I got into work today to be told that the company has received 2 complaints, and that they are suspending me on full pay whilst they are investigating the complaint.

I think it all stems from a post I put on facebook.Here is the post:-

So,a particular driver thinks my brother is talking all the time at Friar Lane does He?.Considering my brother cleans more buses than the other 2 cleaners,you are incorrect,and have failed to secure any brownie points.If you think you are clever being a grass, then read this......I am a bigger grass than you.You better be careful now, because I will be gunning after you.The slightest thing you do wrong, or fail to do, I will report you, and that includes failing to fill your defect card out correctly,or failing to record defects that I am aware of from previous days.BE WARNED,AND BE AFRAID.

I can only guess that the 2 complaints are from the other 2 cleaners.any advice would be greatly appreciated.

Who wrote this? You did?

Well IMHO it reads like a playground argument between two 9 year olds.

What is the company?

Personally I'd be locking my FB account right down, or coming off it all together, those veilled threats will get you into all sorts of trouble, and not just with your employer.

I don't know the whole story, nor do I want to, but taking out your anger via social media is never any good, people will always read far too much into it and will always make assumptions.

Could be grounds for Gross Misconduct. Could be bringing the company into disrepute, but that's down to the investigating officer. Never a good idea to have an argument about work on Social Media - some one is always watching.

Gimmi my ball back, I'm going home.

Any advice???

Grow up

Honestly, I'm not normally blunt but you really need to grow up. Facebook rant... Come on. You should be bigger than that.

Id be deleting facebook or at least suspending it for a while.

Rants on facebook can get you in trouble at work

Borisbeaver,How can this be bringing the company into disrepute when it was my own personal opinion of 2 members of staff?.The company has not been mentioned, nor any of the management, nor any names,(although I did mention 2 cleaners).

I have been looking at Witham v Club24,where an employee won her case against dismissal.

How many bus companies or cleaners are based at Friar Lane? Easy as pie to identify someone from that. And threatening behaviour to boot.

I'd be expecting your cards.

Because your using language that could be construed as bulling tactics and its obvious who its aimed at.

Your suspended for investigation.

Normal procedure

Are you in a union? Consult them immediately if you haven't already.

Get a copy of the company's disciplinary policy so you know what happens next.

The Witham case isn't very similar to yours. Searching the internet for cases of employees dismissed (or not dismissed) for what they posted on Facebook will confuse you more than it will help you unless you have a lawyer to guide you though them. The company could well decide it is threatening behaviour towards other employees.

Witham called people planks. You’ve suggested a campaign of harassment . How are these things alike?

https://forums.moneysavingexpert.com/showthread.php?t=5869458

http://google.info/forums/forum/legal-forums/employment-law-issues/1414753-suspension-from-work-over-2-complaints-received#post1414757

If you aren’t based at Friar Lane & no-one can work out the company: check your company’s social media policy.

If it is TrentBarton at Friar Lane, how are you planning on showing it wasn’t bringing the company into disrepute?

The comments on this thread are far tamer than the ones on money saving forums!!

When will people learn that NOTHING negative written about work or colleagues on social media is 'safe'. It matters not whether the name of the organisation or those that work there are mentioned. Your 'friends' will know where you work. They will have an opinion of that workplace and it's employees based on what you have written. They may pass on those opinions to others in a wider audience and those opinions 'could' bring the company into disrepute

Anger against those who may have wronged you may well be justified, but Facebook is not the right place for threatening retribution (in fact nowhere would be appropriate for what you have said and how you have said it) and even from what you have posted here, it is not too great a stretch for any employer to make an allegation stick for bullying, harassment and bringing the company into disrepute.

you should also be aware that the first person to take their employer to a tribunal over being sacked for private postings on facebook lost hands down, even though they had their settings limiting their comments to a select few. Tough said the tribunal and the upper tier at appeal.

One might sympathise with your plight regarding work practices and the output of some of your brother's colleagues but this really is a suicide note if the employer decides they are going to act.

So you are saying that warning a colleague that if he/she fails to legally record any defects on the defect card which is a legal document,that you will report them is bullying threatening behaviour??.

If I had said,if.....etc etc,I will get someone to kill you, or set your house on fire, or beat you up on a dark night, then yes that is threatening behaviour, but warning someone of the consequences of not filling a defect card out properly is not threatening behaviour.Where is the threat in that?

Be warned and be afraid sounds scary to me, I wouldn't like someone to say that to me.

Isn't a lot of the problem that you said this on FB rather than having a quiet word?

HB

Borisbeaver,the issue concerns a colleague/ colleagues, and was aimed at such, not at the employer.Nor was it concerning the employer.

And as Bazooka Boo states, "people will always read far too much into it and will always make assumptions".That is exactly what someone has done.Misconstrued it entrely.

There are no bus companies based at Friar Lane.However,there are 3 companies who use Friar lane.TrentBarton,Yourbus(dunn motor traction), and Marshalls.

There are also plenty of cases where an employee has won a case of unfair dismissal at tribunal, and at an appeal by their employer as well.There ar eloads of cases in Selwyns Employment Law Book, which I have at my disposal.

Words like ill be gunning for you and

Be warned and very afraid dont help.

Its bullying

There are also plenty of cases where an employee has won a case of unfair dismissal at tribunal, and at an appeal by their employer as well.There ar eloads of cases in Selwyns Employment Law Book, which I have at my disposal.

After posting threatening comments against other staff members on social media? Could you give us some examples?

So you are saying that warning a colleague that if he/she fails to legally record any defects on the defect card which is a legal document,that you will report them is bullying threatening behaviour??.

If I had said,if.....etc etc,I will get someone to kill you, or set your house on fire, or beat you up on a dark night, then yes that is threatening behaviour, but warning someone of the consequences of not filling a defect card out properly is not threatening behaviour.Where is the threat in that?

Seriously, now you're trying to put a spin on it? What you've posted is threatening and bullying and can't be viewed any other way (except by the author).

If you wanted to advise somebody to complete a defect card correctly you'd just tell them, not post a rant featuring sinister undertones in the public arena.

What's done is done, it's out there now and you need to be focusing on a damage limitation exercise here and work out how to proceed, but no way would I try to come up with any excuses or accuse people of misinterpreting it, because it's a) a ridiculously daft thing to post on social media and b) it crosses a line because it is threatening.

You show me where in the employers handbook it states that all breaches of company policy and breaches of H&S law shall be published on facebook rather then being reported via your normal management structure and I will eat my words.

you are in a hole, stop digging and if you cant stop digging at least stop throwing the dirt into other people's faces.

Peopel come here for help and advice, you will hopefully get something tangible when you realise what a mess you are in and try and offer your company something to make them consider keeping you (and others) in your present role. I would start off with a bit of grovelling and say something like how much you enjoy your work and the peopel you work with- temporary aberration of misuse of procedure and goodwill to try and sort out a problem but can see that it was inappropriate mehtod of doing things, have no reaquainted myself with company procedure, will apologise to all about thsi never to do it again etc..

So you are saying that warning a colleague that if he/she fails to legally record any defects on the defect card which is a legal document,that you will report them is bullying threatening behaviour??.

If I had said,if.....etc etc,I will get someone to kill you, or set your house on fire, or beat you up on a dark night, then yes that is threatening behaviour, but warning someone of the consequences of not filling a defect card out properly is not threatening behaviour.Where is the threat in that?

Some people post asking for advice & actually want advice.

Some people post asking for advice but then you see from their responses that they actually don’t want advice, just validation of their preformed views......

Not removing the post from Facebook but basking in the adulation of 'friends' will not help the case either....