Boss says I have to work tonight or will face disciplinary.

[Partygal]

Some of my colleagues are on here so have name changed.

I work in a 24 hours a day, 365 days a year job. Everyone has to take their turn at doing the shit shifts.

As I was off over Christmas last year, I willingly took my turn to work and did Christmas and Boxing Day. It suited me as I am going to a party tonight that I have been looking forward to a lot.

My colleague who was supposed to be working tonight sent me a text earlier today saying he can’t work tonight due to illness!!! (Yeah right!) He went on to say he was just giving me the heads up to block the manager’s number.

I thanked him and said no way was I working because I’ve done my time in work over Christmas.

Anyway my boss rang up as predicted - using someone else’s phone. She first asked why everyone seemed to have blocked her number, and asked if my colleague had already told me that he wasn’t going to work that night. I denied it.

She went on to say what I already knew that he won’t be at work tonight. I told her that I would not be covering. She says no one else she has managed to speak to, can get child care at such short notice and nor can she. According to her, “it has to be me.”

I still said no. She said she would try everyone else again, and threatened me with “consequences” if I turn my phone off. She has come back and has again said she can’t find anyone else to work. She says I will face a disciplinary if I don’t go in. I told her to go fuck herself. She has been texting repeatedly every since and has just told me that I will be fired for this.

Can she do this?

I'm with you in principal on this one, OP. It wasn't the wisest thing to tell your boss to fuck off but you're in no way obliged to work and she has been incredibly unprofessional to you. It doesn't matter what your plans are tonight, you aren't down to work and finding cover is not your responsibility.

@bettybattenburg Not the sharpest knive in the drawer are you?

It's knife. If you're going to accuse someone of being thick, at least try to spell correctly yourself.

@Insideimsprinting
But the OP did say no many times and her manager wouldn't accept that as a response. It was only when the OP told her manager to go fuck herself that she actually listened.

I’d be going into work and taking out a grievance with the manager as soon as HR or their manager was back, contact your union & get them to come with you. Keep the text messages as evidence and don’t forget to mention that your language was also foul

I hope she does something about the fact that all staff involved deliberately made a hard job harder. What a huge kick in the nuts for her
She sounds bloody awful before all this today. Why else would the "sick" one pre warn other staff. If my current boss asked me nicely to work today, first she would have thought about what can be offered to sweeten the deal, then if I still said no, she would take that on the chin.
I would not then pre warn anyone that she was looking for someone to work.
If she couldn't do it and still could not find anyone she would sweeten the deal a bit more. Eventually you get to a point someone will work for the right deal.
There is no need to swear although saying that where I work an awful lot of swearing does happen. Not by my boss though.

I feel for your boss, it must be hard finding cover, but I assume she gets a few more pennies for being in an advisory position. I doubt you have much to worry about, unless it was recorded, but for your new-years resolution, I’d work on your language, in fact some of the posters on here could do the same, it's sometimes worse on here than what you would expect on porn site. YANBU about declining to go into work, your language especially to your boss YABU

The man who is "ill" is the instigator of this.

My DH has been the manager in this situation (without the swearing ) and I can say that it is absolutely shit to have your staff let you down in this way, though I don't believe his staff were clearly conspiring against him the way OP's colleagues are. Our whole life revolved around who was/ was not on shift and whether DH was having to work double shifts or go in on his days off yet again.

We couldn't even be comforted by the extra money as he was salaried and couldn't get overtime, whereas the workers were paid hourly and could claim as many as they wanted.

Thankfully he managed to get another job when DS was still a baby and I was on Mat Leave or I don't know what we would have done. It is really detrimental to mental health.

@Notodontidae the wages thing is a common assumption, however if she is anything like my DH when he did a similar job, he was salaried and could only claim overtime as TOIL. This was an absolute joke as he couldn't even have his set days off or get finished on time due to staff shortage, let alone take the extra time back! He was owed weeks worth of TOIL.

Meanwhile the employees who did want to work extra were going home with as many extra hours in their pay each month as they wanted.

I’d work on your language, in fact some of the posters on here could do the same, it's sometimes worse on here than what you would expect on porn site

Off you fuck back to Netmums then. Leave us sweary cunts be.

Yanbu. You boss sounds vile and unprofessional. I've worked many years in 24/7 roles and unfortunately have come across managers like this, who expect staff to drop everything and come into work,however are unwilling to do this themselves, even if on call,when the responsibility to do so falls with them if needed.

Don't engage in further conversation. Keep all texts and a copy of your original rota, and also the time she originally rang, as I'm pretty sure you need 24 hours notice to be made to change shifts. And make a complaint about her unprofessional behaviour in the new year, she sounds like a bully.

‘Ill’ colleague should be the one Manager has an issue with, not the remaining staff!

Well I don’t think she has a leg to stand on. I’m. Sorry but that’s what managers get paid for. If the sack call in sick and there’s no cover then they have to step up. She’s saying she can’t get child care, tough, that’s not your problem. It’s not the shift was yours and you called in sick.

Enjoy your party OP. She’s clutching at straws!! Convenient the person who was supposed to be in is sick today.... hmmm 🤔

There must be something in policy about who covers in these instances? Is it manager?

You both sound as bad as each other and totally unprofessional. I have never sworn in anger at a colleague and have certainly never been sworn at by any managers. So unprofessional.

@goodwinter

The link sets out how a disciplinary process should work. Nothing more.

Whether her refusal to work at short notice is misconduct will depend on her contract.

swearing at her boss will certainly be misconduct in the vast majority of disciplinary policies.

I dispair that people think a boss harassing & bullying her staff and this is at home, although unacceptable the focus is on the op for swearing at her boss in retaliation for her bosses behaviour.

This boss behaviour is totally unacceptable

You could have said you can't come in today more professionally. Also find deliberately blocking the phone number rather childish as well. As you said she can't prove anything you did so probably won't get a disciplinary for it, especially if you are going to deny it.

Might not try get any promotions or pay rises though for quite some time or ask the boss to be your reference if you do ever plan to look for a new job

I think that if someone is harassing an employee out of hours and trying to force them under threat to come to work when they are not scheduled to work, then it’s entirely ok to tell them to go and fuck themselves. From a disciplinary perspective at least.

You were not at work and your boss was behaving inappropriately towards you.

It will damage the relationship for sure, but there are no grounds for a disciplinary.

I can see why shes pissed. I would be if everybody had turned there phones off I do want some sort of reply BUT I do accept if nobody can work. Especially if they have done there fare share over the holidays. I would just have both off next year. I would certainly be gunning for the staff member who rang in sick and then texted everybody. He needs to hope he doesn't get caught.

Its stressful for managers she hasnt handled it well if shes swearing in texts although did she swear as part of a sentence or swear at you?

Everyones in a shitty position I suppose.

In some ways I feel sorry for the manager but if they were any good they would have been able to get staff to be helpful with out threats. The fact they blocked numbers says it all. The manager could have offered inducements but they obviously knew they wouldn't.

Hmm l wonder if people saying you should go in are currently enjoying 2 weeks off work? I work in the kind of role you are in l think. I personally would refuse as well, it’s not your fault your colleague is “ill” and you have done your share this festive period. If your manager is that bothered about the shift being covered then they can do it! I’m guessing they don’t want to

Oh and deny swearing at her when asked. Yeah you shouldn’t have done it but she was being ridiculous. I would be tempted to open a grievance against her. It’s interesting that it’s always certain people who are expected to bail workplaces out

@AriadneOliversApples 🤣🔪 love it.

Just wondering if your phone is a work phone or your own private one, which you pay for? If it’s your own phone I don’t think she can legitimately have a moan about it being turned off or not answered.

@reginafelangee Well that's why I asked. Your comment says "of course she can discipline you, you're refusing to go to work" but that didn't seem right to me at all - it's not her shift.

Saying it depends on her contract is another matter entirely, and yes I would agree with that - luckily OP says her contract doesn't force her to go in at short notice.

OP, please do not forget to ring her just after midnight to wish her a Happy New Year......

@TwentyViginti

Oh look, it's another Mumsnetter who thinks swearing is an identifier of cool and tribalism, and that people who are more selective with their language are "nethuns".

So dull.