Suspended with pay.. Will I be sacked?

ConfusedMan999

Had a short meeting today, and received a letter confirming my hearing date. It's Tuesday next week. I have spent all yesterday and today applying for new jobs as I don't fancy my odds. I spoke to my union rep and she believes I will be sacked, that they would sooner let me go and satisfy the customer that justice has been done... It's a joke really, but I understand everyone has to keep on this fake 'professional by the book' front.

My plan for my meeting, if I get opportunity to say my piece is to explain that I was stressed and under pressure with the new system I am not yet fully experienced with crashing on me, that I was unaware a customer was on the line, that the swearing was not directed towards anyone and I felt a pressure to fix the issue quickly as my shift was coming to an end and managers were waiting for me to finish so they would leave.

My odds are slim to none haha

TBagpuss

ScorpiondeRooftrouser wrote: »

Are we really living in a world where some sensitive soul is so upset at overhearing someone swear that heads must roll for it?

Does this person never go outside their own front door?

While the advice above is no doubt best for the OP to follow, to be safe, the customer's attitude is !!!!ing ridiculous.

In fairness, the customer may have had no idea that their complaint would or could result in someone being fired.

Swearing at a customer (I understand that he OP didn't intend to swear *at* the customer, but the effect was the same) is unprofessional and it is a legitimate thing to raise and to make a complaint about. Unless the customer was actively demanding that OP was sacked I don't think we can assume that they would have wanted or expected that to happen.

None of which helps the OP - I agree that their best course of action is to apologise, explain that you were not searing at the customer and did not realise that they were still on the line, and were upset the that system had gone down, worried the customer would think you'd hung up on them etc.

If you are lucky, this may be treated as a training issue, and you may be given a formal warning.

Comms69

ConfusedMan999 wrote: »

Had a short meeting today, and received a letter confirming my hearing date. It's Tuesday next week. I have spent all yesterday and today applying for new jobs as I don't fancy my odds. I spoke to my union rep and she believes I will be sacked, that BT would sooner let me go and satisfy the customer that justice has been done... It's a joke really, but I understand everyone has to keep on this fake 'professional by the book' front.

My plan for my meeting, if I get opportunity to say my piece is to explain that I was stressed and under pressure with the new system I am not yet fully experienced with crashing on me, that I was unaware a customer was on the line, that the swearing was not directed towards anyone and I felt a pressure to fix the issue quickly as my shift was coming to an end and managers were waiting for me to finish so they would leave.

My odds are slim to none haha

Your strategy should be to apologise firstly!

Torry_Quine

TBagpuss wrote: »

In fairness, the customer may have had no idea that their complaint would or could result in someone being fired.

Swearing at a customer (I understand that he OP didn't intend to swear *at* the customer, but the effect was the same) is unprofessional and it is a legitimate thing to raise and to make a complaint about. Unless the customer was actively demanding that OP was sacked I don't think we can assume that they would have wanted or expected that to happen.

None of which helps the OP - I agree that their best course of action is to apologise, explain that you were not searing at the customer and did not realise that they were still on the line, and were upset the that system had gone down, worried the customer would think you'd hung up on them etc.

If you are lucky, this may be treated as a training issue, and you may be given a formal warning.

Exactly. If I had been the customer then I would have complained. I would expect them to be disciplined but not necessarily fired depending on previous behaviour.

Smodlet

As for "satisfying the customer that justice has been done", the customer cannot know the outcome of their complaint. The Data Protection Act precludes their being told what happens to you. All they will be told is that it has dealt with.

Manxman_in_exile

Apologise and grovel! I think some of the advice from others about steering it around to you being frustrated because you thought the customer was cut off, and you were concerned about how that would look to the customer, is good advice.


You might well be sacked any way...but... I'm a BT customer and I am definitely not impressed by their call centres (sorry OP!). I don't think BT are particularly concerned about their reputation with customers.


At work some years ago my wife rang me. I was busy with something else and asked a colleague to pick up the call. She did but then inexplicably fell off her chair. It went "Good morning - management accounts - oh f**k!"


Didn't bother my wife at all - she laughed as she was used to living with me. In the Isle of Man the "F" word is used as a mode of punctuation and emphasis even more than it is on the mainland (as we call the UK).

ConfusedMan999

Of course I will go in all guns blazing with apologies and my concerns for the companies reputation. That's good advice to go for the angel of I was concerned the customer had been cut off.

Apologise, mention pressure and stress, explain I would never swear at a customer and of course never swear again any where near a headset. My feeling is that the decision has already been made, but you never know.

I have already managed to get two interviews booked for this week, one that is actually better money and a similar role. Preferably I keep my job, but if not hopefully one of these pan out.

bugslet

Diamandis wrote: »

There is a chance you could keep your job but I wouldn't take the risk on someone who had only been employed with us for a few weeks.

As a manager, I would take a view on your whole ( such as it is!) employment history and listen to what you say and in this case, !!!!!!, don't swear

ScorpiondeRooftrouser wrote: »

Are we really living in a world where some sensitive soul is so upset at overhearing someone swear that heads must roll for it?

Does this person never go outside their own front door?

While the advice above is no doubt best for the OP to follow, to be safe, the customer's attitude is !!!!ing ridiculous.

Tried to thank twice, wouldn't let me:D

Torry_Quine wrote: »

Exactly. If I had been the customer then I would have complained. I would expect them to be disciplined but not necessarily fired depending on previous behaviour.

Why, it was obvious from the length of silence, punctuated by one 'fing computer' comment that they thought the caller was no longer there. If you complain, it's going to get someone into a load of bother over nothing.

NeilCr

motorguy wrote: »

I blame the Snowflake Generation

God I hate this phrase and I am 64. And, yes, I do think some things have gone too far. I dislike the compensation culture and as for sports commentators having to apologise for swearing picked up on mikes......

However.

I spent most of my working life customer and client facing. We all knew not to swear on the phone be it in the background or to the person on the other end. And over those years 1970s- 2000s we would have thought it more than possible that there would have been a complaint if it happened.

And, as you have picked up OP, apologise and apologise again

pmduk

ScorpiondeRooftrouser wrote: »

Are we really living in a world where some sensitive soul is so upset at overhearing someone swear that heads must roll for it?

Does this person never go outside their own front door?

While the advice above is no doubt best for the OP to follow, to be safe, the customer's attitude is !!!!ing ridiculous.

Having worked in call-centres, there are no shortage of customers like this! Rarely would a day pass without someone promising to have my job.