Is Walking Out Classed as Gross Misconduct or Official Resignation?

bazdvd

debtslave2024 said:

@Altior “ they could tell you on Monday that you're the best new starter they've ever seen, and on Tuesday let you go.. From painful personal experience I know. I suspect this is the reason why millions are now dropping out of the job market, from various age groups. I always worked, but increasingly I do not blame them. How can anyone build any security in their life, when treated like this! 

It took me almost a year to get this job, after hundreds of applications. 

yet you just walked out rather than try to improve?

debtslave2024

@bazdvd, as I mentioned earlier other longer serving staff were playing games on their phones, extended “toilet breaks,” chatting, and lots of laughs - I just kept my head down. You cannot argue against unfairness - they will decide based on bias, profit, and ulterior motives. Even, if I did try to speed up within 4 DAYS, I am 99% confident that I would have been out within 4 days. With such short notice, and none of the promised help, that was the clear game plan here. Once again I will re-iterate my work review was POSITIVE only 8 days ago! I only got the news that I am supposedly useless today. Did you even read my overall positive work review, that was sent to me only 8 days ago?

Altior

debtslave2024 said:

@Altior “ they could tell you on Monday that you're the best new starter they've ever seen, and on Tuesday let you go.. From painful personal experience I know. I suspect this is the reason why millions are now dropping out of the job market, from various age groups. I always worked, but increasingly I do not blame them. How can anyone build any security in their life, when treated like this! 

It took me almost a year to get this job, after hundreds of applications - be rejected,and ignored again, and again. They often could not even have the decency, I put on my suit, paid money for transport and acknowledge I turned up for interview with a yes or no afterwards. In the most ridiculous incident the manager meant to interview me, did not even turn up (major supermarket.) I then phoned up and asked for feedback with regards to the no show of the interviewer - and predictably despite a promise, go no response. And the utter farce is that employers that I always turned up to interview for - bleated “half the people did not turn up for interview today.” No wonder!

From your account of what happened, their behaviour is unreasonable, but permissible.

The other side of the coin is lots of people can fudge their experience, interview well, but incapable of the realities of the job. In my opinion both parties do need the option of simply being able to walk away in the early days, and severing the relationship. For example I got two job offers at the same time. It could easily have occurred that I got the better one after accepting the less promising one. Had that happened I could have simply walked away, rather than needing to work notice. 

It's unlucky but doesn't sound like a good employer at all, maybe best for the long term.

I do empathise with the painful experiences of job hunting. Yes some employers are very unprofessional. It's not right but what often happens is they know who they want to award the role to, but still have to run through the formalities. Yep, that's unfair too, but the real world. Even worse when it's a purely internal vacancy, very often they have already determined who they want to get it, before the formalities have even kicked off. 

EnPointe

debtslave2024 said:

<snip>
Over this period, the employee has shown steady progress in their role. While there were some areas requiring improvement, particularly in maintaining speed and accuracy, consistent effort has been made to address these concerns. With support and guidance, the employee has demonstrated a willingness to learn and adapt. Overall, performance is developing, and with continued focus, further improvements are expected.

 This is not an 'overwhelmingly positive'  review . 

it's a  reasonably positive review  with development points noted.  

please note  terms emboldened  above  

Processing speed and accuracy  in a  sorting or  fulfillment role are the things that , as a trainer. i'd be looking at people  showing  clear improvement  in during  wekks 3 and 4  of a role , week 1 , learnign the systems, week2 applying the systems  with accuracy  ( sod the rate, aim for  99.9 % accuracy , we can build the rate over the next couple of weeks ) 

oldernonethewiser

debtslave2024 said:

Hi

I would like some advice - ideally from those who know what they are talking about from personal experience, and/or legal employment law.

I have been in a job for little over a month. Only part time, so did little over 40 hours. Got my first review barely over a week ago, despite hardly being there for any lengthy period:

My review stated

Attendance - GOOD (thought it was actually excellent.)
Time keeping - GOOD (I it actually went above and beyond, and I was often seen at my desk working before the rest made a later appearance.)
Working relationship with others - GOOD
Competency in role - GOOD

There were some comments on speed and accuracy - though with regards to accuracy, I asked today if I had made any recorded mistakes and they could not prove any (and let us face it, I have only been there part time for little over a month.) They also mentioned I had potential with monitoring, and ongoing training - none was given. All I was given, was the imminent termination of employment unless I hit the rapid rate of processing that I was never advised of before.

Anyway, I began to “smell a rat,” even after my over positive review. The manager called me over, on arrival, and shockingly said, if I do not meet a processing speed of 35 seconds per package for the entire duration of the shift, I will only have 4 days of work left! I was utterly shocked, and quite distraught, though kept my cool. I walked out, but have not handed in resignation.

Is this classed as gross misconduct, or official resignation? Personally, I think after my review only 8 days ago, it is a disgrace, and I want to explore legal avenues. I am sick of employers in the UK treating people like instantly expendable dirt, yet at same time moaning “we just cannot get the people to work for us.”


Thanks.

What legal avenues and to what end?

Grumpy_chap

debtslave2024 said:

My review stated

Attendance - GOOD (thought it was actually excellent.)
Time keeping - GOOD (I it actually went above and beyond, and I was often seen at my desk working before the rest made a later appearance.)
Working relationship with others - GOOD
Competency in role - GOOD

I would not dwell on the difference between "good" and "excellent" - it is not uncommon for reviews to only have three levels of indicator, so maybe "poor", "acceptable", "good".

Then you had some feedback about rate of work and rather than take that in a constructive manner, you "smelt a rat" and walked out.  That has probably ended this employment.

You have then continued to make comments such as:

debtslave2024 said:

Employers are treating people like expendable dirt. 

I keep reading in the newspapers, millions are dropping out the workforce - I wonder why?

That seems to be rather a negative determination.

I wonder whether the most pertinent comment in the whole thread is this one:

swingaloo said:

That behaviour is never going to see you in long term employment.

Sometimes, if you want to change the world you may need to start with the man in the mirror, ask him to change his ways.

To have one job that simply does not work out can happen.  If that starts to become a regular occurrence, then the ever decreasing circles of opportunity make the cycle ever harder to break.  I thought I recognised your comments and your prior posting history shows:

• Driving job in June ended after one day    https://forums.moneysavingexpert.com/discussion/6613352/universal-credit-lasted-one-day-in-driving-job-i-was-not-capable-of-doing-safely/p1
• Pre-empted a job failure in June (possibly the driving job?)    https://forums.moneysavingexpert.com/discussion/6612595/what-are-the-rules-on-uc-if-new-job-does-not-work-out#latest
• Made unemployed (with notice) April    https://forums.moneysavingexpert.com/discussion/6597185/can-i-apply-for-benefits-weeks-in-advance-of-being-made-unemployed#latest
• Walked out of a job with a retailer after 3 months in October      https://forums.moneysavingexpert.com/discussion/6560592/how-would-you-react-to-this-ominous-last-minute-letter-from-employer/p1

You need to look for a way to break this cycle.  Can the Job Centre offer some guidance / careers advice?

swingaloo

Grumpy_chap said:

debtslave2024 said:

My review stated

Attendance - GOOD (thought it was actually excellent.)
Time keeping - GOOD (I it actually went above and beyond, and I was often seen at my desk working before the rest made a later appearance.)
Working relationship with others - GOOD
Competency in role - GOOD

I would not dwell on the difference between "good" and "excellent" - it is not uncommon for reviews to only have three levels of indicator, so maybe "poor", "acceptable", "good".

Then you had some feedback about rate of work and rather than take that in a constructive manner, you "smelt a rat" and walked out.  That has probably ended this employment.

You have then continued to make comments such as:

debtslave2024 said:

Employers are treating people like expendable dirt. 

I keep reading in the newspapers, millions are dropping out the workforce - I wonder why?

That seems to be rather a negative determination.

I wonder whether the most pertinent comment in the whole thread is this one:

swingaloo said:

That behaviour is never going to see you in long term employment.

Sometimes, if you want to change the world you may need to start with the man in the mirror, ask him to change his ways.

To have one job that simply does not work out can happen.  If that starts to become a regular occurrence, then the ever decreasing circles of opportunity make the cycle ever harder to break.  I thought I recognised your comments and your prior posting history shows:

• Driving job in June ended after one day    https://forums.moneysavingexpert.com/discussion/6613352/universal-credit-lasted-one-day-in-driving-job-i-was-not-capable-of-doing-safely/p1
• Pre-empted a job failure in June (possibly the driving job?)    https://forums.moneysavingexpert.com/discussion/6612595/what-are-the-rules-on-uc-if-new-job-does-not-work-out#latest
• Made unemployed (with notice) April    https://forums.moneysavingexpert.com/discussion/6597185/can-i-apply-for-benefits-weeks-in-advance-of-being-made-unemployed#latest
• Walked out of a job with a retailer after 3 months in October      https://forums.moneysavingexpert.com/discussion/6560592/how-would-you-react-to-this-ominous-last-minute-letter-from-employer/p1

You need to look for a way to break this cycle.  Can the Job Centre offer some guidance / careers advice?

Its also quite telling that in one of OPs other threads he is asking about leaving a job  and benefits before he has even started the job. It is quite a pattern.

sheramber

 Coming in early and working late could indicate not getting your work done in the normal hours.

The other staff may have met their targets and be able to take extended breaks etc. 

when told you need to up your performance or  will only have a job for 4 days was your chance to ask for advice/ support to do that.
  By walking out you showed you were not interested in improving. 

You seem to think you were doing your employer a favour for working for them. 

oldernonethewiser

From an earlier post 

"And on that note, I am out of this conversation, as it is futile"

And now

"I am off - I will seek proper compassionate, and fully informed advice elsewhere"

What do you think this "proper compassionate advice" might be?

swingaloo

Wherever you go for 'advice' no-one is going to tell you any different based on the information you have given here. 

You seem to want someone to agree with your own assessment of the situation and are getting irritated because nobody does.