Re Dh's firm dictating to staff on EU vote

[shockandawe]

Just that, dh's boss's boss is hell bent on making it clear that staff at dh's firm should vote to stay.

A man that dh employed (and who is on probation as only been there a month) is an active Brexit member.

There was a meeting last week, not overly work related or compulsory and dh's colleague gave his opinion, in opposition to the boss's stance.

Anyway, dh got pulled into a meeting with his direct boss who had been emailed a shitty email along the lines of "who does this guy think he is" and dh has now been dragged into it.

The plot thickened yesterday as marketing got wind of someone giving a talk for vote leave from Dh's firm. As the company name was mentioned (grabbed from LinkedIn.)
It turns out to be dh's colleague who was made to promise not to attend or give any talk.

Aibu to think this is over the top and wrong?

Sorry, just read that back, and I don't think I worded it clearly.

Politics is an emotive issue and it is best kept out of the workplace, IMO.

It's possible that an EU exit could be detrimental to the particular company hence them wanting us to stay. But when people say "never discuss religion or politics" this is not without good reason.

It depends on the nature of the job, you can't be dictated as to whom you vote for where I work, but they all have to politically neutral in the name of where I work.

He can vote however he wants, it's all anonymous of course. Just keep quiet on his opinion.

Yes of course it's wrong that he should have to. I know several big companies have taken a position on the referendum including mine, but the only rule has been no comment to customers or press about in or out. They certainly haven't told us how to vote.

As in they can't use the name of the place I work to advertise who they vote for or us it as any agenda for their own means.

it doesn't sound like the company are trying to dictate how employees vote, but they don't want to be associated with political leanings

If you do political stuff on a LinkedIn account which references your employment you are too stupid to be allowed out without adult supervision.

The firm aren't, and can't, dictate how people vote. What they can do is say that anyone who campaigns distances themselves from their employer.

How will they ever know what your Oh votes anyway?? Voting is private, so surely if he wants to vote in / out he does what he wants, even if he has to temporarliy pay lip service to boss.

It happens and not much can be done about it even though it is wrong.

My neighbour works for a government department in Scotland and she was told if there was a Yes vote, the undersecretary of their department would be there the next day to make them all redundant.

She voted No and was terrified of a Yes vote, she was a single parent and petrified of losing her job.

I don't consider her or her colleagues to have been given a fair or democratic choice thanks to their employers, and that is totally wrong.

look the boss is an idiot. you can say what he wants to hear to his face but when you are in the booth where you put the cross is only known by you and no one else.

don't agree with anyone using a company name or details in politics though so that was wrong of the employee. not because of his views but because he has been asked to keep politics and work separate.

Exactly what others have said. Your DH just needs to smile and nod - let everyone think he's agreeing with them and then go ahead and do what he wants anyway.

Sadly this is nothing new, although I agree it's wrong. I have never voted Tory, but I have worked in several places where I've been subjected to piles and piles of pro-Tory propoganda and had to listen to some sickening stuff from top brass and colleagues. Work should be about getting the work done (unless you work for a political party of course).

Firms cannot dictate who you can/can't vote for, BUT they can make a policy that states that they don't want to be associated with it either way. Anyone who is stupid enough to write about their political leanings on a page linked to their workplace (LinkedIn is a professional networking site, ffs) should not be trusted with internet access!

My neighbour works for a government department in Scotland and she was told if there was a Yes vote, the undersecretary of their department would be there the next day to make them all redundant.

Works for a UK government department based in Scotland? Which part of that statement (apart perhaps from the hyperbole of "the next day": the next year, probably) do you think was inaccurate? Why would the UK operate government offices in a foreign country?

Bolograph Tue 24-May-16 16:40:19

"If you do political stuff on a LinkedIn account which references your employment you are too stupid to be allowed out without adult supervision.

The firm aren't, and can't, dictate how people vote. What they can do is say that anyone who campaigns distances themselves from their employer."

This.

It's wrong but, these things do happen in the workplace. You get shop stewards, banging the leftie drum.

Employees should keep work and politics separate - it's stupid to post political opinions on LinkedIn, especially if they can be interpreted as representing an employer's views. Future employers won't be impressed either.

Some people are just stupid, regardless of which way they intend to vote.

Perfectly OK for companies to have a view and to campaign for or against - many of them will be more directly affected than most of their employees - but it would of course be illegal to pressurise an employee to vote in a particular direction.

Our company has made it perfectly clear which option is better for our business and better for our jobs. Our CEO and MD are also regulars in the news and their message is consistent.

However, whilst communicating this message to us we had only two instructions:

1. Research the implications for yourself and vote according to what you believe is best
2. At no point make political statements which could be linked back to the company (in line with our existing code of conduct).

The company of your DH are wrong to impose their views on their employees although if their business relies on a yes outcome to exist then I sort of understand why but in truth they'd never find out who voted what because we have the right to vote without declaring our intent in this country so it's a poor threat at best.

The person really in the wrong is the employee actively campaigning for a political outcome contrary to the company's desire without disassociating himself from the company. He's almost certainly in breach of contract and will probably find himself jobless.

As much as a twat the brexiter may be he is entitled, when representing himself and in no way he or his views linked with the company, to express those views (as stupid as they are).

However if the dick says I work for x and I think y then he is linking those views to the firm and is liable to be pulled up under their disciplinary process.

This is nothing new. I work for the NHS and we are in Purdah from the 23rd of May - which means that we can advocate our political position (whichever side it falls on) until we are blue in the face, but we cannot do so from a position of our NHS employment, because that would be implying that we are speaking on behalf of our organisation and that they agree with/promote our political stance.

Your husband's colleague is an idiot for referencing his company in his activism and there may well be disciplinary consequences for him - the rules on political activism are usually pretty clearly stated in your terms of employment.

Someone from the CBI was on either the Andrew Marr show or Sunday politics two days ago explaining that they've advised their members to explain to their employees why they should vote remain.

The woman said it was only in the interest of making things clearer for people as to what their options are.

I don't think the employer has done anything wrong here unless they are calling people in and saying YOU WILL BE SACKED UNLESS YOU VOTE STAY - which they couldn't bloody police anyway

It seems more lke the standard Twitter bio of people who work for big companies "Views my own and not of my employer" - if he's implying on LinkedIn which is basically business/profession networking that the company as a whole supports Brexit that's a disciplinary offence to the point of verbal warning.

It's one thing to vote how you want, and I (as a firm In voter) think your DH's colleague should be free to vote however he wants.

However - at no point should you be politically campaigning with the name of your employer without their consent. How fucking stupid do you have to be!??!

Bolograph - maybe its either the (very small) Uk Govt's Scottish office or one of the huge number of government depts who work for the Scottish Govt.?

The Brexiter can hold any opinion he likes but if the name of the company he works for is being used as part of this talk well then his employer has the right to take issue.