AIBU to be raging about this??! What can I do??

[Summerseat]

Posted on other topics not many replies so posting on here.

Left a job 5 weeks ago that I had for 15 years, perfect work history, glowing references.

There has been a lot of thefts In my workplace over a period of time, it transpires that within the last 5 weeks there has been a talk/rumour that is was me. Staff have been told there is direct evidence it was me & witness statements. I have had NO idea about any of this. I haven't been approached in any formal capacity about these claims..yet everyone thinks its me. This is a big organisation, think one of the biggest employers in the country.

My name is being dragged through the dirt & it appears I can do fuck all about, people can say what they like however damaging it is.

The only sign I knew something was wrong is that one by one People I've known for 15 years have been blocking me.

My reputation, friendships & mental health are down the toilet. AIBU to think this shouldn't be allowed to happen?

Are you absolutely certain that management are telling staff?

Or is one of the staff lying to the rest of the staff that management told him/her that you were under investigation?

I think unless you've heard it from the horse's mouth that they were told by management, it's much more likely to be the latter.

Bet you it's a manager stealing it.

@Summerseat i understand why you are raging but stop and think about this from a different perspective.

If HR are told there are thefts from customers and x witnessed y stealing. Y has now left and thefts have stopped what HR will do is get their ducks in a row and either interview all the witnesses check their statements etc.. Then if there is evidence they hand it over to the Police or hand it over to the police for them to investigate.

In either case because you have left, they or the police will only contact you when they are ready.

Remaining calm and raising a SAR and asking what is going on will alert them you know and they should contact you.

You going in all angry with only rumours and gossip to go on could back fire.

Is is fair - no
How you handle it can impact on what happens.

I would not be surprised if it was a manager doing it. Or at least that they see this as a convenient way to make it look like they did more than they did about the thefts. Happened to me once in a job. I made a massive fuss with the management and told everyone who would listen about what was happening and it stopped. I would get a solicitor to write a letter on your behalf saying you have been made aware of this, it is not true and you need them to issue a statement saying this is not true or provide your solicitor with their evidence so you can consider what action you may wish to take next which may include action against people slandering you.

I am as certain that I can be that's it's come from management. One of.my friends of 15 years.told me. She had.been told.she couldn't talk about me, I assume that means with me.as EVERYONE is.discussing it. They've all.closed ranks & are saying they don't want to get involved/they've Still got to.work there/not allowed to talk about it.

Wait, management are telling other staff it was you? That is a massive, serious allegation.

If I've got that wrong, I apologise. Having worked in offices sometimes BS gossip meter is off the charts, and I normally would put it down to that.

Surely, if there was any reason that the company suspected you of theft you would have been informed in some way? Eg. immediate termination and police called?

The post above me is right. Try not to have a knee-jerk angry reaction as it could backfire.

That's normal. If the police are involved, your ex-colleagues will have been told that they can't talk about it. If they do, and it damages the case, they will be in trouble.

Yes management are telling staff it is me. I have not been contacted by anyone.

@BadNomad but they are talking about it aren't they? With each other? Just not me the person who's being accused of something they haven't done!

Yes . And be sure it will start again. Probably the person doing it is someone you would never think would do it.

I know. But they shouldn't be talking about it with each other, and they definitely shouldn't be talking about it with the person under suspicion.

I think you may be right. In my first job as Saturday staff it turned out to be the supervisor who had her hand in the till. About a dozen staff were under suspicion and we were all interviewed. She was caught when she stole marked notes and there was a bag check.

I would speak to HR at your former workplace and threaten legal action. What happens if one of those ex-colleagues spreading rumours knows someone in your new workplace? Could have an impact on your future career. I would take it very seriously.

Go straight to the top . Write to HR and also say a copy has been sent to head office and do it . Also say you will be willing to cooperate with the police over this matter . That will get round like wildfire.

They're talking about it with each other, in.great detail by all accounts, but the.person that's being accussed knows nothing about it. That can't be right? If there was any investigation going on (I haven't been contacted by anyone in a professional.capacity) why would/should all.staff be aware of these allegations??

I fully plan to go to HR. I just wanted further information from more knowledgeable People which I've received in terms of SAR that pp gave me.

@Hellybelly84 that's what I'm worried about.

If people have blocked you they clearly weren't friends...

And the person who has decided to use you as the scape goat is highly likely to be the one responsible for the thefts, as why else do they want to blame the wrong person.

Complete the SAR request as already suggested with all data including up to the present date. If they don't include the current theft rumours then that won't look good if they then try and use this against you if they lied during the SAR!

I’m sorry this has happened to you OP. If it gets to the point where you are materially disadvantaged (say if your new employer hears about these allegations and holds it against you) then I think you should definitely take some sort of legal advice.
However, I also wonder whether the
management at your old company may actually be putting these rumours about to lull the real thief into a sense of false security. They might not have thought it would get back to you and this could be why you haven’t heard anything directly from the management. It doesn’t make it better for you and it’s probably not an advisable way to go about things but it could be an explanation.

I too worked for a big employer who tried to get me to be unethical. Tge ti.ing was perfect, I was unbeknown to me, ill and needed an op. I was offered redundancy abd left. They tried to ruin my reputation too cos I was close with government officials.
It's sad and pathetic that people believe shit about people they've known for years. But OP, you know the truth and that's all that matters. The reality is you rarely meet friends at work, they are just colleagues!

@WeAreTheHeroes Caught red handed? Was it done in the open i.e. everyone saw or was it a quiet affair? I don't think I'd ever leave the house again if that happened to me.

No but there are all sorts of exemptions that
they might be able to use to legally withhold that information. For example, personal data which is processed for crime purposes is exempt from a SAR.

I mean it’s worth a try but I don’t think a SAR will take you that much further forward.

@VladmirsPoutine - she wasn't caught in front of others. I remember thinking maybe I had done something incorrectly or something had gone wrong with the till, I was only 16 and knew I hadn't stolen anything. We found out the following week what had happened. I remember being shocked - she'd been there a long time and was a respected member of staff. Then the penny dropped that she'd deliberately cast suspicion on kids in their first job.

I'm wondering if the culprit has felt a net closing around them and has taken advantage of OP leaving to stop thieving and put suspicion on her.

And I agree that when the heat dies down they will start up again - but that could be too late for OP, and certainly doesn't help her peace of mind at the moment.

Hope you get this sorted very soon, OP - it's a horrible sword to have hanging over you.

NHS perchance? You get that mix of Ward Managers who are amazingly accomplished nurses but have absolutely zero clue of how to manage staff.

I remember one who directly accused a HCA of stealing from patients in front of us all. The fact the thefts didn't stop once that particular staff member was redeployed on MH grounds makes me think an error could have been made.