Our experience confirms over and over that when it comes to asking a manger or human resources manager for anything, you are much better off asking nicely than demanding it or even worse – making any kind of threats. This is especially true if you are asking for something that your manager can give you but doesn’t have to legally or otherwise. Like all other humans in just about any situation, supervisors respond to requests and to courteous approach much better than to any kind of rude or forceful attitude.
So, the next time you want to ask your boss for a day off, or a transfer to another department, or some type of accommodation to your medical condition, be nice. Even if you are making some kind of discrimination or harassment complaint, you still can and should be nice and professional about it, because again – your management is much more likely to look into your complaint and do something about it if you ask them for help the right way.
Strong letters and demands from you or your attorney have their time and place, but in many, if not most, cases they should be used as a last resort, after the above-mentioned friendly attempts have been made and were not successful.