Disciplinary hearing

Emmia

SORN said:

I am facing a disciplinary hearing for falling to evacuate  the building while fire alarm was on. During the investigation meeting I was told that this is a gross misconduct which can lead to being dismissed.

The fire alarm keeps going on and off in my company quite often, that day was 2nd time in less then half an hour, and when we go to the fire assembly point there is always someone missing. I was not aware of the gross misconduct. The company has almost 100 employees and we never had any fire training, as well as no handbook was never given to me.

Can the company really dismiss me?

Thank you in advance for your support

If you were in a supermarket doing your shopping, would you carry on whilst everyone evacuates following an alarm, as the supermarket hasn't given you training on what to do?

I'm honestly surprised any adult needs training on what to do when the alarm goes off - didn't you have fire drills at school?

As others have said, not evacuating potentially puts others at risk if you stay put, so your employer disciplining you isn't surprising (sorry if that's a bit harsh)

I always get out, the twice weekly alerts at 2am at uni because some idiot was smoking in their room, the evacuation a few weeks ago in a hotel also in the middle of the night when I was asleep are times when it is way more tempting to stay put, rather than standing in a cold carpark in the rain - but I get out as I want to live, and I don't want to put others in danger rescuing me.

Middle of the working day, when you're awake, dressed and alert seems a much better evacuation starting point.

SORN

I understand it was a silly idea, during the investigation meeting I said I appreciate the letter because it allowed me to learn more about fire allarm. Only after the investigation meeting i learnt about a 2nd fire assembly point, the pathway I had to walk to get my assembly point sometimes is closed, and not knowing the 2nd assembly point would have been dedly. only when you breach a rule then they tell you, people who are missed during fire allarm they might just have the same proplem as I have, I don't think they are doing the right thing not giving fire training

elsien

I’d suggest you don’t say any of that in any disciplinary proceedings. Apologise profusely and assure them it won’t happen again. 

Do they have any other reasons for wanting rid of you? 

Referring to @Emmia’s previous comment, I recall in a fire training session being told that in the (I think) Manchester Woolworths fire people died because they ignored the alarms and carried on queuing to pay. There was also reference to people not wanting to leave meals that they paid for. 

Some people do indeed carry on shopping when they should be legging it. 

Alfrescodave

SORN said:

I am facing a disciplinary hearing for falling to evacuate  the building while fire alarm was on. During the investigation meeting I was told that this is a gross misconduct which can lead to being dismissed.

Can the company really dismiss me?

Thank you in advance for your support

Dismissal seems an extreme option in this case, assuming that you have had no previous instances of "bad" behaviour.
As others have said apologise and do not try to justify your inaction and you might get away with a warning.

Dakta

"Only after the investigation meeting i learnt about a 2nd fire assembly point, the pathway I had to walk to get my assembly point sometimes is closed, and not knowing the 2nd assembly point would have been dedly."

Did you go to the wrong place then or did you ignore the alarm?

If you ignored it they have you bang to rights, and the above advice is the best.

If it was that you want to the wrong place, or the pathways are sometimes closed??! then these issues want raising but should be treat seperately.

Jillanddy

Alfrescodave said:

SORN said:

I am facing a disciplinary hearing for falling to evacuate  the building while fire alarm was on. During the investigation meeting I was told that this is a gross misconduct which can lead to being dismissed.

Can the company really dismiss me?

Thank you in advance for your support

Dismissal seems an extreme option in this case, assuming that you have had no previous instances of "bad" behaviour.
As others have said apologise and do not try to justify your inaction and you might get away with a warning.

Too be fair (and failing to evacuate a building during an alarm would certainly qualify as gross misconduct) we don't really know that the employer intends to dismiss. The OP says that they were told that this was gross misconduct (probably true) and that they could be dismissed (also true) during an investigation meeting. We don't know the circumstances. If the OP was trying to minimise their conduct to the investigation officer as they have here, I can quite believe some exasperated soul pinning them to a wall and saying "Don't you realise that if this had been a fire you could have died? That other people could have died trying to save you? This is really serious, it's possibly gross misconduct and you could get fired for it?" Anyone who has done enough investigation meetings will have come across that minority who simply don't see how serious things are and that they need to stop digging. I recall once having great difficulty trying to explain to someone that working a second job and getting paid for it simultaneously working for us and getting paid for that (literally at the same time, not in addition to time worked for us) was fraud and lying. They didn't get it right up to the day they got dismissed. 

SORN

I told them I had an urgency to go to the toilet and then I went back I saw my manager and I did just follow him, I did evaquate the bulding did just took 1 min longer that's all

TELLIT01

Anywhere I've worked the default action was to evacuate the building when the fire alarm went off, unless we had been told it was being tested.  The fact that it had gone off previously on the same day does not change that.  It's entirely possible that a small fire had been detected, was believed to be out but had reignited.

74jax

SORN said:

I told them I had an urgency to go to the toilet and then I went back I saw my manager and I did just follow him, I did evaquate the bulding did just took 1 min longer that's all

I am facing a disciplinary hearing for falling to evacuate the building while fire alarm was on.

The OP said you didn't evacuate, this post days you did and you and your manager were out 1 minute after everyone else.  What is happening with your manager, do you know? 

JReacher1

Would be harsh to get sacked for gross misconduct for this. 

Probably more likely to be a written warning. Anymore than that and I would suspect they wanted to get rid of you for another reason. 

Don’t defend yourself. Just apologise.