Suspension from duties

jeff_chandler

My Daughter has been suspended from her place of work.

She is a support worker who is much respected by her service users.

A year ago, Hayley lost her partner who passed away from a heart attack in front of her. She has never got over this. She also suffers from mental health but her job keeps her mind at rest.

The company she works for have recently been taken over and implemented different working ways.

A few weeks ago Hayley came out with myself and wife for a couple of hours to a local pub. An elderly gent came over and started talking to her. We asked her who was that, she said it was one of her service users. Hayley was about to walk home when another service user began talking with her. This pub is just around the corner from the home where she works and is where these service users reside. It’s not very often she ventures out and this was a one off.

When she went in work on the Monday one of the management called my Daughter into the office where she was told she was suspended on full pay. One of the other service users found out and told that she had been in the pub around the corner and was drunk whilst chatting to the service users. This person has already got two other support workers suspended through mouthing off. She wasn’t drunk.

This has really upset Hayley who cannot cope and threatened to take her own life. We as parents have told her the suspension is protocol. The letter she received stated Hayley had been suspended on what they said was, unprofessional conduct. Surely by talking to them whilst off duty can’t be a sackable offence?

Jeff

Keep_pedalling

Unless Jeff Chandler is not your real name, you have just posted your daughter’s name and issue for the whole world to see so you would be wise to edit your post ASAP.

Flugelhorn

agree re editing name etc 

so where in her contract does he say she can't have a drink in the local pub?

Undervalued

Quote of OP removed in case they have used real names

That would depend on her contract (and other rules relating to her employment). Do they have a specific protocol about how staff should act in similar circumstances?

Also, how long has she been employed? If less than two years she has little legal protection.

If your user name shows your real surname and particularly if you have used your daughter's real first name in the third paragraph, then you might want to edit your post, particularly if you are going to use phrases such as "mouthing off" about her employer's clients!

elsien

If your username is your real name and you have used your daughter’s real name, then please remove that from this post to immediately. It makes her identifiable, As does some of the other information, so you might want to review the post on that basis.
What you don’t want is your daughter  accused of bringing the organisation into disrepute because someone’s read
something on here

Suspension is intended to be a neutral act, which allows for an investigation and protects both sides at the same time.
your daughter, to protect her from further allegations while at work, and the service users in case there is something going on.

If she is in a union, she should get hold of them immediately. She does not have the right with them to accompany her investigation meetings, but she does have the right for a union rep or a colleague to support in any disciplinary process if it comes to that.

She should also get hold of the disciplinary procedure, so she understands what happens next.

Suspension does not automatically mean that she has done something wrong or that she being dismissed and I think your daughter needs to hold on to that. 

Sometimes  in this line of work allegations are made. It is incredibly difficult and stressful for the person who the allegations have been made against, but the organisation does have a duty to investigate.
They may well investigate and find out no further action is needed.

Threatening to take her own life is an extreme reaction, however upset she is, so she may want to consider medical help with that.

As a side note, the employer should not be discussing anything about your daughter  with you without your her consent due to confidentiality and data protection.
You are better off supporting her emotionally and not getting involved otherwise. 

elsien

@Undervalued, you have copied the post you have advised the OP to amend so you might want to delete that bit as well on the same grounds. 

Also to add, no  she can’t be sacked for talking to people outside of work. Talking to them while rolling drunk would a different scenario if she was being completely inappropriate.

There’s a reason that I chose not to live too close to to my workplace when I used to work in care. Likelihood of contact with people outside of work was one of the relevant factors, although  not the only one. 

jeff_chandler

My user name isn't real, it's from a local play where I played this character. 

LightFlare

If she had pre-arranged to meet them, then I could see an issue however a random meeting up and polite chat is fine.

I’ve often seen patients/ex-patients of mine in social situations and it’s never been regarded as a problem.

As above - is she a member of a union ?

jeff_chandler

Yes, she has contacted the Union and they told her not to worry. It is difficult living on the same street as her employees and service users do pass her home whilst going to the local shop.