Overwhelmed and need to vent

[fasteasyfree]

This week I received a verbal warning due to under-performance and I need some advice, so here's some background:

 

I work in a school as the sole IT guy, and have done for the last five years. Over those five years my workload has steadily increased, and I've gone from supporting approximately 200 workstations to 300. The requirement for IT in classrooms has also increased. At no point was there a review (at least, I wasn't consulted) as to whether this increase could be effectively supported.

 

To put this into perspective, BECTA (quango that's shut down now, cut funding) issued guidance on the number of ICT technicians needed for IT support. Basically, if you had a modern setup with everything working smoothly it's a 150:1 ratio of computers to technicians.

 

But I don't just take care of the computers - there's software, licensing, PAT testing, inventory, printers, multimedia devices, user support, procurement, network troubleshooting, etc. etc. etc. I even have to check over the CCTV! My line manager has no idea what my job involves, so explaining anything is usually met with a blank expression.

 

It's not been a good year at home, either. Earlier this year, my fiancee gave birth at 24 weeks to our son who was too premature to survive. Seeing your child slowly lose the fight for life when there's nothing you can do but watch and tear your hair out isn't something I'd wish on my worst enemy. Months of comforting your partner, trying to be the 'strong one' is emotionally draining to say the least. Ever since I've had an endless dull ache behind my eyes, and constantly tired.

 

So you can see why being called in front of your line manager and two bosses without any notice and being told in no uncertain terms that you're being given a verbal warning for under-performance, has left me without any idea where to turn. I feel stuck between tears and rage.

 

So the nights since the warning I've been unable to sleep, my mind constantly churning over events. It's like I've got a weight on my chest that I can't shift.

 

Anyway, end of my vent. I don't know if anyone can offer advice, but I needed to get this out somehow.

 

Thanks for reading.

[dj1971]

Fasteasyfree,

 

You have done the right thing posting on here for help. There are some really great people on here who will be only too happy to help where they can.

 

My first question would be when was it that your partner gave birth and was your manager/employers aware of it?

 

DJ

[Sidewinder]

Sorry to hear of your troubles. Sadly I am not au fait with how things work in schools - particularly on the non-teaching side, but there are certainly some generalised points which need addressing with regards to your treatment.

 

First and foremost, do you have a Union, and are you a member? It certainly seems as though you are being performance measured without any guidance as to the benchmark standards that are expected of you. Is there anything in your contract or terms of employment which will demonstrate the changing nature of the job, and thus that the workload is now far greater than should be reasonably expected of you?

 

Perhaps the most obvious thing which sticks out from your post is that you appear to have been subjected to a disciplinary hearing with no written notice and no right to be accompanied. These are cornerstones of good practice and I am sure that you would find reference to this either in your contract or in the T&Cs for whichever authority you work. Whilst these are not a requirement for an investigatory hearing, you should be entitled to know before any hearing at which disciplinary sanctions could result precisely what you are being accused of, and should be given the right to have a colleague or accredited Union Rep present as a witness. In failing to adopt these principles, you have more than adequate grounds to appeal that the disciplinary action was unfair, procedurally incorrect, and that the lack of notice gave you no opportunity to defend yourself.

 

Consequently, you need to consult the Union (if applicable), but certainly check your T&Cs, or ask for a copy if you do not have them - specifically the disciplinary and grievance procedures - and lodge an immediate appeal. An appeal should be heard by somebody more senior (or at least different) to the person who made the original decision. Simultaneously, you need to also enter a grievance over the increase in workload and the fact that you have no performance measures on which to gauge your performance, and that the drastic increase in workload is putting you under undue pressure - especially since any perceived shortcomings caused by the workload are being used to take disciplinary action.

 

See where that leads for starters, but whatever happens, put the health and wellbeing of yourself and your partner first. Take proper medical advice if you need to. Your emotional turmoil is quite understandable, and if not tackled properly could lead to long term issues with depression. I am sure that the problems at work can be dealt with.

[Pusillanimous]

If the situation has arisen (apart from the steadily increased workload) as a direct result of the stressful and tragic situation at home, then perhaps you need to get signed off sick, rather than go into work under par and attract the unwelcome attention of your bosses. At least a careful log of medical records at your GP will cover you whilst you are going through this distressing time. This might be a good opportunity to request the recruitment of an assistant to help you.

[altobelli]

fasteasyfree, can I confirm, did you receive a formal verbal warning following a disciplinary process?

[honeybee13]

Hello and welcome to CAG. I'm really sorry to hear about your problems, but it's good that you've come to talk to us.

 

For what it's worth, I would also be annoyed about being treated the way you have. I agree with the advice above, and you might also find the ACAS website helpful. It has information on lots of employment matters, including disciplinary procedures. There's also a helpline if you would find speaking to someone helpful.

 

My best, HB

[Emmzzi]

first thing is, a verbal warning would follow a discussion at a meeting, which as the guys above state, you should have notice of, and be advised you can bring a colleague or union rep. The meeting is to decide if a warning is appropriate, not to issue it. sounds like none of that happened, so I would get disputing it.

 

re: workload. This is a bit of a PITA to start with but it's worth making a list of a) average time to fix stuff and b) typical stuff for a few weeks. Advise your boss you are doing this. Use wide categories or you will go nuts.

 

eg "routine maintenenace CCTV"

"Reinstall operating system"

 

Then you ask boss to prioritise the work, because there is not enough time to do everything. But if boss in non techy,they need your help and some data to come to the realisation that you need an assistant. Give the data to them on a platter.

[fasteasyfree]

Thanks for the replies everyone, it's a relief to be able to talk to people who can give me sound advice.

 

I should have been more clear earlier. My union rep here did accompany me to the meeting as witness, he was the one that came to get me. As soon as I sat down I was told this was a verbal warning, and and the reasons laid out why. I was allowed input at the end, and but I wasn't in any frame of mind to get a constructive thought out. I wasn't really given much opportunity to respond at any rate, being talked at by three people about my shortcomings.

 

Also, they were all aware of our personal circumstances as I took three weeks off to be with my fiancee. I could have stayed off longer but I felt under pressure to return - nobody said anything, but I knew I'd struggle to catch up.

 

During the meeting a new plan of action was developed where some jobs are given to my line manager and she produces a daily list. But only some jobs, because nobody could clarify what goes to the LM or what comes straight to me. We'll have to see how that pans out. This is all due to be re-investigated in six weeks.

 

Again, thank you everyone. I feel like there's some light at the end of the tunnel now.

[honeybee13]

Hello again.

 

I don't know what the others think, but I'm wondering if you should get something in writing about all this and your side of things. Were you given notes of the 'ambush' meeting?

 

HB

[Emmzzi]

You rep just sat there whikle they OPENED the meeting saying you were getting a warning? Not "this is a possible outcome" but "You are getting a warning?"

 

You need a new rep.

[Sidewinder]

Absolutely agree with Emmzi - there has been a serious breach of procedure here and the Union Rep should have spotted that and intervened on your behalf before the word 'warning' was even uttered and had the meeting adjourned in order for you to seek advice. You simply can't be given a warning BEFORE being given the opportunity to defend an allegation - that is prejudicial to the disciplinary process.

 

Seek Union advice first thing tomorrow and get an appeal in. It won't stop them repeating the hearing correctly but you will at least have the chance to have your say before any sanction is issued, and if you can clearly demonstrate that their expectations of you are unachievable due to the workload being too much for one person, and you having no stated measurements of performance on which to base their opinion that you are 'failing', then it would be difficult for them to make any warning 'fair'.

[altobelli]

Totally agree with Emmzzi and Sidewinder. Before going to appeal, I would advise the employer that the warning is invalid as proper procedure hasn't been followed, indeed no procedure has been followed. You should be allowed to give your side of things as part of the disciplinary process prior to a decision being taken. If this happens now and you don't agree with the decision, you should have the right to appeal it at that point.

 

Also, as Emmzzi says, prepare data to give to them with regards to the increased workload. You're fortunate in that you have some objective guidelines of how many workstations you ought to be looking after and how many you are in fact responsible for at the moment. If the IT function was outsourced they would almost certainly only agree as part of the SLA to service the number of workstations recommended by organisations such as BECTA in their guidelines, you as an in-house person are being asked to maintain potentially double that number. You're personal circumstances should also be taken into account. Mention that you returned to work earlier than you would have liked - I realise you weren't put under pressure to do so, but you did this out of a sense of responsibility.

 

So I think dialogue is going to be the best way to resolve this, put the case to them that it just isn't possible to do waht they're asking, backing this up with data where necessary. You might need to go over your immediate manager's head on this if necessary.

[fasteasyfree]

Thank you. I'm going to get on to my union and mention what I've been told here. That way when I approach my managers I can say "following the advice of my union...." to show I'm not being obstinate, but neither will I roll over.

[fasteasyfree]

Hello again.

 

I don't know what the others think, but I'm wondering if you should get something in writing about all this and your side of things. Were you given notes of the 'ambush' meeting?

 

HB

 

Nope, nothing. I just went away with what was said, basically "get your act together".

[Emmzzi]

so was that a formal warning then? Does not sound like it at all!

[fasteasyfree]

I have no idea. But it was repeated multiple times that I was being given a verbal warning, with three managers there and a union rep. I can't see how to take it any other way.

[Emmzzi]

No procedure. Nothing in writing. How would they prove it happoened if they needed to? = as good as no warning. You need proper evidence at ETs.

[altobelli]

I agree with Emmzzi, this sounds more like a 'telling off' than a formal warning, it sounds as if they maybe aren't aware of the proper procedure for these things. But they'd have a hard job proving that you'd been given a formal warning and that you were aware of that fact.

[fasteasyfree]

If this is just a telling off, how would that affect matters with regard to asking the union's advice? Would you still recommend I do that?

[Emmzzi]

yes. They need to know their rep needs retrained and you need better support.

[fasteasyfree]

Haha ok thank you

[altobelli]

Definitely, I would still recommend talking to the union. It is important to establish whether the employer regards you as having had a formal warning or not. If they do, you or the rep needs to point out that the warning is not valid as due process was not followed.

 

In terms of resolving the situation longer-term, I would speak to your manager, perhaps even the manager above them, with the union rep perhaps, and explain the workload issues, presenting the data you have and the average industry standards for the number of workstations which ought to be covered per person. The disciplinary route is not really one which in my view is appropriate here, it is likley just to cause you stress or trying to cover too many workstations, leading to a reduced quality of service. It is also worth pointing out your personal circumstances and the need to support your fiancee. You want to do the job to the best of your ability, it is important that your employer understands what it is reasonable to ask of you.

[fasteasyfree]

That makes sense. I'll compile the relevant documentation to show how much work I have, and how much I should have according to industry recommendations.

[altobelli]

Good plan.

 

All I would add is don't go into any meetings with all guns blazing. By all means fight your corner, and the 'warning' you received has certainly been botched, but go into any meetings with a diplomatic mindset. As the only IT person in your workplace, it is quite possibly the case that management simply don't understand what your job involves and you may be able to get them onside if you make a convincing case to them about your current workload and the associated pressures.

[tinka]

Sorry to hear about you have been having such a harsh time...the place to start your complaint is really with the Chair of Governors...although you are not teaching staff, you will still come under the policies set by the govening body.

 

There will be a set staff discipline committee who have to approve and actually issue this outcome, so it sounds more like you have had a warning, but more informal than placed on record. You can appeal to the discipline committee to hear your case, as well as the complaints committee as to how it was handledin the first place

 

Best of luck

 

Tinks