#Employment : is this bullying/harrassment whilst off on sick leave? and where do i go from here?

[workinglate]

Hi,

I had a accident in my car, went to see a doctor for a check up as i was suffering from whiplash, and was told to self certificate for the first week, and go back to see my doctor after that. i went back to see the doctor and was given a doctors note for the following week (so was off for 2 weeks in total).

my problem is that on the first week whilst i was self certificating i was told i had to call up work every day, and on the 5th day when i called up i was put through to the operations manager as my line manager had gone on maternity leave. upon speaking to my OM i was asked whether i would be in, and then told by my OM that he was "having trouble believing the genuinity of my sickness" and also that he thought that i was "taking the ****" to quote his words! i explained the situation to him, and told him that i was going to see the doctor again on monday, and was told by him that if i was going back to the doctor and was signed off then he wanted a sick note to cover the period for which i was self certificating aswell!

My doctor has informed me that it is not a legal requirement for a sick note whilst i'm self certificating, and told me to tell my manager that he would provide a sick note for the first week only if my place of work was going to pay for it (costing them somewhere around £40), to which i was told not to worry about the sick note for the first week!!!

my problem is that i have worked for the company for nearly 4 years, and i was deeply upset, and annoyed by the way that the situation was dealt with by my OM. i feel that on top of dealing with having crashed my car, my ill health, and my grandads ill health (as he was also in the car with me) the conversation with my OM just stressed me out, and am not sure how to take it up, or who to take it up with.

I am now back at work, and haven't yet seen my OM however i am dreading it, and am not sure what to do

 

any advice would be appreciated

 

Many thanks for your time

[terriersaregreat]

Who's your OM's superior? Is there a personnel department?

[workinglate]

my OM is the general manager as well, however the chief executive is above my OM. also i have spoken to my HR department, and they have advised me to talk with my OM informally in the first instance, however i do not feel that this will get me anywhere, and am thinking of contacting the chief executive directly.

[terriersaregreat]

I can see it would be difficult dealing with a person who evidently has never suffered whiplash. However perhaps you should stand up to this bully and ask for an explanation. Sometimes people are not so aggressive face to face. But you know the person, it seems you may have experienced other probs as you do not trust this person.

[workinglate]

right on the money unfortunately, i know that my OM can be quite a bully! i was thinking that if i was off sick then surely that would not have been the time to start questioning whether or not i am genuine as this could lead to, and did stress me out more, and also as a manager even if they did think that i am "taking the ****" (which i have never done!) surely he should not be saying this to me? also if i speak to them face to face i know that my OM will throw their weight around, and so i think i would be more comfortable taking in my HR rep in the hope that this would not happen if someone else is present as a witness, however i don't want this to ruin my chances of progressing within the company

[honeybee13]

Hello there. It's difficult dealing with a bully, I know.

 

I suppose it's worth bearing in mind that some people do throw sickies and of course you have an injury that may not show. [Try having a mental problem that can't be scanned or x-rayed.]. Some employers are very cynical about back problems in general, because they were a major cause of sick leave before stress took over.

 

You might mention that if you were ill enough to be signed off by your doctor after a week, then clearly you were not well enough to work the week before. It's good you can have someone with you.

 

Good luck, let us know how you get on.

 

My best, HB

[terriersaregreat]

This is a difficult one for you. However you are quite right that no one has the right to speak to you like that and evidently this person is mis-using his power.

 

It's always wise to have a witness.

 

Does he behave like this with others?

 

It's always a problem to complain or not to complain.

 

Have you had other issues which you should have raised but have allowed to go without taking any action?

[honeybee13]

If bullying is a big issue in your work life, have a read of a website about it that may give you some pointers. It's bullyonline.org and I found it very interesting.

 

My best, HB

[workinglate]

terrier, the OM does seem to be on a bit of a power trip, and has tried to bully other, and generally uses the position they are in to get away with throwing their weight around (unfortunately no one seems to want to stand up to them and i feel this is unfair, as it makes me think what have they got away with!!!). i have had problems with the OM before, and haven't ever really dealt with them, however this really got me upset, and at the time i had (and still do have) alot on my plate, and could do with out the stress from my OM. The thought behind the witness is that it is not just me word against my OM and their would be someone else to back me up on what is said, as at the moment it would just be me against my OM and i'm sure that my OM would deny that they said anything of the sort, even though he and i know what was said.

HB, thanks will look over the website and i agree, surely my doc would not have given me a doctors note if he thought i was pulling a fast one!however getting my OM to see this is more difficult as they don't seem to believe anyone once they have made up their mind, and is of the mind set that they are always right!

whether or not to complain is the question, i feel that i need to make a stance, however i don't really want to ruin my chances of progressing, however i also feel that the OM needs to know that just because i'm not a senior member of staff doesn't mean that i can be treated this way, or walked over

[honeybee13]

Hello again. I would think carefully before complaining or raising a grievance. We've said many times at the forum that it can be the beginning of the end and that management tend to stick together.

 

I know how you feel about fairness, or lack of it, but sometimes keeping quiet is better and hoping that what goes around comes around.

 

My best, HB