Hi everyone. i am now 18 months post-surgery (Stage 1 ca, 4x WLE, DCIS no clear margins so mast and LD recon Sept '06 which was jolly painful but gave fantastic result!) and have been back at work just over a year. i was moved into a new team after having complained about bullying in my previous workplace…it was pretty clear from the start that they didn’t want me there and i wasn’t given any help or retraining. the job was well below my capabilities but i did my best with it and tried as hard as i could to be pleasant and “fit in”. i realise now that i was actually still pretty weak when i went back…my “phased return” consisted of being left alone in a room with a laptop for three months, and shouted and screamed at by the person who was supposed to be “inducting” me when i tried to ask questions about how they did things. i like my work and i’m good at it, but the atmosphere was miserable and i got so depressed that i went to ask about early retirement - i don’t want to retire and i can’t afford to but i didn’t see any other way out.
…three weeks ago my boss phoned and told me that “the team” have accused *me* of bullying! i still don’t know who has complained or what i’m supposed to have said or done, but i was moved again immediately with no opportunity even to let any of the people i look after know what was happening. i can’t tell you what a relief it is to be away from that horrible crew…my new team are great and have made me very welcome but it feels really strange because i’d got so used to a hostile atmosphere. when i was having my first meeting with new boss (who is also a friend and a decent guy) i actually thought i was going to cry because it was so nice to be spoken to kindly. i also asked my boss a year ago to second me to where i am now and it’s a pity she didn’t listen and i had to go through a year of being treated like **** - it felt as if they were testing to see whether it was worth bothering investing any training or resources in me if i was “only” going to be ill again. i haven’t examined the DDA in detail but i don’t think my employer’s treatment of me would stand up too well…given that the team was known to have problems and i’m the third person within a year to have left or had to be pulled out…
Hi Cat,
You say things are now going well for you at work. You have choices as to how/if you deal with your previous situation. The problem is it may affect the working environment you have now. If you are intending raising a grievance about your previous situation you will have to take very prompt action. I suggest you contact your local CABx for advice.
Sue xx
Hello Catkin,
You say you like your job and now are working with a good boss and team. Why not just enjoy the good atmosphere and get on with you work, and with your life?
It might be a good idea to document everything that happened in the last 18 months with dates etc. while it is still fresh in your mind, but only as a reference for yourself. You may never need to refer to the notes again. Having read your note, I think that it would be a great shame to take on the stress of starting a complaint. It is a sad fact that in every place of work there are few people who make life and work difficult for some colleagues, just because there is a personality clash, but other colleagues rarely want to get involved in supporting the person who is being bullied. However, Westside Sue’s recommendation to talk with Citizens Advice Bureaux is not a bad idea. You have a good job, enjoy.
thanks folks…yes it is great to be in a nice team, and only two things spoil it: i don’t know what’s happening about the complaint against me, and my boss has told my new line manager that my placement is not permanent, which leads me to wonder what she has in mind. she told me there would have to be an investigation, my union rep says HR are “gathering information”, but nobody has contacted or spoken to me. i don’t know whether to write and ask what’s happening or just wait until something does…
Haven’t much time just now but a few bits of advice:
It could well be that no one has spoken with you because they do not have a case against you, and someone is trying to fabricate something. Could be a personality clash: just one person’s dislike of another. Just wait for now.
Keep your head down and do your job the best that you can. Say as little as possible, and weigh every word that you say before uttering it. Do not trust anyone. People are very good at twisting things around. Do write you notes down now, while still fresh in mind, and then write a diary every night. Pay to see a solicitor who specialises in employment law but do not tell anyone at work that you have done so.
Do not ask for early retirement. When your reduced pension does not meet your outgoings you will regret not staying. It might all blow over, but if it does not, then weight up the solicitor’s advice and listen to your own instincts. The union rep might not be the help that he/she should be. £100 invested in solicitor will be worth it. Above all, trust your own instincts.
My OH saw an employment lawyer twice and got him to review new contract of employment - cost £1000 (including VAT, so a bargain!). You can raise a grievance once you have the result of the “investigation”, which should include a meeting with you to discuss evidence etc. Again, CABx give free employment advice.