your supervisor. Clause 24.03 of the collective agreement allows you to do this. And remember, once you and your supervisor agree on a new work schedule, confirm your understanding of the new schedule with an email or a memo so there is no possibility that you and your supervisor misunderstood what was being negotiated.
Welcome
August 26, 2009
Greetings --
For a long time, we have looked for a way to pass on tidbits, insights, and information that come to our attention. This web-based journal appears to offer an ideal balance of ease of use, accessibility and low level of intrusion and distraction.
We hope you will find the information we will make available through this journal to be useful.
Kindest regards,
Geoff Selig