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Original poster

Re Dh's firm dictating to staff on EU vote

93 replies

shockandawe · 24/05/2016 16:34

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?

OP posts:
Pinkheart5915 · 24/05/2016 17:08

You are not being unreasonable.

The firm does not get to decide how there employees vote. It's one thing to give the company opinion on what they think should happen but no need to shove this eu stuff down there throats.

squoosh · 24/05/2016 17:08

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!??!

Quite!

Pacx · 24/05/2016 17:10

Here it is (the interview with Caroline Fairbairn of the CBI) from Sunday.
www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/p03vxspb

Maybe this explains why the employer decided to start giving vote advice.

RedToothBrush · 24/05/2016 17:10

DH is not allowed to actively campaign or even give his opinion along with who he works for.

He is allowed to do so, provided he doesn't mention his employers name.

He did question it. There is a apparently a potential legal issue that that could be a problem for his employer.

Which he does think is fair enough after discussion.

So yes, I think anything that links an employer with a political opinion, and might led someone to potentially think that is the position of the company as well is a problem. It has the potential to influence people's perception of the image of the company.

Therefore, doing something like that through linked in, really isn't on.

It is fair enough for employers to suggest IN / OUT would be better for their company. If the opposite had the potential to threaten jobs, then they might well be in for criticism if they didn't make staff aware of a particular issue. However they have no power to enforce staff to vote a particular way.

DH is aware of someone who is deliberately voting the opposite way to the way his employer has advised, purely because the employer has advised this. This seems stupid to me, and cutting your nose off to spite your face. Its fair enough if you think there is a credible argument to the contrary to your employers advice, but to do it just because you don't like your employer makes you a bit of a tit imho.

t4gnut · 24/05/2016 17:16

The CBI is perfectly reasonable to suggest company owners should explain benefits of remaining in - but its up tot he owner of the company to determine what the company line/perspective is. They cannot dictate to employees how to vote, but the can say 'Universal Widgets believes we are best served by remaining in the EU'.

WriteforFun1 · 24/05/2016 17:18

I'm a bit unclear what you are saying OP

is it

the Brexiter is giving a talk and he advertised this on Linkedin, thereby making it obvious that he works there and he is a Brexiter?

I don't think it's fair for companies to stop this, no. His position is not the position of the entire company. Also what happens if you work for a company and are also standing as councillor for a party? I don't think he should be talking politics at work but if he advertises his own talk on his own LInkedIn page, that should be fine.

MrsGuyOfGisbo · 24/05/2016 17:19

If you do political stuff on a LinkedIn account which references your employment you are too stupid to be allowed out without adult supervision.
Exactly.
Employer has no jurisdiction over what an employee does in their own time ( assume this meeting was not in work time?) but they should not link it with their company.

LurkingHusband · 24/05/2016 17:20

Employer has no jurisdiction over what an employee does in their own time

Unless it's in the contract ...

HermioneJeanGranger · 24/05/2016 17:26

Pretty much all companies have social media clauses in contracts that say you can't slag off the company/make the company look bad/make political statements associated with the workplace on social media. It's nothing new, nor is it illegal.

If you want to campaign politically, fine, but don't associate your campaigning with your workplace in any way. It's not difficult.

peggyundercrackers · 24/05/2016 17:29

Unless it's in the contract ...

they cant tell you how to vote in your contract.

Pacx · 24/05/2016 17:31

Reading the OP again, I think there's a few misunderstandings going on:-

The Brexit-man argued back at the meeting, putting the Brexit side. That's not wrong is it? If the company calls a meeting to say our political opinion is x because of ..., its not wrong to say well what about these other reasons against?

And he gave a talk out of work at a political rally of some sort. The organisers googled him, found who he worked for on Linkedin and published the info. That's hardly his fault either, and as long as he asks them to withdraw it when he finds out, then he's done his bit surely?

whois · 24/05/2016 17:35

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!??!

Exactly

CoolforKittyCats · 24/05/2016 17:35

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.

It isn't 'making it clear' if it is only showing them one side though is it.

WaspsandBeesSting · 24/05/2016 17:36

they cant tell you how to vote in your contract.

Exactly.

Bolograph · 24/05/2016 17:37

It isn't 'making it clear' if it is only showing them one side though is it.

Your employer is not the BBC. They are perfectly entitled to communicate with you about politics. It does not need to be impartial. You are perfectly entitled to ignore their advice.

Boleh · 24/05/2016 17:39

My company has released a public statement that they are pro staying in the EU. They followed that up with a short message to staff explaining the reasoning. No suggestion was made that we should vote either way. That seems like a sensible approach - leaning on and threatening your staff does not.

Pacx · 24/05/2016 17:40

No, only telling one side isn't making anything clearer, except what the employer would like and they can't follow you into the ballot box (but they can try to influence your views by doing their best to make sure you only hear one side of the argument).

HooseRice · 24/05/2016 17:42

I heard of several companies sending out company wide emails encouraging employees to vote No in the indyref.

Several others said in the event of a yes vote they'd move head offices away from Scotland.

I didn't hear of anyone being threatened with the sack though,

HildurOdegard · 24/05/2016 17:43

I assume the Scottish lady was refereeing to the Scottish independence referendum last year.

"Explaining" is about as not forcing your opinions on your employees as the breast-feeding militia who claim your choice is just lack of information. There is a clear agenda and only one acceptable choice.

squoosh · 24/05/2016 17:47

they can try to influence your views by doing their best to make sure you only hear one side of the argument

By ordering you not to read a newspaper or watch the news or talk to family members on the subject?

It's up to every individual to inform themselves of each side's arguments. If a company thinks a Remain vote/Leave vote would be detrimental to their company they have every right to vocalise that.

squoosh · 24/05/2016 17:48

And obviously every employee has the right to ignore their employer's preference.

Bolograph · 24/05/2016 17:48

they can try to influence your views by doing their best to make sure you only hear one side of the argument

They're running a business, not a political science class. It's 2016: are you seriously saying there are people thinking "I'd love to know more about this, but as my employer isn't laying on a balanced and non-partisan education programme, what to do?"

Several others said in the event of a yes vote they'd move head offices away from Scotland.

Would you prefer they'd kept quiet about that, and only told people after the result?

mummytime · 24/05/2016 17:50

Some companies (especially Banks) are now entering a period in which they publically cannot speak out either way. As they are in danger if they do of falling foul of the rules on campaign finance.

If the company name is linked to this colleague, then there could be a genuine problem - and it wouldn't matter which side he was supporting.

In the UK they can't make you vote one way or the other. Although I have known American organisations sometimes be a bit hazy about this.

SteamTrainsRealAleandOpenFires · 24/05/2016 17:50

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

So if everyone voted to leave, will they be sacked?

Just wondering...does the Boss's Boss have pictures of himself titled as "Dear Leader" hung up around the company? Wink

GenerationX2 · 24/05/2016 18:01

In the UK they can't make you vote one way or the other. Although I have known American organisations sometimes be a bit hazy about this.

This is just as against the rules in America as it is in the UK.

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