What to do now?

someone_else_2

Hi,

new to this forum, I'm just trying to find somewhere where I can post what's been happening with my job - I work in a design studio, and I am self-taught with regards to the work environment.

Last year I received a disciplinary warning for a number of reasons, the main one being that projects were never completed on time. Okay, I can accept that, tried my damndest to work better, made more realistic attempts at quoting timescales for projects, they still slipped due to other unforeseen circumstances, and some got completed on time.
I got another disciplinary warning, now stating that some errors I had caused (and I did accept them) had bought us close to being sued. Also, other clients had not been happy with the work that was completed. I never knew any of this until I received the warning.
I thought that it sucked, and continued to work as hard as I could, putting in lots of unpaid overtime, etc.

A few weeks back I got another disciplinary warning citing gross negligence as a result of the above, along with claims that I had put the other staff under extra stress. I was never made aware of this from the manager or other staff, some I considered friends. I was then offered a new contract which demoted me, reduced my pay, responsibilities, etc. The main reason was that I was unable to do the job asked of me.

In sheer contradiction to this, in the same meeting, I was told that the job suited me (and had been told this every time I got a warning), but I had been given too much to do. I was seething with fury inside. :mad:

I was effectively told that I should either a: leave, or b: accept the new terms. Either way, I was effectively sacked then re-employed. As I cannot afford to live without some form of income I accepted the new terms.

The new salary, along with that of my wife, now means that we have no disposable income at all. Were it not for the council tax not having to be paid in feb/mar, we would exceed our account's overdraft limit by may next year. Even so, our outgoings are now exceeding our income by around £40 per month, and can't seem to recoup that anywhere, as we're pretty much down to essential bills.

I have a few concerns about this:

1. If I'm good for the job, and "it's the right place for you to be", why the continued warnings, despite my best efforts - verbatim: "is not capable of fulfilling the duties of his role"?
2. The new overtime seems very confusing and suspicious -
"expected to work outside the contracted hours if necessary, and within reason to complete projects and meet deadlines. This will be unpaid up to an additional 10.5 hours per weeks as an average over 17 weeks" - does this mean I'd have to work 48 hours a week over 17 weeks before I see any extra money?
My contracted hours are 9-5 mon-fri, at 37.5 hours per week. Often I don't get to leave until around 6-7, but it's not always 'timed' work.
3. Does any of this seem wrong? Why does it all seem so contradictory? There was recognition that I had tried much harder, become more part of a team, but it still wasn't good enough?

I feel incredibly frustrated, let down and thoroughly discouraged with the industry I'm working in, let alone that we now have no spare money. If anyone were to ask me about going into work like what I currently do, I'd tell them not to bother. I'm considering refusing to go to the Works christmas do because I can't even spare money for that - yet I feel that this will be used against me. I can't afford to go on staff lunches, which will mark me as antisocial, and already has done.

Currently I'm looking for another job, but wouldn't mind some advice, real encouragement, and maybe some answers. I know this is a long first post, but I've seen plenty of good honest advice from this site in the past.

Lirin

I could have written this- it's exactly what happened me in a photography studio- I was the head photographer. I was told when I accepted the job I'd be doing all the photos, and a little editing.
It didn't take long for me to be doing all the editing and coping (badly) with the girls in the shop promising 40-50 photos ready in a few days! These were full edit, and as such, each photo could take a while.
I was working unpaid overtime, taking work home, and when the rest of the team went out, was so tired I never went with them. Got threatened with disciplinary, despite the owner telling me he knew the workload was under an unrealistic timescale.

Eventually, after leaving, took them to IT and won.

SarEl

As far as I am able to discern, the choice you were given a few weeks ago was that having "got another disciplinary warning citing gross negligence", you could accept demotion to another role or be dismissed - the option does not appear to have been "leave" as you suggest, because nobody can make you leave unless you are dismissed. I cannot understand the mixed messages that you are getting, but it is rather clear from the content of your own post that whilst you may be suited to the type of work, you are clearly not suited to this working environment. In the last year you have received three serious disciplinary warnings over things which, for whatever reason, you accept as being the case. In the second case your errors brought the employer close to being sued by a client, and it is utterly unbelieveable that you were not dismissed for this because 99.9% of employers would have considered this gross miscoduct and dismissed. It therefore didn't suck - you were extremely lucky to have a job after that error in the first place.

I am not saying this to hurt you, but the fact is that some work environments are fast paced and exacting, and people are expected to learn on their feet and excell. The actual work that you do may well be very good, but ensuring that you quote reasonable timescales to customers, don't make errors (and especially not the kind that get your employer sued), and cannot meet the demands of the job is just as important in this work environment - and you are obviously not able to meet the employers expectations in these latter areas. Whilst you think that the employer is being unfair, there is actually quite a lot of evidence here from your own version of events that suggests that the employer is bending over backwards to not dismiss, and that there is actually a fair bit of goodwill towards you. A lesser employer would have already dismissed, I am certain.

It seems to me that you have two separate issues here. The first is identifying what it is that you are good at here, and what it is that you aren't, and identifying the kind of working environment that you may be better suited to. Your employer may be willing to support you in this if asked. They clearly do see strengths, as well as weaknesses, and may be able to suggest where you might be better employed in an environment that plays to your strengths. The second is your finances, because it is clear that you are overstreteched and that you have been living close to your income even before this happened. You might find that there is a lot of excellent advice to be had on how to reduce your spending on other forums here, which will help with that.

You might think that this isn't really an encouraging reply, but in what you have said, despite everything I think there is encouragement to be taken. Your employer obviously isn't ready to give up on you, and I doubt that the reason for that is because they can't see any good qualities to your work but just don't want to dismiss someone. Even the most reluctant employer can overcome their qualms about dismissing someone when they risk the employers money - but your employer let that one by when most would not.

someone_else_2

Although your reply was sobering, and yes in many respects true, one thing I fail to understand is why my employer would sit on a potential lawsuit for two months before notifying me in a disciplinary hearing. To me that's odd.

Some things in the action taken I will admit responsibility for, and I have tried to make amends, yet any effort has seen me slide further into more hearings, so now I am at a point where I think I have no further place in this company. Example: all staff were in a meeting about the possibility of moving to a new office. I was the sole person not included, and did not know about the viewing until the day it happened. Also, new projects are not mentioned to me, until the last minute again, where I am expected to know what to do about them.

I've decided that this nature of work full stop is not for me, people are too 'anal' in my opinion, I would rather go back to retail management, wher I speak to people regularly, help out people directly, than spending 8-12hours plus a day stuck in front of a screen.