A reader writes:
This one’s bizarre. I might love your ideas, in the event you can.
A few of my coworkers and I received a textual content from an unknown quantity addressing us by our first names and asking us to price the corporate we work at. It was totally different than the standard firm survey textual content in that it needed a direct response quite than following an out of doors hyperlink, and it got here from what seemed like a private telephone quantity quite than the five-digit quantity the corporate will use. The entire thing appeared suspicious, particularly since all of us simply accomplished the month-to-month a number of query survey the week earlier than.
My coworker seemed up the quantity within the white pages and located it belonged to some woman we’d by no means heard of. I attempted wanting additional to see if I might discover her identify related to the corporate however have had no luck. I thought of bringing it to our supervisor’s consideration, however we’re suspicious it might have one thing to do together with her.
For some context, my supervisor, Lucy, is a little bit of a martyr. We continually hear about her conflicts together with her personal boss and fellow managers, how HR ignores her, her household drama, how a lot of a loser she is (her phrases), and why doesn’t anyone come discuss to her together with her open-door coverage? One time we had a brand new aid employee name out on the final minute (issues occur, proper?), and Lucy’s quick response was to counsel it was accomplished simply to spite her, as if it was a private vendetta towards her. At first, I felt sorry for her; now I’m simply uninterested in listening to it and disturbed that she even shares a few of these issues with us.
Lucy’s at all times telling us how unhealthy company says we’re however that she sticks up for us and places her personal job in danger, so she will repair all the pieces. I maintain telling myself she means nicely. Possibly she does, however the phrases and gestures simply really feel hole now, particularly when you understand she complains about folks behind their backs and makes use of emotional manipulation ways.
Not surprisingly, over half our workers has give up with out replacements, partially due to Lucy, and partially seemingly due to the rising unhealthy popularity circulating the corporate (a narrative worthy of one other letter). Odd that nobody desires to use to work right here.
Getting again to the textual content, Lucy obsesses over these surveys (seemingly attributable to strain from above), however together with her monitor file, none of us can be stunned if she was enlisting somebody to assist her ferret out data relating to who mentioned what. The opposite day she requested me to not discuss to her boss about any issues I had with the way in which issues have been working, as if I’m presupposed to lie when requested a query. This was as a result of Lucy’s boss cornered my coworker at some point, and when requested a query, my coworker answered actually whereas attempting to be honest with the response. Lucy later received defensive and began telling everybody how my coworker threw her beneath the bus, appearing like she was joking, however she clearly wasn’t.
Clearly, none of that is any form of proof of Lucy being linked to the textual content, and we will’t simply accuse her, so all of us have determined to disregard the texts for now, however I’m wondering if it could be price reaching out to somebody to ask concerning the legitimacy of them. I suppose it might be a spam factor, however why would spam ask us to textual content again a quantity between 1 and 10 to price the corporate?
If that is certainly an illegitimate survey being despatched to staff, the corporate ought to know, proper? If that’s the case, whose consideration ought to I deliver it to? Would this nonetheless be an HR subject? Oh, after which there’s Lucy. I can already image her being upset that I didn’t inform her concerning the textual content first, which I suppose makes her downside quantity two, or quite the principle downside. I actually attempt to ignore her drama and maintain issues skilled, however she’s exhausting. Ideas?
For starters, yeah, undoubtedly don’t reply to the textual content!
And also you would possibly as nicely examine with HR. It might be completely cheap to say to somebody in HR, “My group all received texts asking us to price the corporate however it didn’t seem like firm texts usually do and it got here from a unique quantity than regular. I needed to examine if that is legitimately from the corporate, or if it is likely to be a phishing try or one thing else I ought to report.” And ahead a screenshot of the textual content to them to allow them to see it.
I don’t know that something will come of it — if it’s not from them, they may simply write it off as spam and never examine. However hopefully you’ll a minimum of get a transparent reply about whether or not it was from the corporate or not.
If Lucy hears you requested HR about it and is upset that you just didn’t discuss to her first, don’t get drawn into any drama or intrigue. Simply say, “Oh, I simply figured it was an HR factor if somebody is spamming staff.” (Say this in a barely bored, uninvested tone, like that is all extremely unremarkable and never something you’re spending any time serious about — i.e., the alternative of a “all of us suspect you’re behind this” vibe.)
Clearly, although, your Lucy downside goes method behind the query of this one textual content. Realistically, there is likely to be nothing you are able to do about that … however it’s price contemplating whether or not you possibly can fill in anybody above her on the issues together with her administration, and specifically on the truth that she requested you not to speak actually together with her boss. (If I have been her boss, I’d be very, very focused on listening to that. Whether or not or not her boss is will depend on what that particular person is like as a supervisor, however the entire “cornered your coworker and requested a query that she answered actually, which then set off Lucy” factor means that that particular person is likely to be open to listening to extra.)