Ex boss mocks me in public - Advice needed

Charityworker

I left my last employed job and went self employed just over a year ago due to workplace bullying. I won't go into the details but I was the paid manager of a local charity which was/is failing. The charity was run by a board of trustees and committee and I was the manager of the charity shop, drop in centre etc. The charity is losing roughly £10,000 per year which they have been getting away with as someone donated them £100,000 in their will! I stuck it out for 7 years. Then one day it got so bad I just walked. The next day started the business I had been dreaming of and now I earn double what I did there. Then I took them to a tribunal for unpaid holidays and workplace bullying and won!

Anyway, ever since then the Chairperson of the committee who was in effect my boss shouts obscenities to me in public whenever she sees me or points at me and laughs in a stupid childish way like being back at school. She does it so loud that everyone turns round to see what's going on. Now though she has managed to get some of the volunteers from the charity shop (who were my old work mates) to mock me very loudly in public. I was in the supermarket doing my shopping the other day when I heard someone shouting "look at that silly cow". When I looked she was one of my old work mates shouting it to me. Security came up to me and asked if I was ok and I just said "ignore her she's an idiot". Think back to when you were at school where you used to get cliques and the ring leader would manipulate people in the click to bully anyone outside the clique. That's exactly what it's like.

At the moment all I do is hold my head up high, smile and feel proud I got out and made a successful business. I thought if I did that they would eventually get bored. But it's been over a year now and they're still doing it. Any ideas?

BykerSands

A course of conduct that has caused you to suffer alarm to distress. Report the harassment to your local police.

mark55man

goodness - what a shower of a group

keep a diary and report them to the charity commissioners (as well as the police) - sound like a bunch of horrible self entitled people

ACG

There are 2 trains of thought with this sort of thing, ignore it and it will go away or become a little more passive agressive.

Shout back Hiiii in a really chirpy voice and walk over. Especially if they do it on their own, you will probably find they shut up turn around and walk off. Just be prepared though as they may not, but just talk to them. There is no point getting in to a shouting match in the middle of Sainsbos, that wont do either of you any favours.

robatwork

Very difficult for you and I sympathise.

"Silly cow" is an opinion of you. If they called you "Lying thieving cow" in public for example that would certainly be slanderous.

If you are able to just ignore it/them or shop elsewhere that's what I would do - I think the stress of trying to pursue some legal or other action against them would outweigh the likely benefit.

On a side issue it's amazing how often charities and those who work there seem to be some of the worst employers and employees on this forum. Perhaps some people aren't in it for the right reasons, and once again I will stop typing before my views on charities in general are laid bare.

Rosemary7391

mark88man wrote: »

goodness - what a shower of a group

keep a diary and report them to the charity commissioners (as well as the police) - sound like a bunch of horrible self entitled people

Keep good notes of the date/time/location within the store as well as any security guards or staff you speak to in relation to it. If they're daft enough to harass you where there's CCTV and a lot of easily traceable witnesses... Perhaps the police might advise you about writing a letter requesting that they stop - then they can't claim they didn't realise it wasn't okay? I don't know how sensible that is though. Don't want to fan the flames, but surely a year is long enough to wait for them to get bored!

selloptape

What a horrible person! Hope you have good support around you, this is just nasty.

If you took action against them, or the police did, for harassment, that wouldn't look very good for their PR in the local press... Just saying...

Callie22

If you won a tribunal against them for workplace bullying then they would be very, very stupid to attempt to carry it on now that you've left. I would keep a record of all events and the people involved and then involve the police if necessary.

arcon5

Sometimes a confrontation can help nip things like this in the bud. I'm not talking about smacking her or getting in her face or anything but loudly and very proactively calling her out about why she feels she can abuse you in public and embarass herself!

dawyldthing

Id turn around to her face and say something in the region of 'is someone talking about themselves aloud in public again?'

Moneysaver199

I wouldn't retaliate at all, if you say anything back you can't really report it and it may also encourage them.

It's public harassment, some people seem to think the police would be interested, perhaps they would. If it happens in public like it did in the shop when a staff member asked if you were ok, it might be best to try get a note of the staff member's name just in case you need a witness at some stage.

What is the structure like in the charity? Is there someone you can report this to? It sort of sounds like a local charity, but you will know if there is someone you could take this to. Perhaps say if it continues you are going to involve the police and that may put a stop to it.

Disappointing however that these sort of people get away with it while working for a charity of all places. Though I guess there are no boundaries to that.