After 10 years with one employer and no disciplinary hearings or misdemeanours I seem to be heading towards a final warning.

My first disciplinary early May 2012 was due to not being able to help a caller on the phone as it was at the end of my shift, but I had returned to work after time off with clinical depression and also after my father in law died. I was told it may be a disciplinary hearing a week later.

I was then on holiday and had an nasty accident which meant I did not go back to work until September 2012 and on a phased return with reduced hours. The disciplinary was brought back up in November 2012 - I received the letter Friday afternoon for the hearing the next week Monday or Tuesday. Little notice but I went ahead.

To be honest I wanted it all over and done with. The outcome was a verbal warning to stay on my record for 6 months. At the time of the call I was ill on a phased return with a sick note.

In March i was pulled up for taking a call where i was not very helpful to the caller and possibly cutting the caller off. Not my normal style of call, but mistakes do happen.

After 2 weeks of not hearing anything I chased up when the hearing was going to be and by the end of that day was told it would be in on Tuesday after Easter. I found as it was Easter it was too late to get union or even ACAS advice.

I went into the hearing with a colleague, and have come out with a written warning which will stay on my record for 12 months because of the previous verbal warning.

I think this is unfair because it seems extreme in comparison to what I did, and what other people have done, also its a written warning because of the time factors involved with the first hearing. I have not yet received anything in writing. At the time my manager was referring to a version of events I had not heard before, this was later found on a record I could view after the meeting.

Is it worth appealing - i have admitted the difficulties i had in the call, and the type of help i would benefit from in the future so part of me wants to forget it.

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well you could appeal but that might make the situation worse and just inflame things.

Hello and welcome to CAG.

I've put some spacing into your post to make it easier for the guys who advise to read, it may get you more replies. Could you try to put in paragraphs please? It depends on what piece of kit you're using, you may need to hit the return key twice.

My best, HB

What is the next step in your internal process? Do you still have "final written warning" to go, or is it straigh to dismissal? That would make a difference to me.

What is the next step in your internal process? Do you still have "final written warning" to go, or is it straigh to dismissal? That would make a difference to me.

The next step would be a final written warning.

So two more strikes, in theory?

Your call. and I think what would cause you most stress should be a factor.

You could appeal with mitigating circumstances of a) first one dragging out and b) not well. Are you still depressed and of so are you getting help for it? Occupational Health support can sometimes make a difference in these cases.

On balance i would probably be inclined to appeal the severity of the penalty, although if the facts of the action you took are correct, not the disciplinary itself.

Yeah, in theory 2 more strikes. My employers are aware that I have depression and have been for the past 7 years. My current managers, were of the opinion that if I was at work then I was fit to work, I started off fit that day, but became unable to cope. I am getting help with depression - thanx for asking.

I'm usually the one who stands up for other people - so this is a new position for me. I think I should have challenged the first hearing at the time. I am working with a disabling health condition and my employers have had full details about that, but managers come and go.

Appealing against the severity of the penalty sounds like the way for me to go. Should I bring up how this experience makes me feel that I'm walking on eggshells? There was a lot of reference to safe guarding the customer, but none about me as an adviser. I would say after talking to other colleagues that we all have bad calls from time to time, or a caller we cannot engage with.

First of all may I ask if you have seen occupational health and if they have suggested any adjustments for you? As that would be my starting point for an appeal.

My employers dont seem to refer anyone to occupational health. But that maybe a good point.

I'd ask for a referral now. They seem to need guidance in how to support you. Ask in writing so you have an audit trail.