Possibile Bullying?

[chinchilla]

Hi, at the end of my tether here and I'm not sure what to do.

 

My office manager seems to have been against me for a few months, picking at everything I do, putting me down workwise and even cristicising me for being ill! Her best friend at work is the receptionist, and she is doing exactly the same!

 

Last straw has come today, with her sending me a rather snotty email about an invoice not being posted to accounts. It wasn't actually me who had dealt with the invoice, yet was told by her that as I was one of the secretaries for the person who asked for the invoice I had to "just deal with it" even though the other secretary was actually in and could have sorted it in seconds!

 

It does seem to me to be a (albeit mild) form of bullying. I have applied for another job and am keeping my fingers crossed. I would like some advice though on how to deal with this situation. Any help would be appreciated. Thank you.

[MrShed]

Two questions I would mainly ask here....what size of organisation is it, and what is the hierarchy in the office like(i.e. who is above the office manager etc)?

[chinchilla]

Two questions I would mainly ask here....what size of organisation is it, and what is the hierarchy in the office like(i.e. who is above the office manager etc)?

 

 

Thanks for replying. It is an office of 10, but there are a couple of other offices (one of them being head office). Hierarchy is office manager and then managing partner whom she works for so I'm a bit stuck!

[MrShed]

If I'm honest, it is (in my opinion at least) just one of those situations where you get a s**t manager. My experience as well is that when you are in small offices such as that, any action taken will only usually make things ten times worse(I know from personal experience - I made an official complaint at bullying at a previous job, and any kind of progress was effectively frozen for me from that point).

 

The only possible avenue to follow(and I use the word possible loosely) is a claim for constructive dismissal. It doesnt sound as if there are grounds from what you have said for this, but ultimately only you know how bad it has been.

[chinchilla]

That's what I thought to be honest, I know she's a useless manager!!

 

Best thing is probably what I'm already doing, applying for other jobs and getting out of here. Thanks for your help

[389shell]

In the meantime, keep a diary of EVERYTHING that you feel is bullying behaviour. Once you leave the 'pit of hell', you can always ask a solicitor on no win no fee if you have a case. Are you in a union?

 

Good luck with the job hunting.

[elche]

how long have you worked there?

 

If over a year consider submitting a grievance - but obvioulsy this can cause the situation to deteriorate. You MUST begin to keep a diary of events these make great evidence at ET's

 

It is unlikely you would be succesful in a CD on the above facts.

[chinchilla]

389shell - I'm not in a union, don't think there is such a thing for legal secretaries is there?

 

Elche - have been here over a year, I will keep a diary of the situation and will see what happens. She's not even speaking to me today so it's a bit of a relief!

[col123]

Put that in the diary hun,I was bullied at work too,keep a log of everything,keep your chin up,I ended up leaving after the grevience proceedure and the rest,They settled out of court (tribunal),dont let them get you down, look for something where you will be better appreciated. Go above thier heads and complain formally in writing,also ring ACAS who will help,kind regards col

[chinchilla]

Put that in the diary hun,I was bullied at work too,keep a log of everything,keep your chin up,I ended up leaving after the grevience proceedure and the rest,They settled out of court (tribunal),dont let them get you down, look for something where you will be better appreciated. Go above thier heads and complain formally in writing,also ring ACAS who will help,kind regards col

 

 

Thanks for the advice, it really is appreciated

[Fuzzgin]

Good luck. I was bullied too and ths sounds like it. I's not the big things it's the drip drip drip effect of undermining your confidence that does the damage. I'd also agree with keeping a diary, just ensure it's somewhere where they can't get at it.

[chinchilla]

Bumping this thread up again as the situation has got worse...

 

Got a nasty memo from the office manager last week when I was away regarding my using postal instead of DX addresses for two letters, which was CC'd to the managing partner. I have now been summonsed to a meeting with them both on Thursday. I'm completely at the end of my tether now and really just want to quit!

 

Did have an interview for another job but unfortunately I came second

 

Any advice would be really appreciated. I'm pretty desperate now!

[Jimbo44]

Sorry to hear about your "second place"; having been there myself more than once I do know the feeling.

 

A coupe of points about your meeting on Thursday:

 

1). Have you been given any indication at all, either verbally or in writing, what it's about?

 

2). If there's anything even remotely "disciplinary" about it you are entitled to have a "friend" attend with you to witness what is said and, hopefully, take notes. If you were in a union this could well be a union rep., but as you say you're not then you're still entitled to have someone with you.

 

Remember too, there's no such thing as "an informal chat" with any manager/superior......ever!!

 

On the matter of union membership it might be worth remembering you can join one even if you are the only member in your workplace. Have a chat with, say, Unite (used to be Amicus and the T&GWU and they'll be in the 'phone book under one of those names) at a regional or district office and see what they have to say.

[chinchilla]

Sorry to hear about your "second place"; having been there myself more than once I do know the feeling.

 

A coupe of points about your meeting on Thursday:

 

1). Have you been given any indication at all, either verbally or in writing, what it's about?

 

2). If there's anything even remotely "disciplinary" about it you are entitled to have a "friend" attend with you to witness what is said and, hopefully, take notes. If you were in a union this could well be a union rep., but as you say you're not then you're still entitled to have someone with you.

 

Remember too, there's no such thing as "an informal chat" with any manager/superior......ever!!

 

On the matter of union membership it might be worth remembering you can join one even if you are the only member in your workplace. Have a chat with, say, Unite (used to be Amicus and the T&GWU and they'll be in the 'phone book under one of those names) at a regional or district office and see what they have to say.

 

The only indication I have about what it is for is that apparently I have been making mistakes (i.e. the post situation) and my attitude towards her - I have just been quiet around her as anything I seem to do is wrong!!

[lulu64uk]

Why not phone the ACAS advise line - its confidential

 

http://www.acas.org.uk

[col123]

keep the diary going and ring ACAS,they are really friendly and helpful,the behavior of these people is unacceptable, dig your heels in keep your head down and if poss go above them and put in a formal complaint you have to follow the grieviance proceedure,ACAS will help put your mind at rest and tell you what you can do,keep your chin up hun your the better person here x x x

[becka]

Was it a mistake to send via post rather than DX? I work in a law firm and if our fee earners want something sent by DX they provide the DX address for the letter on the dictation and if they want it sent by post they provide the address/advise to get the address off file?

[bazak1]

Hi,

sorry for jumping in, but thought this rather large post may be of help.

 

Bullying may be characterised as:

 

offensive, intimidating, malicious or insulting behaviour, an abuse or misuse of power through means intended to undermine, humiliate, denigrate or injure the recipient.

 

Bullying or harassment may be by an individual against an individual (perhaps by someone in a position of authority such as a manager or supervisor) or involve groups of people. It may be obvious or it may be insidious. Whatever form it takes, it is unwarranted and unwelcome to the individual.

 

Examples of bullying/harassing behaviour include:

• spreading malicious rumours, or insulting someone by word or behaviour (particularly on the grounds of age, race, sex, disability, sexual orientation and religion or belief)
  
• copying memos that are critical about someone to others who do not need to know
  
• ridiculing or demeaning someone - picking on them or setting them up to fail
  
• exclusion or victimisation
  
• * unfair treatment
  
• overbearing supervision or other misuse of power or position
  
• unwelcome sexual advances - touching, standing too close, the display of offensive materials
  
• making threats or comments about job security without foundation
  
• deliberately undermining a competent worker by overloading and constant criticism
  
• preventing individuals progressing by intentionally blocking promotion or training opportunities.
  

Bullying and harassment are not necessarily face to face. They may also occur in written communications, email, phone, and automatic supervision methods such as computer recording of downtime from work or the number of calls handled if these are not applied to all workers.

 

Bullying and harassment make someone feel anxious and humiliated. Feelings of anger and frustration at being unable to cope may be triggered. Some people may try to retaliate in some way. Others may become frightened and demotivated. Stress, loss of self-confidence and self-esteem caused by harassment or bullying can lead to job insecurity, illness, absence from work, and even resignation. Almost always job performance is affected and relations in the workplace suffer.

 

The legal position

 

Employers are responsible for preventing bullying and harassing behaviour. It is in their interests to make it clear to everyone that such behaviour will not be tolerated - the costs to the business may include poor employee relations, low morale, inefficiency and potentially the loss of staff. An organisational statement to ALL staff about the standards of behaviour expected can make it easier for all individuals to be fully aware of their responsibilities to others.

 

Discrimination and harassment

 

It is not possible to make a direct complaint to an employment tribunal about bullying. However, employees might be able to bring complaints under laws covering discrimination and harassment. For example:

• sex: the Sex Discrimination Act gives protection against discrimination and victimisation on the grounds of sex, marriage or because someone intends to undergo, is undergoing or has undergone gender reassignment
  

• race: the Race Relations Act 1976 gives protection against discrimination and victimisation on the grounds of colour or nationality. The regulations that amended the Act (Race Regulations 2003) also give a stand alone right to protection from harassment on the grounds of race and ethnic or national origin
  

• disability: the Disability Discrimination Act 1995 gives protection against discrimination and victimisation
  

• sexual orientation: the Employment Equality (Sexual Orientation) Regulations 2003 give protection against discrimination and harassment on the grounds of sexual orientation (orientation is defined as 'same sex' - ?/gay - 'opposite sex' - heterosexual - and 'both sexes' - bisexual)
  

• religion or belief: the Employment Equality (Religion or Belief) Regulations 2003 give protection against discrimination and harassment on the grounds of religion or belief
  
• age:the Employment Equality (Age) Regulations 2006 give protection against discrimination and harassment on the grounds of age.
  

Harassment

The current definition of harassment - as applied to age, sexual orientation, religion or belief and race and ethnic and national origin is: "unwanted conduct that violates people's dignity or creates an intimidating, hostile, degrading, humiliating or offensive environment."

 

 

Unfair dismissal

 

Employers have a 'duty of care' for all their employees. If the mutual trust and confidence between employer and employee is broken - for example, through bullying and harassment at work - then an employee can resign and claim 'constructive dismissal' on the grounds of breach of contract. Employers are usually responsible in law for the acts of their workers.

 

 

Good luck!

[bathgatebuyer]

The only indication I have about what it is for is that apparently I have been making mistakes (i.e. the post situation) and my attitude towards her - I have just been quiet around her as anything I seem to do is wrong!!

 

That doesn't sound a huge deal wrong to me if it's about a post and DX mix-up. Having said that, in my first job after Uni, I was hauled aside and given a written warning for taking a caller's telephone number wrongly (I got the last 2 digits around the wrong way ). I think it was their way of trying to force me to buck my ideas up. It didn't work, and I just hated it all the more.

 

If they are going to discipline you, however, they should be telling you in advance so that you have the opportunity to take someone else along - at least that's my understanding of things (but I'm NOT and expert). Maybe it is just an informal chat to find out if anything is wrong. If it's more than that, I'd be asking why you weren't allowed to take someone else in to listen in and ensure everything was done fairly.

 

Maybe someone with more knowledge of employment law can confirm this though.

[tiglet]

If it's a disciplinary matter they MUST tell you in advance. If it is an informal chat, still be on your guard.

 

If they say it is a disciplinary meeting (ask them if it is) tell them you are stopping the meeting as they haven't supplied you with an initial letter or given you the opportunity to be accompanied.

[bazak1]

Very true. You have a legal right to be informed BEFOREHAND if its a formal disciplinary meeting, to give you the right to get all your side of events ( any paperwork etc ) together, and to inform your union steward /workmate etc so they can accompany you.

The following is from the ACAS site....

Do I have the right to be accompanied at a disciplinary meeting?

 

Workers have a statutory right to be accompanied by a fellow worker or trade union official where they are required or invited by their employer to attend certain disciplinary or grievance hearings.

They must make a reasonable request to their employer to be accompanied.

 

What information should I be given about disciplinary and grievance procedures?

Most employees are entitled by law to a written statement setting out the main particulars of their employment within two months of starting their employment. As well as information on pay, hours, holiday entitlement and pensions the statement must cover a note giving details of your employer's disciplinary and grievance procedures. The note must:

• cover any disciplinary rules which apply to you
  
• specify the person to whom you can apply and the manner in which you should make your application if you're dissatisfied with any disciplinary decision relating to you or for the purpose of seeking redress of any grievance relating to your employment
  
• cover any further steps which follow from making any such application
  

I hope this helps.

[chinchilla]

Thank you everyone for their responses, I've been ill with cold/flu so haven't been able to reply and haven't been able to go the meeting! Been off work two days and my mum (bless her!) has phoned in for me as i've not been able to talk. Spoke to the office manager today who said "well we've all had this cold, but we've all be able to soldier through apart from chinchilla". Nice dig!! Haven't been able to get out of bed until this afternoon but nevermind!