Can we stop employees from having direct contact?

jobbingmusician

OP, I can see that you are trying to handle this the best way possible. (And I don't think you are necessarily treating this grievance any differently from previous grievances, because I haven't read anything in this thread about whether there have been any, or how you have handled them.)

But... why not just hand the whole thing over to your HR agency and let them handle it? What could be more independent than that? It might cost a bit more, but money well spent.....

undercoverirish

They’ve offered for someone to sit in but they said themselves it might look bad and make her panic more. They’ve recommended that I touch base with them straight away after the meeting with the female tomorrow. She said I need to take notes etc and then share them with the girl afterwards too but they’ve asked to see them before I send them out

Smodlet

ScorpiondeRooftrouser wrote: »

You've never met a white man with an appalling attitude towards women then?

I personally know many white British males who are far worse than anything I see in the OP, even if he is genuine.

Of course I have; I'm from East Anglia, !!!!!!! But I have not met anyone with the OP's attitude for a very long time, lucky me. Had I done so, I think I would have put them firmly in their place. I think you are clouding the issue. Even East Anglian men, I sincerely hope in this day and age, realise there is such a thing as employment law to which even they are subject.

Oh, let's not muddy the waters. I was just trying to comprehend where this idiotically outdated attitude comes from. It really seems the world is going backwards as far as women's rights are concerned (don't start, I'm not a militant feminist; you don't have to be to expect employers to be aware of employment law) BonnieLass works for a corporate and is, according to her, going through the same issue, though I have my doubts about that.

It is not the 1970s. From what I remember, around the turn of the millenium things were not this bad but perhaps that is purely because I have never worked for an employer like undercoverirish.

Smodlet

undercoverirish wrote: »

They’ve offered for someone to sit in but they said themselves it might look bad and make her panic more. They’ve recommended that I touch base with them straight away after the meeting with the female tomorrow. She said I need to take notes etc and then share them with the girl afterwards too but they’ve asked to see them before I send them out

I don't suppose you have anything as revolutionary as a union in your place but I sincerely hope this poor woman has someone with her, preferably a lawyer, when you so graciously bestow your time upon her.

I think you are completely wrong in trying to handle this yourself; what part of "stop digging" did you not get? If you don't make a bad situation ten times worse, I'll be amazed.

ohreally

Where do you sit in the grievance procedure? It would be normal for the line manager, supported by HR, to take the meeting. Who hears the appeal if the grievance falls as your already involved in the process.


At which point does HR think there may actually be a role for them here? BTW, it!!!8217;s unbelievable that HR aren!!!8217;t attending yet want sight of the minutes before the individual procecuting the grievance.

You do have a process policy to follow?

Wyndham

undercoverirish wrote: »

They’ve offered for someone to sit in but they said themselves it might look bad and make her panic more. They’ve recommended that I touch base with them straight away after the meeting with the female tomorrow. She said I need to take notes etc and then share them with the girl afterwards too but they’ve asked to see them before I send them out

{Sigh} "The Female". "The Girl". She is a woman.

If it helps, think of it this way. Would you say "The Male" or "The Boy"?

(Though actually, given what you've already said here, I think you would talk about "The Lads", so I suspect there is no hope for you!)

undercoverirish

Yea we have a grievance policy. I’m the line manager so it should be with me. The hr company have said it’s fine for me to do it but might want to get someone else to conduct the investigation if we need to have one.

I’ll try and use correct labels for people - someone disliked that I called her girl so I used female! No winning sometimes

We don’t have an hr dept, we’re just too small for that. So we have an external company that drew up our policies. I had them done because I know I need them but I’ve never sat reading them. Again, my fault so I’ll take more responsibility for that

Hr company felt it might aggirvate rhe situation if they got involved now

Smodlet

Then I recommend you find an HR company with a clue. You seriously need to distance yourself from this. Can you really not see that the real issue the "girl/female" (make that woman) has is with you and your appalling lack of management?

Were you part of a larger organisation, with a manager of your own, you would be claiming JSA right now.

Ames

undercoverirish wrote: »

Yea we have a grievance policy. I’m the line manager so it should be with me. The hr company have said it’s fine for me to do it but might want to get someone else to conduct the investigation if we need to have one.

I’ll try and use correct labels for people - someone disliked that I called her girl so I used female! No winning sometimes

We don’t have an hr dept, we’re just too small for that. So we have an external company that drew up our policies. I had them done because I know I need them but I’ve never sat reading them. Again, my fault so I’ll take more responsibility for that

Hr company felt it might aggirvate rhe situation if they got involved now

Seriously? You didn't think you needed to know the policies that you had drawn up? You thought there were just a pile of paper to sit in a drawer somewhere?

Do you have any idea, at all, that your job carries legal responsibilities?

nicechap

undercoverirish wrote: »

Yea we have a grievance policy. I!!!8217;m the line manager so it should be with me. The hr company have said it!!!8217;s fine for me to do it but might want to get someone else to conduct the investigation if we need to have one.

I!!!8217;ll try and use correct labels for people - someone disliked that I called her girl so I used female! No winning sometimes

We don!!!8217;t have an hr dept, we!!!8217;re just too small for that. So we have an external company that drew up our policies. I had them done because I know I need them but I!!!8217;ve never sat reading them. Again, my fault so I!!!8217;ll take more responsibility for that

Hr company felt it might aggirvate rhe situation if they got involved now

Seriously, absolutely not.

The grievance is/ should be against you and your wrongful use of the disciplinary policy. If you "investigate" or "hear" the grievance you will be opening your organisation up to even bigger compensation claim.

(But I still think you should resign and join the foreign legion.)