Here’s a nightmare work situation: Your boss gives you an order. You follow it exactly, but week later, they claim they said something totally different—and now they are furious that you failed to follow through! HR says you’re being put on a PIP for being unreliable. You tell them about how the boss switched up on you. HR asks if you have any proof. You don’t. Now it’s your word against theirs.
Tough break right? Fortunately, this is an easy situation to avoid.
It’s been said that the pen is mightier than the sword. When it comes to credibility at work, an organized paper trail is mightier than anyone’s word—no matter how powerful that person is.
I recently posted about how to create and organize a paper trail at work. Today, we are building on that advice to show you another clutch move: creating recap emails and using them to control the narrative at work.
Recap Emails and Texts
“If you didn’t write it down, it didn’t happen.” You’ve probably heard that advice a few times. But how about this? “Whoever controls the paper trail, controls the office.”
In my experience as a workers’ rights lawyer, one of the key differences between successful and unsuccessful cases the use of verbal vs. written communication. But let me be clear: I am not advising anyone to avoid all verbal and face-to-face communication. Such advice is impractical at best and self-destructive at worst. Rightly or wrongly, the employee who insists on only communicating in writing will quickly get labeled a “troublemaker.”
Recap emails are a far more realistic (and helpful) strategy. If your boss or HR wants to talk over the phone, via videocall, or face-to-face, go ahead and chat with them! But after that conversation, you should send them a recap.
Here’s a sample of what that might look like. In this example, let’s say a boss pulled you aside to discuss a last-minute change to your schedule.
Recap Email: Conversation About Schedule
Dear Boss,
This email is to summarize what we discussed in the conference room today. You said you need me to come in for overtime on Saturday at 9:00am to work on the Acme Account. I will see you there.
Respectfully,
Employee
This is so simple, but look how many problems it eliminates. We now have PROOF that you were asked to come in on Saturday at 9:00am; no one can change it up on you. We also know when the conversation occurred, who was there, and what you were told to work on during the overtime shift.
Let’s look at another example. In this scenario, let’s imagine you have been falsely accused of bullying a coworker. This recap will help you control the narrative while protecting your reputation.
Recap Email: Bullying Accusation
Dear Human Resources,
This email is to recap our videocall which occurred at 2:00pm today. You sent me an invite to the call to discuss a bullying complaint. The call had me, Carol from HR, and my manager, Bob, present.
I was told there were accusations I was bullying coworkers. I was not provided any details or names. When I asked, I was told the information is private.
I understand bullying is unacceptable, and I respectfully deny any wrongdoing. I will cooperate in any investigation to clear my name.
Respectfully,
Employee
False accusations at work suck, and they can sometimes be the first warning sign you are about to get fired. But don’t panic! In this scenario, you got ambushed by HR and management with false accusations—but you are not letting them dominate the story! By sending this recap, you accomplish a few things at once:
1. You established when the accusation was made and who was there.
2. You noted the evidence (or lack thereof) that they had.
3. You calmly pointed out that no further information was given to you.
4. You respectfully denied any wrongdoing.
5. You indicated that you would cooperate in an investigation because you want to clear your name.
BAM! You took a dangerous situation and put yourself back in the driver’s seat. It looks suspicious that they had no details for you. Now, they can’t go back and falsely claim that more information was provided, that you were uncooperative, or that you reacted in a hostile manner.
You took back control of the paper trail! Note that in this situation, I recommend applying to other jobs right away. You do not need to accept any offers, but you need options in case the situation escalates.
You can get much more useful information like this (And templates!) from my book, Get It in Writing: The Ultimate Guide to Your Rights at Work.
