To think my boss is taking the piss oit of me?

[KCumberSandwich]

We all have the same basic shifts each week. extra shifts may be added or temporary swaps made at three weeks notice to accomodate holiday cover etc.

a new employee starts in two weeks, my boss has given her every one of my shifts so that she can keep her other job as well and work around her parents for childcare. i have been given shifts that are impossible for me to do, my boss knows my childcare options etc. so knows what i can and cannot do. i am flexible as much as i possibly can be and do agree to frequent shift swaps and cover at my own convenience and most of the time at only a couple of days (if that) notice, so it has nothing to do with me being awkward.

AIBU to think she is being unfair on me and to expect that if a new employee comes to work they shouldnt be given everything that suits them, to the detrement of another staff member (me)? and that if they cant work the shifts that were required then she should have chosen someone else for the job?

I'm really glad you are in a union. Hope you have a successful outcome.

Thanks Mrs Wedge and Disgrace.

I don't really think she feels threatened- at risk of sounding bitchy i think she is too smug for that and i genuinely believe she thinks she is better than the old manager- who was much more on the same level with all staff despite being in a higher position IYSWIM. New boss seems to be more interested in calling the shots.

I will try and get hold of all the information you have suggested Disgrace, not sure how i will manage, most of the contact details need to be obtained through a supervisor or manager and i know they would let slip i had asked. it would be good to have as much information as possible though- while recent events are fresh in my memory and i have written them down, the things that go a bit further back are slightly hazy eg. i know she has done similar to me before but can't remember dates and what shifts etc. i didn't realise i could do that so that's really helpful, thanks.

i am worried about repercussions once she gets wind i have gone over her head- only two people have done this before me and basically were not at all professional about it and it was more of a slagging her off to her boss than actually dealing with the issues they had, it was also done after they had decided to walk out of the job.

i know she can't officially punish me for going over her head but i think she could be quite underhanded if she felt like it.

i do hope to be able to leave soon-ish if another job comes up but i cant leave the security of this job without being certain of something else.

on a side note- does anyone know if it would be acceptable to ask a supervisor or my old manager for a reference instead of my current manager? or would this look strange to new employer?

thanks i love sooty- i hope so too!

i only joined the union about a year ago (with these sorts of issues starting to crop up i thought it wouldn't hurt).

You don't have to give a reason for DPA requests. If they kick up, simply be firm in your insistence that you are within your rights. More info here: www.ico.org.uk/for_the_public/personal_information

Good luck.

Posted too early

Before it becomes the norm and the new employee settles in. Right now they have more of a responsibility to you than her but that will change

I wish I'd known this a few years ago when I got forced out of my job. New girl started and boss thought the sun shone out of her arse. I slowly got taken off projects I loved and got left with the boring jobs. I kicked up a fuss but then left to go on holiday, to get married, which they knew. Came home to find a letter telling me I'd been made redundant.

I wish they'd told me before I went, I'd have enjoyed myself more knowing I didn't have to go back to that job.

Sorry op totally irrelevant! I hope you have more luck than I did.

OP - all I'd say is DON'T listen to posters saying to confront or 'have it out' with her.

DO do what you're doing, write it all down, check your rights with rep or solicitor and do this properly through HR process.

You want to come out of this with at least a good pay off so be professional and level headed.

Re the reference - to be honest it would depend entirely on whether I noticed this or not! I probably would and I would probably wonder why and figure out that you didn't see eye to eye with your boss. But as long as you were a strong candidate, didn't criticise any of your old work places or bosses (you'll have to fudge it) and were positive and professional etc it wouldn't necessarily matter. There are always question marks over any candidate so make sure this is your only one.

OP: Sorry, when I recommended ACAS I wrongly presumed that you weren't in a union.

Even when all this is resolved it would be prudent to keep the notes and continue noting of any future problems that she creates.

As you have stated, keeping your job is worth a lot more than a payout, so best wishes for a good outcome for you.

Good Morning all! apologies, this post may be quite long- i've had useful replies and want to try and answer you all.

Disgrace Thankyou for the link, i am working tonight so hopefully can dig out HR details without anyone noticing and running back to boss. She is off this week so that gives me some time where she wont be in touch everyday and is less likely to suss that i'm up to anything (sounds ridiculous but is a very small workplace and everyone notices everything).

Thatisall New employee doesn't start for a couple of weeks yet so that buys me a little time. i do feel bad as i know what its like trying to be flexible with a child and she also has another job, but i need to put me first and don't see why i should step back and make things impossible for myself to allow someone who has just walked through the door have all her needs met.

ilovemydog Sorry to hear you had such a crap time in your old job, i hope you are much happier now your post was not irrelevant, i now know that it does happen and i'm not imagining things, thankyou!

HowSuper I did try to talk to her yesterday but didn't get anywhere at all. I was made to feel i was the one in the wrong for questioning her. I was polite and calm and not at all demanding but still got no-where. If i have to leave i will work my notice and go- no pay off either!
I do like my job and my colleagues so wouldn't be inclined to say anything critical to a new employer. aside from the issues i have with my boss i work alot more closely with my supervisors and have known them much longer- i feel they know me and my work better anyway- one of them used to be the manager before new boss took over (she stepped down as had baby) so would probably use her as ref.

Paxtecum That's alright, had never heard of ACAS before and i may need it at some point. Going to try and organise everything into an order, date amd folder it so it's to hand if i need it again.

OrangeFlyingNaan (i love naan bread ) I agree with what you say about solicitor, i don't want things to go that far, and couldnt afford it either- hopefully it can be dealt with internally. As i was saying to How Super, when i spoke to her i was basically told i was in the wrong and any other manager would laugh at me for questioning shifts, amd denied any of it was to benefit new employee.

I'm not worried that HR will spill the beans (i hope they are professional enough not to) but more worried someone else at work- probably supervisor, will notice me gathering info etc and warn her im up to something. i don't want her to know i'm going over her head until absolutely necessary.

Don't have legal cover at all, but hopefully i won' need it and Rep. will be sufficient. I actually think my union might help with solicitor of necessary but will need to double check that.

thanks again all of you who have posted, im pretty clueless and all of your advice is genuinely helping

well done if you got to the end of that lot!

KCew - have you posted on the employment matters board. If not I suggest that you try it - there are some really very helpful HR people around that board like flowery who can offer really useful advice especially if you are primarily aiming to follow internal HR grievance procedures rather than tribunal/legal remedies.

Just to say that your manager will almost certainly hear about it if you do submit a DPA. A guy who I work with one one project around 3 years ago submitted one once and pretty much everyone who ever worked with him was notified and asked to search their emails/files.

Also you mentioned constructive dismissal earlier although I think you have moved beyond thoughts of that. I just wanted to say that my understanding is that CD cases have a staggeringly low success rate for employees because very little action by the employer is considered serious enough to qualify and it is generally not about just feeling pushed out. It is the sort of equivalent of gross misconduct in reverse.

Good luck.

KCumber, you have given your immediate boss a clear opportunity to address your justifiable concerns.

She has not taken your concerns seriously (quote from your original post "she told me that in other branches people were given shifts three weeks in advance for a four week rota and would be laughed at if they said they couldn't do them". That is not a professional way to deal with an employee complaint.

You now have no option but to get advice from all sources available to you (including union and employment law etc) and to take your grievance further up the company chain.

Hopefully you will soon be able to get this dealt with to your satisfaction and this 'manager' will be pulled up for dismissing/trivialising/ignoring your complaint.

Good Luck OP.

Good luck - I mean what manager thinks it is good practice to not offer people the shifts they prefer first especially if by doing that most of the shifts are covered - it is a win win situation, then you have a fair system to give out the least popular shifts!!!!

Hi everyone, have read your posts but will take a bit more time to reply properly later and also look at posting on the employment issues board.

off to work soon yay! and hopefully will get some contact details etc together for approprate people

KCumber hope it all goes well.

Hi again everyone, apologies for taking a while to reply, i was at work till 10pm last night and on nursery run etc this morning.

I have had an email from my union rep today and hopefully he is going to arrange a telephone appointment with me soon so i can discuss things with him.

I have written down all the things i wish to discuss and also the advice i have been given from everyone here- that way he can help me decide what are the best steps to take and i can let him know what i comfortable with and how far i feel this needs to go.

i have draughted a couple of letters to HR, on regarding the general issue and one which my boss requested detailing one specific shift and why i cant do it (no one else has ever been required to do this before me, despite others being in the same position) i will hold off on sending anything until i speak to rep. though- as i do have a feeling that im not obliged to write to HR regarding my shift at all.

As it stands at the minute i am waiting to hear from work about a shift i agreed to do to after i met with her on saturday give her more time to sort the rest, i watched her write this on the rota and when i had a look on sunday it has been scrubbed off and i am now below my contracted hours for the week- supervisor is dealing with it as boss on holiday.

was feeling pretty fed up of it all last night but your replies have all made me feel positive that i not being unrealistic or precious and that i am doing the right thing so thankyou all again.