Work

[Surf Digby]

Got a phone call this morning from my manager to be told that I'm getting a pay rise. Hurrah!

It turns out that despite being here for seven years (and having additional duties like fire warden and first aider), I was earning less than the minimum salary that the company offers for my role. This was always known, but always denied, because officially I can't know what my colleagues earn. 

So - joy of joys - I now am earning the minimum salary offered for my role! Woohoo, I now earn the same as a new starter with no previous experience.

Fuck you. Fuck you. Fuck you. I'm out of here as soon as possible.

[MPDTT]

Got promoted to a Vice President role today. I'm over the moon and have been celebrating with the team all evening. It means the pressure is off in terms of my wife needing to return to work after maternity leave.

Feeling amazing.

[The King Of Swing]

The life of leasure was fun while it lasted but it's back to the daily grind next week 😭

[patiirc]

I'm very confused at the minute. 

My new boss referred me to speak to their line manager, who happens to be Chief Executive, for seemingly no reason last Thursday. 

On friday, spoke with Chief Exec, who wanted me to raise a formal grievance based on some low level normal job stressy stuff when dead lines approach etc that I didnt think much of and the weirdness of Thursday. 

I said I'll have a think over the weekend as at this point I'm confused massively and not sure what's going on

Said to the Chief Exec  today that didnt want to do anything as I'm still bloody confused as it how it's got this far

Chief Exec has since stated is going to raise a grievance  against my boss anyway due to the seriousness of what's been disclosed. 

Apart from being beyond confused and possibly having wandered into the biggest clash of Egos/Battle for power within my organisation, what is it that I'm missing as this whole situation has gone from 0-to fucking hell rather quickly. 

The low level stressy stuff is my stressed boss going on a rant about  their deadlines and workloads, then using some stuff I said out of context, but not maliciously. 

What do I do now as frankly this nuts. 

[Keith Houchen]

Can’t you say you can’t raise the grievance as you don’t have a grievance? If one is being raised anyway let them deal with it and keep out of it as much as you can. Start noting times and dates of any requests like that and take them to your union if it starts getting stupid. 

[patiirc]

2 hours ago, Keith Houchen said:

Can’t you say you can’t raise the grievance as you don’t have a grievance? If one is being raised anyway let them deal with it and keep out of it as much as you can. Start noting times and dates of any requests like that and take them to your union if it starts getting stupid. 

Which is basically what I've said to the Chief exec.  As in no idea what's gone on, don't want to to raise a grievance, feel coerced into this point and not sure how it's got here. 

Already recording times dates and bcc ing myself into correspondence regarding this, will have a word with ACAS tomorrow as I'm  feeling definitely piggy in the middle of something bigger between the pair of them. 

Odd doesn't cover it. 

[MPDTT]

Very odd. The Chief Executive Officer doesn't raise a grievance against more junior employees! They may host a formal investigation and if there is a case to answer, then formal disciplinary action. Ive never heard of the scenario you describe.

If there was an investigation, they may interview as a part of that, but can't compell you to raise a grievance.

Sounds like this CEO wants this guy gone, but doesn't want to get his cheque book out and do it via a Settlement Agreement, so instead is trying to throw as much mud as possible and see what sticks.

[patiirc]

10 hours ago, MPDTT said:

Very odd. The Chief Executive Officer doesn't raise a grievance against more junior employees! They may host a formal investigation and if there is a case to answer, then formal disciplinary action. Ive never heard of the scenario you describe.

If there was an investigation, they may interview as a part of that, but can't compell you to raise a grievance.

Sounds like this CEO wants this guy gone, but doesn't want to get his cheque book out and do it via a Settlement Agreement, so instead is trying to throw as much mud as possible and see what sticks.

Thanks for taking time to respond. The whole thing is totally bizarre. Agreed regarding a powerplay, definitely seems like it.  For reference I'm at a level just below directors but above project leads and team management, not quite on the exec but work extensively with them and also parnters, solicitors and wider organisation ceos etc. 

An update since yesterday is that they've appointed an external HR company to handle this. I now have the utterly odd situation whereby myself snd my boss are going to be in the office on different days. we're only in one day a week anyway, remote for the rest of it. 

I cant contact them directly, but they can apparently still send missives to me.  I'm the supposed victim, so that makes no sense either. 

Their email from them stated that I'd raised the  grievance, when I've not. so that's the investigation already subjudiced.

I've confirmed to both the chief exec and the  external HR company  that I didn't want this raised and that there's no animosity between me and my boss. 

The missive stated that they wanted HR partners to be in every meeting we have including with other departments etc basically chucking mine and their privacy out the window as well. as it's a less than 60 employee company too. 

I spoke with ACAS as at this point it's batshit crazy, they've confirmed that it does look like somekind of weird power play and to confirm withdrawal again to all those I can contact., which I have done 

Given the absolute insane nature of this and the utterly ridiculous way this is panning out. I've created space from this and went to my gp. They signed me off in about 0.3 seconds flat, for two weeks.

I've just passed probation, which is something, but It is still dicey for me with the two years stuff for employment rights. I'm waiting for the DARVO responses next and really don't want to go through that. 

In all my years of work I've never come across anything like this. There's no actual communications, and seemingly no regard to privacy or consent either. Absolute and utter mess. 

[SuperBacon]

And to think, I got annoyed the other day when my manager used the wrong milk for my coffee.

I don't understand any of what is happening with you @patiirc (I literally can't follow what has occurred) but best of luck to you. 

[MPDTT]

@patiirc bringing in an external HR Agency will come at significant cost, more than a Settlement Agreement would to make the situation go away, which tells me there is more to this than you know. This feels like it’s going nuclear, you don’t have a full view of the facts and have been dragged into this against your will.

You are relatively senior and given you have 2 years service, have employment protection. As such, I recommend forgetting ACAS and shelling out to consult an employment lawyer and potentially have them act for you. Check your home insurance policy to see if it includes legal cover for employment disputes.

Edited September 22, 2021 by MPDTT

[Chest Rockwell]

1 hour ago, SuperBacon said:

I don't understand any of what is happening with you @patiirc (I literally can't follow what has occurred)

Would it really be a proper pat anecdote if it was at all comprehensible?

[patiirc]

1 hour ago, SuperBacon said:

And to think, I got annoyed the other day when my manager used the wrong milk for my coffee.

I don't understand any of what is happening with you @patiirc (I literally can't follow what has occurred) but best of luck to you. 

Cheers @SuperBacon. 

I've no real idea what's going on either, so I've taken myself out of the situation as best I can creating space and distance and to see if things settle. 

1 hour ago, MPDTT said:

@patiirc bringing in an external HR Agency will come at significant cost, more than a Settlement Agreement would to make the situation go away, which tells me there is more to this than you know. This feels like it’s going nuclear, you don’t have a full view of the facts and have been dragged into this against your will.

You are relatively senior and given you have 2 years service, have employment protection. As such, I recommend forgetting ACAS and shelling out to consult an employment lawyer and potentially have them act for you. Check your home insurance policy to see if it includes legal cover for employment disputes.

Totally does feel like I'm piggy in the middle for something bigger. 

Intensely dislike being used in such a way, so took the break away to hopefully let things calm the fuck down a bit. 

I've not got two years, to clarify,  just passed probation so unless there's something regarding protected characteristics I'm not aware of then I'm worried. 

I've a strong suspicion the company will use this to finish me, especially after I've just created a legal and compliance framework including basics like a complaints procedure, or even a Subject Access Request procedure for them when it didn't previously exist. 

They're a small company/3rd sector place that, expanded massively in less than 12 months. They've gone from a local footprint to a regional one and obviously are struggling adapt from that and have no concept of change management at all whatsoever. 

Will definitely check home insurance, keep forgetting about legal expenses cover, doh! 

33 minutes ago, Chest Rockwell said:

Would it really be a proper pat anecdote if it was at all comprehensible?

Cheers Chest, thanks for being an awesome human. 

[Keith Houchen]

There’s that level in companies where settlement agreements become a thing. It’s like you have to be fluent in execuspeak. If you’re a normal pleb, you don’t get paid to fuck off, you just get fucked off. The only decent HR manager I worked with once gave someone a medical severance after they exhausted every single avenue to accommodate this woman who was shit. I couldn’t believe it when they offered her it and even more flabbergasted when she turned it down. I made it clear to her that she couldn’t do the job and they’d done all they could to help. Eventually she took it and the HR manager got pelters behind her back from all the other managers who played golf and poker together as an operative was given a payoff. I was gutted when the HR manager left, she really made life better for the staff. 

[Surf Digby]

On 8/10/2021 at 12:58 PM, Nostalgia Nonce said:

Pay rise pisstakery.

Fuck you. Fuck you. Fuck you. I'm out of here as soon as possible.

Had a phone interview with one of the surveying companies we work with yesterday afternoon, and I don't think it could have gone better. They rang first thing this morning to book me in for a technical assessment.

Considering how much I dread the whole application and interview process, being told that I have "exactly the skill set we're looking for" has given my self esteem a huge boost. 

Of course, this means that if I don't get it I'll be looking for some rope and a decent tree, but I'm enjoying the positivity at the moment.

[HarmonicGenerator]

I had a couple of interviews today. One is going to be a no go even if they offer the job to me - it’s similar levels of commuting hassle for considerably less pay.

The other was a second round interview that seemed to go pretty well. They want to do a follow up phone call tomorrow sometime where I believe I’ll find out if it’s a yes or no. But I don’t know what to do if it’s a yes.

There are definitely advantages to this job - it’s within walking distance of home, and while it’s less money it’ll actually work out as slightly more when I no longer have to spend on train tickets. It’s a job I could definitely do well, they seem like nice people, it’s similar but different enough that it’d show some variety on my CV, and it’d get me out of my current job which I love at times but which feels properly toxic at others, increasingly so over the past year.
However this job won’t have the same level of interest or variety as my current job, and I don’t want to accept it just because it’s been offered.

All this will be irrelevant if they don’t want me. I think the pros outweigh the cons but if they offer it I’ll definitely need the weekend to mull it over. That’s allowed, isn’t it?

Edited September 23, 2021 by HarmonicGenerator