AIBU to make a formal complaint against manager

[HelloWorld2577]

Backstory- I work in a very small customer service team for a small company. We only have 3 offices with customer service teams of 5-6 people in each. My manager quit earlier in the year and whilst they've been looking for a new manager, a manager from another office has been acting as our manager.

A colleague who'd worked there over 7 years quit (without another job lined up) due to how this manager kept speaking down to her. This manager has made 3 staff members cry now, including myself and when she was told she'd upset colleagues she said we are too sensitive and didn't even bother to apologise. She discusses my performance with colleagues and their performances with me which is highly unprofessional. She's continuously making false accusations and regularly will question every single thing we do. She accused us last week of deleting emails without dealing with them - which was false and I called her out on that to which she responded to me with 'there was one from June in your inbox deleted'. I did deal with this email (I checked) but the fact she has time to constantly go fishing through our sent emails trying to find mistakes from MONTHS ago is getting to us all as we are all great at our jobs and yet being investigated with no cause.

My job role is 50% emails 50% phone calls and she called me yesterday and said that it had been brought to her attention that me and another colleague were not answering calls as much as our other colleagues. I said this cannot be accurate. She said 'so you're saying the report in front of me is lying', I said it cannot be accurate can I please have a copy. She said she wouldn't give me and copy and then started shouting at me saying how dare I question her etc. Within 10 minutes she sent an email saying what she said was inaccurate she misread the report.

It's just all too much. Constantly being flagged daily for things she thinks are mistakes and turn out to not be is draining. The way she speaks down to people is disgusting. Everyone in my team are currently looking for jobs but I just feel like she shouldn't be able to get away with speaking to people so poorly that they're brought to tears.

Would I be unreasonable to make a complaint about her toxic behaviour or just leave it and let her get away with it.

Obviously it's not unreasonable to raise a grievance in these circumstances. Whether it will achieve anything/whether you should is another question. Do you think senior management will listen and take action? You need to have a written record of incidences of this bullying behaviour.

Log everything - date, time and who was there.

It would be best if you could get some others involved and raise a bullying complaint against her that was from multiple people.

She IS bullying you all and sounds unfit for her role but you need to be aware sometimes its easier to sack the innocent party than deal with replacing a manager. Its not fair but it happens.

Of course make a complaint! If everyone is looking for new jobs, it’s not them, it’s her! Will you be taken seriously? As above, log everything. Her lack of apology for accusing you of not answering enough calls was outrageous!

I'm really sorry you're being treated so awfully.

I would definitely make a complaint - but as others have said, you may wish to consider how likely you think management above her are to take action and whether any fall out could impact you negatively. (Not that this should stop you from doing what needs to be done, but just to make sure you're realistic about the impact on yourself.)

Personally I think standing up to bullies is a really commendable thing - not only for your own benefit but to try and stop them making others' lives a misery too. I'd get a lot of release just from writing down everything that had happened (tip - wrote a first draft, venting all your anger and emotion. Save this, but don't send it. Rewrite it then to be more professional- stick to the facts of what was said/done, but it wouldn't hurt to add a small section setting out in a polite manner the impact on you e.g. upset and stress).

She sounds completely mad. You need to keep a diary of her antics, include evidence such as witnesses and emails. If you can, follow up what she does/says with an email so you have a paper trail.

Phone ACAS or see your union for further advice.

Sounds like our manager. At least three of us are currently compiling dossiers of evidence and may, in the New Year, progress to a grievance. They blagged their way into the job earlier this year and are the worst manager I've ever had in 35 years (which is saying something as I've had some seriously crap managers but most have had some redeeming characteristics).

We know they're already looking for another job to slither into where they can do even less work and are praying it happens sooner rather than later. Obviously they're not the only one looking for another job, we all are, but they are absolutely the deciding factor. And yes we have raised it with senior management, HR, the union and various other teams there to support us but we're not holding our breath.

Sounds like you havr grounds for a complaimt/greviance. However when raising it make sure you know what you want to acheive. i.e this manager to change/someoone else to cover etc.

I would look up what constitutes a 'hostile work environment' and 'constructive dismissal' as well as keeping a record of how she treats you and what you see in person of her treatment of your colleagues. If she is driving people to quit, the company is just opening themselves up to a lawsuit from someone and bringing that to their attention when you make your complaint might make them actually pay attention instead of sweeping it all under the rug.