Published on 12, July, 2020
Hi,
Sorry, this is a bit long but I need to explain the context of my role.
I'm an older man who works as a nurse for a private company. I don't work directly with patients in clinical settings any more, instead I help NHS clinicians understand the service the company provides, carry out training, deal with difficult patient issues amongst other things.
My reputation with the NHS is extremely good as I'm very honest with them in a way the company isn't. I know this from verbal feedback I get from the NHS staff.
It was like having a work appraisal with a large audience, it was all sudden and shocking to me. They had done the same to a colleague of mine during a similar meeting via MS Teams which was bad enough but mine was a face to face meeting. He was very angry too.
I've been engraged and deeply upset since this happened 3 days ago. I can't stop thinking about it. I feel publicly humiliated. Because of perseveration it's playing on a loop inside of my head, round and round, the humiliation and anger won't stop. I feel like a child, my emotions battering me.
I feel that what they did was deeply unprofessional and any 'faults' with my performance should have been brought to me in private and done professionally, not as a sudden reveal in front of fellow nurses from the NHS.
Can anyone help me with the following;
Has anybody had a similar experience of employers blindsiding them in public with criticism?
Does the equality act apply here?
Does it cross the threshold of my protected traits?
Thanks
I'm sorry to hear that. It sounds to me like it could amount to (potentially unintentional) workplace bullying (just my personal opinion).
The NAS explains that forms of direct bullying include "humiliating you in front of other colleagues".
They further explain (along with also discussing the Equality Act):
"However, it's important to remember that you could be bullied for reasons other than your disability; for example, because of your race or sex, or just because someone doesn't like you.
The employer's duty of care means taking action to deal with the problem if there is bullying at work. Under the Health and Safety at Work Act 1974 employers have a duty to ensure the health, safety and welfare of their employees and if they do not keep to this they are in breach of the Health and Safety at Work Act."
More information:
NAS - Support at work - a guide for autistic people
Thank you both, and thank you Bunny for the link, I'll look at that now. Knowing people out there care and understand really helps.