Angelic,
Good point.
In the day of eMail and the anonymity it allows my guess is that a high percentage of folks that would not talk to a manager use eMail and letters to get their point across.
This one way line of communication allows short folks to be tall, the wrong to be right and the scared to be bold.
Speaking with the manager when something is amiss as well as when things go right always needs to be Step #1.
BillR.