Urgent Advice Needed - Bullying / Consultant

dilemma10

Hi All,
Hope you're well. I must be the unluckiest person in employment. I went from walking a CEO's dog for a job (in a role which definitely was not meant for that) to a great role (by the title of it) in a public sector organisation as a director on the senior management team.
I started in September and was cutting through lots of idiotic systems and processes quickly, achieving great results, gained lots of respect and positivity and praise. Then...
The big bad boss hired a consultant, who thinks he can do my job.
Ever since then, I've been panned.
Half of the management team has since been fired or left out of frustration.
Anyway cut a long story short I have been invited to a number of out of hours meetings with said consultant, of which I cannot challenge as he seems to be best mates with the big bad boss (of this I am pretty sure = their liaisons are unusual to say the least).
Today I have just returned home from a meeting with him whereby one of the PAs was sat down as a notetaker (I was not told in advance this would happen); he continued to ask me a number of questions in an aggresive tone and pace about my plans, he pulled everything I have done to date apart; he swore countless times, and then reported back that he will be sending the notes straight in to the boss.
I am also 95% sure that he recorded everything which was said.
He has also set another meeting for me and my DIRECT REPORTS for next week outside of hours (up to 8.30pm) and has tasked me with tasking them with impossible tasks. He is threatening for me to fire them if they do not deliver.
It has been the worst experience of my life since this person has started 'consulting' with us and I am close to issuing a grievance.
However - where do I stand - I have only been there for 3 months and am I overreacting or is this very unfair practice?
Let me get one thing straight - most people will say this but I genuinely have worked exceptionally hard, have restructed lots of different areas, and am pretty sure I know what I am doing, and the people who work with me day to day are sure of this too.

WHAT DO I DO!

It's unbearable!

Another_not_new_user

Is it unfair practice - maybe. Depends whose version one is hearing. Where do you stand? Nowhere. Three months service and you can be dismissed for an awful long time yet, with no reason and nothing you can do about it. So a grievance won't really help - it'll more likely do nothing or make it worse. Your best advice is to find another job fast.


If you are that senior and in a public sector organisation, I assume you do realise that there is no such things as "out of hours".

dilemma10

Another_not_new_user wrote: »

Is it unfair practice - maybe. Depends whose version one is hearing. Where do you stand? Nowhere. Three months service and you can be dismissed for an awful long time yet, with no reason and nothing you can do about it. So a grievance won't really help - it'll more likely do nothing or make it worse. Your best advice is to find another job fast.


If you are that senior and in a public sector organisation, I assume you do realise that there is no such things as "out of hours".

Yes of course I do and I am not one to shirk on hours!

Hmm...dear oh dear.

Hedgehog99

Have a look at http://www.bullyonline.org/workbully/index.htm
It's a basic website visually, but there is lots of good advice and support there.
Keep a diary of the times you feel you have been bullied so that you have it to refer to in future if necessary.
You might be lucky and the guy will be dismissed. If you think he's there long-term, then maybe time to keep an eye on other options you could apply for.
Are you in a union? You could contact them even if you only wantto talk things through rather than make a complaint.

Another_not_new_user

dilemma10 wrote: »

Yes of course I do and I am not one to shirk on hours!

Hmm...dear oh dear.

I didn't say that you were. You did mention repeatedly that meetings were being called out of hours as part of your complaints. Since you know that there is no such thing as out of hours in a position such as the one you describe, why mention it?


I realise you feel aggrieved. And maybe rightly so. But the fact is that yours is one version. The employers version will go something along the lines of "we brought in a new manager for a dysfunctional department, it wasn't working out, we weren't happy, we brought in a consultant and if the staff don't like it then I am afraid that is tough luck because it is our business and we will structure it/ run it / set targets how we want them done". And I am sorry, but I am afraid they are right. You might be "pretty sure" you know what you are doing - your employer is making it clear that they do not share that view. The consultant isn't doing all this in a vacuum - they are being employed, paid for and are listening to the consultant. They may be wrong, you may be right. But it is probably going to be a very long way down the line before they realise that, if ever.


You have three months service - you need two years for a claim of unfair dismissal. So you have few options - leave, do as you are told, or get sacked for not doing as you are told. Leaving, preferably with another job to go to, is the obvious front runner on the best option list.

dilemma10

Another_not_new_user wrote: »

I didn't say that you were. You did mention repeatedly that meetings were being called out of hours as part of your complaints. Since you know that there is no such thing as out of hours in a position such as the one you describe, why mention it?


I realise you feel aggrieved. And maybe rightly so. But the fact is that yours is one version. The employers version will go something along the lines of "we brought in a new manager for a dysfunctional department, it wasn't working out, we weren't happy, we brought in a consultant and if the staff don't like it then I am afraid that is tough luck because it is our business and we will structure it/ run it / set targets how we want them done". And I am sorry, but I am afraid they are right. You might be "pretty sure" you know what you are doing - your employer is making it clear that they do not share that view. The consultant isn't doing all this in a vacuum - they are being employed, paid for and are listening to the consultant. They may be wrong, you may be right. But it is probably going to be a very long way down the line before they realise that, if ever.


You have three months service - you need two years for a claim of unfair dismissal. So you have few options - leave, do as you are told, or get sacked for not doing as you are told. Leaving, preferably with another job to go to, is the obvious front runner on the best option list.

Thanks, rational advice.

If only I could share the detail...but we'd be here all evening.

theoretica

Another point to investigate is the ethics of appointing this consultant who is, you say, close to the boss. Can you find your work's appropriate conflict of interest, tendering and appointment policies?