What to do about vindictive complaints.

misssarahleigh

I'm currently waiting for my manager to drag me in the office for my 3rd complaint.

Problem is, the complaints being lodged are by two people who don't like me and they are getting more silly.

1st - Complainant One (a man) make a formal complaint about how I dress, as it was revealing, not appropriate and he was fed up of seeing my breast in the office blah blah blah

In my defence, I'm a 14 and dress modestly as I'm no skinny mini. I don't own any 'revealing' clothes and [EMAIL="I@m"]I'm[/EMAIL] a 34B. The normal joke is where are my boobs, not they get seen to much lol

A lot of people knew and sided with myself and the bloke is a little 'odd'.

2nd - Complainant One (with help from complainant 2, a woman) sent my boss a long list of 'personal' phone calls I had made at work, complaining that I was making the calls.

My boss said she didn't care. Loads of people do this and she was aware that my work is repetative and I can easily have a call and do my work, let alone being on my lunch hour. She advised me to 'be careful'.

The list sent said this long list of calls was in the last week, when in facts they (based on the topics listed) have been listening to my calls for a least four months and making notes.

3rd complaint by complainant no2 (awaiting at lease).

I have been informed that she has gone to my boss and 'told on me' because I was talking to the receptionist. I recall the incident as she made a rude comment to me while she was there. It seems while I was on holiday she's gone to my manager, although I don't know exactally what has been said yet as I'm waiting to be hauled into the office.

Not that it's any of her business but I was actually on my diner hour!!!!


Everyone in the office makes personal calls, speaks to the receptionist and a lot worse, although it's only myself that these two people seem to have a problem with, and so only me that seems to be getting into trouble.

I have no doubt that my boss isn't going to 'tell me off' but rather warn me of whats going on again (she doesn't want them bad mouthing me around the company for my reputation and her's since I'm such an unruley member of staff).

How should I deal with this?

I'm not a worry wart but I'm getting a bit annoyed that I seem to have to be on guard in case i'm 'caught'. Haing said that, my crimes are nothing that every other member of staff also commits and pretty petty.

Any feedback welcome.

Poppie68

Can you not put a complaint into management about the two idiots? Surely this is causing you some stress!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Uncertain

misssarahleigh wrote: »

Haing said that, my crimes are nothing that every other member of staff also commits and pretty petty.

Legally that is neither here nor there. The fact that other people commit the same "crimes" is not a defence unless you can argue one of the few legally prohibited forms of discrimination e.g sex, race, disability or religion.

It is pretty much impossible for anybody here to know why these people are "picking" on you, if indeed they are.

You can't (or certainly shouldn't) know if they have made similar complaints about the minor transgressions of other staff.

DCFC79

The 2 of them sound quite nutty, the female more so.

sniggings

Your manager should see these for what they are.

You need to complain if this is upsetting you.

In fact your manager should be telling these people to stop wasting her/his time and get on with their work.

Your manager should be doing that even if you don't complain and if he/she doesn't then you need to complain about your manager for not doing their job of managing the office correctly.

HeadAboveWater

sniggings wrote: »

your 14? I'm guessing that's a mistake and should be 24 or 21?.

Ummmm... I think she means a size 14 as opposed to age 14...

And I agree with everything else sniggings says.

DCFC79

sniggings wrote: »

your 14? I'm guessing that's a mistake and should be 24 or 21?.

I read it as a size 14 in clothing

sniggings

HeadAboveWater wrote: »

Ummmm... I think she means a size 14 as opposed to age 14...

And I agree with everything else you say too sniggings.

oh yeah

misssarahleigh

Clothing is right he he he (working on lowering that number lol)

The newest complaint has just made me feel like I cannot do anything as I'm constantly under watch.

My workplace is fairly laid back in that if we want to make a few calls, have a chat, leave an hour early or book last min time of it isn't a problem. So long as we work hard and the standards are good the management don't have a problem with what we do. My manager certainl doens't but clearly these two people are trying to cause a fuss.

I'll admit I'm a bit chatty and blonde but generally nice, so I'm not really understanding why they have such a problem with me.

As for knowing if they made complaints about others. It's general office gossip. If something happens or is said it normally gets about a little bit. I suppose I'm assuming, but my boss has agreed that it's just me they complain about it's petty, hence why she told me to be careful rather than telling me off.

Bit of a tricky one. I do think it's just spitefulness and nothing more, and think my boss would agree, it's just a matter of having to put up with it.

marybelle01

misssarahleigh wrote: »

but my boss has agreed that it's just me they complain about it's petty, hence why she told me to be careful rather than telling me off.

Bit of a tricky one. I do think it's just spitefulness and nothing more, and think my boss would agree, it's just a matter of having to put up with it.

There is no reason at all why you have to put up with it. If there are valid complaints, then they are entitled to raise them. And you are entiltled to point out that this targetting of constant complaints about you is bullying, is causing you stress, and making your working life miserable. Either the complaints are valid - in which case "be careful" is hardly an appropriate response from a manager; or the complaints are not valid and unacceptable - in which case this is bullying and a matter for management to stop, not tell you to be careful about it. Either way the manager needs to stop fobbing you off and do their job.

heretolearn_2

The clothing one is a bit bizarre if as you say you dress in proper business clothing. And the manager dismissed it so I'd ignore that one.

On the phones/chatting...well, don't you love office politics. It could well be that these people are just stirring trouble as they don't like you. If that's the case, you need to just pretty much keep your nose down and make sure there are no real issues for them to complain about.

OR it could be that "I'll admit I'm a bit chatty" could actually be that you are extremely chatty without quite realising how much you are disturbing people instead of getting on with your own work, and it's annoying your colleagues. Your point about talking to the receptionist on your dinner break is fine from your side, but it wasn't her dinner break, and you were taking up time when she should have been working. Some people just talk a lot in offices, and don't see how irritating it gets. Not everyone has the skills to cut off a conversation with a 'chatter' and it makes them get behind in their work. We've had issues with a couple of chatty people where we are - of COURSE we all chat at times for a couple of minutes, but these two weren't able to cut it off and would rabbit on for ages to those who didn't have the confidence to bring the conversation to a close, and it wasted a lot of staff time. Perhaps the receptionist was sitting there thinking of all the millions of things she needed to get done but didn't want to be 'rude' by telling you she needed to get on. Likewise the phone calls, perhaps you aren't making more or longer calls than other people, or perhaps you are. Even if you aren't though, if people think you are wasting a lot of time talking, it creates resentment.