boss wants to dumb down my writing, telling a job-hunting relative he stinks, and more

by Alison Green on November 19, 2024

It’s five answers to five questions. Here we go…

1. My manager wants to dumb down my writing

After a long stint in academia, I took a position with a state workforce agency two years ago. While I still teach adjunct at the university and maintain a “collegiate vocabulary,” I am far from inaccessible when it comes to communication and linguistic style choices. My main role in government focuses on writing grant applications, contracts, policy, and codified law.

However, a chief complaint of my direct manager (it’s even on my formal “improvement plan”) is to use plain English, as large words intimidate and confuse her. Recently, when tasked to write a brief for our governor (!!!) she said she wanted to run it through Chat GPT or AI to “dumb it down for them.” This is only one of many times she’s noted needing to run my writing through an AI tool to “reword it” for clarity. I pride myself on clear writing, have ghostwritten for published authors, and pride myself on my written communication skills. Am I off-base to be offended? Is academia-level written communication out of touch? Is use of an AI tool at the state government level an insult to me and my understanding of “voice” and interpretation of “audience”? Or is this the new standard and I need to make my peace with it?

Yes, academic writing is often out-of-sync with writing for other professional contexts.

I can’t speak to your writing specifically, but I can tell you that a lot of people from academia write in a much denser way than is suitable for other contexts, and it can be a real slog to read them, let alone edit them. When your manager talks about “dumbing things down,” she doesn’t necessarily mean that she thinks you should speak to your audience as if they are dumb; it’s shorthand for, “Write in plainer, simpler language because it’s faster and more pleasant for most people to read” and also, “You are not writing in our organization’s voice, and you need to.” That’s very reasonable feedback, and if that’s what she means it wouldn’t be about large words intimidating or confusing her; it would be her telling you that your writing doesn’t meet the standards needed to do your job successfully.

There’s no point in being insulted by that; different jobs require different writing approaches, and academic writing won’t be right for most contexts outside of academia. Especially if you’re on a formal improvement plan that mentions this, you should take that feedback very seriously.

2. Am I obligated to tell my job-hunting relative that he stinks?

I think I know the answer here, but it is a sensitive situation. My spouse and I spend a lot of time with their brother, and we both have noticed that he has really strong body odor.

So far, we have opted to ignore this fact. He’s going through a rough transition personally, and is a very considerate person, and I think would be bothered to hear about his smell. At the same time, we both wonder, how can he NOT know?

He is currently job-hunting, and I worry that when he gets to the in-person interview stage, the fact that he stinks will certainly hurt his chances of getting the job. Should one of us say something? And if so, how would you suggest broaching the subject?

Please say something. It’s very likely to hurt his chances and while it may be momentarily embarrassing to hear that he smells, he’s far better off hearing it from someone who loves him and wants to help than to remain oblivious. (This assumes you think he is oblivious, of course, and it’s not a medical thing he can’t help.)

It should probably come from your spouse since they’re the relative — although if you’re closer to the brother than your spouse is, that could mean you’re a better choice; it just really depends on the dynamics of each relationship. So does what to say — in some sibling relationships, a casual “bro, you smell — you need to hit the shower or do some laundry or something” would be completely fine and even easier to hear than a more delicate approach. Other people would be mortified by that and would prefer something more tactful and framed as, “I feel awkward mentioning this but I’d want you to tell me.” Because these are personal relationships and not work ones, it’s so, so relationship-dependent. (If it were my sister, I’d just be like “hey, you smell weird” — bluntness is a family value for us — but if I were worried it was tied to depression or similar, I’d frame it more sensitively.)

One tip though —sometimes odor really is a laundry issue (they’re not washing their clothes enough or they’re not fully drying them so they’re getting mildewed) and that can be a less embarrassing framework to use, whether or not it’s the actual explanation for what’s happening.

Related:
how to talk to an employee about body odor (and the update)
my coworker told me I smell

3. Accommodations for defiance at work

Years ago, I taught a student who had a 504 plan for Oppositional Defiance Disorder. This was the only time I’ve seen that diagnosis for a student at the public high school I teach at. The vast majority of the time, 504 plans are for students with ADHD or an anxiety disorder and include the directives for their accommodations, like extended time taking a test.

This student, “Mary,” had the accommodation to take a pause and regroup before choosing whether or not she wanted to complete the task given. In practice, this meant that Mary ignored me anytime I gave the class instructions. She refused to take part in group activities and projects. She spent 90% of class with headphones on, watching YouTube videos of cooking shows on her laptop. I was frustrated for most of the year with Mary until finally leaving her alone and not even trying to engage. In the end, Mary scored a 4 on the AP exam in my class.

I don’t know if Mary went on to college, but she’s at the age now where she would be likely graduating. My question is, how in the world can someone with ODD have any sort of reasonable accommodation in the workplace? I am so curious how anyone with certain types of behavior disorders can function in a workplace. Do they just have to work for themselves? I cannot imagine a boss allowing their employee to ignore them and decide not to do work without getting fired.

To be clear, I fully support the right/importance for accommodations for those with the need for it. I just think of Mary every once in a while and am truly wondering how one exists within our societal workplace norms with a disorder that means you have a pattern of uncooperative, defiant, and hostile behavior.

The types of accommodations that are reasonable in school aren’t always the same as the accommodations that are reasonable at work. At school, accommodations are geared toward allowing students to participate and learn. At work, accommodations are about helping them perform the essential functions of the position, and if they can’t do that even with accommodations employers aren’t required to hire or keep them on.

Ignoring instructions, refusing to take part in projects, and watching YouTube 90% of the day wouldn’t be considered reasonable accommodations for a job. So yes, people who struggle with oppositional defiance often do have trouble holding down jobs.

For what it’s worth, though, ODD is a controversial diagnosis and is often criticized as pathologizing normal child/adolescent behavior and/or trauma responses. You see it a lot in foster care, where kids’ response to traumatic circumstances is pathologized and they get slapped with that (extremely stigmatizing) label.

4. How to contact someone’s boss in an emergency

I was recently in a work meeting where I found out that a few years ago, one of my coworkers went into a coma for a month!

It got me thinking … I know in past letters, you’ve made it very clear that the only time a parent, spouse, etc. should contact someone’s boss on their behalf is in emergency situations where the employee would not be able to do so on their own. But how would that even work? It’s not as though I have my husband’s manager’s contact information (or even know their full name) and have no idea how I would get in touch with them to let them know if there was a medical emergency. In my coworker’s case, how on earth did my company learn what had happened?!

Sharing my manager’s contact info with my husband “just in case” feels like overkill. But on the other hand, there is no other way for him to know how to contact my manager. Am I overthinking this?

I don’t know why this question has stuck in my brain, but I’m curious to know how these things actually play out and what you’d recommend.

It’s not overkill to give your manager’s contact info to your spouse! It could save time and hassle if you’re ever in a situation where you need him to contact your employer.

In cases where people haven’t done that and the spouse can’t get the info from the incapacitated partner, usually they’re stuck calling the company’s main number and trying to track down the right person to talk to. At big companies that can be a major undertaking, and it’s much easier if they just have direct contact info.

5. Should I tell job candidates I’m going on maternity leave right after they start?

I manage a team at a small (100-person) company in the U.S. We’re lucky to have a generous parental leave policy (four months) and family friendly environment: lots of parents work at the company, including my own boss and two of my six teammates. I’m actively looking to hire for my team, and I have a couple great people in the pipeline. I’m also six months pregnant, and will be going on leave in about three months.

When giving a candidate an offer, should I let them know that the manager of the team they’re joining will be taking parental leave soon? Selfishly, I want them to join regardless, and I’ll be back! But from their side, would it be frustrating or feel like a bait-and-switch to learn about your manager being gone for a few months so soon after you start? We have a coverage plan in place, so they’ll have another manager during my leave, and I don’t think it’s legally required, but what’s your general advice for doing right by candidates?

Yes, let them know. Very few people will turn down an offer over that, but a lot of people would feel blindsided if they didn’t learn about it until after they started. You don’t have to let them know ahead of time, but most people will appreciate it as a courtesy.

Ideally you’d also let them know how it will affect them — who’d they be reporting to and what the plan will be for supporting them while you’re away.

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{ 63 comments }

{ 63 comments… read them below or add one }

  2. Ginger Cat Lady*

    OP1, they are not “dumbing down” your writing, they making it appropriate for the audience. Your writing is not a place for you to show off vocabulary and writing skill (even if you pride yourself for it!), it’s for *communication* and you absolutely should not be offended to be told that what you are doing is not a good fit for the audience.
    Don’t let your pride over your vocabulary and writing be an obstacle to communication and employment.

    Reply ↓
    1. Testing*

      Exactly. And politicians have to slog through A LOT of material and quickly learn the main points of it. So it makes sense that the governor needs something clear and accessible, not something that shows off someone’s finest writing. It’s not about the governor being “dumb”, it’s about efficiency and clarity.

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    2. A perfectly normal-size space bird*

      Agreed! I know it can be hard to switch voices when one has been dominant but you really need to keep audience in mind (and why is it “audience” with quotation marks?). As Ginger Cat Ladh said, the point is communication and you need to be able to communicate information quickly. Your audience may even have a wide variety of reading ability. Not that some are lesser abilities than others, it’s more that different people read differently.

      I learned this the hard way when I started my current position. I had to write training documents about middle and high school science. I was used to writing academic papers and articles and thought since the audience were people who all had college degrees, some advanced, surely they would be able to handle academic language. But in the end, I had to redo months of work because the point was to train employees in a way that was clear to everyone and communicated the information as plainly as possible to avoid misinterpretation and conflicting evaluation.

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        1. Certaintroublemaker*

          Very true! Studies have shown that the more complex writing is, the more it appears to be (or actually is) trying to hide something. For example, the Enron annual reports became more and more densely written in ways that were harder to parse as the company started engaging in shenanigans.

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    3. ADHDFox*

      I highly recommend using a tool like Grammarly to help shape your register – the paid versions have quite nuanced settings which can also help shape your writing style.

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      1. Testing*

        Even the free versions of Chat-GPT do this really well. Do make sure not to put any sensitive/secret information in there, though (not even pasted into the window, it reads it even before you hit enter).

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      2. The Prettiest Curse*

        Hemingway Editor is a similar tool, and there are websites which will tell you which grade (reading level) can comprehend your writing. If one of these tells OP that their writing is only accessible with people to a graduate degree, that’s a problem.

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    4. Santiago*

      Check out the Plain Language movement in the government (US context) and Global English. I consider of reading level and directness as an accessibility measure for the public, and if you actually want to get good at plain language / global English writing, then you have to practice and work towards it.

      Learning these tools is also a good way to sidestep the AI: you won’t need it when you can reference these principals.

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    5. A Person*

      Yes, this. I’ve worked in academia, including a role where I had to edit things written by academics supposedly for a general audience. There’s a specific writing style used in a lot of academia, which outside that context comes off as long-winded, confusing and stodgy. Unfortunately many academics struggle to get out of that writing mode, even when they’re trying to write for laypeople. It’s like how some business people can’t stop using awful business jargon even in their personal conversations.

      In the US I believe the Plain Writing Act (2010) actually requires federal agencies to use plain language so that people can understand what the government is trying to tell them. So if you’re interacting with politicians or federal funding bodies, it makes a lot of sense for your manager to ask you to use simpler language!

      Reply ↓
      1. LadyAmalthea*

        Echoing the plain language requirement in a Government setting – I work in the Irish Civil Service, and that is a requirement for all official writing. The unified writing style also means that in a job where there is necessarily a ton of reusing bits of text in different documents, you can do a heck of a lot more copy paste and a heck of a lot less rewriting and editing, which is incredibly important with tight deadlines.

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        1. Anneke*

          I work for a public sector organisation in New Zealand and all our external communications and materials are subject to the Plain Language Act. Because of that, it’s just easier to hold our internal communications to the same standard so we can keep that consistent voice.

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  3. Viki*

    For 4, it depends if you have a work phone or not. My husband knows my access code for my work phone so he can easily get my manager’s contact info as needed.

    I also know my spouse’s office number (he doesn’t have an individual line).

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    1. Testing*

      I’m guessing your husband knowing the access code to your work phone is totally against any IT policy your work place may have.

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      1. MBK*

        Yeah, my IT folks wouldn’t be happy with a spouse or partner having any access to employer-owned devices, or any employer network connections or data on personal devices, even for emergency purposes. And I don’t even work in a particularly sensitive area.

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      2. Viki*

        I’m well aware of the policies, and anything actually work related has a separate passcode.

        The contacts, such as my manager and direct report work numbers are not privacy locked. As my company lets us use work phones as personal as well, if we choose to, we’re golden.

        Point standing was, if you have a work device, that is, in an emergency an easy way to get your spouse access to your boss. There are obviously better channels, but if you’re comatose, alerting work while not high up there in priority, will probably be done by your family in the most direct way at the time.

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    2. Nodramalama*

      You cannot imagine how large my eyes bugged out reading that. I trust you know your own works security policies, but this would be a real security breach at my work!

      Reply ↓
  4. Taskmistress*

    LW1 – my work offers a course called Simplify Language (it’s from an outside vendor) and it was so helpful in reframing my thoughts about writing! instead of writing to show off my knowledge, I’m writing to communicate to the broadest audience possible. and doing this isn’t “dumbing” it down, it’s ensuring access for people with learning disabilities, or speak English as a second language, or who are just busy and need me to get to the point.

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    1. Coverage Associate*

      I have a book on my TBR list titled “Simply Said,” by Jay Sullivan, if OP wants a resource similar to the resources OP has been working with. It’s available as an ebook from my local public library.

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    2. Certaintroublemaker*

      I’ve taken similar courses from Wylie Communications. I also have Smart Brevity on hold at the library and am looking forward to it.

      Reply ↓
  5. Eric*

    #2, another framing on the laundry front that might be less awkward and also the problem: front load washing machines need to be cleaned on occasion, otherwise they cause clothes to smell.

    Reply ↓
  6. kindheartedskeptic*

    I love floral language; I write for an academic audience, and yes, OP1, you need to pull it back. Even your letter to Alison was more formal than I would recommend using.
    If you write for a state-wide audience, then you are writing for an international and diverse audience, and this means plain language is more accessible, period. It’s easier to translate, it’s more easily comprehended by people for whom English isn’t their first language, and it’s more accessible for neurodiverse people – dyslexia and ADHD are the first conditions that come to mind.

    Good writing means moderating your words for your audience. There’s definitely a time and place for academic tones, but this isn’t it. And, I’d argue that using plain language will make you a better writer in the end. Using plain language means skillful care with words, not stupidity and intimidation.

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    1. Azalea Bertrand*

      Agree with this. I work in govt (different country) and I also found the style in the letter a bit much, a bit overblown. It’s not that I didn’t understand it, just that there are faster and simpler ways to convey the same information.

      It’s REALLY important to understand that when writing briefs/memos/other for politicians you need to make it so simple that it can be skimmed while they’re doing 20 other things and still get the gist. If they have to concentrate on your brief it’s going to be rejected – that’s why your boss cares and why your boss has flagged it for improvement.

      Reply ↓
  7. Elbie*

    I had a new hire last year, shortly after I learned I was pregnant. We are a very small dept, so I wanted to ensure that we truly considered the strengths of the candidates, knowing that they would be covering a lot while I was gone. However, I was not at the stage where I was even telling a lot of my friends or family at the point that we were hiring and it was still close to 7 months away. I told my boss when I was only 8 weeks pregnant, as I thought it would be important to consider my 6 month maternity leave during our hiring process, but I did not inform the candidates as it just felt too early. About 2 weeks after our hire started, I let him know that I would be going out on leave in about 5.5 months, apologized that I did not disclose it during the hiring process (as I had recently found out prior to beginning the interviews), and outlined the transition plan. Thankfully he rolled with it! But I felt really bad about not disclosing earlier in the process.

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    1. KateM*

      You were apologizing for going to maternity leave in half a year and not disclosing it beforehand? That sounds like an overkill to me. In half a year, many things could happen!

      Reply ↓
  8. Double A*

    For the teacher, ignoring you and watching YouTube also weren’t that student’s accommodations. She wasn’t using her accommodation, which was taking breaks to prevent escalation. That said, she was clearly smart enough not to have to pay attention in the traditional way, so she may have been doing what she could to self regulate and it sounds like academically she was fine. It’s unfortunate that she was rude to you in the process; it sounds like the setting difficult for her cope with.

    I’ve worked with kids with social/emotional and mental health issues off and on as a Special Ed teacher for 15 years and honestly for a lot of mental health issues, there aren’t any accommodations that will make traditional school work great for a kid. The environment is simply incompatible with their needs. The size of many schools is a fundamental problem for a lot of kids and you can’t really accommodate that away.

    There is also a lot more variety in work places so people may have a better shot at finding a workplace that fits with their mental and physical needs. Of course they have a better chance of finding that workplace if the get a good education.

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    1. Ellis Bell*

      Yeah, I have definitely had similar thoughts about difficult students; how on earth will they survive in the workplace!! But it’s a great mistake to equate the artificial environment of a traditional classroom with the great variety of workplaces out there. More importantly for someone with ODD traits, there will be fewer orders and more choice; they can go to the toilet when they please, flex their hours, book a day off when things are getting exhausting. I don’t know if OP would agree with me, but it doesn’t sound like either they or their student was particularly well supported with this student and that the kid was abandoned with an “accommodation” no one in the school’s wider structure could reasonably meet. I would be expecting much more check ins, and discussion from leaders and the district about whether the accommodation was working and whether the school environment was suitable for them.

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    2. Azalea Bertrand*

      It’s also interesting to note that for some people with ODD or PDA (both controversial, both often misdiagnosed), becoming an adult can be so freeing. Because you’re primarily making your own decisions you have more bandwidth to accept direction at the times you *have* to, eg when your boss tells you to do something. Individual results vary of course.

      Reply ↓
  9. Coverage Associate*

    The student scored a 4 on the exam? IIRC, that’s a 4 out of 5 and gets her credit at most colleges, so the student was capable of absorbing material and taking the test, which is very structured. There are lots of jobs where employees can be individual contributors and receive instructions in writing and otherwise not have to pay attention (or pretend to pay attention) to a supervisor on the supervisor’s schedule.

    Especially because a lot of jobs suitable for someone in AP classes are much less structured than a high school day. In high school, you have no or very little control over what you study when. You can control the order you do your homework, but maybe not the order of several assignments in a single class.

    But a lot of jobs you can structure your whole work day, maybe your week. And it’s probably a minority of office jobs where you have to be respectful of, listening to, responding to a supervisor for several hours a day. When my bosses control how I write reports the way my high school teachers did, I complain about micromanaging. (I mean things like how complete my outline has to be before I start on paragraphs, or the order I research topics, or even the order I write the sections, not the “voice” or “tone,” which affects the final product.)

    Reply ↓
    1. nnn*

      This is extremely useful context for non-American readers – thank you! I didn’t have enough information to arrive at the conclusion that a score of 4 might be good (or even to suspect I should be googling it)

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      3. Coverage Associate*

        You’re welcome. AP is “advanced placement.” The idea is to take an undergraduate level course in high/secondary school. There is a standardized test at the end to make sure that the students have grasped the material (and that the class followed the curriculum). A score of 4 or 5 out of 5 on the test means that the class will count towards both the high school diploma and the undergraduate degree. So in an undergraduate degree requires 100 total credits, getting a 4 on the test might mean the student only has to take 95 credits at university. (The university numbers are for example; I had a strange undergrad experience.)

        My father taught AP classes and went through special training for it. The standardized tests can have a writing component, but for the literature and history classes my father taught, the correct response will always be a certain number of paragraphs, usually 3 or 5. This is not clear from the test instructions. It’s the consequence of how the students are taught to write. (Introduction, Argument, Conclusion)

        Lawyers’ writing is more structured in a way, but at least I can suggest deviations to my bosses. For example, I might be addressing 3 issues, but one might be significantly more complex than the others, so it takes up half my report. Though I don’t get any input into what I am writing about, and I usually got to choose my topics in high school. (I don’t know much about ODD, but I do think lots about how work is similar and unlike secondary school, so I am providing examples of what freedoms each offers. Such a compare and contrast essay would be 4 paragraphs on an AP exam, I think. ;-)

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      4. D*

        A 4 is very good! AP tests are intentionally graded on a bell curve, so a plurality of people get 3s, a fewer number get 2s or 4s, and very few people get 1s or 5s. A 4 is a solid score and well above average.

        Reply ↓
  10. Pyjamas*

    I foresee OP1 will be looking for a new job soon because they clearly aren’t taking their boss seriously. The “collegiate” vocabulary is the tip of the iceberg

    Reply ↓
    1. Coverage Associate*

      Or maybe a job communicating with Britons regularly. Our US offices had training last month about writing for our London clients, and it confirmed what I had observed so far at this job about it being a less direct and more formal style. A lot of my boss’s sentences would get cut into 3 sentences by my teachers in high school through law school. There was an example, meant to be exaggerated but plausible, where a 2 line American email was half a page in “British.”

      I would be really interested if any British teachers could chime in on both the writing styles issue and the secondary school issue. It’s hard to reconcile my English co workers’ writing style with everything I have learned about simple and direct writing, and I am interested to learn what is emphasized there at the secondary and undergraduate levels.

      Reply ↓
      1. Yorkshire Tea Lady*

        I’m British, a highly experienced communications professional, and now an academic.

        It’s probably a quirk of your London clients. We (as a nation) are as capable of using Plain English as anyone, there’s some great resources and equally, most of us are pushed for time so if an email needs to be 3 sentences, it’s 3 sentences.

        OP1 – bear in mind that the average reading age you should be hitting if you are writing for a wide audience is Grade 4 or Grade 5. That doesn’t mean “dumbing down” – it’s means using language to get through, otherwise you are just making noise, not communicating effectively.

        Writing at this level is a skill, and ChatGPT is a valuable tool to help you learn what an appropriate register looks like whilst you learn it.

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      2. Ellis Bell*

        British English teacher here. We have plain English campaigns here too, and I had similar feedback to OP when I left university and went into news writing. Many Britons read tabloids, (they can be read with a reading age of 10) so there’s not necessarily a culture of over complicating writing. Undergraduate writing definitely favours complexity, (I had to give a police statement as an undergraduate and she had to beg me to speak more plainly), but GCSE (high school) level is not very complex. I suppose it depends on your definition of very complex, though. You get points in the exams for vocabulary usage and sentence construction, but that’s anything beyond the plainest Anglo Saxon words, and using a variety of sentence structures, including short.

        Reply ↓
      3. The Prettiest Curse*

        I work in higher education in the UK and our writing style is definitely not super formal, unless you are writing to a highly distinguished professor or a big cheese in university administration. I suspect it might be a class thing – if your London office has a high percentage of privately educated posh folk, their writing style is usually more formal because it’s used as a class signifier.

        I did notice that US newspapers generally had a more informal writing style than the equivalent UK newspapers when I was living in the US. The NY Times is easily as fusty as any UK broadsheet, but the rest of the US papers, not so much.

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    2. H*

      It is astounding to me that LW1 has been in their role for two years and cannot grasp the importance of plain language. They briefly reference what I believe to be a PIP, and that’s no surprise to me given the tone of their letter.

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  11. Zanshin*

    re LW1 … small things really add up… when I had to participate in writing client care plans everybody would start off “client will utilize…” until I started changing it to “use” every single time.

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  12. margaret*

    OP1, I highly recommend taking a course in Plain Language. Google this–it’s official government guidance. My university HR offered a free course and I learned a lot about writing clearly.

    Reply ↓
  13. Waving not Drowning*

    LW4 – My sister had a similar situation a few weeks ago. Her husband had a serious medical episode one morning. He was VERY sick, to the point of not recognising his wife or family members. Her work she could call, and say nope, can’t come in, husband very sick, but she didn’t have the contact details for his boss/workplace, and couldn’t access his work phone for contact details. She ended up messaging someone who knew someone he worked with, and got the details to them that way, but it added stress to a very stressful situation. Not sure if his workplace had my sisters details, or at what point they would have tried to contact her if they did.

    Typing this out, it reminds me, I should give my husband my workplace contact details if needed – he knows the first name of my manager, and what department I’m in, but, has no way of contacting her direct – however, he does have access to my non work provided phone, so he might be able to contact that way (he works for a smaller organisation, with a much easier to find phone number).

    Reply ↓
  14. Sparrow*

    LW1, a comparison for you:

    Imagine you used to work as a chef at a steakhouse, and now you work at a place that exclusively does seafood—but you keep insisting that you’re only going to make steaks. When customers order the lobster, you send them a porterhouse. When they order the steamed clams, you send them a filet mignon. When they order crab cakes, you send steak bites.

    In this situation, if your boss tells you “I need you to stop making steaks and start sending people what they actually order”, that does not mean that she’s too stupid to understand that steaks are also a type of food, it does not mean that she’s belittling or insulting you, and it doesn’t mean that she thinks steaks are always bad in every context. It doesn’t even mean that the customers who are upset that you sent them a salmon filet hate salmon and never want to eat it. All it means is that you are doing something in a context that it does not belong in.

    I think it might also help you a lot here to remember that writing for a general audience is not a less intelligent form of writing, and that the ability to write in plain, clear, easily understandable language that people can quickly get through is actually a very difficult skill to master—and, right now, it may be a skill that you currently lack. Acknowledging that doesn’t mean that you’re not excellent at academic writing; it just means that these two writing styles are very different from each other and require very different skills to do well.

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  15. LifebeforeCorona*

    OP4 I’ve had jobs where an ICE, In Case of Emergency contact number is required. It’s also a good idea to have an ICE contact number in your phone contact list. They’re listed as ICE to make them easy to find if someone has your phone.

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  16. kanomi*

    1. Your boss is probably correct. Academia is notorious for obscurantist jargon.

    3. ODD can be used in lieu of a diagnosis of antisocial personality disorder in juveniles.

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  17. Almost Academic*

    LW1 – Academic language certainly is its own style! I say this as a reformed academic who writes for business audiences now. What helped me to transition my style was to write out bullets and then not modify them much when I was turning them into paragraphs or full sentences. I found that cut a lot of the flourishes that were stylistically creeping into my writing. I’ve also used strategies of running it through an LLM to get suggestions on how to rewrite/simplify, like your boss is suggesting. I then modify again from there, since the tone of an LLM isn’t quite right usually either, but this helps strike a middle balance.

    Keep in mind that the average reading comprehension level in the US is ~7th grade. Expect about half of your audience to be below this. Even for professional levels of writing, outside of academia I typically aim for a 6th grade level of writing, with added complexity coming from field-specific terminology. There are online reading level evaluators that can help you judge this and edit down. It’s not necessarily a matter of intelligence, it’s also due to factors like attention span for busy executives/government officials, people with english as a second language, folks with reading disorders, and a whole host of other reasons. When you want to get your message across to a broader audience, generally aim for 6th grade level.

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    1. Filosofickle*

      I do a lot of writing, generally corporate business-to-business. I started academic-style a long time ago and my work has gotten continuously tighter over time — shorter sentences, less complex structures, plain language, nothing unnecessary. And yet nothing changed my writing more than testing messaging with colleagues and clients in other countries! I learned to make things even MORE straightforward, with fewer metaphors and flourishes. It’s hard (and sometimes a bummer for my poetic soul) but it’s necessary to be understood.

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    2. I am Emily's failing memory*

      Most newspapers target a 10th-11th grade reading level at most, and more like 7th or 8th grade for pieces that deal with less technical or specialized topics (as those tend to make more than a few long, obscure words necessary).

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  18. Certaintroublemaker*

    LW5, I would feel much better about my new manager going on leave if I had had interviews that included team members and the person who would be filling in. Even if I didn’t know ahead of time they would do more of my onboarding and training, I’d feel more comfortable with them if I had considered them as part of the environment I was joining, in addition to the hiring manager.

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  19. Middle school teacher*

    Re: letter 3: Students with Oppositional Defiant Disorder can, obviously, be extremely intelligent. AP classes, taught as directed, are hardcore.
    That your student was able to learn and earn their credit is huge.
    What surprises me is that she didn’t have a BIP (Behavioral Intervention Plan). Writing a solid, meaningful, and solution-focused plan is essential. Obviously a student with ODD might (will probably) struggle with/push back on such a plan, but that’s where other school staff and systems come into play. As do het parents/family.
    It truly takes a village.
    Signed, a teacher who had about ten students like Mary.

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  20. Hired Goon*

    OP1 – Hi! I’m a fellow writer with an academic background who’s learning how to ‘dumb it down’. I know how deeply felt language and written style is, and how much of a struggle it can be to shift into being more ‘user-friendly’ without feeling like you’re compromising your abilities, rewriting your very style, or even downplaying the importance/specificity of what’s being said.

    Start small. Swap synonyms (as Zanshin mentioned above, ‘use’ is better than ‘utilise’) and see how it reads. If you’ve used a comma in a longer sentence, make two smaller sentences. Consider how articles on The Conversation [dot] com are written – they’re all extremely well-informed, but are written outside of the academic tone.

    Also try to keep in mind your work with the state workforce agency is a very different hat to academia. You’ll be able to continue using your current collegiate vocabulary, but just in the right place at the right time. Putting words into layperson’s terms but with an expert’s understanding backing it is your opportunity to demonstrate your competence and ability as a writer. All the best to you!

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  21. IT Project Manager*

    I have worked from home for 24 years in WA and my boss is in TN, in addition to having my boss under emergency contacts in my phone, I taped a piece of paper with her name and phone number on my desk and told my husband where to find it. I added that 2nd part after a co worker unexpectedly went into the hospital and wasn’t conscious and she told me how her husband had to track down an office phone number and then get someone who could look up her manager’s information. Like me, she was remote and had been for years and her manager was across the country.

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  23. Lemonwhirl*

    I have nearly 30 years of experience in technical writing and software design. I just started a Master’s degree program, so I’m trying to get the hang of writing academic papers and reflective journals.

    The key to any good writing is giving the audience what they need to know by using the words and structures that are most likely to aid understanding in as short a time as possible. Academic writing is a very specific type of writing, and it’s great for an academic audience, but it’s not intended for a general audience.

    Bullet points to list your key messages and then ruthlessly cutting any word that isn’t essential to the meaning are two good ways to write more plainly and directly. (And let me tell you, after writing two papers this weekend, I would LOVE to see academia replace the literature review with a bulleted list of the work that forms the basis of understanding plus links to those works. It’s absolutely nervewracking to try to write a literature review that isn’t just dense paragraphs of quotes or inadvertent plagiarism. I can build a narrative and provide a logical throughline for the research I’ve done, but there’s only so many different ways to paraphrase core concepts.)

    Also, from one writer to another, the more that you can separate yourself from the work, the happier you’re going to be. Constructive criticism about using plain language is not a slight on you or an insult to your audience’s intelligence. It’s an opportunity to learn how to improve key skill so that your work is more effective.

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  24. Trixie melodian*

    As a corporate communications professional, I feel for your manager.

    I work in healthcare with a lot of incredibly intelligent people, most of whom couldn’t write an accessible consumer-friendly document if the consumer’s life depended on it (which it frequently does).

    Plain English is not “dumbing down” (and I hope that term is your interpretation, not your manager’s actual words.)

    Long words and convoluted sentence structure don’t make you sound smarter. Nor does a five page document when two pages will suffice.

    Simple, succinct language in a straightforward format is preferred by almost everyone. It’s especially relevant to busy people like high level execs and politicians – if you can give them a well-written 1 page executive summary instead of a 15 page analysis, you’ll be their favourite person.

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  25. Nodramalama*

    Yes, plain language drafting for goverment is both expected and reasonable, and a very specific style of writing. I’m not surprised it’s being rewritten. One tip is that the more advanced word spell check has a function where it can tell you what age of reading your work is aimed at. Where I am you’re aiming for 12-14.

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  26. Pink Geek*

    LW1 When you’re writing think about your audience. Communication has to take the goals, experience, and knowledge of who you are communicating with into account.

    I don’t love the “dumbing-down” language but it does sound like your boss needs you to add a new style to your writing tool box.

    One tool I love for simplifying language and grammar is hemingwayapp It’s not an AI and won’t make changes for you but it will identify places where you can edit or modify your word choices.

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  27. Decidedly Me*

    LW4 – my manager’s number is in my phone and my SO knows how to gain access to my phone if needed. He also knows her name, so he could just call the company and ask for her, too. On my other side, I have direct contact information for HR at my SO’s company, which would be the best people to reach out to there.

    LW5 – I had a manager switch before I got a job once. I had gone through the interview process being told person A would be my boss. At the offer stage, it was explained that person B would be my boss instead and the reasoning for it. I really appreciated that heads up. It also helped that person B had been in a few of the interview rounds, so it was someone I already had exposure to. If the person covering your leave is already known, I highly recommend including them in the hiring process.

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  28. Jenesis*

    LW#3, it’s worth noting that ODD, by definition as a diagnosis, does not exist past the age of 18. So there is no such thing as “work accommodations for ODD” (unless you are a type of business that employs high schoolers, I suppose).

    It’s possible that Mary may have been misdiagnosed (ADHD is especially comorbid with ODD, and woefully under-diagnosed in girls) and she will be able to obtain treatment through getting a second opinion. It’s additionally possible that after aging out of the high school environment, Mary will be able to straighten herself out and thrive in the workplace (with or without formal accommodations), especially if she can find work that allows her a high degree of flexibility, limited management oversight, and doesn’t require her to sit quietly in a chair all day.

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  29. Scribe*

    LW1, your boss needs to provide you with examples of the style and type of writing she wants. These examples need to include what’s good, what’s okay, and what’s bad, with notations and explanations as to why the writing examples in question as good, okay, or bad. She also needs to include examples and notes of how the ‘okay’ and ‘bad’ examples could be improved. This is the minimum she needs to be doing, or she is not setting you up for success.

    My whole job consists of translating complex language into plain English. But there is a significant amount of nuance to plain language that your manager may be missing, and I’m always concerned when things like this make their way into improvement plans. Especially if the manager in question isn’t doing the above as a basic step.

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    1. Scribe*

      Also, your manager needs to provide you with guides (including editorial and other style guides) and tools that will help you.

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