My partners employer is being aggressive

[JonniBravo]

Hi,

 

My partner works for a small privately owned day nursery, it has recently been taken over by a couple, the husband is a really nice guy but the lady is a very aggressive person and rules with an iron fist.

 

My partner has been with the nursery since it opened 8 years ago and is a valued member of staff, one particular afternoon she was doing her normal duties when her manager came up to her and told her the owner was on the phone and he would like to speak to her, she answered the phone and the owner told her his wife would like a word and passed the phone to his wife, she then proceeded to tell my partner off for picking apples off a tree in the nursery grounds, she claimed that the apples were not ready and called my partner a VANDLE stating that the trees were their property and that she had vandlised the trees, this seemed very imature, my partner states that she was very aggressive, spoke down to her like a child, she did not let her explain that the circumstances that led to the apples been picked was in keeping with the proceedures followed every year.

 

My partner was so upset that she was in tears and had to leave work and see the doctor, she also suffers from post natal depression following the birth of her son.

 

This is not the first time she has done this to my partner, she has done this to other staff too, one member of staff stepped down from her position as manager and is now looking for another job.

 

What should my partner do about this?

 

Is there anything legally we can do about this, my partner does not want to return to work and this has been a setback in her recovery from post natal depression(she was doing so well)

[hhh_88873]

My sympathies for this behaviour, my fiance also works for a nursery chain and isnt treated very well either, hence her not planning to return after her maternity.

 

Sadly nursery workers are more often than not seen as numbers to make money rather than valuable people, this behaviour doesnt surprise me.

 

The action that you take is dependant entirely on your mental strength and willingness to stand and fight to be treated decently as opposed to not rocking the boat and staying in a job, which in this cliamate is very much more the norm. Wrong as it may be, thats what normally happens.

 

Firstly I would try the softly softly gentle verbal approach. Ie, perhaps approaching the wife (if you see her, if she actually shows up) in an out of public view setting, but make sure you have a witness.

 

Explain the fact that speaking to you in such a manner is both inappropriate, and also deeply upsetting. Explain that such faceless aggression doesnt achieve anything. Not only that but giving someone a rollocking over the phone is disrespectful and cowardly. (Maybe you shouldnt say it in those words but you get my point)

 

If that fails to yield results, then put in a written grievance explaining how the behaviour of the wife made you feel, and that if she was such a vandal then she should have made a complaint to the relevant authorites rather than having a go at her herself, because after all, picking apples is such a TERRIBLE crime

[Kennedy]

This sounds like bullying and harrassment! Is your partner part of any union who could offer advice?

 

If not, why not try the CAB and see what they have to say

[stuart_coogh]

put in a grievance, make a diary of events and if you have legal cover i would seriously consider taking this to a tribunal at this stage, you can have a grievance lodged and file for tribunal at the same time, best to do both in case the grievance leads to nothing, you still have the tribunal to fall back on

[Sidewinder]

put in a grievance, make a diary of events and if you have legal cover i would seriously consider taking this to a tribunal at this stage, you can have a grievance lodged and file for tribunal at the same time, best to do both in case the grievance leads to nothing, you still have the tribunal to fall back on

 

On what grounds exactly?