Tips for Refuting False Written Statements
Before I write anything else, let me start by saying that sometimes an employee—of any race—deserves and needs to be written up for unprofessional conduct, missed deadlines, performance issues, chronic lateness or any number of other issues in the workplace.
But, having said that, let me tell you, I’ve seen my fair share of false and malicious workplace statements--especially false statements from coworkers. For instance, I’ve read statements written by members of management that were signed by the coworkers of a person being targeted for harassment or retaliation by an employer. The collusion being engaged in by management and the employees would always end up being far reaching—with all parties willing to swear on a stack of Bibles that the statements were true and were provided without any amount of pressure from the company.
Yet, behind the scenes, money often changed hands. I’m not talking about hundred dollar bills literally being passed from hand to hand under a conference room table. But, I am talking about special increases, unprecedented and unjustified bonuses, significant and unjustified yearly salary increases, awards, and promotions/title changes. You’d be surprised how many coworkers are willing to put themselves in the middle of illegal corporate misconduct in order to assist an employer in taking down an innocent employee. I guess that’s one way to show loyalty to the boss and one way to get your hands on money you haven’t earned through your work performance.
In addition to false statements by coworkers, I’ve also read false statements written by employers about an employee. In some cases the false statements were written about my Black coworkers and in other cases the false statements were written about me. I’ve noticed many similarities, when White employers decide to falsely target Black employees. Much of what is written about Black employees, when it comes to false documentation, falls into stereotyping the employee, character assassination and personality attacks, and an overreliance on blanket statements that have no supporting documentation or other evidence to back up the claims. For instance:
-- A Black employee may be labeled as a behavior problem that falls into stereotypes of African Americans (e.g., being angry, defensive or unprofessional);
-- A Black employee may be labeled as having communication issues (e.g. being rude, negative, argumentative, hypersensitive, etc.);
-- A Black employee may be labeled as insubordinate;
-- A Black employee may be labeled as being disliked by a number of people or many people in their office, department, team, at the company, etc.; and/or
-- A Black employee may be accused of problems they didn’t directly cause or of performance deficiencies that do not exist.
Like I said in the beginning of this post, sometimes people need to be written up and sometimes it’s just a load of bullsh*t! When it comes to race and racism in the workplace, many Black employees may find themselves falsely documented for any variety of reasons. Regardless of the reason for being documented by a supervisor, manager, coworker or the company—as a whole—I’d like to provide you with these tips. When it comes to reading and addressing a false written statements:
1. Always be as anal as you possibly can, when reading the statement. Analyze every word that is written. If you have been provided with a false statement, you should remember that great care has gone into preparing the document. Each word was chosen for a reason—on a conscious or subconscious level.
2. Analyze the wording in the documentation and attack, wherever you see an opening. For example, if someone writes that you “appeared” to be angry or you were “perceived” to be argumentative, demand clarification. How exactly did you appear to be angry? The perception of anger is subjective, could be seen differently on a cultural level, etc. Similarly, you should find out what made the person label you as argumentative. How did the individual define that? The person writing the documentation should specifically outline how you supposedly manifested your anger or what specific behavior demonstrated that you were being argumentative or difficult.
3. Always use direct quotes from the false statement in your response and follow the direct quotes with a hard-hitting response that shows the quote to be false. You want to attack the credibility of the person writing the statement. One of the best ways to do that is to attack their basic believability by showing their words can’t be trusted, that they are careless with their words and judgments, and that they will commit things to writing that can’t be substantiated in fact.
4. Do not allow blank statements to go without response! Ask for specifics about questionable or vague accusations—in writing. Make the individual commit to details. Always keep in mind that asking questions often forces people (even very educated people) to commit to telling even more lies. The more lies they tell, the harder it is to continue to keep the story straight. Therefore, it could become easier to refute their claims about you because they’ve strayed from their initial talking points and lies.
5. Provide written evidence that contradicts the false claims in the statement. For instance, if you’re accused of being disliked by coworkers, produce emails from coworkers thanking you for being pleasant to work with and a great team player. If you are being falsely blamed for problems on a project, even though you followed the instructions you were given, provide a copy of the instructions and show how you adhered to those procedures.
6. Point out anyone referenced in the statement, who has an axe to grind or is in some other way falsely accusing you of performance issues. Provide specifics that refute what this person is saying about you.
7. Prepare a response that refutes the false statement against you line-by-line. It is much more powerful to attack your attacker following their warped logic and lies. This also allows a third party to essentially hold the two pieces of documentation (the false statement and your response) side-by-by and to make a judgment on the credibility of the arguments.
8. If you haven’t already done so, DOCUMENT EVERYTHING from the moment you realize you’ve become a target. If someone is willing to put lies to paper and to place an employer at risk, by engaging in illegal behavior, they will likely not let up until they succeed at their goal (forcing you to resign, getting you fired or demoted, etc.) Once it’s been established that you are a target, start thinking of covering your butt and saving all the evidence you need to seek an internal or external remedy to your problems.
But, having said that, let me tell you, I’ve seen my fair share of false and malicious workplace statements--especially false statements from coworkers. For instance, I’ve read statements written by members of management that were signed by the coworkers of a person being targeted for harassment or retaliation by an employer. The collusion being engaged in by management and the employees would always end up being far reaching—with all parties willing to swear on a stack of Bibles that the statements were true and were provided without any amount of pressure from the company.
Yet, behind the scenes, money often changed hands. I’m not talking about hundred dollar bills literally being passed from hand to hand under a conference room table. But, I am talking about special increases, unprecedented and unjustified bonuses, significant and unjustified yearly salary increases, awards, and promotions/title changes. You’d be surprised how many coworkers are willing to put themselves in the middle of illegal corporate misconduct in order to assist an employer in taking down an innocent employee. I guess that’s one way to show loyalty to the boss and one way to get your hands on money you haven’t earned through your work performance.
In addition to false statements by coworkers, I’ve also read false statements written by employers about an employee. In some cases the false statements were written about my Black coworkers and in other cases the false statements were written about me. I’ve noticed many similarities, when White employers decide to falsely target Black employees. Much of what is written about Black employees, when it comes to false documentation, falls into stereotyping the employee, character assassination and personality attacks, and an overreliance on blanket statements that have no supporting documentation or other evidence to back up the claims. For instance:
-- A Black employee may be labeled as a behavior problem that falls into stereotypes of African Americans (e.g., being angry, defensive or unprofessional);
-- A Black employee may be labeled as having communication issues (e.g. being rude, negative, argumentative, hypersensitive, etc.);
-- A Black employee may be labeled as insubordinate;
-- A Black employee may be labeled as being disliked by a number of people or many people in their office, department, team, at the company, etc.; and/or
-- A Black employee may be accused of problems they didn’t directly cause or of performance deficiencies that do not exist.
Like I said in the beginning of this post, sometimes people need to be written up and sometimes it’s just a load of bullsh*t! When it comes to race and racism in the workplace, many Black employees may find themselves falsely documented for any variety of reasons. Regardless of the reason for being documented by a supervisor, manager, coworker or the company—as a whole—I’d like to provide you with these tips. When it comes to reading and addressing a false written statements:
1. Always be as anal as you possibly can, when reading the statement. Analyze every word that is written. If you have been provided with a false statement, you should remember that great care has gone into preparing the document. Each word was chosen for a reason—on a conscious or subconscious level.
2. Analyze the wording in the documentation and attack, wherever you see an opening. For example, if someone writes that you “appeared” to be angry or you were “perceived” to be argumentative, demand clarification. How exactly did you appear to be angry? The perception of anger is subjective, could be seen differently on a cultural level, etc. Similarly, you should find out what made the person label you as argumentative. How did the individual define that? The person writing the documentation should specifically outline how you supposedly manifested your anger or what specific behavior demonstrated that you were being argumentative or difficult.
3. Always use direct quotes from the false statement in your response and follow the direct quotes with a hard-hitting response that shows the quote to be false. You want to attack the credibility of the person writing the statement. One of the best ways to do that is to attack their basic believability by showing their words can’t be trusted, that they are careless with their words and judgments, and that they will commit things to writing that can’t be substantiated in fact.
4. Do not allow blank statements to go without response! Ask for specifics about questionable or vague accusations—in writing. Make the individual commit to details. Always keep in mind that asking questions often forces people (even very educated people) to commit to telling even more lies. The more lies they tell, the harder it is to continue to keep the story straight. Therefore, it could become easier to refute their claims about you because they’ve strayed from their initial talking points and lies.
5. Provide written evidence that contradicts the false claims in the statement. For instance, if you’re accused of being disliked by coworkers, produce emails from coworkers thanking you for being pleasant to work with and a great team player. If you are being falsely blamed for problems on a project, even though you followed the instructions you were given, provide a copy of the instructions and show how you adhered to those procedures.
6. Point out anyone referenced in the statement, who has an axe to grind or is in some other way falsely accusing you of performance issues. Provide specifics that refute what this person is saying about you.
7. Prepare a response that refutes the false statement against you line-by-line. It is much more powerful to attack your attacker following their warped logic and lies. This also allows a third party to essentially hold the two pieces of documentation (the false statement and your response) side-by-by and to make a judgment on the credibility of the arguments.
8. If you haven’t already done so, DOCUMENT EVERYTHING from the moment you realize you’ve become a target. If someone is willing to put lies to paper and to place an employer at risk, by engaging in illegal behavior, they will likely not let up until they succeed at their goal (forcing you to resign, getting you fired or demoted, etc.) Once it’s been established that you are a target, start thinking of covering your butt and saving all the evidence you need to seek an internal or external remedy to your problems.
Labels: documentation, false allegations, tips and strategies
posted by S. Mary Wills at 6:35 PM
4 Comments:
I just wanted to thank you all for articulating what I experienced with my last employer. When you have been targeted by your manager it is a very isolating experience. I was ashamed to talk about it much because I thought no one would believe me if I told them that the exact things you talked about in this article (word for word) was happening to me. My employment was terminated after almost 2 years of being targeted. My states Civil Rights division said they couldn't pursue the matter as being based on race even though I could prove by much documentation and recorded statements that I was receiving disparate treatment compared to my White coworkers. They said coworker statements and such. I have requested under the open records act a copy of my employers responses to my complaint. Two days after the EEOC closed my case and notified me of my rights to sue, my employer terminated me for exactly the reasons you listed. My co-workers felt uncomfortable around me; clients were intimated and talked down to, complaints (of which have never been disclosed to me even though I asked in a written statement). It has been the worst experience ever. I am pursuing a claim of retaliation with the EEOC but I am frustated and concerned that they will take this lightly being I am just one person and this is not a class action matter. Anyway thank you for being my voice. I have been able to grieve over this situation as I read some of the articles that you have sent me. Thank you. Thank you.
Bless You, Bless You, Bless You!
When I was as discouraged as any one person could be I found your site. It brings back memories of working for this horrible insurance company where everyone was connected. The most disgusting thing is that when you find people of color who will undermine the Civil Rights laws that people died for and support corporate misconduct.
I worked for an insurance company for7 years, I was severely retaliated against following a complaint that I made about being treated unfairly, thus discriminated against. The insurance company was very hostile work environment festered by the fact that so many people were related to one another and had personal ties outside of the company. Some of these same people had relationships that date back 10, 20 and 30 year and most of them were in management.
As expected it was a recipe for anyone outside of the in-crowd. In this hostile environment they undermined the Civil Rights laws by creating a "chilling effect," that's when people are too afraid to complain so although they have the Ethics Hotline available no one has the guts to use it for the purposes that it was intended and would not report serious violations which could result in their termination. Following my complaint the company tried reverse psychology by trying to make it appear as though I was the problem so that they could justify their termination. They turned my termination into a breaking a company policy. The question I have is why all of a sudden after so many years employment did I turn into this Jeckel and Hyde personality only after I filed a complaint. Or was this so called Jeckel and Hyde personality just another attempt for them to justify violating my civil rights. HR staff and corporate headquarters staff and counsel have a host of legal experts at their fingertips and the internet is loaded with lawyers who want their business so bad they even hand over some of the tactics that corporations use to undermine employees. Just because I became their natural enemy following my complaint that doesn't mean that they have the right retaliate against me.
So when they handed me over to the wolves once my anonymity was exposed to the manager I reported and let them take their shots at retaliating against me they did so under the scrutiny of a watchful staff and not everyone agrees with managements behavior. So at the hands of their plot I found myself...
1. being attacked by a modern lynch mob
2. feeling undermined by everyone
3. had my credibility attacked
4. humiliated
5. lied on by countless people some of whom who
were afraid for their jobs too
6. told that I was aggressive
7. told that I was not a team player (that point always gets me, if all of the team is one color and you are another what in the world do they mean?)
8. was the center of the reason HR labeled my dept as dysfunctional and made it mandatory that I attend a Team Building class in order to later paint me as a problem.
9. fighting 25 or more people my direct manager, the Director of the main dept., 2 managers 4 HR personnel; 6 staff members at headquarters, 8 co-supervisors, a supervisor an atty at my unemployment hearing and 3 associates who previously directly and indirectly reported to me.
10. working with extremely hostile people
11. called out for a fist fight by a co-supervisor
12. isolated
13. depressed
14. alone as if no one would listen to me because my situation seemed so
15. demoted
16. made an example of…
It’s not all bad. Thank goodness every phone call that I made was documented on my phone and I have a print out of the length of time and date which corresponds with all of the information I submitted from day 1. I submitted an EEOC complaint shortly after I was terminated and my case has been before them for the past 4 months. To make a long story short although they denied every last one of my allegations of discrimination they demoted the manager that I was reported in the first place but they are still saying my claim is meritless. What monsters!
I am in the middle of such an attack. I am the top producer on my job and my supervisor told a deliberate lie and got tow employees to buy into the attack. Even though I have witneses to dispute what was said because my manager and supervisor want to get back at me they launched this campaign against me. I ws accused of saying and dong things I did not do. I tooka polygraph test at my own expense and passed and these people still punished me for something I did not do. I am in the process of fighting the punishment imposed. They don't say specifically what I supposedly did or sais, they just want to put something in my unblemished file. It is retaliation and I am going to fight to the very end. My supervisor knows she lied and so do the other two people. I have asked them all to take a polygraph but they will never do that because they know they all have lied. My work is impeccable so they have to find something else to fabricate. This is a great sight. I knew this sort of thing went on in the office where I worked and now know it happens to more than just me.
Hello bloggers and readers
Thank you for providing support in this area. It's unfortunate that in 2015 people are still subjected to civil rights attacks.
Ironically, some government agencies are not adhering to civil rights laws.
I worked for a government agency that systematically discriminated against hiring blacks. In fact, out of over 300 people employed, I was the only black person.
For over 5 years, I watched people being hired in and retiring, and one thing became clear, black people were not part of equation.
After hearing many cultural insensitive statements from co-workers, involving black people, I decided to confront the situation in HR.
I was labelled the troublemaker,and then the retaliation started.
I was threaten by a supervisor, for reporting what he claimed to be false accusations.
My performance evaluations became negative and inconsistent
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