need advice please

[sn73]

Firstly i would like to hello to all, I have just come across this forum today and decided to register. I need some advice my situation is quite complicated but i will try and keep it brief.

 

I was in a job on a 3 year contract, throughout my term of employment I had a lot of issues with my employer, there were 3 staff 2 part-time and myself being full-time. eventually the other 2 staff handed in their notice 1 in particualr becuase she was fed up of being treated. I was then left to be the only employee, work load increased and i found myself not only just doing my job but other staff that had left their work, on numerous occassions i brought to my line managers attention that the workload had increased and i'm doing everything. My line manager was not office based he was on the executive committee so only cam in for exec meetings or just kept in touch via phone and only poped into the office sometimes.

 

Things got worse over time being the only employee was unable to take holiday as there was noone else in the office and i started working over the contracted hours to keep on top of the work, I brought all this to my line managers attention and also high lighted it in some meetings still no action was taken by my employer.

 

I then was told by my doctor i was suffering stress, i calle dfor a meeting and told my employer that my doctor said i'm suffering from stress and that my work load needs to be reduced within that meeting no minutes were taken and still my employer took no action in reducing my workload.

 

I eventually raised a formal written grievance with my employer, but they were slow in making decisions adn disagreed with my grievances, I raised greivance under race descrimination, becuase i felt that if I had been of a different race I would have been treated differently, becuase a previous staff member of the same race also was treated in teh same way.

 

Anyway to cut the story short a third party member was asked to sit and chair the grievance meetings which i attended the person chairing the meeting said that the structure of the organisation was sloppy and he also mention in one meetig that although in my original letter I had only stated race discrimination but he felt that there was sex discrimination aswell my employer did not comment on that.

 

on top of all this my employer did not give me my njc increase for two years everytime I asked they said I was not entitled to an increase as there was no increase in those two years later i found out that other staff were given an increase for both years when i gathered evidance only then they gave me the increase for the two years, they have made mistake in may wages from time to time so as you can see I have been throug a lot

 

Im still awaiting to hear about my grievance decision.

 

the 2nd thing i need advice on is that before leaving i deleted my personal files from the computer also tided up my work folders on the computer, to which i deleted some work files and folders and some contacts I had made whilst networking.

 

I have just heard from a work collegue that my employer has found out that files were deleted but I've heard they have managed to retrieve all the deleted files.

 

A friend of mine said she had a lot of problems with her employer so before she left she deleted some work files of hers which had contacts and work she had done as she felt she had done over her contracted hours and her employer was not willing to pay her she ended up deleting files as she felt that if her employer is not going to pay her for all the work she had done then she will delete some of the work she had saved on the computer as she was not paid for that.

 

Last but not least my contract ended mid december I had some expenses which i incurred whilst in employment, i could not find some of the reciepts so couldnt hand them in. I have now found all the receipts I am intending to hand them in.

 

I have three questions:

 

1. can my employer give me a bad reference becuase i put in a formal grievance?
   
2. Because I deleted the files (personal and work) can they give me a bad reference and mention this in my reference?
   
3. can my employer refuse to pay the expenses as my contract has ended even though I had incurred the cost whilst I was employed?
   

Any advice will be very much appreciated I am really stressed out and wish I had never worked with this employer in all my working life this is the first time I have been through something like this, it just shows they were in the wrong because had they not treated me in this way I would not have had to put in a grievance.

[p_cas]

To answer your questions

 

1. They can't give you a bad reference because you put in a grievance but they can mention it if asked. How any future employer reacts to that is debatable. It shouldnt go against you if it was a genuine grievance and would possibly say more about your past employer than you.

 

2. If you deleted work files I'd say this was a bit more serious. Its something that may get brought up if an employer maybe did a reference over the phone (most written references dont go into this sort of detail). Also, your friend was wrong in her reasoning for deleting work files.

 

3.They should pay your expenses if they are genuine expenses just the same way they might make a salary payment to you after your contract has ended. Shouldnt be a problem.

[sn73]

Thanks for the advice, I received a letter today saying that they as my employer has reported me to the police as I've not returned files papers, cd that belonged to them, and that I had taken folders when I left. The only folders I have is one from 2006 that has printout of research (internet stuff on cohesion intergraton, venue hire places for events, community development)that I had done which I only used once or twice within the 3 years I had been in post, another folder which had evaluation forms of people that attended my multi-faith event which only few put their contact details, and the third file which had some stuff that I had put together for a display. Reason why I had'nt returnd them was we had our house carpeted and painted so move stuff in the garage so the files jsut got forgotton about when i ended my contract. All the other 4 files I have includes my peronal stuff and maybe a few papers of old event flyers and some printout from the internet on projects stuff.

 

so non of the file have any confidential stuff of such. I have nothing to hide so I am taking the files down to the police station and going to show waht i have also I will be mentioning to them that I am going through a grievance procedure with my employer and becuase its based on race ad sex discrimination they are trying to use anything against me to make me look bad.

 

My employer also said in the letter that they will not pay my expenses becuase my contract has ended but some how when in my letter to them when i highlighted that for the 3rd time in the 3 years contract they have not given me the increase they then looked at the evidence I provided and admited that they owe me appro £900 and that they will pay me what i don't understand is that increase was due whilst i was in employment and if they can pay me that why are they saying that they won't pay my expenses.

 

any advice on this will be appreciated thanks once again.

[Conniff]

Ask your ex employer for the crime number he will have been given before you go to the station - you might find that he hasn't done anything and this is a way frightening you off and attempting to stop you claiming for your past expenses.