dannymccann
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Registered: 9th Aug 06
Location: Doddington, Lincolnshire
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*moved to Off Day from general chat
Hey there. My GF works in a solicitors firm on the accident phonelines. Basically she goes in, does her job, has her lunch when she is supposed to, doesnt sit on the internet all day or her phone blah blah blah basically by the book. She is honest with people but never outspoken and doesnt argue in public and prefers to sort it out behind closed doors quietly.
Her HR department pulled her in for a meeting today to say -
She dresses inappropriatly (her main standard of dress is black trousers / knee length skirt with small heels and a shirt usually covered with a cardigan, and no mad colours in her hair)
She is rude and abrasive (as before she just doesher job, if people ask her opinion she gives it, not in a rude fashion just puts it across straightforward)
Basically her HR department is arse-licking the bosses so they do anything they want the bosses to do, her team leader/manager is useless (didnt stick up for her in the meeting or offer any sort of help) and she gets on with pretty much everyone in her dept and the depts around her (save a couple of people, for various reasons, although she hasnt done anything to spite them, one is sleeping with a client behind her husbands back and she believes this to be wrong, the other sits on the internet all day, myspace etc, and has an issue with working full days and with computer screens and makes a fuss about it)
She is rather upset and i was wondering if there is any outside help she can speak to regarding the issue of maybe malpractice at work or something like that? not too clued up on it myself.
Cheers
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Cosmo
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Registered: 29th Mar 01
Location: Im the real one!
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have they given her a warning or anything? Or provided evidence of her behaviour?
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dannymccann
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Registered: 9th Aug 06
Location: Doddington, Lincolnshire
User status: Offline
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she hasnt been given a formal warning either before, during or after the interview, nor did she get a warning about having a meeting at all. on evidence, they wouldnt tell her who had been complaining about her, and couldnt provide dates, times or incident where she exhibited the behaviour she has apparently shown
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Shelly
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Registered: 15th Nov 00
Location: Lancashire Drives: Astra H VXR
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Sounds like they are just being picky with her. Tell her to keep a log of everything that goes on, just in case.
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grogan
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Registered: 31st Jul 06
Location: County Durham
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get her to join a trade union asap mate, i'm a union rep at work and i would seriously recomend it!
if your in a union, got near no chance of getting the sack / bullied from superiors!
try Unison!
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Dom
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Registered: 13th Sep 03
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citizens advice might be worth getting in contact, to be honest, there must be a reason why their trying to get rid of her? Unless it's just the case that management don't like her 
eitherway, she should have asked when she has been abrasive and rude (whether that be staff or customers/members of the public).
Plus, she should get hold of the companies working polices as it should state the dresscode, then following the meeting up with a chat with the boss etc.
worse comes to worse, get a solicitor involved, they can't just give her the chop for no reason......
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dannymccann
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Registered: 9th Aug 06
Location: Doddington, Lincolnshire
User status: Offline
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i dont think they are trying to give her the chop, check out what she does for them -
She does her job which is paid a menial £10k after tax a year (shocking i know)
In the afternoons she changes department to marketing, she does this for free as work experience, yet when she does things right or wrong (and has no one to help her out) she is moaned at by both the marketing head honcho and his secretary
She recently organised, mainly singlehandedly, the partners' trip to the cricket, which involved laying on transport, booking tickets, liasing with over 20 different people living in different places, organising taxi pick ups and drop offs for the main transport, food and drink and getting them home again. all of which went pretty much to plan, yet was paid nothing, and then was handed this meeting today.....
[Edited on 04-09-2007 by dannymccann]
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Jules S
Premium Member
Registered: 24th Dec 03
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Surely if she wears sensible clothes thats easy to prove?
As for her attitude on the phone that should be logged too....if she is 'rude and aggressive' her employers must have tapes of it to accuse her of such a thing? esp if she works for a firm of solicitors?
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dannymccann
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Registered: 9th Aug 06
Location: Doddington, Lincolnshire
User status: Offline
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quote:
Originally posted by Jules S
Surely if she wears sensible clothes thats easy to prove?
As for her attitude on the phone that should be logged too....if she is 'rude and aggressive' her employers must have tapes of it to accuse her of such a thing? esp if she works for a firm of solicitors?
you would think so wouldnt you, however they werent forthcoming with such evidence. All the suggestions of questions to be asked she knows she should of done, however at the time (with this been her first job) and the fact she thought she was getting on with everyone and doing well she was given this meeting, she was uderstandably shocked and not thinking straight
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Cosmo
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Registered: 29th Mar 01
Location: Im the real one!
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yup, as said already just log everything. And from now on she should get someone to sit in with her at any further meetings (they have to allow this if she requests it) and also for them and her to log everything that is said to her.
If she does get any further warnings make sure it is logged when and what she has said or done, with evidence if possible.
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dannymccann
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Registered: 9th Aug 06
Location: Doddington, Lincolnshire
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sound advice, she has read the thread so far and says thanks, shes going to try to implement whats been said so far
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dannymccann
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Registered: 9th Aug 06
Location: Doddington, Lincolnshire
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sorry, one more thing, at the end of the meetin today she was told not to mention the meeting or its contents to anyone else? me personally find this very shady, opinions?
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Cosmo
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Registered: 29th Mar 01
Location: Im the real one!
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not sure they could stop her saying anything to anyone, the meeting didnt contain any company specific information and was just stuff relavent to her.
She should ask if anyone else has had these meetings, maybe the managers have been given a task of getting rid of a few employees without offering redundencies.
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dannymccann
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Registered: 9th Aug 06
Location: Doddington, Lincolnshire
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she told me a friend of hers also had one of these thigns last week, for stuff she hasnt done either......
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Cosmo
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Registered: 29th Mar 01
Location: Im the real one!
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I'd ask around some of the others too if I was her.
Certainly sounds like something dodgey could be going on.
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_Allan_
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Registered: 24th Mar 04
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Can we have some pics of her dressed inappropriately? 
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jim_r1
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Registered: 6th Jun 07
Location: Nantwich, Cheshire
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My dads an employment lawyer, and basically they cant do shit without proof, they cant tell her to tell no1 about the meeting and shouldnt even be having the meeting (if formal) without notifying her in advance and she can have anyone she wants to sit in with her, and if they say she cant then dont have the meeting because it would be illegal. She can litterally tell them that they are lying and deny everything and they cant do anything! but join a union because if they were to sack you then you would have to pay for your own lawyer etc. and a union would pay for it all if you were in 1! Mine only costs like £4 a month, not a big ask is it considering it could save you your job.
PS. bit pissed writing this, just got in from a night out, checked it a few times hope its ok.
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dannymccann
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Registered: 9th Aug 06
Location: Doddington, Lincolnshire
User status: Offline
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_Allan_ - I would mate but she doesnt dress inappropriately so couldnt provide any pictures
Jim - thanks for that mate, will show her it when I speak to her tonight
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Cosmo
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Registered: 29th Mar 01
Location: Im the real one!
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also....is it worth the hassle for £10k a year?! Might be worth looking for a new job incase things get worse.
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Theham85
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Registered: 29th Nov 06
Location: Brisbane Queensland
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Citizen's advice bureau?
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Ant
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Registered: 12th May 02
Location: Hereford and Worcester
User status: Offline
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quote:
Originally posted by grogan
get her to join a trade union asap mate, i'm a union rep at work and i would seriously recomend it!
if your in a union, got near no chance of getting the sack / bullied from superiors!
try Unison!
Not true the same rules apply to everyone regardless of union membership as you will know being a rep. If you do wrong you have sanctions imposed If you haven't you just need to be smart enough to know the rule book inside out & say the right things.
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dannymccann
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Registered: 9th Aug 06
Location: Doddington, Lincolnshire
User status: Offline
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update, booked an appointment to see a CAB advice person on her lunch hour some time next week, will be explainaing whats heppened so far, what she can do and to talk about Unison
Something v strange happened at work as well today. bearing in mind what this thread is about, 2 days later they haul her department of 4 people + 2 from another separate departnment and give them a pay rise, saying they are doing their job well and have given it to them as a reward
@ Cosmo - I know, it seriously isnt worth it, but where she lives there is sweet f/a else except packing in factories, fields work, restaurant work, working with the elderly etc etc etc. She is holding out until she moves to lincoln with me next year to find a decent job here
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baza31
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Registered: 19th Apr 03
Location: yorkshire
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www. Union union union . com
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Limecat
Banned
Registered: 25th Jun 05
Location: The Internet
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quote:
Originally posted by Cosmo
yup, as said already just log everything. And from now on she should get someone to sit in with her at any further meetings (they have to allow this if she requests it) and also for them and her to log everything that is said to her.
If she does get any further warnings make sure it is logged when and what she has said or done, with evidence if possible.
It doesn't have to be requested, it must be offered and allows fellow employees, union representatives or legal representation to attend. Timescales for notice should be in the disciplinary procedure but it is often 5 working days.
Witness statements can be given anonymously although they are treated with less weight in court.
If she hasn't been there 12 months, tell her to start worrying as it is very hard to lodge a case of unfair dismissal if not.
The fact she has been told not to discuss it would normally point at further investigations taking place but she should have been advised if that is the case. (I was told that many years ago for getting pissed on an outwards bound course on a weekend day that I wasn't paid for, when the supervisor was pissed and I ended up with a final written  )
If she has a repeat hearing, tell her she is allowed to call an adjournment at any time to seak advice (or if she just wants a break)
[Edited on 06-09-2007 by LETGSI16V]
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dannymccann
Member
Registered: 9th Aug 06
Location: Doddington, Lincolnshire
User status: Offline
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Shes been there around 13 months now, she is just very confused why she got the hair dryer then 2 days later gets a kind of 'by your leave' in the form of a pay rise, all sounds very very fishy to me, only 8 months till she can come to lincoln and find a job that pays a half decent A-Level leavers wage
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