What to do if your Boss Sends you Inappropriate Emails
When dealing with a boss or manager who sends you inappropriate emails that are derogatory, threatening, racist, or sexual in nature you should consider some things that will make the situation as painless as possible.
The most important thing is to first establish if indeed it is your boss sending the emails because accounts or profiles can easily be hacked as well as spoofed and it is always unwise to blindly accuse someone without all the facts. Consider who would gain the most by sending such emails in the first place and how your boss would stand to accomplish anything by doing this to you. Emails will typically have the information to track the individual using the source code of the email itself to find the IP address that when entered into an Internet search engine should pin point the location the email originated from.
In the event the email does originate from your boss's email address then you will need to save each email he or she sends you and depending on the nature of the emails notify law enforcement. Approaches will vary greatly and include the following examples:
Mary is employed as an assistant manager for a Target store in Wisconsin and assistant manger Rick has emailed her graphic sexually explicit pictures of himself. When Mary saw the email she emailed him back saying she was not interested but he then kept sending her the same email over and over again all Saturday morning at her home.
In this situation Mary should respond by saving the emails and show them to the store manager mentioning she has no interest in the emails and would like the unwelcome contact to stop. From this point on, assistant manager Rick may either be fired or transferred to another store. Should Mary feel threatened by such behavior she can elect to file a restraining order or even sue Rick for sexual harassment. Mary has the burden of proof and must establish that she has no interest in such inappropriate contact.
Davis is an African American teacher in California and he has received racist emails from someone claiming to be Principle Steven of the school he works at using the exact same email address. The email did not seem right to him as he has known Steven to be a very nice guy without a mean bone in his body. As Davis looked up the IP address of the email within the source code he discovered the IP address and pin-pointed the origin of the email to a computer located at a student's home using a simple public search engine.
In a situation like this Davis should save the emails and notify Steven that his email account has been hacked by a disgruntled student. The principle or employer in situations like this will take action as warranted.
If indeed you are convinced your boss has sent any offensive communications via email you need to notify the next up in the chain of command at your work place. If bodily harm is part of the threat you need to file a complaint with your local police department always keeping in mind that the burden of proof falls on your shoulders and any such emails should be saved in the same condition that they were sent.
