How to Torture Your Boss by Not Proofreading

Deer Boss,

I cant seem to getyour documnt toopne up can you please resned so i can dowhat you aksed

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Dear Employee,

How did you know I was raised in the forest by deer? You really show great concern for my true animal nature. It’s surprising to me that you can’t get the document to open; I think we can cross off attention to detail as a reason. Before I “resned” it back to you, would you mind translating your dialect for me?

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Why Your Torture Plan Will Surely Backfire


While you might be thinking, “oh they know what I mean” what happens on the other end is another story. Poor grammar and misspellings are a big turn off and inspire deep-rooted judgment about your abilities. Yes, we are all busy and in a rush but for most of us, if you have the ability to write, you have the ability to read what you write before you hit send.

This particular form of judgment is rooted in the psychological phenomena called The Attribution Bias. When we make a mistake we attribute it to outside forces (weather, market forces, or a non-working spell check). When someone else makes a mistake or can’t seem to proof read their documents, people around that person will attribute it to a character flaw. We reserve hardcore judgment for those that are not living in our own skin. So your continual resistance to proofreading your documents is earning you a reputation that you probably don’t want.

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Maybe Try This Instead?

This is a really easy recommendation. Turn on your spelling and grammar check and do something when you see red or green squiggly lines. Get in the habit of proofreading before you hit send, even texts. Remember, people ARE judging you and the judgment isn’t pretty.