My employer is accusing me of fraud as he is retaliating me of raising whistleblowing

Terrified

Thanks for your replies. Yes, I did raise protected disclosures since last year. I have been in the company for 2 years now. However, my manager always tried to hide all those whistleblowing claims under the carpert. But as a fair and honest human being, I innocently told my manager how I felt about those whistelblowing cases not being investigated correctly and after that finding ways of firing those whistleblowers and putting them through hell. I innocently told him, as his report, how I felt. He then said that he wanted to terminate me, so I told him why and he said I need to go. I disagreed and he said "ok, then you have committed fraud", so I said "how" and he said "he will find a way". That has been almost 2 months and now he claims he sent me letters for disciplinary meetings but I did not get them, so he claims I am trying to avoid attending the meeting because I am scared of the fraud. But I said I have not received any letters plus because if I have raised the protected disclosures, shouldn't that be investigated first too? I then noted the letters he tried to send me were to another employee's address so obviously I received nothing. Now, he says because I have purposely tried to avoid the disciplinary meetings, I have found an excuse to raise the protected disclosures. But these protected disclosures raised is from last May to very recent. Now, he says because I have refused to attend the disciplinary meeting (but I did not get those letters as it was sent to the wrong address), so he has conducted it in my absence and will contact the police. My manager has always been known as rutless with the way he has treated other ex employees.
I am so worried now. I have nothing to hide but I am worried about my legal fees and on top I always panic in meetings and that is always my weakness. I have not committed any fraud but to be blamed for this makes me very sad as I respected my manager so much and never thought he would do this to me.

Terrified

Hi Firefox1975, I read your response and to answer your question as to whether I am innocent, yes, I am 100% innocent. I did not commit any fraud. I live by my values. Of course, I now regret talking too much to my manager telling him how I really felt he treated the whistleblowers and somehow disgreed with him on the protected disclosures which involved unfair termination, finding excuses to terminate someone and saying it was due to redundancies, terminating people saying due to performance but never having mentioned that to those employees before hand. infact, at times telling those employees they were doing a great job.
I know my manager will find some excuses to terminate people. That is his style. I have worked very closely with him. Of course, when he said i committed fraud, I was surprised he said that with no validation. When I asked him further, he said he knew about the fraud in February this year but only now he mentions it. Why didn't he mention that earlier on if it was serious? The word fraud is a serious word and can hurt anyone's reputation. Why did he mention it after I raised the protected disclosures? Why is he now scaring me that he will contact the police? He knows I am weak mentally and I panic very easily. I have done presentations to employees in the past and my manager knows that I panic very quickly. He will go all the way to make sure his job is secure. He knows he has underperformed so finding excuses with other employees will help him keep his job somehow. That is how it has been going on for a year or so. I raised it with the Chairman but again he does not want to do anything about it as both the chairman and my manager are close friends as they used to work together before.

maninthestreet

If you had failed to attend numerous disciplinary hearings, and one had been conducted in your absence, then you would have been sacked by now. I suspect your manager is trying to scare you into resigning.

Acc72

Terrified wrote: »

my manager always tried to hide all those whistleblowing claims under the carpert.

I innocently told my manager how I felt about those whistelblowing cases not being investigated correctly and after that finding ways of firing those whistleblowers and putting them through hell.

So, having seen other "whistleblowers" being put through hell before being dismissed, you decided to become a whistleblower yourself ?

Acc72

Terrified wrote: »

Hi Firefox1975, I read your response and to answer your question as to whether I am innocent, yes, I am 100% innocent. I did not commit any fraud.

So why are you panicking about the Police ?

agrinnall

You need to answer the question that maninthestreet asked - does your employer have a HR dept?

Without knowing the scale of your employer's business it's difficult to give you appropriate suggestions.

Terrified

Hi, the company has a HR dept and I raised it with them. But they do not dare to do anything to offend my manager. Also, to answer ACC72's question, I did not raise whistleblowing. As my manager told me all the whistleblowing cases and as he put me in charge of investigating some of the cases and as I found out that the whistleblowing cases were genuine and as my manager scripted for me on what the outcome should be, i.e. the person at fault should not be at fault and that the whistleblowers had raised issues which were not real. But again, very quickly, my manager terminated the whistleblowers one by one. Of course, some of these whistleblowers are fighting their cases separately in the tribunal now. Because I told my manager that he should be fair and honest with the whistlblowers and those at fault should be terminated, he disagreed because the person who should be terminated is my manager's good friend who he hired to join the company.
To answer your question, why am I so panicking about the police? My manager has said because I did not attend the disciplinary meeting (because the letters was sent to the wrong address), that means I am at fault. But I did not get those letters. Then he said he will contact the police. Why am I panicking about the police is very simple. I just dont want them to come to my home and cause a scene. I dont mind them calling me and inviting me down to see them. I can explain everything to them in a honest way. But if my manager wants to create a problem for me, he can always accuse me of something or the other knowing that my weakness is always panic. To be honest and I promise to the Lord, I have not done any dishonesty. But to worry about the potential legal fees to answer questions back to the company is worrying me as I am not rich and I cannot afford heavy legal fees. I scrolled through some google sites and there was an individual who was falsely accused by her company for fraud. She was invited to the police station and locked up for few hours in the cell with no contact anywhere. She could not call anyone. She tried to explain whether she could call her husband only to be given a supervised call. She could not even contact her lawyer. She was scared and after few hours she was bailed out once she got in touch with her husband (supervised call made). Then after sometime, she was told by the police the case was dropped but again 2 weeks later, the police told her that she would be arrested as she did not report back to the police station as part of the bail condition. She felt the police were on the side of the employer and not her. She went through lots of emotions and pains and although the police knew that there was no evidence to proof there was fraud, they were obliged to act for the employer as there was a stronger legal presence on the side of the employer and the employee did not have a strong legal presence. So, to answer your question, why am I panicking the above is the reason as I don't know what fake allegations my manager will have on me. But again, I have sat down and asked myself have I done anything wrong in the company. The only thing I can recall is being late to work by 10 minutes but only on 3 to 4 occasions over 2 years, having a slightly longer lunch than one hour on 2 occassions over 2 years, working from home on 5 to 6 occasions over 2 years although that is not permitted. That is all I can think of but that is not considered as fraud. What my manager now states is that I fraud my own basic salary increase letter although he signed it. but that was in January this year that he is claiming and that he knew about it in January already about it but only bringing it up now. of course, I did not fraud that letter. he agreed to the increase and he signed it. I still recall he telling me I have been working very well and thanking me. So I am just concerned as it is going to be his words against my words.

getmore4less

Where is this manager in the company hierachy how many above?

Is there a board of directors.

wistleblowing should be investigated at a very high level.

Terrified

This is not a big company so the manager is the highest in the company although there is a board of directors but I have never met them before.
All the whistleblowing were investigated just up to my manager level and not above him and I suspect the board of directors didn't even know about it at all.

DCFC79

The police wont cause a scene, they will just want to get your side of the story (if you are as innocnet as you say). What proof does he have of you committing fraud ?