Any HR gurus out there ?

[Wij]

My Mrs has just had a day put down as Unauthorised Absence by her manager who also told her that she might take disciplinary action against her.

Her train was cancelled in the morning because of the weather and she was told that trains wouldn't run again until mid-day. However, they actually started running again at 9:30. Her boss texted her and asked when she was getting in now that the trains were running again. She rang her boss back and explained that she no longer had a lift to the station or a car and local taxis don't run on a 'straight-round-now' basis. Therefore she asked if it was possible to swap her days so that she would come in tomorrow when she was supposed to be on holiday rather than today. Her boss said "it's up to you". She whinged a bit as well to be fair but she definately did not say it was an unacceptable proposal and agreed to put her out of office on for her.

Now my Mrs comes in today on what should have been her holiday and is told that she has "defied authority" (wtf?) and stayed off when she was told to come in.

As far as I can see the conversation they had (which was the last communication between them that day) gave very her reasonable grounds to think her proposal had been accepted. Her boss can't decide the arrangement isn't acceptable without telling her that it is unacceptable.

She's spoken to HR but they don't want to get involved unless disciplinary action is taken, which seems to imply she has no right of appeal over the fact that the day off has been marked as Unauthorised Absence rather than Holiday which is what the Mrs thought it was going to be.

Anyone had a similar experience or worked in HR / Management who has advice ?

(I'm considering asking the Mrs to ring her Bullying in the Workplace line as this is not atypical of the management style in her area.)

 

[Roo Stercogburn]

Her boss is bullying. Take it to HR and make them be involved. Her boss cannot take days off her without any official reason.

HR should already be involved.

Oh and taking days off someone's holidays will count as disciplinary action I should think, even if not written down as such.

 

[Wij]

Her boss is bullying. Take it to HR and make them be involved. Her boss cannot take days off her without any official reason.

HR should already be involved.

Oh and taking days off someone's holidays will count as disciplinary action I should think, even if not written down as such.

Well the official reason is that she didn't come in when she was told to come in. Of course, the "told to come in" bit was bullshit. They say she received a text telling her to come in (which it didn't really, it asked when she was coming in) but as far as I can see the conversation between them right after receipt of the text makes the text irrelevant. (Is texting even a valid management communication method ?)

 

[Ch3tan]

Her manager is being an arse, tell her to file a complaint, then HR will have to get involved.

 

[Roo Stercogburn]

Most companies will not accept text messages as official contact.

This boss needs a rocket where it will cause the most sphyncter damage.

 

[Sparx]

i worked in HR prior to IT. Id definately suggest making HR get involved. If your lady feels like she has been victimised its best for her to get official rather than allow her boss to go down a path that she cant defend herself. To let it go is basically showing she accepts the outcome early on

 

[Wij]

i worked in HR prior to IT. Id definately suggest making HR get involved. If your lady feels like she has been victimised its best for her to get official rather than allow her boss to go down a path that she cant defend herself. To let it go is basically showing she accepts the outcome early on

So she should ask for the day to be put back as holiday and, if they won't, raise an official complaint with HR ?

 

[Roo Stercogburn]

She should raise a complaint anyway. This instance is just an arena for bullying, go for the root cause - her boss's behaviour.

 

[Ch3tan]

Actually, does she really want to kick up a stink here? She may be better just talking quietly about it to her boss. IF that doesn't resolve the situation then she can take the official route.

 

[Sparx]

Leave it as it is and go straight to HR imo. Means there is evidence to show he changed the holiday

 

[Wij]

She's speaking to her boss at the minute. I'll see what happens...

For additional info:

Her boss has frequently given her bollockings in front of her colleagues for stuff. Even when she (the boss) wasn't in full possession of the facts and it turned out the Mrs had done nothing wrong.

The department is chronically understaffed. The other week the Mrs was off ill for a week (with a Drs note) and off looking after our ill son for a few days. When she came back virtually none of her work had been done. Even the stuff she specifically told her boss needed doing urgently. She is now unrecoverably behind with her work, (her boss told her she was a month behind everyone else in front of the whole office) and none of her work is being re-distributed as that would be unfair on other people. She's been told that other people manage when they have holidays (it wasn't a holiday) so she shouldn't expect special treatment.

She's fully expecting a bad review and no pay-rise as a result of the above.

I got her to join the union the other day. Hopefully they can help.

She'd have left but then she'd lose her maternity rights and we are thinking about having little Wij no 2 next year.

 

[Roo Stercogburn]

Yeh, sounds like a classic case.

She has three choices:

1) Do nothing.
2) Do something.
3) Do something later.

Doing nothing means it will always stay bad.
Doing something means her work situation will likely become worse in the short term but better in the long term.
Doing something later isn't just procrastinating, it might be choosing a time to act.

Personally, I think this looks like a 'Do something now' situation but I'm coldly looking at the information on a forum thread rather than being inside the situation so its easier for me.

Make sure Mrs. Wij is documenting *every* such encounter with her boss.

 

[Chilly]

hiring women is a nightmare....

 

[Gumbo]

It's called a grievance, not a complaint, and by law it has to be answered. You said she joined the union recently? Well this is why you pay your subs, talk to them straight away.

I'm an employer, not an employee by the way, I am painfully aware that the employees hold all the cards these days.

 

[rynnor]

Hmm - get her preggers again then screw em for long maternity then tell em to go f*ck themselves at the end of maternity leave

 

[Yoni]

If she has come in the day after then her boss as no right to complain. Take it to HR, but make sure emotions are kept out of it.

 

[Scouse]

So she should ask for the day to be put back as holiday and, if they won't, raise an official complaint with HR ?

This. With no whinging.