Omitted incase my work see this post.
Omitted incase my work see this post.
Has anyone got a spare half hour to guide me on my work situation please?
Here’s an update of events since I was last posting here in March: -
My boss refused to let me have all of my holiday entitlement and in May I eventually plucked up the courage and drew my sword and raised a formal grievance. By doing so it was like a volcano at work erupting. My boss drew his sword and treated me unfairly and appallingly.
I took an advocate from a disability inclusion group with me to the first grievance meeting but neither her or I were allowed to speak properly as my boss wouldn’t let us so it got postponed for another date. Contact with my advocates was made as hard as possible, phonecalls from them to me weren’t put through to me, making out-going calls got banned, arranging convenient dates and times for meetings was made as hard as possible throughout everything. At one point my boss even cut off the internet so that I couldn’t email my advocate and laughed in my face when I told him it’s a reasonable adjustment to let me contact them.
At the second meeting my advocate had to leave after an hour and I did four hours on my own. It wasn’t me airing my grievances, it was like an interrogation and me having to defend myself. I wasn’t allowed to go through a log of bullying events that I had with me, I was basically just answering the boss’ questions and responding to his own allegations and views about circumstances. He lied about several things and I was responding to his lies.
In July the outcome of the grievance was basically that nothing I’ve said can be substantiated, my allegations were denied, brushed over and was told that we want to move forward on a more happier note. The next working day I was put on a disciplinary so feeling boxed in I appealed the grievance.
It was around this time when I was sent to Occupational Health for a report on my Aspergers and back complaint that my boss denied ever hearing about previously. A similar report from my GP was sent and also a report from the autism/aspergers psychologist who I’m currently seeing. The appeal hearing was postponed until 30th September (which seemed like an eternity) due to waiting for the final report and my boss stringing it all out making my life as hellish as possible in the meantime.
The stress for months was unbelievable and I got so much flack from my boss and other employees. My boss was threatening to reduce our hours or insinuating he’d shut down the whole company because he’d had enough of it all which therefore made other people resentful towards me. My boss was totally engrossed in the whole thing and was doing everything within his power to give me grief and he was obsessed with his legal advice, letters and sl*gging me off to other people in front of me and behind my back. The office was a war zone and I ended up with a file an inch thick of paperwork backwards and forwards. In it my boss said so many contradictory things and lies but I battled on and responded to his letters as I’m quite good at writing letters. My version of events remained consistent throughout and plausible, whereas he got himself confused with his own lies and contradictions and stated a lot of things that made no sense. Because my grievances were mainly centered around my boss, he was advised to not give the grievance and disciplinary outcomes himself. Instead they were signed by other members of staff but I 100% believe he compiled them, there isn’t a doubt in my mind. I also got letters from other members of staff but again I believe these were from him. For my disciplinary there was a witness statement which again from the wording in it I believe he compiled. Basically he used every dirty trick he could to intimidate and be mean towards me and abused his position of power. He gave lots of memos stating new rules which were basically aimed at me and handed me them looking as pleased as punch, along with an unjustified (in my opinion) ‘letter of concern’ about my performance at work.
On 11th October I got the appeal outcome. I’d gone to the appeal meeting with an advocate from a different group, this time a learning difficulties group as the disability inclusion advocates backed out I think due to the way they were treated and the fact that they were out of their depth. The new advocate did a great job and the appeal meeting was taken by a member of staff that was trying to get both sides to compromise and get on again. The outcome letter was again compiled by my boss I think but for each pointer of my grievances they were mainly the view of this other member of staff. But the long outcome letter did contain more lies and denials and contradictions yet again, I know it wasn’t written by the member of staff who should have been writing it.
It was around this time when I let the dust settle and decided to take a back foot and just see how things pan out as I got what I wanted from most of my grievance pointers which are as follows: -
One thing I’d battled for for months was getting aspergers awareness training at work. Eventually it took place on 15th November. I can’t say it did much good, staff that were hostile towards me and blaming me for everyone nearly loosing their jobs are still prickly with me and we still don’t speak. & I’m ignored by most people, there’s only a couple of work mates who are willing to strike up conversation with me. In fact everything is just the same now as it was immediately prior to the training.
Earlier this year a bolt was put on the canteen door and I got locked out at dinnertime. I had raised that as a grievance but after complaining about it I was banned from using the canteen by my boss. The appeal outcome revoked that and I use the canteen again although I don’t feel welcome there. Only one member of staff that uses the canteen will engage in conversation with me, if he’s not there I enter, have my dinner and leave without speaking a word.
In my grievance I complained about an assault on me a couple of years back but the outcome brushed it off saying there were no witnesses so it can’t be taken further. I suspect the employee who did it wasn’t even questioned over the incident.
To avoid confrontation with my boss a new communication procedure was put in place and now someone else will discipline me if I need it. Since the outcome my boss has been trying to avoid direct conflict with me so that’s good. Basically we hardly speak now.
I had asked for time to be able to self-teach myself on the new software package that I use, that was granted on 11th October but since then I haven’t been allocated any time at all. However I almost had one day’s training by a specialist firm but I decided I wouldn’t do it due to my contract stating I’d be liable to pay back the costs if I leave within a year or get fired.
My advocate had put forward an anti-bullying policy which the outcome agreed would be adopted and distributed to all staff. That hasn’t happened. Also I had complained that the company’s emergency fire and evacuation plan was out-of-date and that was supposed to be getting updated and hasn’t been. & July’s grievance outcome said they’d change the wording in my contract about holiday leave but they haven’t.
Also in July Occupational Health recommended I move desks due to my back complaint. The appeal outcome said it would take place as soon as possible. It’s mid December and I’m still at the same desk. Also I know which desk I’d prefer to move to within my office but my boss has refused to let me sit there and wants me placed at a desk which I don’t want to be at. This whole situation hacks me off greatly. I had filled in a VDU workstation assessment in July stating some of the things that give me discomfort such as a noisy PC in the room, the lighting being too bright, lack of leg room, being uncomfy at my desk because my desk is the wrong shape, etc. Also work knew I would prefer my office door shut due to all the noise and me finding it hard to concentrate but I’m not allowed it shut. I find it hard to tolerate my environment every day, topped with the powerless frustration of it I often feel like I’m on the brink of just walking out.
In fairness though a new expensive orthopedic chair was purchased for me last week even though I had never really asked for a new chair. Unfortunately though it feels uncomfy to sit in so after a good few days I put it to one side and reverted back to using my old one which has gone down like a lead balloon. Everyone seems angry with me for that. I’m not quite sure what to do about it and if I should use it again even though I feel uncomfy. I’ve been almost in tears about it when using it and feel terrible because its supposed to be designed for people with bad backs but its been making my bad back worse and if I use the new foot rest that comes with it I have even less leg room than I had before. Moving me to the desk I’d like would sort out the leg room problem but it won’t change the fact that the chair back feels uncomfy. Another option is to get a cushion but I’m pretty much sure my old chair would be better than using the new orthopaedic chair with a cushion.
Another current issue is that I’m feeling demoralised because for 14 years I’ve been pretty much in charge of my own workload and deciding what priorities my work is to be done in but since the grievance appeal meeting it was decided by someone, I don’t know who, that to avoid conflict with my boss that another member of staff from another department would be put in charge of organising my work. I was told it was on a temporary basis but now this person is thriving on the responsibility, has taken over and now I feel like I’ve been demoted and her promoted. I’m not allowed contact with anyone about my workload, any requests for work or discussions have to be run past her, no one is allowed to speak to me or email me directly, everything has to go to her and then she gives me my orders. She’s constantly fussing over me asking me how I’m getting along and if something isn’t done at the time I roughly thought it would be done, I have to answer to her as to why. I’m perfectly capable of running my own department and I haven’t done anything wrong work-wise to have that responsibility taken away from me. Feeling like I’m the office junior after all these years frustrates me.
Incidentally it’s coming up to Christmas and I fear that this year will be my first without a bonus or less of a bonus. For the last 13 years I’ve had £900 each Christmas but I really can’t see me getting that after this horrendous last year.
My medical reports say that with the right support there’s no reason why I can’t continue doing my job but I feel I have no one suitable around to vent to and offer support. In the grievance appeal outcome it says that once a week I’d meet up with the person who took the appeal meeting who acted like a mediator at the time, to discuss work issues but we haven’t met up once. It seems like he’s done his part and is now uninterested in how things are getting on, I no longer feel comfortable or confident in approaching him to discuss current issues with him. Also he’s often out of the office and can be gone for a full week or more.
I’m not sure what the future holds, if I can tolerate working there for years more as things are. If I should battle on trying to enforce things flaming the situation more. Whether I should call it a day and be jobless. I don’t know what’s best for me.
Has anyone got a spare half hour to guide me on my work situation please?
Here’s an update of events since I was last posting here in March: -
My boss refused to let me have all of my holiday entitlement and in May I eventually plucked up the courage and drew my sword and raised a formal grievance. By doing so it was like a volcano at work erupting. My boss drew his sword and treated me unfairly and appallingly.
I took an advocate from a disability inclusion group with me to the first grievance meeting but neither her or I were allowed to speak properly as my boss wouldn’t let us so it got postponed for another date. Contact with my advocates was made as hard as possible, phonecalls from them to me weren’t put through to me, making out-going calls got banned, arranging convenient dates and times for meetings was made as hard as possible throughout everything. At one point my boss even cut off the internet so that I couldn’t email my advocate and laughed in my face when I told him it’s a reasonable adjustment to let me contact them.
At the second meeting my advocate had to leave after an hour and I did four hours on my own. It wasn’t me airing my grievances, it was like an interrogation and me having to defend myself. I wasn’t allowed to go through a log of bullying events that I had with me, I was basically just answering the boss’ questions and responding to his own allegations and views about circumstances. He lied about several things and I was responding to his lies.
In July the outcome of the grievance was basically that nothing I’ve said can be substantiated, my allegations were denied, brushed over and was told that we want to move forward on a more happier note. The next working day I was put on a disciplinary so feeling boxed in I appealed the grievance.
It was around this time when I was sent to Occupational Health for a report on my Aspergers and back complaint that my boss denied ever hearing about previously. A similar report from my GP was sent and also a report from the autism/aspergers psychologist who I’m currently seeing. The appeal hearing was postponed until 30th September (which seemed like an eternity) due to waiting for the final report and my boss stringing it all out making my life as hellish as possible in the meantime.
The stress for months was unbelievable and I got so much flack from my boss and other employees. My boss was threatening to reduce our hours or insinuating he’d shut down the whole company because he’d had enough of it all which therefore made other people resentful towards me. My boss was totally engrossed in the whole thing and was doing everything within his power to give me grief and he was obsessed with his legal advice, letters and sl*gging me off to other people in front of me and behind my back. The office was a war zone and I ended up with a file an inch thick of paperwork backwards and forwards. In it my boss said so many contradictory things and lies but I battled on and responded to his letters as I’m quite good at writing letters. My version of events remained consistent throughout and plausible, whereas he got himself confused with his own lies and contradictions and stated a lot of things that made no sense. Because my grievances were mainly centered around my boss, he was advised to not give the grievance and disciplinary outcomes himself. Instead they were signed by other members of staff but I 100% believe he compiled them, there isn’t a doubt in my mind. I also got letters from other members of staff but again I believe these were from him. For my disciplinary there was a witness statement which again from the wording in it I believe he compiled. Basically he used every dirty trick he could to intimidate and be mean towards me and abused his position of power. He gave lots of memos stating new rules which were basically aimed at me and handed me them looking as pleased as punch, along with an unjustified (in my opinion) ‘letter of concern’ about my performance at work.
On 11th October I got the appeal outcome. I’d gone to the appeal meeting with an advocate from a different group, this time a learning difficulties group as the disability inclusion advocates backed out I think due to the way they were treated and the fact that they were out of their depth. The new advocate did a great job and the appeal meeting was taken by a member of staff that was trying to get both sides to compromise and get on again. The outcome letter was again compiled by my boss I think but for each pointer of my grievances they were mainly the view of this other member of staff. But the long outcome letter did contain more lies and denials and contradictions yet again, I know it wasn’t written by the member of staff who should have been writing it.
It was around this time when I let the dust settle and decided to take a back foot and just see how things pan out as I got what I wanted from most of my grievance pointers which are as follows: -
One thing I’d battled for for months was getting aspergers awareness training at work. Eventually it took place on 15th November. I can’t say it did much good, staff that were hostile towards me and blaming me for everyone nearly loosing their jobs are still prickly with me and we still don’t speak. & I’m ignored by most people, there’s only a couple of work mates who are willing to strike up conversation with me. In fact everything is just the same now as it was immediately prior to the training.
Earlier this year a bolt was put on the canteen door and I got locked out at dinnertime. I had raised that as a grievance but after complaining about it I was banned from using the canteen by my boss. The appeal outcome revoked that and I use the canteen again although I don’t feel welcome there. Only one member of staff that uses the canteen will engage in conversation with me, if he’s not there I enter, have my dinner and leave without speaking a word.
In my grievance I complained about an assault on me a couple of years back but the outcome brushed it off saying there were no witnesses so it can’t be taken further. I suspect the employee who did it wasn’t even questioned over the incident.
To avoid confrontation with my boss a new communication procedure was put in place and now someone else will discipline me if I need it. Since the outcome my boss has been trying to avoid direct conflict with me so that’s good. Basically we hardly speak now.
I had asked for time to be able to self-teach myself on the new software package that I use, that was granted on 11th October but since then I haven’t been allocated any time at all. However I almost had one day’s training by a specialist firm but I decided I wouldn’t do it due to my contract stating I’d be liable to pay back the costs if I leave within a year or get fired.
My advocate had put forward an anti-bullying policy which the outcome agreed would be adopted and distributed to all staff. That hasn’t happened. Also I had complained that the company’s emergency fire and evacuation plan was out-of-date and that was supposed to be getting updated and hasn’t been. & July’s grievance outcome said they’d change the wording in my contract about holiday leave but they haven’t.
Also in July Occupational Health recommended I move desks due to my back complaint. The appeal outcome said it would take place as soon as possible. It’s mid December and I’m still at the same desk. Also I know which desk I’d prefer to move to within my office but my boss has refused to let me sit there and wants me placed at a desk which I don’t want to be at. This whole situation hacks me off greatly. I had filled in a VDU workstation assessment in July stating some of the things that give me discomfort such as a noisy PC in the room, the lighting being too bright, lack of leg room, being uncomfy at my desk because my desk is the wrong shape, etc. Also work knew I would prefer my office door shut due to all the noise and me finding it hard to concentrate but I’m not allowed it shut. I find it hard to tolerate my environment every day, topped with the powerless frustration of it I often feel like I’m on the brink of just walking out.
In fairness though a new expensive orthopedic chair was purchased for me last week even though I had never really asked for a new chair. Unfortunately though it feels uncomfy to sit in so after a good few days I put it to one side and reverted back to using my old one which has gone down like a lead balloon. Everyone seems angry with me for that. I’m not quite sure what to do about it and if I should use it again even though I feel uncomfy. I’ve been almost in tears about it when using it and feel terrible because its supposed to be designed for people with bad backs but its been making my bad back worse and if I use the new foot rest that comes with it I have even less leg room than I had before. Moving me to the desk I’d like would sort out the leg room problem but it won’t change the fact that the chair back feels uncomfy. Another option is to get a cushion but I’m pretty much sure my old chair would be better than using the new orthopaedic chair with a cushion.
Another current issue is that I’m feeling demoralised because for 14 years I’ve been pretty much in charge of my own workload and deciding what priorities my work is to be done in but since the grievance appeal meeting it was decided by someone, I don’t know who, that to avoid conflict with my boss that another member of staff from another department would be put in charge of organising my work. I was told it was on a temporary basis but now this person is thriving on the responsibility, has taken over and now I feel like I’ve been demoted and her promoted. I’m not allowed contact with anyone about my workload, any requests for work or discussions have to be run past her, no one is allowed to speak to me or email me directly, everything has to go to her and then she gives me my orders. She’s constantly fussing over me asking me how I’m getting along and if something isn’t done at the time I roughly thought it would be done, I have to answer to her as to why. I’m perfectly capable of running my own department and I haven’t done anything wrong work-wise to have that responsibility taken away from me. Feeling like I’m the office junior after all these years frustrates me.
Incidentally it’s coming up to Christmas and I fear that this year will be my first without a bonus or less of a bonus. For the last 13 years I’ve had £900 each Christmas but I really can’t see me getting that after this horrendous last year.
My medical reports say that with the right support there’s no reason why I can’t continue doing my job but I feel I have no one suitable around to vent to and offer support. In the grievance appeal outcome it says that once a week I’d meet up with the person who took the appeal meeting who acted like a mediator at the time, to discuss work issues but we haven’t met up once. It seems like he’s done his part and is now uninterested in how things are getting on, I no longer feel comfortable or confident in approaching him to discuss current issues with him. Also he’s often out of the office and can be gone for a full week or more.
I’m not sure what the future holds, if I can tolerate working there for years more as things are. If I should battle on trying to enforce things flaming the situation more. Whether I should call it a day and be jobless. I don’t know what’s best for me.
