Advice needed, threatened with formal warning behind back?
StevenB12
Posts: 269 Forumite
Hey everyone 
Need some advice as to where I stand on this.., will try to keep it short.
Few weeks ago I was doing an install and plumbing job in Cambridge, after hours on site, no staff there etc minus security and a site contact. It was boiling outside as well as in, I had my work coat on and a hi vis in my tool box etc (we tend to only wear a hi vis if it's an in hours job with people around). Anyway, my manager HADNT included in his Risk Assessment to site that I would need to use a Grinder to cut through the pipework, site seen this etc and job got stopped to be re-arranged. My manager was on holiday but I phoned him and he told me to leave site as they were just being awkward etc and we would re-arrange. I also informed my office manager and the survey leader at my office.
Now today, my office manager (who is backing me 100%) has confidentially showed me an email that my other manager sent to the customer. First of all, the customer complained the job couldn't be done, due to the risk assessment being wrong that my manager sent to site, and she complained I had no protective gear on, despite the fact there was NO work taking place that needed the required gear. My manager has emailed the customer denying any knowledge of these problems, has threatened me in the email with a formal warning and a strong verbal warning (saying this to the customer) and has said he's completely unhappy with my behavior on site (not wearing all my PPE gear, despite not working etc).
My office manager has said it's just been a complete back stab and he is trying to cover his own mistakes and to keep the customer happy. However, if he issues me with a warning, I do have some ground to stand on to go against it don't it? I reported all the problems to him despite him being on holiday, I explained to site that I couldn't use the tools due to the risk assessment not being right, and they agreed, and told my office manager who didn't see a problem with anything I've done and isn't standing for me being made a scapegoat.
Do I have a ground to challenge this warning?
Need some advice as to where I stand on this.., will try to keep it short.
Few weeks ago I was doing an install and plumbing job in Cambridge, after hours on site, no staff there etc minus security and a site contact. It was boiling outside as well as in, I had my work coat on and a hi vis in my tool box etc (we tend to only wear a hi vis if it's an in hours job with people around). Anyway, my manager HADNT included in his Risk Assessment to site that I would need to use a Grinder to cut through the pipework, site seen this etc and job got stopped to be re-arranged. My manager was on holiday but I phoned him and he told me to leave site as they were just being awkward etc and we would re-arrange. I also informed my office manager and the survey leader at my office.
Now today, my office manager (who is backing me 100%) has confidentially showed me an email that my other manager sent to the customer. First of all, the customer complained the job couldn't be done, due to the risk assessment being wrong that my manager sent to site, and she complained I had no protective gear on, despite the fact there was NO work taking place that needed the required gear. My manager has emailed the customer denying any knowledge of these problems, has threatened me in the email with a formal warning and a strong verbal warning (saying this to the customer) and has said he's completely unhappy with my behavior on site (not wearing all my PPE gear, despite not working etc).
My office manager has said it's just been a complete back stab and he is trying to cover his own mistakes and to keep the customer happy. However, if he issues me with a warning, I do have some ground to stand on to go against it don't it? I reported all the problems to him despite him being on holiday, I explained to site that I couldn't use the tools due to the risk assessment not being right, and they agreed, and told my office manager who didn't see a problem with anything I've done and isn't standing for me being made a scapegoat.
Do I have a ground to challenge this warning?
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Comments
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Have you actually got a warning?
I imagine countless emails go out saying staff complained about have been retrained, warned, had a good ticking off when in fact nothing of the sort has been done. It goes down better with a customer than saying 'well actually youre wrong...' when it doesnt really matter in the long run, and they want to retain the customer.
If you ACTUALLY get a warning (or a disciplinary meeting) rather than an email shown to you by a third party from a fourth party to a fifth party, then, advice would be possible.0 -
I have received the verbal warning, I'm ASSUMING the formal warning is being written up for when I'm next in at the office or next with my manager.0
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marliepanda wrote: »Have you actually got a warning?
I imagine countless emails go out saying staff complained about have been retrained, warned, had a good ticking off when in fact nothing of the sort has been done. It goes down better with a customer than saying 'well actually youre wrong...' when it doesnt really matter in the long run, and they want to retain the customer.
If you ACTUALLY get a warning (or a disciplinary meeting) rather than an email shown to you by a third party from a fourth party to a fifth party, then, advice would be possible.
I forgot to add to the original post (my mistake lol). that my company want me to go back out to this site to do the job again, after my manager has re-wrote the assessment that he got wrong the first time around, now this sounds incredibly unprofessional, and it may well be, but I think I've got more of a problem going back to that site with my manager who has just giving me a warning, based on an email from the site contact, who was only with me for maybe 5 minutes, when no work was taking place, only to say that the job had to be stopped.0 -
marliepanda wrote: »Who gave you the verbal warning?
What was it for?
Verbal warning came from my engineering manager. Basically said they had received a complaint about me and my work etc (which they haven't, as he doesn't yet know I've seen the emails). and then just complained about me not wearing my protective gear, even though he has told me countless times to take it off once in the kitchen area or where ever the job is taking place.0 -
Sorry its quite confusing what you are writing.
You were on site, and you needed to use a grinder, but your risk assessment (done by Manager A) did not mention a grinder. The site contact (the person who has now complained??) noticed you needed to use a grinder and he hadnt been told so he stopped the job? Or you noticed you needed a grinder and didnt have the RA done so YOU stopped the job?0 -
Verbal warning came from my engineering manager. Basically said they had received a complaint about me and my work etc (which they haven't, as he doesn't yet know I've seen the emails). and then just complained about me not wearing my protective gear, even though he has told me countless times to take it off once in the kitchen area or where ever the job is taking place.
But the email you saw is a customer complaining about you not wearing your PPE... that could be considered to be your work. Also not completing the job is 'your work' but yes you need to argue it would have been completed had the RA mentioned the grinder, and you could bring that up at any formal meeting.
However, what is your companies official policy on PPE? Should you have the high vis on at all times?0 -
marliepanda wrote: »Sorry its quite confusing what you are writing.
You were on site, and you needed to use a grinder, but your risk assessment (done by Manager A) did not mention a grinder. The site contact (the person who has now complained??) noticed you needed to use a grinder and he hadnt been told so he stopped the job? Or you noticed you needed a grinder and didnt have the RA done so YOU stopped the job?
Pretty much the way you have interpreted it. I brought up the risk assessment to the site contact, and asked if the grinder had been listed on there, to which I was told no, and was told by the site contact that I couldn't continue, I didn't argue or anything, I said we would have to rearrange and that I would explain to my company why it was stopped etc. So the site have pretty much complained that the risk assessment was wrong (nothing to do with me) and that I wasn't wearing the correct PPE (even though there was no work taking place, and all the work before that doesn't need PPE in our company risk assessment)0 -
marliepanda wrote: »But the email you saw is a customer complaining about you not wearing your PPE... that could be considered to be your work. Also not completing the job is 'your work' but yes you need to argue it would have been completed had the RA mentioned the grinder, and you could bring that up at any formal meeting.
However, what is your companies official policy on PPE? Should you have the high vis on at all times?
The customer complained that I didn't have a Hi Vis, Goggles or Gloves.., and I did, I WASN'T wearing them, but that was because I wasn't undertaking any task that needed them. If I had been using the grinder, I would have had to wear them etc. As it goes for the Hi Vis, it's very much give and take, GENERALLY our company policy is to wear them on sites where it is mandatory, such as construction etc. This was just a kitchen in a law firm etc, so wasn't mandatory.0 -
If wearing the high vis wasnt appropriate, and you couldnt complete the work due to a sloppy risk assessment then I wouldnt be accepting a warning in any capacity.0
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