I lost my job last week WIBU?

[Looklock]

On Friday my boss sacked me. I had been there for nearly 2 years and worked in a team of 2 women. One of the women W1 was really nice, very outgoing and popular but often let deadlines slip. The other woman W2 slated her every single day, from what she wore to her children's names. She pointed out every error behind her back and was generally very unpleasant to be around cos she never had a nice word to say.

All 3 of us were working to the same promotion but W2 spent every moment planning how to get there. She made our office juniors lives hell and undermined our boss constantly.

Fast forward to 2 weeks ago and W1 was off work all week cos her DD had her appendix removed. W2 used this as an excuse to dig out all of W1s work and essentially sabotage it. She changed dates to make it look like she had ignored customers for months and basically made W1 look like she'd really messed up. W2 passed this to the boss and when W1 got back there were lots of changes in place that basically controlled how she worked and she was now under the supervision of W2.

W1 was obviously confused and upset. She could see her work had been tampered with and blamed some juniors. She then asked me what had happened and I answered that W2 had shown her work to the boss because she was concerned. I didn't tell the full story because it was too awkward. W1 was shocked.

I then had a few days off and come back on Friday. My boss called me in and asked why I had dropped W2 in it. I explained and she said W1 and W2 had talked it through and W1 was extremely upset with me for lying. W2 was very hurt and felt like she could never work with me again. This left the boss in a difficult position and because she had two against one she felt the only way to make the situation better was to let me go.

So that was it. I should have stayed out of it all but after nearly 2 years of it all I snapped. I was so sick of W2s behaviour. But now I don't have a job. I had a civil relationship with both of them before that and got on very well with other staff. I also produced the highest figures for our team. I'm so confused by all of it I can't tell anymore if I was BU.

If everything you've said is true, of course you have rights. See a solicitor and go for unfair dismissal.

You can be sacked pretty easily if you've been somewhere for under two years unfortunately.

Looklock

Unfortunately there is nothing you can do. If you have been there less than two years then they don't need a reason to sack you, unless of course you have been discriminated against due to race, religion, gender, etc, etc. As others have said, probation period means nothing.

No idea where you stand legally but that is an awful situation.

I take it this is a small company with no HR dept?

Would this person who heard W2 boasting tell your boss they've heard it? Better yet put it in writing?

Could you speak to W1 outside of work?

She's playing you off against each other and W1 can't see it!

Also can you put your version of events in writing and send it in to your boss?

I take it these are not computerised documents? Either way there must be a way to prove these are edited as some form of claim? Or even just to prove you're right.

But you should have said something straight away when you saw this happening.

She sounds awful. What do you want to happen now? And what do you propose to do about it?

I wonder if w2 told boss and w1 colleague, in your absence, that you had tampered with the invoices.
Put your version in writing to manager, probably won't make much difference, but might make you feel better.
I reckon w2 will drop herself in it very soon - big gob and that blatant, only a matter of time.

So long as we're no longer on probation they CANNOT sack you like that by law regardless of how long you have been there. Did you have a contract of employment?

Wrong diddly wrong wrong wrong.

I suspect it's no coincidence you were sacked just before the two years were up

Ginger is right until you have two years service you can be sacked for no reason whatsoever. Unless you are a protected category eg pregnant or disabled

Not quite. It's perfectly possible to sack a pregnant or disabled worker - as long as that isn't the reason for dismissal it won't be unfair.

But that's now what she was saying. She was saying you can have no reason but you can't discriminate

It sounds like a toxic environment that you are better off away from.

If your manager truly valued your work, they would have at least given you the opportunity to explain your side.

So long as [you are] no longer on probation they CANNOT sack you like that by law regardless of how long you have been there. Did you have a contract of employment?

This isn't true. Statutory employment rights which includes verbal and formal warnings, opportunities to improve etc only start after 2 years. Probation has no relevance, it tends to elevate notice period from 1week to 1 month (for example) but it's a common misconception that it is relevant.

Meant to say, have they at least given you a reference? Sorry it happened when you were only trying to do a good deed

How awful op-surely other team members know what she's like?

There is also (just to set the matter straight) no chance in hell of a "whistle blowing claim" here.
The claim would have to be suffering a detriment as a result of making a public interest disclosure. There's no suggestion that anything here is in the public interest (and no evidence of fraud, as someone suggested) and the op didn't even make a disclosure, she just told another colleague that her work had been fiddled with.

Anyway, op, I've learnt it's best to either say everything or nothing. You should have gone to the boss. But it sounds a horrible place to work anyway, so move on.

The juniors know what she's like and one spoke up about it a while ago but was shot down, now they all daren't say anything. Unfortunately the rest of the teams are completely separate with only a shared staff room. Funnily enough W2 never ventures into it because she doesn't speak to anyone but did to boast on Monday.

The member of staff who contacted me said she will pass the information on to my boss if I want her to but she'd prefer to stay out of it.

My boss had made her mind up before I'd even sat down on Friday. She started the conversation by saying she had no other way and I had to go. This was before she'd heard my version of events so I did tell her what had happened but it felt pointless.

To be honest I am better off out of the environment because W2 was upsetting me most weeks. I could probably just walk away from it all if it wasn't for the fact that it all feels so unfair. I had been waiting for her to get her comeuppance, thinking she will come undone at some point and the boss will see her for what she is. But not only has that not happened, I've now lost my job.

But that's now what she was saying. She was saying you can have no reason but you can't discriminate

That isnt what was said. The implication of what was written was that you couldn't be dismissed for no reason if you were pregnant or disabled. You can.

First up, I'm sorry you lost your job. That is shitty and unfair and awful.

But why didn't you say anything when you saw W2 sabotaging W1? You say you "tried to stay out of it" and I guess it looks like everyone else "tried to stay out of it" when she turned her sights on you.

Yes you're right

I didn't speak up because this kind of thing has been going on since I started although admittedly not to this extent. W2 just happens bump into customers of W1 most weeks who decide to complain to W2 about W1. She then obviously forwards this to the boss.

W2 had regularly done pathetic things like giving out false information for the both of us, not taking messages, hiding post and documents, altering presentations. It's always quite obviously her but she then blames the juniors.

Whilst the behaviour is shocking, it wasn't a total surprise. What come after it was though and that's when I spoke up. Just not enough.

Why is W1, not speaking up for you? It sounds a bit like 'Every man for himself'!