Disciplinary hearings at work
Has anybody any experience of these. I work in a very small unit and we have an on going disciplinary case involving a colleague. As there are so few of us and we are not allowed to discuss it we are reduced to talking about the weather and TV.
I have heard that you can have someone with you when you are called in give a statement but I thought that was only if you were "the accused". Can you be made to give evidence if you have left the job after the supposed incident and you are just a witness?
The whole atmosphere is very oppressive so I would like to know how long these things take to be resolved. Any information would be welcome.
I have heard that you can have someone with you when you are called in give a statement but I thought that was only if you were "the accused". Can you be made to give evidence if you have left the job after the supposed incident and you are just a witness?
The whole atmosphere is very oppressive so I would like to know how long these things take to be resolved. Any information would be welcome.
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If you didn't see or hear anything - that's exactly what you tell them.
The longer they drag it out - the worse it is. The person in question will be able to take a colleague into the disciplinary with them for support.
As for not talking about it? Why not? We would always get together in the pub at lunchtime/after work and have a good natter about ours.
I've been sacked about 4 or 5 times.. had to quit 2.
Employers are supposed to follow the ACAS guidelines
and you can scroll down this page and find out more about various employment issues: http://www.direct.gov.uk/en/Employment/index.htm
Very likely that one identified, you will get fired too. Take out super, dooper injunction now. x
Any industrial tribunal can sometimes take from 3 to 18 months, but as long as it's 'active' then it can run for years.
If you wish to have someone with you, then either parties are entitled to do so.
One Tuesday morning, I was in the middle of my lesson, when I got a phone-call from my boss, demanding to know where I was - basically at some point over the weekend he decided he needed me to work the Tuesday, but hadn't informed me or put up an amended rota. Even though as far as I was concerned I had no obligation to do so, I still went in that afternoon as a favour, and explained the situation to him, and he basically said "oh, I'm going to have to give you a warning" much to my protests.
You'd think he'd have learned to be more careful, but low and behold, that weekend, I walked into work at 11am, like I always did, when he demanded to know why I was late - I was supposed to have been in at 9. Once again I protested that this was the first I'd heard of it, but he proudly showed me the rota that was supposedly up all week, despite a colleague insisting that he was wrong, and the assistant manager standing up for me, and pointing out that he had decided he needed me, until much later in the week.
The disciplinary itself was farcical - he even admitted that it probably wasn't my fault (not that he would dream to admit it was his) but insisted he still had to press on with it. It was kind of hard trying to keep my cool when he went through a bunch of rules and everything, which went on even further, because I "refused to take account for my actions", even though moments before he had admitted the whole situation was out of my hands.
Nothing ever came of it or anything, but it does really bother me that there's that blotch on my record, because he was incompetent enough to let the staff know that the rota he had put up was no longer accurate!
You can take someone into an interview with you, this would often be a union rep ( if you are in a union), it can't be someone else who is a witness within the investigation. The reason it can't be another witness is that your testimony might influence what they say.
The reason you are asked not to talk about it is firstly, to respect the right to confidentiality of the person who has been accused, and also to ensure that no-one can be accused of any sort of collusion.
The quicker interviews can take place, the quicker the whole thing will be resolved.
Best thing to do is not to talk about it, go to the interview, answer all questions honestly, and then put it behind you