Hi everybody, this is my first posting to the forum and I would welcome your assistance with the following problem.
I work for a national company with regional offices. My general manager asked the Area HR Manager in a different zone (the zone handling a series of complaints against managers in my own area) to write the text of a letter, which was then sent over to my area, put on our headed note paper and signed office clerk pp local manager. The local manager being on holiday at the time.
The letter is written as if it comes from the local manager and refers to the person who actually wrote the text in the third person. The letter was dated 15th but was not created or posted until the 16th.
I maintain that the use of the abbreviation pp (per procuratioem) meaning to act as the agent of, or on behalf of someone and indicating that the text had been written with the authority or under the instructions of the principle, was incorrect. The document is therefore not what it purports’ to be, nor was it created or dispatched on the stated date. The result is a serious breach of business ethics, with possible legal implications.
My managers maintain that this is a common business practice and they have done nothing wrong.
I would be grateful for your comments particularly on the ethical and legal implications of such a letter.