Not invited to works meeting

Lovehoney

Recently things haven't been great and a number of us have long been calling for a meeting to improve things.

So today a meeting was held and only four of the twelve staff were invited (one of them wasn't me). All of us are on the same 'level' by the way. We 'out senior' each other only by a matter of a couple of months some of us.

At first the rest were a bit miffed as it transpired this "ideas meeting" which we had ALL been calling for, didn't include most of us. But moreover we were annoyed that the meeting had been planned for a couple of days yet nobody was even asked for their opinion as to what could be raised in the meeting. I could understand if the staff had the chance to put forward their ideas to a few 'reps' who could then put them to the management but we weren't told.

We only found out subsequently that the meeting was even arranged. The rest of us knew nothing of it until they all suddenly stood up and went down to the meeting room, unexpectedly. Well...expectedly to them, of course.

But the thing that really niggles is that everyone in the meeting is treating it like a secret. They came out with a smug knolwledgeable smirk on their face.

Management won't say what was discussed in the meeting, the staff won't say....but we know what it was about, ideas of how to improve the workplace. But it's being treated like it's THEIR own secret which has nothing to do with the rest of us.

I'm feeling a little bit !!!!ed off as I had some decent ideas as I'm sure others did, who have worked there over the last couple of years, but to not even be consulted has angered me and and the rest of my colleagues.

We're giving it a few days and unless we're either consulted ourselves or at the very least informed as to the contents of the meeting, we're considering going to the management with a kind of informal/formal complaint about how things were handled.

Just looking for advice as to the best way to go about things. If there's anything we should avoid doing or saying and if anyone has any tips as to what would be the most effective way of getting out point across.

Cheers

ohreally

Lovehoney wrote: »

Recently things haven't been great and a number of us have long been calling for a meeting to improve things.

Why don't you and your colleagues collectively invoke the company grievance procedure?

Caroline73_2

How do you know what the meeting was about if the people who were in the meeting are treating it as a secret?

Intastella

If that's what happened, then it just seems to me like the old divide and rule tactics...make the 'chosen few' feel special so there's not as much of a united front against management...

I'm sure that there must be something set in the company guidelines (if not law) about who can represent the workforce in this kind of situation and what they need to do to ensure that common concerns are aired, they should make clear why some people were chosen to attend and not others. ...keeping the very fact that a meeting is taking place at all a super special secret could be grounds for a complaint in itself. Rod, back and all that...

Emmzi

what is stopping the rest of you being proactive and submitting your ideas for improving things?

bap98189

ohreally wrote: »

Why don't you and your colleagues collectively invoke the company grievance procedure?

Talk about an overeaction. Raising a grievance because some staff were not invited to a meeting is just ridiculous.

How about asking the manager what the meeting was about first. If they say they can't tell you then you just have to accept that it is their decision.

ohreally

bap98189 wrote: »

Talk about an overeaction. Raising a grievance because some staff were not invited to a meeting is just ridiculous.

How about asking the manager what the meeting was about first. If they say they can't tell you then you just have to accept that it is their decision.

Read my post rather than simply look at it. I didn't suggest procecuting a grievance "because some staff were not invited to a meeting".

There are obvious issues festering within the workplace as indicated in the op's first sentence. Management have taken a decision which has left the op feeling angered and disenfranchised. This, coupled with the subsequent denial of access to information and consultation suggests a delibarate decision to exclude and undermine confidence within an element of the workforce.

Mudd14

Caroline73 wrote: »

How do you know what the meeting was about if the people who were in the meeting are treating it as a secret?

That was my thought. How do you know they weren't in the meeting to discuss those 4 peoples perofmrance etc. The meeting is not your business if your not invited.

Jesus if I got upset everytime there was a meeting I was invited to I would be upset every 2 hours!

getmore4less

Were any of those that went those that were raising the issue?

You have no iea what this meetng was about so I would just carry on asking for a meeting to improve things since as far as you are concerned there has not been one yet.

timnicebutdim_2

Lovehoney wrote: »

They came out with a smug knolwledgeable smirk on their face.

Maybe they all got pay rises? Are they the best performers of the team??

Although it's not great management with regards to motivation, professionalism etc ultimately they can do what they like.

DVardysShadow

Lovehoney wrote: »

Recently things haven't been great and a number of us have long been calling for a meeting to improve things.

So today a meeting was held and only four of the twelve staff were invited (one of them wasn't me).

Says it all really. As someone else said, it is classic divide and rule. As there are 12 of you, Management feel well able to function without any input from you, in fact the less the better. They probably hate you having ideas. You didn't say as much, but I bet the chosen ones are the dimmest and most compliant of you all. Take it as a compliment, you are too good for them.