Hi gang i would just like the forums ideas on this please.

I have been called into a disciplinary investigation because i work in the field not office based in sutton surrey, but one day i left my front door keys and wallet at home by mistake, as i am self managed during the day but only get half an hour lunch i raced home in the company van i am supplied with which i also take home every night and at weekends by the way to get the items i live in Brentford roughly about 20 miles from sutton, on the way home i stopped to buy a newspaper and got a parking ticket which i have always said i would pay the whole journey took about 2 hours to complete but i stayed on to make the time up but the company cannot check this. but they are saying that it was missuse of a company vehicle,unauthorised absnce, contravention of a traffic regulation whilst using a company vehicle incurring a penalty fine, potentially bringing the council into disrepute. And this is contary to the councils code of conduct disciplinary rules and procedure. I am very worried they will sack me for this any advice please.

D.C.

Thread moved to the employment forum where the guys will be happy to help as soon as they are available.

Hi silverwing

I assume your comapny van had a tracking device fitted?

Hi silverwing

 

I assume your comapny van had a tracking device fitted?

More likely that the parking ticket placed the vehicle away from the area that it was supposed to be

I was with you until you stopped for a paper....

Dont get it if your keys were at home how could you get in to get them, and why did it take 2 hours and why didnt you just tell your employer that you had to go back home. It would have been th eparking ticket sent to your employer that told them where you were.

Ok that said how long have you been employed? do you complete time sheets, work sheet for jobs done?

Hi

This is the ACAS Website link: www.acas.org.uk/

I would also advise requesting from your employer copies of the policies that they are Disciplining you for.

These PDFs may be of use:

Hi Silverwing. Some relevant questions. How long have you been employed? Are you suspended? Have you any current 'live' warnings in place?

If you were aware of the councils policies and procedures of usuage of company vehicles and signed said document then your fate is your own.

Hi OP

Sadly from what you've said, your version of events means the company allegations are bang on.

Was there anybody you could have sought permission from to head back home? Why did you stop for a paper during work time - is it common practice? How long have you worked there? Have you got a clean disciplinary record? Is there a tracker fitted?

The other question I have, which is more for my own curiosity, is why did you want to call home to pick up your door keys? Surely either the house would have been locked, or if someone was home all day then you wouldn't have needed them?

Hi gang to answer some of your questions, been there for 13 years, no tracker fitted, never been told i couldnt take vehicle off area during lunch break or part there of, not suspended, already have a first and final warning on my file for 2 years which expires in June this year, Had to get front door keys off of wife as she was going to work at 12 am not returning untill 11 pm that night, dont complete work sheets for days work i manage my own time, took 2 hours because of traffic from area to home and back, Hpe this helps.

DC

You did this while on a warning? Come on... That's just daft!! I can't think of any advice you will like.

Im with emmzzi on this. You are on a final warning. This means that you accepted that warning. You knew you were on a final warning but still did what you did. The employer has every right to terminate your employment now for GM. The most you can do now is be VERY apologetic and cross your fingers they wont dismiss you.

Also, for it to be a first and final warning, your previous error must have been serious. It was a very silly thing to do what you did.

You say you were entitled to a half hour break. Fair enough. Any employer would have let you go straight home and back for your keys and wallet, providing you came straight back. You didnt though. You stopped, bought a paper, got a ticket and by your own admission, this 30 mins turned into 2 HOURS. Thats 90 mins of company time.

but they are saying that it was missuse of a company vehicle,unauthorised absnce, contravention of a traffic regulation whilst using a company vehicle incurring a penalty fine, potentially bringing the council into disrepute

Thats EXACTLY what you did though. Theres no getting out of it. As i said, all you can do is be very apologetic and hope that a manager is very lenient with you. The problem is you are already on a final warning, so they are well entitled to dismiss you for anything as it would be GM.

Hang on a minute perhaps i didnt make it clear I RETURNED TO THE AREA AND STAYED ON TO MAKE THE TIME UP. oh well life on benifits here we come i suppose:!::!::!::!::!:

You did make yourself clear, however, in the eyes of your employer, that doesnt matter. You still broke company policy which is what they are disciplining you for.

We weren't trying to belittle you. We simply stated the facts given to us by yourself, and the facts surrounding law and what your employer could do. If you had told your employer beforehand, then they could have let it slide. However, you did it in company time, then stayed the extra hours. In a managers eyes, it would seem that you had unauthorised absence ( which you did) then thought to yourself " if i do the extra hours, maybe theyll let it slide."

Just remember, things like this, they wont back down on, otherwise it would be one rule for you, and another rule for others. If they let you get away with it, or anyone else for that matter, then they would have to let EVERYONE get away with it, or they would find themselves in tribunals from other employees.

WHat you can do is remain calm, tell them the full truth and be apologetic. What is going to make it hard for them to believe you, is that you decided to go for a paper and other stuff, when you were simply meant to get your wallet and keys. To them it looks like you simply wanted an extended lunch break. I mean, you said that it was a 40 mile round trip. yet you took 2 hours to do this. Unless there was very heavy traffic, theres no reason for that trip to take 2 hours.

Again, im not trying to belittle you, nor intimidate you. I'm posting this info from the eyes of how it looks to your manager. One thing is for sure though, you still broke company policy, although as you said, you did stay the extra hours to make up for it. It's up to the manager now to decide if its worth a written/final warning as you did perform GM, or if its serious enough to warrant dismissal. The parking ticket charged to the company wont help matters either.

Two years for a final warning is a long time Silverwing and it's quite important to know if you appealed against it at the time?

Hi snalf no i didnt appeal, ????????????????

Ok Silverwing. Always appeal otherwise it shows you accepted and then if a further incident occurs, it's harder for them to dismiss. I would advise that you attend the hearing, apologise and say that you thought making the time back meant that you had not taken anything away from the company and you are sorry for what you did. Inform them that 2 years is an unreasonable length of time for written warning and had you noticed you would have appealed against it being too long. They may extend the warning or may dismiss. Appeal immediately on the grounds of the action being too severe and the original warning being on record for too long. In advance, check out their disciplinary policy in great detail as it may specify in there the actual length of a final warning and they may have breached their own policy.

Thanks snalf for your advice.

Silverwing

Hi guys i have already posted on hear that i might be facing a disciplinary, but i returned to work yesturday which normaly involves me driving around the borough in a van and taking it home. however due to the possible disciplinary they have told me that i cannot go out and must stay in the office for the whole day 08.00 to 16.00 until if they decide if its going for a disciplinary,which could be anything from 2 to 3 weeks, and they have taken my van off of me, and i was not told that this would happen i had to get a cab home yesturday costing £40.00, now the problem is i now have to make my own way to the office on my motorbike, i live in Brentford and the office is in sutton, i have always been supplied with a van as it says on my job disrciption, to be supplied with a council van mobile phone and a camera and i have these since 2002. by the way the disciplinary involves me getting a parking ticket outside the borough. i feel like resigning but would i get any jsa???????DC

Hello again.

So we can put your thread in the right forum, are you looking for comments about the work situation or your JSA query please?

My best, HB

Both really please as i dont know what to do for the best

Just spoke with my line manager and she said that the managment took my van away as they wanted me to be inside the office all day.

but i have always taken it home and have done since 2002

OK.

I'll add these posts to your existing thread, to keep things simpler for the advisers.

Please start a new thread on the benefits forum and ask your specific questions about JSA, etc. It's best to keep them separate. Keep to one employment thread though, please.

HB

HB

In fact, you already have a thread in the benefits forum with similar questions. It would help the people trying to advise you if you add to that one, I think.

Here's a link.

http://www.consumeractiongroup.co.uk/forum/showthread.php?379046-silverwing

HB