URGENT HELP SON DISCIPLINARY MEETING

Grumpy_chap

MissScott1501 said:

As previously stated we are unable to get a union rep in time and there is no collegaue who can support him.  We are the only family he has to help.

There is no reason that the employer would need to allow you or your husband to attend.  The rules are set out in law:
colleague or union rep

anyone else is by agreement

Unless a "reasonable adjustment" under disability.

https://www.acas.org.uk/disciplinary-procedure-step-by-step/step-4-the-disciplinary-hearing

FWIW, I think the idea of playing the disabled "reasonable adjustment" card (for an undiagnosed and previously undeclared condition) or having your son's parents (that's a complex loop) attend would backfire.

swingaloo

MissScott1501 said:

My husband and I went through what happened in detail with my son, But with little information about the actual complaint and the actual location of it.  How can we fully prepare,  this is not the first time he has drove a high performance company car, he does this weekly.

Lloyd Group who he works for is not a small garage by any means.

We are not using the disability card for discrimination in any means.   He won't handle being in there on his own without panicking and being over anxious.

As previously stated we are unable to get a union rep in time and there is no collegaue who can support him.  We are the only family he has to help.

I think you are over thinking this.
Top and bottom of it is probably that your son was speeding or doing a bit of showing off. Its already admitted he was doing 60 very close to a roundabout.

It doesnt matter who reported it, someone did and that is because they thought he was driving recklessly. 

You dont need information about the complaint or the actual location, it makes no difference. The complaint has been made and thats all you need to know. Its pointless trying to fight a corner as your son is in a position where they can choose to let him go if they wish.

If he wants to keep his job he needs to apologise and hope they will accept that.
Going in denying everything wont help. Someone obviously was concerned enough about his driving to report it to the company.
Its not personal as they would not have known who was driving the vehicle,

MissScott1501

Grumpy_chap said:

MissScott1501 said:

As previously stated we are unable to get a union rep in time and there is no collegaue who can support him.  We are the only family he has to help.

There is no reason that the employer would need to allow you or your husband to attend.  The rules are set out in law:
colleague or union rep

anyone else is by agreement

Unless a "reasonable adjustment" under disability.

https://www.acas.org.uk/disciplinary-procedure-step-by-step/step-4-the-disciplinary-hearing

FWIW, I think the idea of playing the disabled "reasonable adjustment" card (for an undiagnosed and previously undeclared condition) or having your son's parents (that's a complex loop) attend would backfire.

When i spoke to acas about this initially this is what they recommended we do.  Even though his conditions have not been officially diagnosed by a doctor. 

powerful_Rogue

MissScott1501 said:

Grumpy_chap said:

MissScott1501 said:

As previously stated we are unable to get a union rep in time and there is no collegaue who can support him.  We are the only family he has to help.

There is no reason that the employer would need to allow you or your husband to attend.  The rules are set out in law:
colleague or union rep

anyone else is by agreement

Unless a "reasonable adjustment" under disability.

https://www.acas.org.uk/disciplinary-procedure-step-by-step/step-4-the-disciplinary-hearing

FWIW, I think the idea of playing the disabled "reasonable adjustment" card (for an undiagnosed and previously undeclared condition) or having your son's parents (that's a complex loop) attend would backfire.

When i spoke to acas about this initially this is what they recommended we do.  Even though his conditions have not been officially diagnosed by a doctor. 

Very poor advice from acas.

MissScott1501

swingaloo said:

MissScott1501 said:

My husband and I went through what happened in detail with my son, But with little information about the actual complaint and the actual location of it.  How can we fully prepare,  this is not the first time he has drove a high performance company car, he does this weekly.

Lloyd Group who he works for is not a small garage by any means.

We are not using the disability card for discrimination in any means.   He won't handle being in there on his own without panicking and being over anxious.

As previously stated we are unable to get a union rep in time and there is no collegaue who can support him.  We are the only family he has to help.

I think you are over thinking this.
Top and bottom of it is probably that your son was speeding or doing a bit of showing off. Its already admitted he was doing 60 very close to a roundabout.

It doesnt matter who reported it, someone did and that is because they thought he was driving recklessly. 

You dont need information about the complaint or the actual location, it makes no difference. The complaint has been made and thats all you need to know. Its pointless trying to fight a corner as your son is in a position where they can choose to let him go if they wish.

If he wants to keep his job he needs to apologise and hope they will accept that.
Going in denying everything wont help. Someone obviously was concerned enough about his driving to report it to the company.
Its not personal as they would not have known who was driving the vehicle,

My main concern is that he is not in there on his own and he has someone for support.

Grumpy_chap

MissScott1501 said:

I actually thought posting on here for advice and to see if anyone else had similar experience would help.  But the opposite seems to have happened.   I am more worried and anxious now that my son will have to attend this meeting on his own and end up dismissed for not being able to speak up for himself and state his case clearly and accurately due to anxiety and panic.      Not what I expected at all. 

Unfortunately, not all advice will be what you expect to hear.
I can't see anyone who has given any comment that is not reasonable given the information that has been shared.
The forum would not be doing any favours if it simply gave a sugar-coated "it'll be alright" response.

I hope that the comments made in the thread are able to allow you, together with your son, to think things over and prepare the best strategy for him to go into the meeting with. 
He should be allowed to take prepared notes in with him, which might help him to prepare his case and thoughts in a structured way.
Hopefully, he will be able to get on the record his correction of the previous notes from his manager.  Plus the fact the car log showed no adverse events.

Grumpy_chap

powerful_Rogue said:

MissScott1501 said:

Grumpy_chap said:

MissScott1501 said:

As previously stated we are unable to get a union rep in time and there is no collegaue who can support him.  We are the only family he has to help.

There is no reason that the employer would need to allow you or your husband to attend.  The rules are set out in law:
colleague or union rep

anyone else is by agreement

Unless a "reasonable adjustment" under disability.

https://www.acas.org.uk/disciplinary-procedure-step-by-step/step-4-the-disciplinary-hearing

FWIW, I think the idea of playing the disabled "reasonable adjustment" card (for an undiagnosed and previously undeclared condition) or having your son's parents (that's a complex loop) attend would backfire.

When i spoke to acas about this initially this is what they recommended we do.  Even though his conditions have not been officially diagnosed by a doctor. 

Very poor advice from acas.

Hmm, not all helplines give accurate advice, especially if the information they hear is "spun" by the caller requesting advice.

MissScott1501

Grumpy_chap said:

MissScott1501 said:

I actually thought posting on here for advice and to see if anyone else had similar experience would help.  But the opposite seems to have happened.   I am more worried and anxious now that my son will have to attend this meeting on his own and end up dismissed for not being able to speak up for himself and state his case clearly and accurately due to anxiety and panic.      Not what I expected at all. 

Unfortunately, not all advice will be what you expect to hear.
I can't see anyone who has given any comment that is not reasonable given the information that has been shared.
The forum would not be doing any favours if it simply gave a sugar-coated "it'll be alright" response.

I hope that the comments made in the thread are able to allow you, together with you son, to think things over and prepare the best strategy for him to go into the meeting with. 
He should be allowed to take prepared notes in with him, which might help him to prepare his case and thoughts in a structured way.
Hopefully, he will be able to get on the record his correction of the previous notes from his manager.

I am tempted to help him write up his side of events, the questions that need asked and the areas that are updated for him to give to the people in the meeting.    Like a prepared written statement of his side.  

Savvy_Sue

I know it's too late now, but you don't wait to have a problem before joining a union. You join a union so that when you have a problem, they are there for you.

If he apologised for having appeared to be driving aggressively, he'd be on stronger ground than if he just says he wasn't. Worth him stating that he was aware and observant of speed limits. Understanding that in the car he was driving, it's likely to be noisy.

And if he keeps his job, join a union now.

swingaloo

Blimey, Im speaking as an ex manager and as a mum here. 

He is 19, if he is old enough to take a company car out on his own he is old enough to handle this. Anxiety or not, it will not help if he has 'dad' with him or turns up with a pile of notes and questions. Bosses do not appreciate employees parents wading in and in all honesty it will just make your son look immature.

What are the questions that need to be asked?

Someone reported him for driving fast and recklessly, he  says he wasn't. 

He is not going in front of a parole board, he just needs to do what someone suggested earlier in the thread and hold his hand up to being a bit silly and hope they accept an apology. They hold all the cards here, he just wants to hold onto his job and arguing about things which cant be proved or disproved isnt the way to go about it.

He has nothing to gain by fighting this when he has no means of proving he wasnt driving recklessly.

You have already made several contradictory statements and it wont help if they are written down and shown to his boss. He doesn't want this to drag on if he is an anxious person
Apologise and hope for the best.