Letter of Disagreement

As the name suggests, a letter of disagreement is written whenever someone disagrees with the opinion of someone else. More formally this may be used within the workplace when an employee disagrees with the actions of a boss, whether that be disciplinary action taken against them or an appraisal of performance.

 

Letters of disagreement have also traditionally be used within media, when a listener, viewer, or reader disagrees with something broadcast or published. Some publications will even have special sections for letters of disagreement, though they may also be sent them in a non-public format.

Steps

Starting to Write

1

Before getting in to why you disagree, find some common ground or positive aspects first.

2

Be constructive. This means fleshing out your criticisms and backing up your opinions with evidence. Simply asserting somebody is wrong, or worse attacking them personally, will never solve the situation.

3

When something is an opinion, agree to disagree, when something is factually incorrect point out the error respectfully. Approach the matter from the angle that you genuinely want to help, not simply to stroke your ego and assert that you’re right.

Sample Letters

Letter of Disagreement Newspaper Sample


Michael F. Martin

4840 Hawks Nest Lane
Toronto, On M5E 3H9

 

Dear Mr. Martin,

I recently read the column you wrote for the Toronto SUN and strongly disagreed with almost every opinion you stated.

 

You say that UFC should not be sanctioned in Ontario because it is too dangerous. Compared to what? Look at the statistics – more people get injured playing hickey or football than they do participating in UFC events. Believe it or not, they are highly regulated, carefully planned events that are safe and drug free.

 

You seem to have something against UFC. Maybe you don’t enjoy watching it or think it is distasteful, but you should not state untrue or irrelevant facts to make your case. It makes you sound like a poor journalist.

 

Always reading,

Dorothy  S.  Henson

Letter of Disagreement with Boss Sample


Dear Mr. Zucker,

First off I would like to commend you for raising the issue of inappropriate use of the computers during office hours. I have witnessed first hand people browsing Facebook, emailing friends and squandering productivity. However I would like to respectfully disagree with your chosen course of action.

 

Installing monitoring devices on computers and giving IT staff access to remote view inbuilt webcams, will invariably be viewed as a massive breach of privacy, and create tension between employees, bosses, and IT staff. Nobody wants to feel like they are being snooped on regardless of whether they are breaking the rules or getting on with their work.

 

The fact that so many employees have witnessed and openly admitted to their own inappropriate computer use during the meeting, suggests to me that there are certain needs not being met, that won’t go away with an overbearing surveillance system.

 

I would like to get your opinion on the following proposal. According to data I’ve obtained from accounts, the company throws out office computers every two years and replaces them with upgrades. I propose that instead of doing this, we maintain those computers and install them either at the far end of the canteen or throughout the various staff rooms.

 

This way employees can access computers for their own purposes during lunch or other breaks, which will hopefully reduce inappropriate use during work hours.

 

I think you do a great job in your role and hope that you will take my idea under consideration.

 

Respectfully yours,

Jules Defoe

Letter of Disagreement of Performance Appraisal


Dear Mr. McNeal,

I am writing to request a second evaluation of my recent performance appraisal. The letter I received stated that I “failed to demonstrate strong leadership skills”, which is likely to stifle my upward mobility in the organization.

 

I feel this is an inaccurate assessment of what I’ve accomplished over the past 3 weeks and that information passed to you by the current managers may have overlooked several key successes.

 

For example I was able to lead Rand, Deane, and Jodi to successful completion of the Bandar Pottery shipment single-handedly. This can be easily checked on the system and all three workers are prepared to offer you their opinions of how our team did. I am not aware of why this was not noted, but I don’t specifically remember the managers engaging me on the subject. In light of this I suggest that they aren’t even fully aware of the work I’ve been doing and perhaps need further guidance from yourself on how to appraise my performance.

 

I enjoy by job here at Gilio Logistics and look forward to the opportunity to continue demonstrating my hard work.

 

Sincerely,

Bet Smyth