Suspended - help

bream0408

Hi
I'll give a brief description of how this has all come about.

About 5 years ago I was employed as a Finance Manager of a private hospital which was at serious risk of closing down/ being closed down due to lack of money. They owed the NHS ALOT of money due to the use of their operating theatres etc. I basically turned it around and the hospital ended up with a very positive bank balance. The NHS then brought out the owner (who was very grateful to me) and he left with several million in his pocket.

The NHS Trust made me a Director along with the hospital manager and we have been working together ever since.
However the Trust stripped all our monies out so consquesntly we have been struggling to make ends meet. The Management team and Hospital Manager couldnt seem to understand the situation and I can only think basically assumed that I was taking the money for myself - which is a load of rubbish
I have been getting constant requests from the consultants for their money which I pay when I can. They have got increasingly persistant as they obviously think I am just being difficult.

I was then told to take on an assistant to help me - she is now handing out business cards with my job title on and apparently has been offered my contract!!

As a Finance Director I obviously have Company Credit card, expenses etc. I have several sites which I visit and therefore claim for milage etc the same as all other member of the Managerial team.

It all came to a head 9 weeks ago when the hosptal manager plus a woman from HR and a chap from the trust I had never seen before told me I was suspended while they investigated bank transfers plus my expenses.

I have been told that I am not to contact anyone at work (although my sons girlfriend works there) and they will be in touch. I am on full pay.

I received a letter the next day just saying they had suspended me on suspision of theft and I would hear from them in due course.

I have two further letters from them both the same just stating I am still suspended on full pay.

I have been to a Solicitor who has said they are digging themselves a hole as being suspended for such a long time is unreasonable and also the fact I am a Director means they cant have board meetings without me.

I am going nuts - havent done anything wrong at all - maybe the only thing they could moan about is the fact I didnt always get my expenses signed off but some of the money was my own personal money that I have lent the company when we where out at functions. Also I have all the recepits for any claims.

Any help gratefully received.

Thanks

Sambucus_Nigra

If you have seen a solicitor who is obviously party to more facts - then I can't see that anyone on here could really assist any more than they can.

However, I can see the issue of you not getting expenses signed off being a red flag to be honest; all expenses need signing off by someone else; or who knows who could syphon money off....and if you have spent personal money lent to the company then did you get THAT signed off both ways? I think for a finance director you have been a little naive.

bream0408

Maybe but the truth is that I was helping the company out by using my own funds. Ok expenses should be signed off but there was no money taken illegally or any missing. The Solicitor did say he couldnt see that they would have a problem as there is documentation to cover everything. As it is now 9 weeks later I assume they cant come up with anything.

SueC_2

For clarity... if the hospital was bought out by the NHS, are you now employed by the NHS?

dseventy

Its really hard to comment without knowing the full details of the allegations.

Assuming your contract is on the NHS standard contract then a few things apply :

1) There will be a dicinplinary procedure, you need to read up on it.
2) Not to contact people at work is standard procedure.
3) I have not heard that board meetings cant go ahead when a director is suspended. Are you sure about this?
4) You quote "I have been to a Solicitor who has said they are digging themselves a hole as being suspended for such a long time" there is no time limit on being suspended. It depends how long it takes to investigate you.

If the advice about board meetings and length of suspension is from your solicitor, I would double check all their advice. I assume they know you work for the NHS?

D70

Strider590

bream0408 wrote: »

Hi
I basically turned it around and the hospital ended up with a very positive bank balance.

This is just typical desk jockey "big I am".

Im sorry if that's offensive, but i've seen it soooo many times, people taking credit for the hard work, blood sweat and tears put in by (often) the lowest paid staff in the business. I'm sure im not alone on this one......

Now, having got that little mini rant out of the way......

Hi

As for your situation, (I hope im getting this right) your suspended on full pay? if they can't find any wrong doing on your part, then they can't just sack you. Employment law is there for a reason

It's up to you to go away, look into your own conscience and figure out whether it's all steam, or if there's any smoke. If it's all steam then you have nowt to worry about

There is of course one problem, the higher up the chain you are, the more you think you can get away with. I've worked in a place where the general staff couldn't even talk to each other and got timed going to the toilet, whilst the one manager took extra long lunches to get in 9 holes whenever he felt like it... So you might have done minor things without even realising it.

Sambucus_Nigra

The bigger they are the harder they fall; we had one Director who left one of our companies and was never seen again; even by his best friend. So I think the OP is getting off lightly!!!

-BA-

bream0408 wrote: »

Maybe but the truth is that I was helping the company out by using my own funds. Ok expenses should be signed off but there was no money taken illegally or any missing. The Solicitor did say he couldnt see that they would have a problem as there is documentation to cover everything. As it is now 9 weeks later I assume they cant come up with anything.

I'm sorry but this statement is what I would expect of a school leaver, NOT a Finance Director.

How quickly would you have brought someone to task for not following company regulation that is put in place FOR A REASON? If nothing else you have cost the company time and money because you have not followed procedure and now need to be investigated. That alone could conceivably be viewed as gross misconduct for a Finance Director.

You are in one of the most senior positions of trust in the company. There is just no room for error at your level.

Strider590

Well.... I would hope that OP is innocent as charged and manages to resolve this in a timely manner.

Sambucus_Nigra wrote: »

The bigger they are the harder they fall

I worked for a Japanese company, the English MD was a tyrant, he treated staff VERY badly, all of his managers were 7ft tall and built like a brick !!!!!! house, staff turnover meant nobody stayed more than 2 years and the business was taking a nose dive despite being in the middle of "good times" for that type of business.

The Japanese way of business is very different to ours, you can't BS them and they believe in treating staff with respect, but are ruthless when they need to be. They sent over some top dogs for about 6 months, interviewed anyone who left the company and eventually did the classic Japanese business strategy of cutting off the head of the snake...... £200k + a year gone, company car gone.... And because we pretty much all live to our means (he did have a million £ house) i'd imagine this came as very nasty kick up the backside I heard unconfirmed rumours that he had to take a taxi home... lol

Sambucus_Nigra

-BA- wrote: »

I'm sorry but this statement is what I would expect of a school leaver, NOT a Finance Director.

How quickly would you have brought someone to task for not following company regulation that is put in place FOR A REASON? If nothing else you have cost the company time and money because you have not followed procedure and now need to be investigated. That alone could conceivably be viewed as gross misconduct for a Finance Director.

You are in one of the most senior positions of trust in the company. There is just no room for error at your level.

Totally agree. FDs need to be squeeeeeky clean at ALL times.

-BA-

Strider590 wrote: »

Well.... I would hope that OP is innocent as charged and manages to resolve this in a timely manner.



I worked for a Japanese company, the English MD was a tyrant, he treated staff VERY badly, all of his managers were 7ft tall and built like a brick !!!!!! house, staff turnover meant nobody stayed more than 2 years and the business was taking a nose dive despite being in the middle of "good times" for that type of business.

The Japanese way of business is very different to ours, you can't BS them and they believe in treating staff with respect, but are ruthless when they need to be. They sent over some top dogs for about 6 months, interviewed anyone who left the company and eventually did the classic Japanese business strategy of cutting off the head of the snake...... £200k + a year gone, company car gone.... And because we pretty much all live to our means (he did have a million £ house) i'd imagine this came as very nasty kick up the backside I heard rumours that he had to take a taxi home, but I suspect this to be an over exaggeration.

Impropriety is impropriety, regardless of whether it is illegal or not. OP has admitted doing things that, at the very least, would need investigating.