disciplinary help please - SUSPENDED!!!

dickydonkin

britishboy wrote: »

cheers dpassmore
only thing was the text, and that was in retaliation of this girl bad mouthing my gf infront of a large group of friends, good friends. No legal or criminal involvment has happened, its like you said, handbags at 9 paces. I too am unsure how they can suspend (and possibly sack) my gf for sending a text out of work hours, non work related??

If she is dismissed next week, is there grounds to appeal? Already considering raising a grievance against her manager who should be defending gf and listening to both sides of the story, not taking sides

What a bummer having to travel to London for the disciplinary hearing - surely they could have made arrangements for a more suitable location.

Never mind, you are where you are right now.

As other posters have indicated, your GF will get/have the details of her 'offence' which should have been established at the investigatory meeting.
She also should have been informed that she will be allowed to be accompanied by a colleague/union rep at the disciplinary hearing.

With relation to your question about dismissal, if the worst scenario does occur, your GF should be informed of her right to appeal the decision once the dismissal has been confirmed.

Hope everything works out OK for you and your GF - On the face of it, it would seem this seemingly trivial matter could have been resolved locally.

Emmzi's suggestions above seems a good way to approach the hearing - eating humble pie may be a good strategy.

peachyprice

britishboy wrote: »

Thanks again, she has 7 years service with her counter (cosmetics), and when i say manager i mean her area manager for the brand she works for, and the other girl doesnt even work for the same cosmetic brand... and, belive it or not, my gf area manager, who suspended her today, has never even spoke to this other girl!!

Is she employed by the store or cosmetic company?

The taking of the discount card and locker key makes sense if she is employed by the cosmetic company, rather than the store. If this is the case the store can ask her to be removed but it doesn't necessarily mean she will lose her job but may be moved to another store.

leanneq

My instant thought when i read this is I wonder if they are trying to find a reason to get rid of your girlfriend?
The reason i say this is you say she has just returned from sickness, does she have a poor sick record?
Seems very OTT but i wonder if this is the final straw for the company...

Misshomme

I'm proberbly just repeating someone else here, but if your girlfriend is part of a union she can ask a union rep to go with her. I think she can also just ask a colleague. Is this other girl making fun of your gf and then telling your gf boss that your gf is bullying her? I think the manager should have at least heard both sides of the story before handing out a disciplinary.
I'm a bit concerned that it has gone from a disciplinary to a formal disciplinary in such a short space of time. Had your gf received warnings in the past? If not then they should have given her an informal warning and then a writen warning first.

longwalks1

update people, and thanks for all your upport, girlfriend has been back to the doctors and signed off for 2 weeks with stress/depression (the original reason for being off), now she's panicking about missing her disciplinary on Thursday, I said she shouldnt have to go to Central London to the disciplinary if she's signed off, am i right? Tbh she's in no fit state to go on the train/tube on her own

lady_wolfs_head

Is she in a union?, I had same problems at work. She must see a union rep and she is entitled to her own person in the hearing. In fact at the very start she should have been asked if she wanted someone in the meeting. If she wasn't asked then she has some grounds there. From my experience the person taking the meeting has a note taker and must ask if the person wants someone with them.
I always had someone with me and I was always in the union.
As for the emptying locker stuff, she should not have been treated that way she had'nt been sacked.
She must go to the citizens advise for help and join a union Usdaw is best for shop workers.

Emmzi

my gut reaction from the management side would be "she's throwing a sickie to avoid nfacing up to this" and it would limit my sympathy. Not saying I'm right, just saying it am common and offering the other perspective.

No, she does not have to go in, but it may not help her case if she drags it out.

Horace

britishboy wrote: »

update people, and thanks for all your upport, girlfriend has been back to the doctors and signed off for 2 weeks with stress/depression (the original reason for being off), now she's panicking about missing her disciplinary on Thursday, I said she shouldnt have to go to Central London to the disciplinary if she's signed off, am i right? Tbh she's in no fit state to go on the train/tube on her own

Even though your girlfriend is off sick she can still be called to attend disciplinary meetings at work, she can ask for an adjournment but the company may refuse this - the company can also choose to dismiss on the grounds of incapability because your girlfriend isn't capable of doing her job due to the length of time she has had off sick and her ongoing sickness. The company could decide that your girlfriend has gone off sick again in an attempt to avoid attending the discplinary hearing - sorry to say but that's how it seems to me and this is probably the worst thing that she could have done.

In my years' of experience of being a union official, I think that there is more to this than meets the eye..so I am wondering what your girlfriend isnt telling you. Sorry if this sounds cynical.

dickydonkin

The company could decide that your girlfriend has gone off sick again in an attempt to avoid attending the discplinary hearing

So is the Doctor who has deemed the OP's GF unfit for work lying?

olly300

Horace wrote: »

In my years' of experience of being a union official, I think that there is more to this than meets the eye...so I am wondering what your girlfriend isnt telling you. Sorry if this sounds cynical.

I agree but I think it's because the OP has purposely missed out information on the "personal trouble" in his first post as he thinks it is irrelevant.

If there is a reason why the girlfriend is sick and is causing her stress/depression (and there could be a fair few) it would be better for her to fully inform her employers in writing, ask for someone to attend the meeting with her due to her condition/what she has been through and when she goes to the meeting she should eat humble pie.