Serving notice: demoted and told when to take lunch!

billybudd

Hi,

I'm a new member here, I hope someone can help.

I have worked for a Recruitment company for 4 years and the past 18 months I have been working as a "Director" with growth shares - more of a Glorified Manager to be honest. Both myself and another Director handed our notices in and must serve 6 months notice (which the company is calling Garden Leave even though I'm still going to the office 5 days a week) and working in a demoted capacity as a Recruitment Consultant - at the level of people I was previously managing whilst also moving where I sit and giving me significantly decreased responsibility.

I'm getting on with the notice period so far but the MD is an extremely selfish and petty man - he is now trying to enforce stopping myself and the fellow Director serving notice from going to lunch together and saying we must go at different times - something that has never been dictated before. It sounds silly but it's quite frustrating as its so petty! Is this fair? The reason he is doing it is because he thinks we are going to set up in competition which we are not, but he doesn't believe us.

In addition to this he is trying to turn people against us by sending out emails to the whole company saying such things as to keep an eye on us and to notify him if we are acting suspicious and so on. He has also changed the locks to the doors, locked me out of my email, got the whole company (35 people) to change their passwords, made us give our building fobs back, allowed us no access to the server and unbelievably not given us internet access which is very important in 21st century recruitment!!

Should be a fun 6 months!

If you guys have any advice or tips whatsoever (including any knowledge on constructive dismissall!) then please let me know. Thanks guys.

harryfrombarry_2

If I was you, when you both get up to go to lunch, and something is mentioned about it that you aren't allowed to, just say "Well we're going to lunch anyway". What can they do? Sack you?!

DandelionPatrol

harryfrombarry wrote: »

If I was you, when you both get up to go to lunch, and something is mentioned about it that you aren't allowed to, just say "Well we're going to lunch anyway". What can they do? Sack you?!

I agree. Plenty of scope here for some open defiance while being absolutely reasonable. With luck you could wind him up enough to be freed from the 6 months if that is what you want.

ohreally

I suspect the MD will get sick of this before you guys do. Although difficult, keep you cool and work it up him.

pinkshoes

So what on earth are they expecting you to do if you can't access anything??

you could take to eating your lunch in the office. I can recommend canned mackerel with a fizzy drink - you can do the most wonderful fishy burps all afternoon.

Perhaps you and the other guy should start leaving together to go to the pub after work??

superbigal36

Tell him you are going to set up in competition.

BoJangles_2

All very strange. I've known employees to be put on gardening leave but it was a case of keeping them away from work during the notice period (and being paid) to eliminate any risks to the business. It sounds like there is no point in you being there anyway!

Undervalued

BoJangles wrote: »

All very strange. I've known employees to be put on gardening leave but it was a case of keeping them away from work during the notice period (and being paid) to eliminate any risks to the business. It sounds like there is no point in you being there anyway!

Whilst I agree that is what usually happens, it doesn't have to.

Almost all employment contracts require you to do "any other duties the company reasonably requires" or some similar wording. So if they what you to come in and straighten out the paperclips, providing they pay your salary, they can insist on it!

molerat

I remember someone who was unceremoniously sacked on the assumption of the risk of him poaching staff via his management consultancy. He wasn't. He threatened them with a tribunal, they chickened out and agreed a settlement, he waited 6 months and poached around 50 of their managers and experienced staff. Karma is a !!!!!.

DKLS

I like the fishy burps idea, in fact why not mess with the MDs head, do a full on picnic in the office, wicker basket, ginger ale, egg sarnie, big victoria sponge cake the works.
Start winking and nodding at each other, consult your smartphones in a studios manner whilst nodding and smiling regularly.
Sing, hum, and generally make a nuisance of yourself and you should be on proper gardening leave within a couple of weeks.

getmore4less

does the contract have any non compete/poaching clauses?