Been sacked for gross misconduct

[RidetheT]

I have been sacked. I made a mistake in work that could have had wide reaching implications for a client.

I hate myself. The mistake was through sheer stupidity and carelessness and rushing to get work done by a deadline.

I can’t sleep. I can’t eat. I keep crying. I’m terrified for the future. How am I going to ever work again? Who would trust me? I don’t trust me.

We have about a months savings and then we are going to struggle to pay the bills/ mortgage so my kids are going to lose their home on top of everything.

I just don’t know what to do. My DH keeps telling me he has faith in me and he knows I’ll make it all ok. I don’t know how.

Okay first things first. CV- is it up to date? If so send it off to recruiters ASAP. If not, make that today’s job.

Do you have industry contacts at all? Can you ask any old colleagues for a reference/any opportunities in their companies?

LinkedIn - set it to looking for work and make sure your profile is current etc.

Mortgage - have you over paid at all and can you ask for a break?

We are all capable of making mistakes. Was this the first time you have made such a mistake? And were your reasons for making this mistake explained at your disciplinary? Could you contact acas and ask if it was dealt with fairly?
Whilst looking into this start looking for another job maybe something completely different and use this experience to change your career path to something that doesn't have such tight deadlines that cause such stress.

Sorry op that sounds really rough.

While hopefully well intended, I find your DH comments a bit jarring, so they probably won't be helping either.

Practically, when did this happen? Do you want to explore if your dismissal can be appealed? Do you know what their reference policy is?

Please be kind to yourself, we all make mistakes and you will be ok and you will get another job xx

Hi OP. Sorry to read your post, that sounds incredibly hard. You made a mistake though, you know why it happened. People make mistakes, it happens. Try to separate out the self-attack from what happened. What is in your power to do now. Can you appeal? Can you start job hunting? What do you need to do now to stay in a rational space to do what you need to do practically while all the other stuff is rumbling around. Good luck, be kind to yourself.

Ok, was it really gross misconduct? I've copied some stuff from ACAS that can give you better advice than on here without much more information from yourself.

• Mistakes vs. Gross Misconduct:
• While a serious mistake can lead to a fair dismissal, it's usually not considered gross misconduct unless there's evidence of deliberate wrongdoing or gross negligence. Gross negligence involves a high degree of carelessness or a reckless disregard for the consequences of one's actions.
• Fair Procedure is Crucial:
• Even in cases of alleged gross misconduct, employers must follow a fair disciplinary procedure. This includes:
• Investigation: Thoroughly investigating the incident to establish the facts.
• Disciplinary Meeting: Giving the employee a chance to explain their actions and respond to allegations.
• Right to Appeal: Providing the employee with the opportunity to appeal the decision.
• One-off Serious Mistakes:
• Case law has shown that dismissing an employee for a single, serious mistake may not be fair if the individual is inexperienced or not properly supervised.

-

You’ll be ok. The reason for leaving is unlikely to be on your reference which is usually restricted to dates of employment and job title.

Have you been employed for 2 years?

Did your employer invite you to (1) an investigation meeting and (2) a disciplinary meeting?

Was it explained to you that a consequence of the disciplinary meeting could be dismissal?

Were there serious consequences which mean you’ll never get a job in the same area / industry again?

It sounds like you completely accept the decision and understand it was the right one.

So you’ll likely have to start looking in a different work area. This happened to a friend of mine. She got sacked from financial advising after big mistake (rightly so in her own words), she then retrained within a year for another career.

Can you get a job to keep things ticking over eg. supermarket / carer / TA?

And a mortgage break for eg. 3 months.

Does your husband work, can he get a second job. Etc.

It’ll work out but will take work, you can definitely do it! Good luck x

I worked in a support role for a financial adviser so it sounds very similar @Absentmindedsmile.

What area did your friend retrain in? If you don’t mind me asking.

I have worked here for 10 years since graduating so it’s all I’ve ever known in my adult life.

The mistake I made was definitely gross negligence. I filled in the wrong health information for a product where health status really matters. (I had 2 clients wanting similar products and got the forms the wrong way around).

DH and our kids are all on the autism spectrum. He does work but he would struggle to do more than he does now. He also is trying but is struggling to know how to comfort me. He’s used to me being the together one and is finding this version of me unsettling.

Thank you everyone for checking but all the correct processes were followed. I messed up on a monumental scale that had real financial impacts for a client and I deserved to lose my job for it

This must be very stressful, please don’t be too hard on yourself. I agree with some other posters that it might just be worth revisiting the facts before ruling out an appeal - have you worked there more than two years?

What does your company’s policy say about gross misconduct? Does your error fall within the company’s own definition?

Were there any mitigating circumstances and were these taken into account ie. stress, workload etc?

Is this a first mistake or were you on a live warning? Did you make any attempt to correct it? Did you take accountability from the start and was there a long lasting/serious impact on the client/business?

Did the outcome reflect the seriousness of the mistake? Would a final warning or additional training have been appropriate or some kind of change to your role such as a demotion?

Was due process followed?

You may feel you don’t want to return to the same employer but this might be the best solution in the short term while you find a fresh start somewhere else. It is usually worth appealing any big decision like this and getting some professional help from a union rep or acas?

PS - just seen your update.

Is there a process/procedure in place to prevent a mix up from happening? Could you argue that there is not enough of a safety net from the company to mitigate human error?

Given the huge implications if errors are made, was there not a review process in place? Surely they can’t have been relying on there never being human error?

Immediately apply for non-means tested JSA. They reduce the amount you receive by a few days so always get your application in day one. This way, you’ll still get your NIC stamp & a little money. Also, they can help fund travel too / from job interviews.
Have you spoken to ACAS? 10 years with an unblemished record and then straight to sacking for gross misconduct sounds harsh. Were you able to present your mitigating circumstances which you mention as high workload? Was this something your company supported you with?
You will find another job. If this was a genuine mistake, it doesn’t define who you are as a person.

No review process for this type of work where in place. There are review processes for areas that have a higher level of risk.

I don’t have any advice fir you op but l just wanted to say sorry and l hope that things work out for you and your. Family. 💐💐💐

We all F up sometimes. You’re ok, you didn’t do it deliberately. It was a mistake. You’ll be ok, you’ll find something else. Your husband has faith in you and so do I.

Was this your first 'major' error in 10 years?

You said it could have had implications, then said it did have major financial implications. What are we talking here? Thousands that the client lost? Or was it rectified for them?

Agree with pp you may not feel like it, but you could appeal this decision by the sounds of it . GM dismissal for that given your length of service, clean record im assuming, and assuming you showed the level of remorse you are here, would be out the range of reasonable responses IMO.

I agree that one mistake like this leading to immediate dismissal feels harsh.

Mistakes happen a lot and there aren't always terrible consequences so you have been unlucky here. DOn't let it define you OP, you are human and you were under pressure and in a rush so it is understandable.

You'll find another job you just need to look after yourself in the meantime.

@RidetheT that sounds like a mistake not gross misconduct to me but I suspect it is a bit like risk assessment the mistake was small but the consequences were huge so the combination is what is being considered gross misconduct.

I think though that you need to recognise the difference between your mistake and the outcome from it which was much bigger.

These things sort themselves out over time. Sit with your husband and come up with a plan. My husband lost his job a number of years back we came up with 30 odd options and he went through them one by one. Within a few months he had several job offers and we have never looked back. This will sort itself out in the fullness of time.

I wouldn't take this lying down OP. I've made some errors at work that fortunately have been picked up at the review stage some haven't they all happened when the team were under huge pressure and tight deadlines. I felt bad at the time but I didn't lose my job and my feedback as to why these errors happened helped change some processes.

Im sorry I can't even imagine how scared for the future you must feel right now but just remember it was a mistake where all human it happens try not to be to hard on yourself. It will work out in the end you will be OK. You've got this xx

I would certainly seek legal advice RE: your dismissal or at minimum speak directly to ACAS or even FCA. If my experience is anything to go by, quite a lit of time financial companies really do mess up when they get rid of someone (usually why so many cover themselves by paying off the person even if gross misconduct). Get everything up to date, CV and LinkedIn. Im sure you will find something else, but try not to get too despondent when applying and waiting for replies, easier said than done but its key just to keep applying for jobs. Will you be able to seek work in the financial industry or has this affected continuing to work in finance?

I know it’s easy to say, but you have nothing to hate yourself for. Yes, you made a mistake. But it was caught. You haven’t killed anyone or ruined any lives or caused untold suffering. You made a very easy to make mistake. And there is not one person here who hasn’t fucked up at some point in their lives, including your former bosses. This is just panic talking, and it’s not doing you any good to think like that. So you can have this morning to wallow, and then you need to buckle up and get moving.

Get a UC claim in place this afternoon. Get your CV updated. Apply for anything and everything, even if it’s not in your industry. In fact, especially if it’s not in your industry. In five years, you’ll be knees deep in a different company and this will all be a distant memory.

She retrained as a Teacher, specialising as a Maths teacher. She loves it, and Maths teachers are always sought after. She became head of the Maths dept at her first school, and a couple of years ago she became deputy head at a different school. She’s really happy and although there are challenges in teaching, it suits her more than being a FA ever did.

Brush up on [LinkedIn https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=jE1k7EdJhok&pp=0gcJCf0Ao7VqN5tD]]

OP, were you on a performance improvement plan? Is there anything else you are not telling us? Because from the limited information you have said, it doesn’t sound like gross misconduct.

If this is just a one-off mistake that has been made and you have worked there for 10 years then immediate dismissal with no notice period does not sound like they have complied with employment law.

You should speak to an employment lawyer or at the very least ACAS straight away.