A former employee recently wrote to my boss analyzing our website - which I manage - amongst other things. I took over her job almost 2 years ago when she left the company on her own. This woman & I are both family friends of my boss, but I have only interacted with her professionally. In her email to my boss, she included a 4 page word doc pointing out all the mistakes, typos etc on almost every page of our website that she believed I needed to correct, without anyone asking her to. She's done similar things in the past, but I just ignored them. But, almost 2 years later she still wants to interfere. My boss made a joke out of it saying that she must have been bored; but that I needed to have a look at her comments....but I kind of felt that he should have stood up for me or asked that she stop interfering. What do you think?
2007-03-14 08:18:06 · 10 answers · asked by googlemaniac 3 in Business & Finance ➔ Careers & Employment
In reading some of your reactions - the things she points out are not exactly mistakes - they are more like "too much white space" " move this image to this page" etc maybe a few typos which I'm glad to correct (but we are understaffed and I dont have time to read everything and my boss edited it with me?!!)
(if I'm on yahoo answers I'm either on break, in my travels or waiting for some work file to download)...
2007-03-14 08:54:47 · update #1
Sorry if this sounds rude, but you shouldn't have typos on almost every page of your website. It doesn't matter if she is a former employee or not, anyone could have written in with the same comments. My opinion is you make the changes and don't let it happen again so she will have nothing to complain about.
2007-03-14 08:24:01 · answer #1 · answered by Anonymous · 0⤊ 0⤋
If she is a friend of your boss, she probably still feels connected to the company. Take it in stride and not as criticism and read over the letter, fix the misspelled words and look at the suggestions she made. Might be something you never thought. After that just blow it off. I have had the same situation with a former employee making suggestions. No big deal some people just can't give up the old habits.
2007-03-14 15:27:44 · answer #2 · answered by teamkimme 6 · 0⤊ 0⤋
She definitely should have stood up for you. She should have had the wits to see that this was nothing more than a disgruntled ex-employee who's only agenda was to try to make you look bad. Why would she care what the site looks like. It's kind physco to me. Doesn't she have a life? She's just jealous. But your boss should have stuck up for you. Maybe some typo's or errors should be corrected but their are other ways to go about it than to let some ex-crazy person dictate what your job is. Let your boss know that your sorry for the errors but that you are disappointed that this person is interfering with your job and ask her to tell this weird-o to stop discussing your job with her.
2007-03-14 15:33:09 · answer #3 · answered by Kristy 4 · 0⤊ 0⤋
The woman has a lot of time on her hands. Don't let it bug you, but you need to realize that the website is one of the best tools that your company has to promote itself and everything about it needs to be spot on. Find out if her comments deal with factual errors or her opinions about how things should be done. If it's opinion rather than fact based, talk to your boss. If it's fact based correct the errors.
2007-03-14 15:25:13 · answer #4 · answered by Brainiac 4 · 1⤊ 0⤋
Well...a little of both, really. She probably stuck her nose in where it didn't belong, but you're probably over-reacting slightly because of sensitivity about the job placement.
If you stop looking at her as a former employee, and start looking at her as a potential customer who's using your website, then you'll realize that you need to take her input seriously. She could have sent the email anonymously, and you'd have to take it seriously there.
If there are typos on your website, you'll need to get that fixed, regardless of who reported this to your manager.
Try to look at it as her helping you out...No, nobody asked for her input, but now that you have it, you might as well use it constructively.
2007-03-14 15:27:28 · answer #5 · answered by abfabmom1 7 · 0⤊ 0⤋
I think she's still trying to get her job back. If she felt the need to make suggestions, she should have made them directly to you. I also feel that you are right in thinking that the boss should have stood up for you. I don't think he should have handed you her comments for you to look at, but so what, bosses lack tact 95% of the time.
2007-03-14 15:26:25 · answer #6 · answered by The Queen 2 · 0⤊ 0⤋
I agree with you, she has no business doing something like that, it is not her job nor her place to say anything. If there were a problem with your website, your boss simply would have told you so. You need to have a chat with your boss and tell him/her that this woman has no place getting involved with YOUR job, and that she should mind her own business. Clearly she is jealous that she no longer has the job.
2007-03-14 15:23:00 · answer #7 · answered by Dusk 6 · 0⤊ 0⤋
Sounds like a perfectionist.
I would just laugh it off. As long as your boss isn't taking it seriously, I wouldn't worry about it.
What is he going to do? Fire her?
2007-03-14 15:23:51 · answer #8 · answered by Jo 6 · 0⤊ 0⤋
double check everything and correct what is needed and make sure to keep it that way in order to steal her thunder. Sounds like she doesn't have much to do these days.
2007-03-14 15:24:02 · answer #9 · answered by psychoholiday1976 3 · 0⤊ 0⤋
the lady who wrote the letter needs to get a life.
2007-03-14 15:23:36 · answer #10 · answered by SKYDOGSLIM 6 · 0⤊ 0⤋