Text from Boss!

geministar2008

I work for a very small business and i am the manager, obviously with the changes in technology and the owner not always being around or reachable, on occassion text communication is necessary.

I am next in command at my current place of work, however i am having some health issues and i am required to attend some hospital appointments, which i had bought my boss up to speed with face to face awhile ago. So i text my boss advising of needing some time off for an upcoming medical appointment. As the boss he is the person to contact with regards to days off and so on.

Anyway i received a rather blunt long text from him which i feel was very uncalled for as well as unprofessional and something i cannot really quote on here. At the end of the day it is his business and primarily his concern to arrange cover if required, not mine.

This has sent me over the edge and has resulted in me being signed off work for medical reasons. I feel very upset and let down.

I would just like someones advice on what avenues i could go down for advice and where i stand? Would an employee advisor take texts as evidence in any employment disputes? Its almost like he is pushing me to leave.

I have worked part time for a couple of years with this employer.

Thanks everyone.

KiKi

Do you think the fact that you're ill is making you see things in a different light?

I really don't think you can complain about your boss texting you about being off given that you were the one to text him in the first place about needing time off.

And as you won't say what he wrote, it's impossible to say whether or not he's in the wrong in what he's saying.

In the meantime, if you don't want him texting you (and texts are easily misinterpreted because of the way they are written), then stop texting him to say you'll be off work. If you want him to communiciate professionally then you should do the same. I don't mean that harshly, but I don't think anyone can advise you as to what to do because you won't provide any information.

KiKi

Emmzi

Actually for planned absences, as the manager, it has always been my job to ensure I had trained up an appropriate subordinate to cover me. Goes with the turf. So I don't think that is unreasonable.

princessdon

is your illness classed as a disability?

moneypuddle

I think for us to know whether its unreasonable or not, you would have to a least give the gist of what was said

Mimi_Arc_en_ciel

This is why I dont text - Much more better to pick up the phone.

Pick up the phone and speak to him rather than text

ktothema

Emmzi wrote: »

Actually for planned absences, as the manager, it has always been my job to ensure I had trained up an appropriate subordinate to cover me. Goes with the turf. So I don't think that is unreasonable.

Depends what position you're in, if OP has no subordinates then there's no one to train. Whilst I've been a "manager" for many years, I've rarely managed people. Whilst co-workers and I have often wanted to cross train to be able to cover people, not all our managers have been happy with this. With my last manager it took an emergency operation for me and then my colleague to leave before she realised not allowing her subordinates to cross train was stupid.

mynameistallulah

ktothema wrote: »

Depends what position you're in, if OP has no subordinates then there's no one to train. Whilst I've been a "manager" for many years, I've rarely managed people. Whilst co-workers and I have often wanted to cross train to be able to cover people, not all our managers have been happy with this. With my last manager it took an emergency operation for me and then my colleague to leave before she realised not allowing her subordinates to cross train was stupid.

The statement:

geministar2008 wrote: »

I am next in command at my current place of work

Would imply that the OP has someone to "command"!

marybelle01

geministar2008 wrote: »

I work for a very small business and i am the manager, obviously with the changes in technology and the owner not always being around or reachable, on occassion text communication is necessary.

I am next in command at my current place of work, however i am having some health issues and i am required to attend some hospital appointments, which i had bought my boss up to speed with face to face awhile ago. So i text my boss advising of needing some time off for an upcoming medical appointment. As the boss he is the person to contact with regards to days off and so on.

Anyway i received a rather blunt long text from him which i feel was very uncalled for as well as unprofessional and something i cannot really quote on here. At the end of the day it is his business and primarily his concern to arrange cover if required, not mine.

This has sent me over the edge and has resulted in me being signed off work for medical reasons. I feel very upset and let down.

I would just like someones advice on what avenues i could go down for advice and where i stand? Would an employee advisor take texts as evidence in any employment disputes? Its almost like he is pushing me to leave.

I have worked part time for a couple of years with this employer.

Thanks everyone.

I agree with the others - if you won't tell it's hard to say anything. But aren't you jumping the gun a bit talking about "employee advisors" (lawyers?? Because I have no idea who else you might be talking about) and "employment disputes".

You might not like this but even on this version, I can see other points of view here. You are the manager - second in command. You have also known about these medical appointments coming up. So didn't you think about cver at all or raise it with your boss? Managers sometimes have to think these things through for themselves too - it comes with the turf. And you didn't like the text - no idea why because none of us know what the text said. But texting is a bad way of communicating, prone to misinterpretation... and no matter what it said, instead of talking to the boss you just took yourself off sick. So that's going to solve the problem is it? And now you want to excalate it into an employment dispute?

Well the first step in any employment dispute is talking to the boss. It's going to have to happen at some point in time, before you can start decsribing this as an employment dispute that needs employee advisors you need to try to resolve this. Unless you are planning on resigning and claiming constructive dismissal, which by all accounts you would probably lose - and you still have to try to resolve it with the boss first.

Instead of looking to escalate things, why don't you try talking?

geministar2008

hi everyone sorry for the delay in response.

Firstly the situation is i am owed money from work, and was informed via text that i would not be getting my due money for 3 months. Really put me in the poop so to speak. So what i am saying is it is my bosses usual way of communicating- via text. The day i was text about not getting my money, i had spent all morning with my boss and nothing was mentioned!

My boss took me on 2 years ago knowing i had a history of anxiety and depression and for a long time i have been fine. I have worked very hard to help keep his business a float, something he has said to me himself hence my i became manager/right hand woman.

I sat down with my boss some weeks ago as i have been having some different health issues and have to undergo an array of hospital procedures, i discussed with him face to face that i will need to have assistance in working around these appointments, i was told this was fine and would cover if no one else could.
The business is under some financial pressure and boss had also recently commented on the wages bill etc being too much as no longer does any desk work, and has recently covered shifts for the others. So i thought perhaps due to the current climate it was best to approach my boss.

I am a manager but i dont work directly with co workers, it is a small business and we dont all work at the same time. I just over see the running of things, i am in charge of marketing and advertising and cover shifts.
Regardless that i am classed as a manager, surely there should be someone there for me as a superior? Who do i go to with business problems or personal problems etc otherwise?

As for being signed off work, my GP recommended this some time ago, but i have done my best to continue under lifes pressures and no support at work, it all became too much and i have been signed off work for a minimum of 1 month and prescribed a range of medication.

I have sought advice and have been told to keep all correspondence in writing, email is sufficient. The text has also been frowned upon and has been shown to the advisor. Face to face is not recommended now as there is no evidence unless i have a dicta phone or something similar to record the conversation.

So thats the update folks....

Tiddlywinks

geministar2008 wrote: »

...........My boss took me on 2 years ago knowing i had a history of anxiety and depression and for a long time i have been fine. I have worked very hard to help keep his business a float, something he has said to me himself hence my i became manager/right hand woman.

I sat down with my boss some weeks ago as i have been having some different health issues and have to undergo an array of hospital procedures, i discussed with him face to face that i will need to have assistance in working around these appointments, i was told this was fine and would cover if no one else could.
The business is under some financial pressure and boss had also recently commented on the wages bill etc being too much as no longer does any desk work, and has recently covered shifts for the others. So i thought perhaps due to the current climate it was best to approach my boss.

I am a manager but i dont work directly with co workers, it is a small business and we dont all work at the same time. I just over see the running of things, i am in charge of marketing and advertising and cover shifts.
Regardless that i am classed as a manager, surely there should be someone there for me as a superior? Who do i go to with business problems or personal problems etc otherwise?

I have sought advice and have been told to keep all correspondence in writing, email is sufficient. The text has also been frowned upon and has been shown to the advisor. Face to face is not recommended now as there is no evidence unless i have a dicta phone or something similar to record the conversation.

Here are my points which are a mixed bag:

1. Your employer knew you had a medical condition (mental health) at the point of employment - as has already been asked, has a medical professional indicated that you may be covered by the Equalities Act (what used to be the DDA)? You hint that the emerging medical condition, for which you needed time out for appointments, is not the same illness - is that right?

2. You appear to have been promoted whilst employed and you say yourself that your boss sees you as his 'right hand woman'. I think, given your position, your boss would have been looking for you to make arrangements for cover whilst away. Your medical appointments were planned so I don't think he was being unreasonable in expecting you to think through the consequences of your absence.

3. You say your employer is a small business and that you are second in command yet you then go on to say 'surely there should be someone there as a superior?'. How would that work? You have a 'chief' and you are his deputy - it is time to understand that your role (that you accepted) involves taking responsibility.

4. You've taken advice? From whom? I'd strongly suggest that advice prompting you to record conversations is a little dubious.

So, in summary, you have a medical condition that required some time off (which could be predicted). You told your boss and he reacted with a text which you objected to and which triggered another medical condition (anxiety / stresss?). Your GP has signed you off for a month - what does the fit note say? Why does your GP feel your are completely unable to work? No reduced hours / light duties or whatever?

I think you need to try to repair communications with your employer. It is a small business so may not have the standard processes normally associated with a larger organisation - but even so, you still need to 'talk' to each other.

How have you contacted your boss to notify of your prolonged sickness absence? What, if any, was his response?