Friends,
Just a quick note to spur a bit of debate. I sent a note to everyone in my department describing a change that I’d made to some equipment here, including instructions on how to use it. The change came about because an outside contractor broke the old equipment a few months ago in a minor accident. Nobody was hurt so the accident was never reported, but dodgy old equipment was put out of service forever, to my relief.
The response from my boss was that I should’ve reported the accident and to chastise me for the delay in notifying him. I shouldn’t have been surprised at reading that, but I half-expected some sort of appreciation for sharing the operating instructions for the new equipment. Documentation is pretty thin on the ground around here, so I thought I’d get the ball rolling.
Should I have anticipated my boss’ non-positive response? Is it impossible after all to communicate any sort of nuance through an email message? I’ve tried and I’ve failed—over and over and over again.
I’ve been in the middle of these things before, without learning how to shut up. This time he got a clarification message from me, but nothing more. The lessons come slowly, but I’ll pick them up eventually.
Your pal,
bob