Sacked and no reply for appeal

missM_2

Hello. This is my first time here but some friends have told me this is a good place for help.

Ok, lets start right at the beginning. I am 20 and worked for a supermarket on the tills. Last year I began to suffer from anxiety and went on medication that the doctor gave me, shortly after I began acting strange, not only at work but at home to. I was doing things that I could not remember doing, some odd things at home. (I live with my parents) The trouble began at work when a customer gave me a cash card and it accidentally went down the conveyor belt. I was suspended and had a disciplinary. The card was located down the conveyor system and i was given a written warning. I did not tell my employer I was on medication but at the meeting I did tell them I was ill and not myself. After a short suspension I went back to work. My parents started to notice my strange behaviour and I actually asked the crisis team who I was seeing to take me away, which they did and told my parents they would asses me at the mental health hospital for up to 72 hours, after a day and half they told me there was nothing wrong with me mentally it was the anxiety and the immediately took me off the medication as I did not need to be on any meds. My employer did not know I went into a mental health hospital as I did not think it was for them to know. I went back to work and things were fine the strange behavior had gone. My anxiety is still here but thats something i have to deal with myself. Back at work a woman gave me too much money however, I had the money in my hand for up to 8 minutes before I gave it to a supervisor. Looking back I should have put it in the till and told someone at the end of my shift, but I did not do this proberly due to my anxiety (I dont want to use that as an excuse for every mistake I make though) After my shift I went home and returned the next day to do another, nothing was said. However the following shift I went to work walked through the department and was called into the managers office. I was given a letter regarding the incident and again suspended. At a disciplinary meeting that follwed a week later I was sacked for gross misconduct. I had not followed procedure so that was that. I was told I had a week to appeal, I wrote a letter the following day and posted it to the manager, its now over 2 weeks since I was sacked and heard nothing. In the letter I wrote I said i wanted to appeal and asked for the exact reasons why I was fired. No reply. I was wondering now what to do. I only worked 16 hours per week and live at home. I now have no income and no work and no prospects. Even if I apply for another job how could I get a reference from this place. I can put my hand on my heart and say it was a mistake holding a ten pound note for 8 minutes before giving it to a supervisor, I had no intension of theft, even though they did say in my meeting they had not acused me of theft. I have never stolen anything, its just at the moment in my life I am suffering from somethnig im finding it hard to shift and deal with. But I feel a sacking was a bit harsh.

Any help please I would like to try to at least appeal this

jobbingmusician

OK, I will make some suggestions.

Write and ask for a copy of their disciplinary policy, and say that you appealled against your dismissal for gross misconduct two weeks ago, but have heard nothing yet. Say that your illness was not taken into account, either in this latest event or in the earlier mistake.

It would be helpful if you could clarify what 'procedure' is about the overpayment the customer made. Is it simply to put the money into the till, or is it to notify the supervisor? In what way did you not follow procedure, apart from being very slow in doing whatever you did?

Thinking forwards, there are various outcomes. Please note that I am not making any judgement about the probability of the outcomes, simply stating what they could or might be. The very best is that you could be reinstated into your job because you make a good enough case for the employer to accept that you were unwell and they should make allowances for this. If this is what you want then it makes sense to explain fully to your employer about how unwell you have been, and how you have been reacting to medication. Sadly, adverse reactions to medication is an excuse which is widely misused, and you will have to be quite convincing to stand any chance with this.

Secondly, you could appeal and, while not winning your job back, convince your employer to dismiss you on grounds of incapacity due to temporary ill health rather than on grounds of misconduct. This might make it easier for you to claim benefits, and to get another job.

I would be interested to see what others have to say, also.

Macca83_2

Is it just me or is being disciplined for a bank card getting stuck in the conveyor belt a bit harsh?

DCFC79

Macca83 wrote: »

Is it just me or is being disciplined for a bank card getting stuck in the conveyor belt a bit harsh?

Not just you, seems very harsh to me. Hardly worth doing the disciplinery and the written warning for what is a simple error.

prowla

I just saw a big block of text, and lost track by about the 3rd line.

DCFC79

missM wrote: »

Hello. This is my first time here but some friends have told me this is a good place for help.

Ok, lets start right at the beginning. I am 20 and worked for a supermarket on the tills. Last year I began to suffer from anxiety and went on medication that the doctor gave me, shortly after I began acting strange, not only at work but at home to. I was doing things that I could not remember doing, some odd things at home. (I live with my parents) The trouble began at work when a customer gave me a cash card and it accidentally went down the conveyor belt. I was suspended and had a disciplinary. The card was located down the conveyor system and i was given a written warning.

I did not tell my employer I was on medication but at the meeting I did tell them I was ill and not myself. After a short suspension I went back to work. My parents started to notice my strange behaviour and I actually asked the crisis team who I was seeing to take me away, which they did and told my parents they would asses me at the mental health hospital for up to 72 hours, after a day and half they told me there was nothing wrong with me mentally it was the anxiety and the immediately took me off the medication as I did not need to be on any meds. My employer did not know I went into a mental health hospital as I did not think it was for them to know.

I went back to work and things were fine the strange behavior had gone. My anxiety is still here but thats something i have to deal with myself. Back at work a woman gave me too much money however, I had the money in my hand for up to 8 minutes before I gave it to a supervisor. Looking back I should have put it in the till and told someone at the end of my shift, but I did not do this proberly due to my anxiety (I dont want to use that as an excuse for every mistake I make though) After my shift I went home and returned the next day to do another, nothing was said. However the following shift I went to work walked through the department and was called into the managers office. I was given a letter regarding the incident and again suspended.

At a disciplinary meeting that follwed a week later I was sacked for gross misconduct. I had not followed procedure so that was that. I was told I had a week to appeal, I wrote a letter the following day and posted it to the manager, its now over 2 weeks since I was sacked and heard nothing. In the letter I wrote I said i wanted to appeal and asked for the exact reasons why I was fired. No reply. I was wondering now what to do. I only worked 16 hours per week and live at home. I now have no income and no work and no prospects.

Even if I apply for another job how could I get a reference from this place. I can put my hand on my heart and say it was a mistake holding a ten pound note for 8 minutes before giving it to a supervisor, I had no intension of theft, even though they did say in my meeting they had not acused me of theft. I have never stolen anything, its just at the moment in my life I am suffering from somethnig im finding it hard to shift and deal with. But I feel a sacking was a bit harsh.

Any help please I would like to try to at least appeal this

Should be easier to read.

The bit in bold is a bit strange. Why is holding a £10 note in your hand for 8 minutes before giving it to the supervisor an issue ? Dont any notes go in the cash/till drawer ?

Oh and you do have prospects.

paulwellerfan

op are you in any sort of Union??

Macca83_2

DCFC79 wrote: »

Should be easier to read.

The bit in bold is a bit strange. Why is holding a £10 note in your hand for 8 minutes before giving it to the supervisor an issue ? Dont any notes go in the cash/till drawer ?

Oh and you do have prospects.

It must have something to do with having money out on the shop floor. All monies should be held in the till at all times. Anything that's found outside the till could be classed as theft. But again in this situation it all seems a bit ridiculous.

op, the first post had some very sound advice in it. Id go from there.

DCFC79

Macca83 wrote: »

It must have something to do with having money out on the shop floor. All monies should be held in the till at all times. Anything that's found outside the till could be classed as theft. But again in this situation it all seems a bit ridiculous.

op, the first post had some very sound advice in it. Id go from there.

Yes the money wasnt put in the drawer but doesn't warrent a suspension, a telling off/quiet word would be more appropriate would it not.

Macca83_2

DCFC79 wrote: »

Yes the money wasnt put in the drawer but doesn't warrent a suspension, a telling off/quiet word would be more appropriate would it not.

I would have thought so.

The reaction to both mistakes seem extreme to me.

missM_2

jobbingmusician wrote: »

OK, I will make some suggestions.

Write and ask for a copy of their disciplinary policy, and say that you appealled against your dismissal for gross misconduct two weeks ago, but have heard nothing yet. Say that your illness was not taken into account, either in this latest event or in the earlier mistake.

It would be helpful if you could clarify what 'procedure' is about the overpayment the customer made. Is it simply to put the money into the till, or is it to notify the supervisor? In what way did you not follow procedure, apart from being very slow in doing whatever you did?

Thinking forwards, there are various outcomes. Please note that I am not making any judgement about the probability of the outcomes, simply stating what they could or might be. The very best is that you could be reinstated into your job because you make a good enough case for the employer to accept that you were unwell and they should make allowances for this. If this is what you want then it makes sense to explain fully to your employer about how unwell you have been, and how you have been reacting to medication. Sadly, adverse reactions to medication is an excuse which is widely misused, and you will have to be quite convincing to stand any chance with this.

Secondly, you could appeal and, while not winning your job back, convince your employer to dismiss you on grounds of incapacity due to temporary ill health rather than on grounds of misconduct. This might make it easier for you to claim benefits, and to get another job.

I would be interested to see what others have to say, also.

thank you for your replies i will try to answer the questions. and somemore of mine

Why am I asking for copy of their disciplinary policy? What will that do for me?

Are you asking me this question to answer? It would be helpful if you could clarify what 'procedure' is about the overpayment the customer made. Is it simply to put the money into the till, or is it to notify the supervisor?

If this is for me. i was told all money should go into the till, when I gave it to the supervisor he wasn't sure what to do with it either, I have that in writing. I have had a few days training, the store is new so I have only worked with them for around 5 months. There was nothing I recall in any training session that stated that over payments must go into the till, though I know now just by common sense it should have. But thats when I am thinking right and not being anxious. I am not in any union. I have been under the doctor so thats in my medical records I would think. I wasnt represented in any displapinary as I didnt feel I had anyone that could give me the support, so I attended by my self. If my parents where allowed to voice an opinion Im sure it would have been favourable to me.