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Advice needed on countering email BCC in workplace email (Vanity)
Vanity Post | 12/8/2010 | jili

Posted on 12/08/2010 10:59:44 AM PST by jilliane

I sincerely apologize for the vanity post. I need advice from intelligent people in regards to a workplace problem. I've searched the internet, forums, career advice sites and can't find any relevant advice.


TOPICS: Business/Economy; Computers/Internet
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To: jilliane

You might see more detail if you right click on the email line, click properties on the drop down menu and then click the details tab or routing tab.


61 posted on 12/08/2010 12:43:04 PM PST by existtoexcel
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To: Keith in Iowa

They have demonstrated that they avoid conflict. I believe there have been two firings in years. A high-producing co-worker made several complaints that his disrespect for her time was interfering with her productivity. They trivialized her complaints as emotional, did nothing, and she quit.


62 posted on 12/08/2010 12:45:45 PM PST by jilliane
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To: jilliane

Sounds like a quick exit strategery is in order. Life is too short to put up with a bunch of bovine scat like you are dealing with.


63 posted on 12/08/2010 12:50:54 PM PST by Keith in Iowa (FR Class of 1998 | TV News is an oxymoron. | MSNBC = Moonbats Spouting Nothing But Crap.)
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To: Dan(9698)

so politically correct to each other that they conclude that the problem is anyone who identifies a problem.


64 posted on 12/08/2010 12:57:58 PM PST by jilliane
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To: IamConservative

Good advice. It’s a tradeoff between BCC and giving a 5 minute verbal opinion that turns into a 2 hour meeting. My work doesn’t go away, he just makes it all take so much longer.


65 posted on 12/08/2010 1:00:03 PM PST by jilliane
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To: jilliane

My advice is to quit.

This is a sneaky manager that isn’t forthright. It’s only a matter of time before he or she starts being sneaky about you.

I’ve had bosses like this. Sooner or later, everyone gets on the business end of their methods. The only way out is ‘out.’


66 posted on 12/08/2010 1:00:34 PM PST by Ted Grant
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To: palmer

I just tested it and they are right. I received the BCC and replied back to all emails, even those I couldn’t see also got the replies to all.


67 posted on 12/08/2010 1:02:41 PM PST by jilliane
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To: knittnmom

I will, thank you.


68 posted on 12/08/2010 1:03:40 PM PST by jilliane
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To: La Lydia

Good wisdom.


69 posted on 12/08/2010 1:09:35 PM PST by jilliane
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To: kevinm13
Never “Reply to All” unless absolutely necessary.

You got that right. We did have one field supervisor who did that after several people in our HQ sent out the exact same email.

It happened to be a large email with several attachments and he was still on dial up. He got po'ed waiting for all the data, so he hit reply to all and said: "Would someone else please send the d*** big email to everyone again so I will be sure to get the f****** thing?"

Needless to say, he got a call from the big boss, since he was in the CC field.

70 posted on 12/08/2010 1:18:48 PM PST by Arrowhead1952 (Whether corruption is in politics, science, education, research, etc., always follow the money.)
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To: Nervous Tick

There are many good tips on this thread, but for my money, yours is the best advice given.


71 posted on 12/08/2010 1:25:38 PM PST by Gator113 (Sarah Palin can win, and she will win.)
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To: delacoert
improper use of bcc by management (find a new job)

It's not just improper use of bcc, but a management style this is going to drive the talent out of the organization. HR needs to be involved. (Although in this case, the company doesn't seem to have an HR department according to the poster.)

72 posted on 12/08/2010 1:54:26 PM PST by MEGoody (Ye shall know the truth, and the truth shall make you free.)
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To: MEGoody

You can't possibly know that this interpretation is true by hearing only one side of the story. The number of ways that a so-accused manager has to explain this as being completely appropriate, thus making the complaint look unfounded are myriad. It's the kind of thing that just gets you permanently ignore. Can't take it, then find another job.

73 posted on 12/08/2010 2:02:56 PM PST by delacoert
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To: jilliane
I just tested it and they are right. I received the BCC and replied back to all emails, even those I couldn't see also got the replies to all.

The only test you can know is (1) you send reply-all (2) one of the other BCC's (not CC's) comes to you in the hallway and says he received it. Otherwise he was not a BCC, but CC (which everyone can see in the email headers).

What you get in your own email doing a reply-all as a BCC doesn't matter. The bottom line is if you can reply to a BCC besides yourself, the she/he is not a BCC, just a CC or a TO.

74 posted on 12/08/2010 2:45:41 PM PST by palmer (Cooperating with Obama = helping him extend the depression and implement socialism.)
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To: jilliane

Sorry, I did not explain that well at all. Let’s start with your boss, Dick. He send an email TO Tom and CC Harry. He also decides to BCC Jilliane and BCC Mary. The message is formatted to read “FROM Dick, TO Tom, CC Harry”. His email client tells the server to send it to Tom, to Harry, to Jilliane, and to Jane which it does. But the email header says “FROM Dick, TO Tom, CC Harry” with no mention of you or Jane. None of the email clients are told who the email was sent to, only the header info.

When you open the email you see “FROM Dick, TO Tom, CC Harry, BCC Jilliane” because your client adds your email to the header being displayed (but the BCC is not in the real header). When Jane opens the email she sees “FROM Dick, TO Tom, CC Harry, BCC Jane” Her email client knows nothing about you and your client knows nothing about her.

Now when you hit reply-all your email client prepares an email with the header “TO Dick, CC Tom, CC Harry, CC Jilliane”. Possibly you would be listed as BCC in the header, but not likely. When Dick gets the email he realizes you revealed your BCC status. When Tom and Harry get the email they realize for the first time that you were BCC’d in the original. Mary does not get your reply-all since your client knows nothing about her. Tom and Harry likewise don’t know about Mary because they just see the header “TO Dick, CC Tom, CC Harry, CC Jilliane”

Hopefully that’s a better explanation.


75 posted on 12/08/2010 4:21:24 PM PST by palmer (Cooperating with Obama = helping him extend the depression and implement socialism.)
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To: palmer; jilliane

oh boy. In the example above, “Mary” and “Jane” are the same person (I started thinking Mary was the other BCC, then made it Jane). What a mess. Sorry about that.


76 posted on 12/08/2010 4:26:46 PM PST by palmer (Cooperating with Obama = helping him extend the depression and implement socialism.)
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To: palmer

Perfectly explained; I understood what you meant.

Yes, as you stated, revealing to all who are on To: and C.C: but not to the other BCC....even though the other BCC won’t see the reply to all, by replying to all, I can alert the others of the game being played. Eventually, the game is revealed to everyone in the circle if everyone is moving into CC and To positions in subsequent emails.


77 posted on 12/08/2010 4:32:48 PM PST by jilliane
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To: Nervous Tick

You are right. It’s the implications that concern me. I don’t question for a moment that I’m targeted behind my back but I’ve done valuable work. Thanks for your advice.


78 posted on 12/08/2010 4:49:58 PM PST by jilliane
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To: jilliane
My work doesn’t go away, he just makes it all take so much longer.

I feel for you. I've had managers like that in the past.

79 posted on 12/09/2010 5:04:15 AM PST by IamConservative (Never kick a fresh turd on a hot day... Truman)
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To: delacoert
You can't possibly know that this interpretation is true by hearing only one side of the story.

Um, that's one of the reasons for going to HR - so the manager has an opportunity to tell his side of the story.

80 posted on 12/09/2010 6:17:23 AM PST by MEGoody (Ye shall know the truth, and the truth shall make you free.)
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