More work problems

Continuing with my problems at work.

And the incidents that annoy me.

I work as a support worker with people having both physical & mental disabilities who exhibit challenging behaviour.  

Last week I got a severe reprimand from a senior support worker for using my smartphone at work.  I was checking the weather forecast on the BBC site.  A couple of hours later the same support worker was spending hours on her smartphone playing solitaire, while her colleague was on social websites.    I hate hypocrisy.

I still haven't been sacked.   But I am facing a formal disciplinary hearing in two weeks time, where one option is dismissal.

New charges against me include, that at one meeting I was moving about on a rotating chair playing with it.  I was actually stimming while under stress and trying to relax.

Smiley

  • Hi Robert123, so sorry to hear you have had such a rough time recently - from what you have posted in the past, it comes across that you really care about your job and want to do the right thing.  From what you have said about your last employer, you are better off out of there and somewhere better.  I just feel sorry for the people they should be caring for.

  • Perhaps you might want to join a union such as Unite just in case you have to face similar issues in the future.

    It's something I'm seriously considering myself given my past experiences in the workplace.

  • They were really desperate to get rid of me.

    I was still in a initial 6 month probationary period.

    The hearing was after only 4 + 1/2 months.

    One of their main arguments was the amount of support and help I needed to do the job properly.  And they even contradicted themselves.  One argument they used was that I wasn't using all the help and support that was available.  Then they argued that the help and support I had used was excessive and the cost to the company was too much.  And the manager who wanted me sacked went on and on about the cost and the cost.....that was being spent to help and support me was excessive.

  • People are such tosspots.

  • Not as in sound recording.  Just that it was stated that my complaint of bullying was withdrawn by me.  With no further explanation given.  Then the full details of allegations made against me were presented.

  • "Recorded"?

    As in covert sound recording?

    If so, this is illegal unless you agreed to it.

  • My rant about the disciplinary hearing etc.

    The work involves shift work. Shifts are typically 7h, 7.5h or 8h without any breaks.

    On the day before my hearing I was on the rota to work back to back shifts with no breaks, totalling 14.5h.  I queried this with the management explaining that this is unreasonable.  They smiled and explained that it was an honest error.

    On the day of my actual hearing I was on the rota to work 13h on that day. Again I queried it and again big smiles and it's an error.

    And there is no way I can prove whether it's deliberate or human error.

    A few months earlier I had made a complaint of workplace bullying against my line manager.  She responded by making a list of counter complaints against me.

    My employment advisors persuaded me to withdraw my complaint, as an act of good faith and go back to work and try to make a fresh start.

    At the actual hearing I discovered that my withdrawal of the bullying complaint was recorded.  And my complaints were inadmissible.  But she had not withdrawn hers and these stood and we're all repeated.  The hearing went downhill there.

    And I was fired.

  • I totally understand the situation you're in.

    Staff at my company are told not to use their phones in "secure areas" such as the helpdesk and it's apparently a big frustration for my department manager.

    Yet this same department manager who complains about personal devices being used and tells us we're not allowed to open office windows in the office because otherwise we'd lose our ISO certification [which I think is total BS] allowed a TEMP (yes that's right, a temp, some random guy that was working for the company for a month) to use his personal iPhone and Apple laptop as work devices.

    Logically you'd think that such rules would be applied even more strictly to a temp, who's more of a security risk than permanent staff.

    I also regularly notice various members of other departments with their personal phones blatantly sitting on their desk or being actively used in view of everyone.

    It's for this reason I became very irritable a couple of weeks back when I lent a colleague one of my Philips LED lamps so he could try before he buys - he was going to take it home for a couple of week but on the morning I brought it to work I set it up behind his monitor for a laugh so when he walked in the panel behind his monitor was glowing neon blue.

    The dept manager walked in and asked why there was a light there, so I explained exactly as I have above (just for a laugh,etc) and he started behaving like a petulant child, pulling faces as he walked over to his desk. I watched him the entire time and his behavior enraged me - he looked like he was about to cry so I called him out on it and his response was that it was an unauthorized device (hinting that it's a security hazard) to which my response was to tell him that "it's just a lamp, it has no network connections or internal storage" and disconnected it / threw the mains adapter on the floor, said something abrasive like "there you go" and walked out of the office in a huff.


    He doesn't seem to understand [or care] how hypocritical he and many other managers are there, or the effect it has when staff members see such behavior.

    Just like another manager who has a reputation for abrasive and bullying behavior lecturing staff on respecting each other in the workplace.

    This coming from someone who's caused two staff members to leave and attempted to weaponize my mental health and stir trouble with my line manager because I challenged her for breaking a rule she insisted everyone else follow just because it wasn't convenient for her and her staff at the time. 

    He also does things like leaving passive aggressive Post It notes on laptops because the asset tag (label with the computer name on it) isn't perfectly aligned with the display bezel, which apparently gives our clients the impression that we don't care. Yet he let staff re-cable the office, the result of which is an absolute joke. They had the idea of attaching Intel NUC (very small form factor) PCs to the bottom of the desks using high strength Velcro and forcing the various cables and mains adapters into trays that are clearly too small.

    So now the supposedly important area of the building that has to be kept free of personal devices, food and bins because of potential and existing clients being shown around now has cable trays hanging down by a single fixing, cables dangling everywhere so that users are coming into contact with it and NUC PCs with faulty Velcro that are dangling purely by their various cables.

    I asked him if he'd considered a better solution such as some form of cage or plate that'll allow it to be securely mounted to the desk rather than the s**tshow he have now and he insisted on continuing to use the Velcro.

    It's exactly this kind of selective thinking that contributes to the meltdown I had last week.

    The man clearly thinks he's superior and that rules apply only when it suits and it makes me angry and frustrated.

    This type of thing is precisely why I no longer make much effort to make friends at work and is a large contributing factor in why I'm cynical and distrusting of people.

    I've had nothing but problems at work because of people like this.

  • At yesterday's hearing I was warned not to rant, go off topic or express opinions.  Just state the facts.  So I'll do the ranting here instead.

    I was in a suitable job, supporting people with complex mental/physical disabilities.  Helping them to lead better lives.   Unfortunately I did not tick all the boxes of the essential skills needed to do the job independently.

    I understood the needs of the clients and felt genuine empathy for their problems and difficulties.  Rather than just doing the job for the money as some of my colleagues.

    I got along with half of my colleagues at work.  And managed to work with them as a team.  Unfortunately the other half were suspicious of me and my motives for working there.  I was even asked by someone if It was true that I was a spy for the management ?

    Many of them felt that I didn't belong there.

    I got off on the wrong foot with the management right from the start.  And it was downhill all the way.  Their mind was made up inside the first week that I should go.

    As the old saying goes.  " You only get one chance to make a first impression"

    I will save the anecdotes of some of the dodgy things that went on there for future posts.   I was warned by my support worker not to mention these at the hearing because it would sound like me whinging and whining.

  • Good plan.  Have some good time for yourself, doing what you like.  You need time to recuperate from this.  Something similar happened to me about 20 years ago.  I went sick until I was ready to face things again.  Put this behind you and move on.

  • If the weather is nice tomorrow, I'm of on one of my long walks through the country doing some photography and trying to forget my troubles and relax.

  • I'm so sorry to read this, Robert.  Take it from me, though - it is not a slight against you.  From what you've described, you were fighting against a culture all too familiar to me.  I'm not sure what you're feeling right now, but don't be down on yourself.  You've done the right things.  You were treated appallingly.  It sounds to me like you're better off out of there.  It certainly doesn't need to hinder you in getting something else.  But take some time and take stock.  And take care.  There are much better and more understanding employers out there, and you will find one.

  • The only word I can think of at the moment is this..

    ****

  • Just finished with my disciplinary meeting with company chief executive, two managers and two people from HR.

    On my side was a mental health employment specialist.

    I'VE BEEN FIRED.   EFFECTIVE IMMEDIATELY!!!!

    Grimacing

    • It looks to me like she is bullying you if what you tell me is true. If you were using your phone all the time I would understand why she took the action she did but for one isolated incident this seems way over the top and would indicate to me she has issues of her own. It's odd she said the rules must be followed to the letter yet openly flouts them herself. She is not fit to be in charge of people and perhaps you have a counter-claim that you are being victimised. I wouldn't think the people at the disciplinary meeting will take her claim very seriously and probably conclude it says more about her than you and I'm sure they have better things to do with their time.
  • Sorry to hear it's not getting any better for you, Robert.

    In my last care job, there was a 'three strikes and you're out' approach to smart phone use.  Anyone caught using a phone had to prove that it was work-related, or declare that it was work-related before using it.  Social media was monitored to see who might be using it.  People got sacked for continually using their phones. 

    In my current job, I'm the odd-one-out in that I'm the only one who doesn't use my phone at work - unless I'm ringing a colleague for help, or am trying to find something to help me in an activity (a map to get to a place, a diagram of how to make an Origami model, a piece of music, etc.)  The other staff have their phones in hand (or immediately to hand) all day.  One of them spends hours on social media.  Another one spends hours on dating sites.  In doing this, they're effectively stealing time from their clients, with whom they're meant to be interacting.  I hate it.  Your one-off use of it sounds genuine enough.  The hypocrisy of your co-workers is reprehensible.  Sounds almost to me like they're deliberately targeting you.  I have the same at work.  I complained to management about the smart phone issue.  Next thing I noticed was that people seemed to be using them even more around me!  And the managers are the worst culprits.

    Are you allowed to take someone with you to the disciplinary?  It's shocking that you're being 'disciplined' over things like this.

    Bullying at work can take many forms, and can be quite subtle.  Just ignoring you, for instance.  We have people like that where I work. 

  • You can't record such a meeting unless both parties agree.

  • Wat?

    They can't fire you for that.

    I also hate hypocrisy... and bullying.

  • My final probation/disciplinary meeting is this Wednesday.  I'm still undecided how to approach the whole event.  

    The panel of people I will be facing are: the chief executive of the company, two senior HR people and the two top managers of the centre I'm working at.  Co workers who saw this list were surprised and shocked!

    In fact I'm not sure if I want to stay in this job.  Some of the complaints about me are petty and trivial. And many existing experienced staff are worse than me.

    Some of the working practices I've seen here recently are both shocking and almost funny.  A recent example being creams being mixed up. An anti fungal cream meant for a female clients groin being applied to her face.  And anti eczema cream intended for her face being applied to her groin.  I pointed out the error by referring to her customer care plan.  I don't know if I should report the error to the management. If I do.  I suspect the staff will send me to Coventry.

  • If you can't take someone with you could you take a recording device such as a dictaphone? Explain that due to disability reasons you struggle with taking written notes and listening at the same time, if you do.

    Also, at the end of the meeting write up notes and email them to HR stating that that is your recollection can they please add any comments if they disagree. This helps to produce a paper trail and keep your HR accountable.

    I have taken a previous employer to an employment tribunal and that's two strategies I used.

    You could talk to the ACAS helpline about the law and strategies for dealing with troublesome employers. I found them to be incredibly helpful.