Should You Sign Your Name to a “Dear CEO” Letter?

Career professionals are showing little hesitation in engaging with C-level executives on company policies — and politics. But when is making yourself the public face of criticism of the top boss a good idea — and when is it career suicide?

We asked a labor lawyer, the CEO of a loan company, and the managing director at a global food-services company about the possible repercussions when employees gather and sign a “Dear CEO” letter.

What the letters are saying

Apple Inc. made news in early June with its back-to-work initiative, telling staffers to head back to the office three times per week starting in September. In response, 80 of them wrote a strong letter to CEO Tim Cook explaining their displeasure with the mandate. 

They’re not alone. The trend toward employee-activist letters to the CEO is growing. Leaders at Google, Delta Air Lines, Microsoft, and IBM, among others, recently have been on the receiving end of employee letters covering a host of grievances, including racial and economic justice stances, contentious workplace policies, and political contributions to certain political figures.

CEOs are writing back

Management at top-tier firms are already fighting back. For example, CEOs at Basecamp and Spotify recently penned letters of their own, putting staffers on notice to leave politics and activism out of the workplace, though the company hasn’t fired anyone — yet.

That begs the question: Is signing off on a letter to the CEO potentially a career risk? Yes, if employees take a step too far in letters to their companies. 

Legal and contract concerns

“From a legal perspective, employees should be careful that what they write is truthful and verifiable,” said Suzie Staunton, a labor lawyer with JMW Solicitors LLP, in London. “Additionally, they may wish to ensure that the letter is couched in relatively sensitive terms, and that they stand by everything that is written.”

Staunton noted that accuracy is important with missives to the CEO, because all contracts of employment have the implied term of trust and confidence contained within them.

“A ‘Dear CEO’ letter may breach this term, which, depending on the contents, may result in disciplinary action,” she said.

Employees could be fired

Employees who get too aggressive with letters to the CEO could lose their jobs, especially if they’re hired as at-will employees (i.e., they can be fired at any time for any legal reason). Most CEOs wouldn’t take that route, but they have other cards to play that can curb a letter writer’s growth path at the company.

“There is definitely a risk associated with openly criticizing your employer,” said Catherine Cooke, founder and CEO of Upskillwise, an e-learning platform for career professionals. 

For example, last year Amazon staff accused their bosses of firing workers in the unionization drive because the company felt threatened by organizers. 

Workers could be overlooked for promotions

“The more vocal particular staff members are, the less likely they are to be considered for promotion and other advancement,” Cooke said. “You run the risk of being seen as the employee who’s always causing problems.”

And that could be the case even when you have a good case for trying to bring something important to the boss’s attention.

“In principle, I think [letter writing] is perfectly acceptable and that employees should be able to criticize policy without fearing for their careers,” said Markus Albert, managing director at EatFirst, a global corporate food services and event staffing company. “What sounds good in theory, however, is often far from the realities of the world we live in. People are flawed and do petty things and, as lamentable as it is, some CEOs will abuse their power and take these letters personally.”

“I’d love to believe that all employees feel empowered to voice concerns without repercussions, but this isn’t true,” said Jeffrey Zhou, CEO at Fig Loans, in New York City.

Writing a CEO letter has to be a group decision, he noted, as the group is assuming the risk.

“Employees need to be informed of exactly what is being demanded [in the letter] and who will see the letter before anything is signed and shared,” Zhou said.

Consider compromising

Zhou believes that if your CEO is open to feedback, there are potentially “more diplomatic or collaborative solutions” to get your point across than a direct CEO letter. For example, you can write an anonymous letter to the CEO or go through channels (usually via human resources or a staffer’s immediate supervisor) and relay your message upstairs to the C-suite.

“Unfortunately hardline CEOs are less open to feedback and more likely to dole out unreasonable punishments,” he said. “Consequently, make sure this is a battle you’re willing to lose your job over before signing any letter.”