To think my manager will fire me tomorrow?!

[BlueNeighbourhood1]

I work in a department of a national company with four other people in my role and then a manager. Been there for six months and just passed my probation period.

We all get on really really well and have a WhatsApp group chat to discuss any issues. In January because of a great performance we were guaranteed our bonus to be paid at the end of March - usually we would have to wait another month for final March figures to be calculated but because it was guaranteed then apparently not.

Today (payroll cut off date) we all receive a letter to our home address, no apology for the misinformation advising our bonus would now be paid in April. When we got home we went onto the group chat to question this with our manager as obviously we had all mentally spent this money.

As much as it isnt the managers fault, I said something like that it was all premeditated to send the letter at payroll cut off because of the new financial year in April. And then asked how we can sell jobs to potential candidates if we get treated like this too and its making it very difficult to have belief in the company.

So my Manager kicks off and said theyre sick of the moaning and if any of us doesnt like working there to leave - fair enough. I left it half an hour and sent a personal apology to the manager for what I said to be told we will pick this up tomorrow.

I've now got it in my head I'm going to be fired tomorrow, does anyone know if its a sackable offence?!

If you only posted here saying AIBU to be disappointed my bonus has been delayed then you may have got more sympathy.

However your story makes you sound as a difficult employee. You won’t be fired, unless there are other things you haven’t mentioned to us. I suspect this isn’t the only outburst .

OP - moaning about things like bonuses is for friends and family i.e. behind closed doors and out of work.

In work and in front of managers etc it is all nod and agree. Your speaking up was not going to change anything and make your bonus come in March not April so you could have maybe nodded and agreed or in fact used the opportunity to get some extra brownie points by saying how great it is to be getting a bonus.

Also, when you do eventually get the bonus don't forget to thank the manager (or whoever is responsible) for it. I can tell you this goes a heck of a long way as bonuses are given/received but hardly anyone makes a point of saying thank you and that does get noticed.

You were threatening the manager when you said how are you supposed to sell the company if you lost belief in the company.

You are entitled to feel miffed that the money was not paid on time but it is a massive overreaction to then say you cannot do the job are paid to do. That is why she asked you to leave if you are not happy.

From a manager's perspective, I would see you as issuing a threat to me and the business and via the whatsapp group agitating others to do so. That is insubordination and you have marked your card, I am afraid. The apology means your manager won't sack you but if I were you I would seriously keep my head down and nose to the grindstone from now on. Or look for a new job.

Vis-à-vis management, bonuses are supposed to be treated as manna from heaven and greeted with utter delight - that is if you are playing the loyal employee game. If you pull a long face, you are essentially saying it is not good enough and will be leaving soon. From their perspective, a bonus is not an entitlement and one does not look a gift horse in the mouth.

Agree that it is best to keep your frustrations behind closed doors.

OP don't bother arguing back to every point raised on here you don't agree with. I agree that a lot of people say stupid things to stick the boot in but your highly strung responses are indicative of he problem you're describing- you need to learn to let some things wash over you a bit more, some arguments just aren't worth having.

FWIW I think your company has behaved really badly and I'd be anxious that the bonus would happen at all. You are not unreasonable to be angry about the way you've been treated you just crossed the line on the messages. I wouldn't be too grovelling tomorrow, you've already apologised. Just apologise fact to face (no pot plant) and see what your manager says. I expect as you already knew about it she will be annoyed that your messages on the group come across as you trying to get others exercised about the issue and it seems as if you got it out of proportion quite a bit and acted unprofessionally. Still the company is not blameless here.

OP whether you meant it or not the way you described the exchange here seemed inappropriate in the context of a conversation with manager and others present.

One point you raised is only being told in writing. I would have thought this would be standard in a large organisation so that they know that everyone gets the same information, just like a standardised payslip. Something less formal and apology may be nice but formal written notification of a change to the bonus would be appropriate.

I think this proves that whatsapp group chats are a terrible idea. Leave it, regardless of what happens

I mean in a professional setting

I'm a manager and relatively senior in my company, I would not fire you for this, they won't also. I would acknowledge your issue, accept your apology and apologise, again, for the delay in your payment, I would tell you to speak to me personally in future and not and notnsend chats like that if you are dissatisfied, copying your team in that manner, that i is unprofessional.

I would privately think you're a complete and utter unprofessional immature arsehole, because you spoke to me in private and then deliberately typed it out and sent it to everyone, sticking the knife in, all over a four week delay that you knew wast my fault and couldn't be changed, and that you knew you were still getting your bonus,. I would not reveal this to you though.

I would also listen to what you told me and that you couldn't recommend the company and watch your future performance and have you down as a potential problem who either proved herself capable or gave me a reason to let you go.

If I was you, I'd hope your manager and the people who decide your future with them are not as unprofessional as you are and that there is a damn good reason they do the jobs they do and you do the more lower lever job you do.

OP you shouldn't have said it, you know that. Whilst under two years you can be fired because your manager doesn't like the colour of your nail varnish (unless discriminatory) this really isn't something you'd normally expect to be fired for. Contrary to popular belief most managers realise people are human and make mistakes.

To be, how big a deal it is depends on how senior you are compared to other members of the group and whether you'd be expected to 'set an exmple'. I agree with others you may have lost some of the manager's trust now and will need to work hard to replace it.

That said, no one seems to have picked up on "So my Manager kicks off and said theyre sick of the moaning and if any of us doesnt like working there to leave". Actually that's not acceptable of the manager either!

There's nothing 'unprofessional' about a work WhatsApp group (I think they're now the norm) but you do need to remember that they're work despite the relatively informal setting. They're a minefield for this reason.

Dh used to get a bonus every year but since 2008 crash it’s been more hit and miss. The bonus is systematically paid a month late or sometimes two. Nothing to do with financial worries. We just eye roll and move on. Everyone has gripes about their employer. You say it’s good 95% of the time. That’s pretty good imo, isn’t it?

I actually don't think you're being unreasonable at all. If I've got this right, this is a national company, with a bonus scheme? Staff are told in January the bonus will be paid in March, but then at the end of March, staff receive a letter to say no actually, it'll now be April?

Of course people will be annoyed. This is really poor communication.

As for your manager, well, if they choose to join a WhatsApp group and get involved with these sort of conversations in the evenings, then that's their look out. She could have just said "ok guys, can see your upset, I don't really want to discuss in here, but we'll talk about it tomorrow" and left the conversation.

I'm pretty sure you won't be tired.

*fired even. Not tired!

1. your manager isn’t your friend, no matter how well you get on. They’re your manager.

2. WhatsApp will be classed as social media, and your company will have a social media policy. Slagging off the company on social media is likely to be a sackable offence.

3. getting a bonus is great. Having it paid a month later than expected is frustrating. Acting like a petulant child and moaning about it to your boss out of office hours is pathetic. Lesson learned, watch yourself in future.

I think you need to learn from this.

I don't think you'll get fired, if anything I think having a WhatsApp group with your line manager to communicate isn't the best idea. Ive just got images of drunken nights out and silly messages being sent in error.

You apologised which was the main thing. They might be a bit off with you, I'm guessing other colleagues said stuff too.

I don't think your companies HR would advocate communication this way either. I know SM is becoming more prevalent in the workplace but I'd let this be a lesson really.

Not that you deserve to be worried, just that maybe if you can report being off sick this way great, for anything else be more wary.

If you imagine your boss is at home, their partner could also be annoyed as they thought the bonus was this month so they were going to book a holiday, then 3/4 colleagues are having a go on WhatsApp, your manager would be pretty stressed.

Please try not to worry.

I honestly don't think a group WA conversation can be used for gross misconduct unless you sent something really bad, like a topless photo by mistake.

Hope it goes ok, go to them in person an apologise again. Avoiding them won't really help, unless they're inaccessible, in which case maybe an email.

As a pp said apologise once and then leave it

We have difficultly all of the time attracting staff and I have to counter all these objections - but when someone says I've heard people don't get the bonus they are entitled to I can hardly counter the claims can I?

This is exactly why your comments were threatening.

You are blowing this out of all proportion.

It is not the case that you won’t ‘get the bonus you are entitled to’, you are just getting it a month later than expected, which is actually the original due date.

How would any prospective employee hear about that unless you published the details?

The fact it even entered your head to say you wouldn’t leave a good review of your company because of this puts you down as a trouble maker in my eyes and I’d be very happy to see the back of you.

Do you have any written documentation to say the bonus was to be paid in march? Emails or letters? Because I would want to know why my bonus was late. I would also keep a record of this because if it becomes a regular thing I would question whether the company did value their employees. If it is a one off... Well shit happens.

And get off WhatsApp if you can't trust yourself with whingy messages to your boss out of hours

YOU ARE NOT ENTITLED TO A BONUS.

Get your head out of your arse and into the real world!

What on Earth are you on about yellow? Many jobs are totally bonus related. If your told “bill £x revenue and get 5% as a bonus” why the hell shouldn’t you expect it?

Sales jobs are all bonus related. You’re bonkers if you think anyone works for £18k a year with the promise of a sales related bonus (usually contractually confirmed BTW) and then just shrugs when they don’t get it. What sort of world do you live in?!

Are all bonuses in the company normally paid in April?

If so, I suspect that you have a bolshy payroll manager (a bit like my DP lol) who told them in no uncertain terms that his team weren't faffing about with bonuses twice and you'd have to wait till April. He gets sick and tired of managers promising staff this that and the other without thinking of the implications for HIS staff. (Should add, he's not a heartless bastard, he'll move heaven on earth to get people paid by CHAPS when their managers have cocked up people's pay by not getting returns in on time.)

Also, for some staff there could be tax implications if they get bonuses paid twice in one tax year: it could tip them into the higher rate band.

I think YABU, but I can't see it's a sackable offence, unless you have a history of moaning.

OP - firstly, I hope today goes ok.

Secondly, as ever, there are a lot of sanctimonious posters on this thread.

I think it was fair enough to get annoyed over the bonus being delayed. And those saying you were not entitled to a bonus - if it is paid every year it might well have become part of the contract, though it's a complicated area of employment law. And if you've been told you are definitely getting one in writing, of course you are entitled to it!

I don't think it's a good idea to complain on social media though. The best attitude to take towards social media is not to post anything that you would not want to see on a notice board in the office canteen.

I would suggest leaving the Whatsapp group and don't ever post about work on social media again. It's a really bad idea. And the same goes for your manager by the way.

I doubt you’ll be sacked. But you’ve instilled yourself in your managers mind as potential trouble. All the things you said that you said sound like one of those BBC 70’s sitcom “union” characters. It’s not your job to speak for others, it’s your job to behave professionally. Your comments are ill thought out, vaguely threatening and very unprofessional. That’s what your manager should say today.