Grievance issues

[spirit1star]

Hi and thanks for any who can help.

I raised grievance for bullying, and periodic aggressive attacks on me by secretary (relation to owner). last straw was when the owners "secretary" said she was giving my admin work of home office stuff and staff files to senior care assistant. she is studying her NVQ sorry now QCF level 5.

my roles are admin and Activities as per my contact. I have had attacks on me since 2011 but was unable to do grievance until now as 1. did not have employee handbook until 2012. 2. because of aggression 3. changed of matrons' who did not want to deal with my concerns or who were being bullied their selves. The care assistant has been gradually taking over most of my admin work , i have had all good feed back in the past and now, so apart from care assistant just starting her QCF, i dont know why, she relabeling, she's auditing "my" staff files' and even tried to publicly critise.even nurses are asking care staff member to do forms for them, so am unsure what they have been told too.

Anyway i raised grievance, yesterday the owner asked to speak to me, she said it;s informal chat , then started asking me questions which relate to the grievance, said i would like you to focus more on activities and anyone can do admin, then said she did not know anything about the grievance/ meeting due next day today... the person who wanted to take the notes is also related but yesterday denied any knowledge of the arranged grievance hearing* when last week he called me over and said the grievance letter it.s no biggee we can sort out, perhaps we can have meeting next thursday or friday i will do a letter I said next friday would be better for me, whilst he walked passed meyesterday he told a staff member that he would not be in tomorrow. So in the end the owner said she would be coming in to the initial hearing. Today 1 hour at 1pm ish before hearing she had bad head and headed off to hospital, i was asked to put meeting back later to 3pm. at 2.46pm she rang , said she was at hospital having blood tests, i asked about our grievance hearing as the home manager who was to take the meeting was on annual leave after today. she said are you in on monday i said yes, she said it's only a grievance , i can do it on monday without the home manager.. so now im worried. firstly she tried to have informal chat in the middle of process, she is the owner and she would be the person who i would need to appeal to after the home manager has done his investigation. Now she wants to hold herself without the home manager being present..she's broke our own employee handbook policies and procedures with regard to grievances. she did ask me if i wanted to do an NVQ, i feel she's trying to sweep under the carpet. what do i do when she calls for an informal chat to deal with a formal grievance monday. grateful for advice, thanks so very much all.

[raydetinu]

This guide may help.

http://www.acas.org.uk/CHttpHandler.ashx?id=1043

[spirit1star]

Hi have read this, but still does not tell me what to do if employer is not following, regards

[Emmzzi]

I can't quite follow from your post what your specific grievance is, and what you want your boss to do about it?

[ericsbrother]

Having a chat is not the way to go so as soon as you get the opportunity tell the owner that you want someone there to take notes of the meeting as it is formal and you will sign the notes as being a true record of what was said. If that request is refused then you need to request in wrting a delay of the meeting until the appropriate person is available and ask for a written reply-email will do.

[spirit1star]

Hi again

the grievance was about bullying and not following my contract. I asked for the bulling to stop, i asked to keep my both jobs as per contract. I asked for the undermining to stop. I asked for annual pay reviews as per my contract, none of these ive had. it was also about them trying to push me out of one of my roles, for some reason senior care assistant that resigned was reinstated and given QCF (previous NVQ) to undertake. she has been given my jobs -no discussion etc shes going over all the work that i had completed etc making me feel like a school child having her worked marked. there is not a position for her even when she completes her QCF which incidentally includes admin-my contracted position. so i feel they are trying to get me out of one of my contracted roles , so she can have.

 

the grievance policy is to write to the home manager, we do a hearing, if appeal then it is then to go to the owner.

the owner has decided to interfere with the process and finally is saying she will do on her own without the home manager present, even though the letter was written for the home manager as policy dictates. the owners brother decided he was the one to take notes then the day before said he did not know anything about the meeting, then said he was not going to take notes- the owner was. 1 hour before the hearing with the home manager she had bad head went to hospital. i was asked to delay meeting by another hour. 10 mins before meeting was when she informed she would not be there, and so on, feel like im being messed about. what do i do when she wants to deal with grievance by herself? i would need to organize witness again bt she has a habit of pulling me over for chat's -2 minutes notice . i thought grievances were formal, but i feel shes trying to push under the carpet with informal chats and persuade with NVQ prospect instead.

I love my work, and just want issues to be dealt with,the owner can also get extremely aggressive, if she calls me in for ad hoc meeting and starts discussing the grievance again , can i walk out of the meeting stating that i want to follow correct procedure as per my terms and conditions to give them another chance to deal with properly? Thank for advice

[ericsbrother]

As said, thay are formal but you need to take control of your destiny by not agreeing to chats and make all of your requests for the proper procedures to be followed in writing and insist on a written response.

Yes, you can walk out but you would be better not going in until you have a scribe in attendance and everything formalised. Stop letting them make up the rules if you want the proper one applied.

[Emmzzi]

I cannot imagine "walking out" will put the employer on your side. Stating your case clearly may be better.

[spirit1star]

Thanks for all advice Emmzzi and erics brother

Just so you know i never even had a written reply to my grievance even though i asked for one within 10 days.

letter was wrote 4th june.

I will do another one asking for written response, will try my best- it's very hard dealing with aggressive employers who are all related- except the home manager.

The home manager is now on annual leave for 2 weeks.Things will be difficult but will try my best.

question -who do i write to now home manager is on annual leave to ask for written response to my initial letter?

 

Thank you so very much, will keep you posted on events.

Kind Regards

[Emmzzi]

personally I'd wait until they returned from holiday

[spirit1star]

will do thanks

[spirit1star]

Hi again

Please could you kindly answer.

I f i send a grievance letter from home to my work email to print off, rather stupidly(medical condition) as my home printer was broken, if the owners read and pass on the info even though email was marked private and confidential to the person named in the grievance can they be held accountable.

The home manager is on annual leave this week, and i wanted to get the letter ready for his return .he has to deal with letters of this nature as per my contract.

The owners i forgot are always looking at my emails. i understand that most companies do. in fact they open them and leave opened so i often miss emails.

 

the homes policy states that " if the email is confidential the user must ensure that the necessary steps are taken to protect confidentiality. The home will be liable for infringing copyright or any defamatory information that is circulated either within the home or to external users of the system.

 

They do not have a policy that says everything is looked at etc, there is no privacy etc

 

The owners have informed the person who the letter was about, about me raising an issue, before even the home manager has seen it.. surely they are breaching their own grievance policy too ? which states that grievances are to go to home manager in the first instance? I have written that im happy for him to deal with this when he gets back from annual leave -monday 8th july.

 

the person in question started questioning me about it today and denied all allegations (verbal abuse), the correct procedure for grievance is to have meeting to discuss issues, not called to ad hoc chats..

What are your opinions.

Regards , thanks very much for your time

[Pusillanimous]

spirit1star Avoid using email if you want it to stay confidential. Use old-fashioned snail-mail or memorandum.

[san_d]

spirit1star Avoid using email if you want it to stay confidential. Use old-fashioned snail-mail or memorandum.

Correct. All emails are sent in clear, anybody on the network could sniff their content. There is free software around that formats sniffed email into nicely readable text. You can try these things at home if you don't believe it.

 

All traffic to/from the printer is also usually logged.

[spirit1star]

Hi all

I raised a grievance at work with regard to harassment, bullying and other. one of the partners/ owners i have named is also related to the other 2 owners/partners.

 

After being much messed about, I asked that the brother in writing does not attend due to conflict of interest.

I was overridden and the brother came as note taker.

 

At the end of grievance hearing the meeting was declared confidential, and must not leave the room.

 

The brother has informed the person named in the grievance everything that was said at the meeting and the named person has now been ringing around the witnesses to the additional disclosure of health information without my consent to outsiders and discrimination.

 

The brother has also mentioned grievance in public.

 

The brother has not given his notes or typed up the notes-deadline was Friday 9th. The person named in grievance not answered questions on the allegations.

 

The main owner is the person who is meant to hear appeal if it goes this far, but she has called for 2 ad hoc meetings and discussed things that were in the grievance and then denied knowing anything about the grievance. she now has told me off and picking holes in my work even for reporting to my line manager faulty equipment-which i am legally obliged to report under the health and safety at work act.

 

I am now feeling victimized for raising a grievance. I have written a letter now about the breach of confidentiality and feeling victimized. the initial grievance now is going to be totally fogged due to their interference and messing about-not following their own employee handbook.

 

The person who is investigating the grievance is also getting messed about and owners want meeting with him monday, i expect to discuss my grievance-yet again not following guidelines. if the main owner and person named and brother all get together to discuss i have no one to appeal to, what next. thanks for any advice.

Edited August 11, 2013 by citizenB

[honeybee13]

Hello there.

 

You had three threads about the problems you're having, so I've put them all together to keep the information handy for the forum advisers. I hope they'll be along later.

 

HB

[citizenB]

Who advised the meeting was confidential ?

 

If someone has breached that confidentiality, then perhaps you should write to the person chairing the meeting.

[spirit1star]

Hi the chair person stated meeting confidential, the brother taking notes has told the person named in the grievanceevrything ive said

. I have wrote letter to chair person but he is leaving shortly. The grievance was raised 4th june and still not closed

 

Thanks Honeybee. Was not sure if i should have put together or start new thread. thanks again.

Im now concerned as stated about main owner trying to criticize my work etc, as above. and meeting due monday. im still waiting for outcome on grievance but owners ad-hoc meetings etc fogging

[spirit1star]

Pusillanimous re-mail Thanks, but so you know person name in grievance has opened private and confidential snail mail,Even though clearly marked Private and confidential it was addressed to the person investigating. I had to do another letter advised by ACAS and she still opened the mail.

[raydetinu]

They have to investigate the grievance so wait until that is resolved one way or another.

Then contact ACAS again if it has not been carried out fairly.

Keep a diary of events where you think you are being picked on or treated unfairly.

[spirit1star]

thanks raydetinu, i have been keeping a record for over a year and evidence. will do contact ACAS again after then thanks

[spirit1star]

what are the rules when employer alters the minutes and conveniently looses the originals?

if not accurate do i have to still sign them but state the inacuracies?

regards all for your help

[Emmzzi]

that's exactly right

[raydetinu]

If its not a true record, don't sign it!

Agree the changes then sign.

[spirit1star]

thanks both