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Recruiter/HR got mad at me today


Qwerty55

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Okay so we have a rule in our company that any letter that goes through our office addressing our company's name, it's my responsibility to open it and place it at my boss' table.

 

However, today was a huge mistake. The receptionist gave me the letter addressing to the HR/recruiter. I asked the secretary if it's okay to open and she said yes. So I opened it and showed it to my boss but he didn't read it. I went to the HR and gave it to her.

 

To my surprise, she got so mad at me because the letter was supposed to be confidential. She told me if the letter addresses to her, it means it's personal. I apologized and told her it won't ever happen again. The rest of the day she looked mad at me.

 

I don't understand is that the letter had my company's address so I thought it means I have to open it. Then the secretary told me there are times there are personal mails we shouldn't open which confuses me more. Because she told me while back it was okay to open and now she's telling me that it was the HR's fault she didn't told the receptionist and me that there was gonna be a confidential letter? The receptionist is also a newbie like me so she didn't also had a clue that the letter should be directly given to the HR.

 

I am really confused with the system. Also, I felt so bad the rest of the day I thought that I made a huge mistake. I felt more anxious and begin to wonder if I will pass my evaluation. I know it's most likely not my fault but it felt and looked like it was my fault. I'm scared the HR might think I am not trustworthy.

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Hugs. I don't think this was a huge deal, this sounds like an honest mistake. I know next time you will be more careful before opening. I would tell that to your boss, that you learned your lesson and that you won't do that again.

 

Thank you. I'm almost working here for 2 months and it still upsets me at times I still commit the same errors and today the HR getting mad scared me. I hope I can recover from my same mistakes soon

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What is your position?

 

It sounds like an honest mistake. I would ask for clarification if you are confused.

 

I'm somewhat an assistant to the general manager but my work is much less than the secretary. Basically, I do clerical stuffs.

 

And yes it was an honest mistake. I never intended to read confidential letters. Heck, I didn't even read the letter. I just opened it and went upstairs and gave it to her.

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Is there a language barrier or some other sort of confusion? Why open letters when the company policy and your job description is to only open letters addressed to the company's name? It's not confusing at all. If it's addressed to another person/department, why ask the secretary if you can open it?

we have a rule in our company that any letter that goes through our office addressing our company's name, it's my responsibility to open it and place it at my boss' table.

 

addressing to the HR/recruiter. I asked the secretary if it's okay to open and she said yes. So I opened it and showed it to my boss but he didn't read it. I went to the HR and gave it to her.

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Is there a language barrier or some other sort of confusion? Why open letters when the company policy and your job description is to only open letters addressed to the company's name? It's not confusing at all. If it's addressed to another person/department, why ask the secretary if you can open it?

 

I have to agree. If it is addressed to a specific person or dept. it should be opened by that person or dept.

 

It was an honest mistake. If in doubt, ask a higher up.

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Is there a language barrier or some other sort of confusion? Why open letters when the company policy and your job description is to only open letters addressed to the company's name? It's not confusing at all. If it's addressed to another person/department, why ask the secretary if you can open it?

 

Because the secretary told me the "standard" rule even if it was addressed to another person but the address of the letter is the company's address, it still has to be seen by my boss. And if you are asking why I have to ask the secretary, she told me just yesterday "ask me first on any letters that goes through here before opening it"

 

I've opened mails before that were addressed to other people and I opened it. The result was fine so I thought it was okay to open the HR's mail. It turns out, it wasn't. That's where things got me confused.

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What's surprising is that you think opening other people's mail when it's clearly addressed to them and it's not your job to open it, that the person/dept it is addressed to wouldn't be upset by this. You clearly read the address. You clearly know the company policy. Why would you even ask the secretary? Hopefully you didn't try to blame her for what you did.

To my surprise, she got so mad at me because the letter was supposed to be confidential. She told me if the letter addresses to her, it means it's personal.

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What's surprising is that you think opening other people's mail when it's clearly addressed to them and it's not your job to open it, that the person/dept it is addressed to wouldn't be upset by this. You clearly read the address. You clearly know the company policy. Why would you even ask the secretary? Hopefully you didn't try to blame her for what you did.

 

That's because I've already experienced opening letters that were addressed to others and it was okay. Anyways, what confuses me is that even if it was addressed to another person, the standard rule is that if the address of the letter is our company's, it still means it has to go through my boss. Actually, I forgot to mention the proccess is that it will first go through the receptionist and the receptionist will give it to us which means it's okay for it to open.

 

No I didn't blame the secretary at work. It was really an honest mistake and now at least I know when or when to not open a letter

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Take whose side? You apologized, so that should be the end of it, no?

 

No, I mean which side should I do, open the letter automatically or give it to the corresponding addressee? Because when I didn't open another letter yesterday, the secretary kinda got annoyed and told me to automatically open it. That's where I get really confused.

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Are you looking for excuses to quit this job too?

 

Look, it's work. It isn't going to be a happy picnic every day. If you're looking for a job where there will never be any conflicts at all, that job doesn't exist.

 

HR was most likely not looking mad all day. You just think they were.

 

Try to remember you're a professional. Conduct yourself like one. If you act upset, get teary eyed or slink around all day acting frightened, you will not get far in the professional world.

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No, I don't plan on quitting this job. Actually, I wanna stay as a regular because it's near and there is self growth. I just find it hard to adjust and I'm doing my best to deal with people. Fortunately, I didn't show any emotions in front of the HR when she got mad. I apologized right away and told her it won't happen again.

 

Although I do admit I was kinda disappointed to myself a few minutes after that incident, I calmed myself and tried to finish all my tasks.

 

It's my first time to work in an actual job (excluding my internship) so I still find it hard to adjust. Hopefully I can adjust soon. I am really doing my best to pass my evaluation period.

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I think that you should ask your boss (not the secretary) WHY you are doing what you are doing. Try to understand the process.

 

It doesn’t make much sense that your job is to open the mail. Anyone can open an envelope and it’s not terribly time consuming. They don’t have to hire someone for that.

 

There is almost certainly a greater purpose for doing what you are doing. Whether that’s to filter out the junk or to sort or to look for checks or what have you. And the default, when you don’t know what to do, is probably just to put it on your boss’s desk.

 

I think that if you better understand the value that they want you to bring to the process, you will be able to apply thought and reasoning and do a better job. If you are asked to open something that you don’t understand why - ask how they made that decision and how it’s different from the other mail so that you can find these situations yourself in future.

 

I think that you should ask your boss these questions and not the secretary - because I strongly suspect the secretary doesn’t know either and therefore they will give you bad/misleading answers or simply not answer your questions.

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No, I don't plan on quitting this job. Actually, I wanna stay as a regular because it's near and there is self growth. I just find it hard to adjust and I'm doing my best to deal with people. Fortunately, I didn't show any emotions in front of the HR when she got mad. I apologized right away and told her it won't happen again.

 

Although I do admit I was kinda disappointed to myself a few minutes after that incident, I calmed myself and tried to finish all my tasks.

 

It's my first time to work in an actual job (excluding my internship) so I still find it hard to adjust. Hopefully I can adjust soon. I am really doing my best to pass my evaluation period.

 

You "tried" to finish all your tasks?

 

At work there is no "try". You do what is assigned to you.

 

If you're getting so upset over a minor mistake that you're not getting your work done, an adjustment of your expectations for your workplace is in order.

 

The other day at my job, one of the managers took me aside and basically ripped into me for 15 minutes. I stayed calm, didn't interrupt, and at the end of the conversation I said "I understand, I will take care of it". No tears, no slinking around looking apologetic, no looking over my shoulder to see if that manager was "looking mad", I simply got my work done. I didn't "try"; I did the work I am paid to do.

 

This is a good lesson for you. You're paid to do a job. Sometimes there will be feedback and sometimes it won't be positive. Stay professional and complete your tasks. How you react to feedback is how you'll be viewed, not the fact that you made a mistake.

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Being honest, I'd probably lose respect for you for opening mail that's been personally addressed. That doesn't mean you're going to get canned or anything. I'd just accept the fact this particular person probably isn't going to be a water cooler pal any time soon. There's just a lot of "why?" in this scenario and a pretty fundamental lack of ability or willingness to employ some independent thought and basic ethics. Even operating under the premise that opening people's mail is just what you do, between the nature of it being personally addressed and it being sent to HR personnel, there's no reason to rely on the discretion of a receptionist you admit is a "newbie" like you. Logically, it would seem the purpose of opening letters addressed to the company is to not have your boss wasting his time filtering out irrelevant correspondences. That purpose is inherently fulfilled by the letter being addressed specifically to someone else.

 

Normally, I'd say it's a case of someone being nosey or a bit entitled, but I think this stems from an utter lack of confidence for your part. I have no idea what kind of worker you'd be if you started sitting up straight. You gotta be confident in your professional and interpersonal common sense, and knowing what to ask and who to ask when the need should arise.

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