Verbal warning?

[Doglover321]

I work for a childcare agency and cover at a wide range of different nurseries across the county. I had an awful bullying experience at this particular nursery recently (all the others have been lovely!), and decided to post about it ANONYMOUSLY on an Early Years Practitioners Facebook support group. I didn’t identify myself, the nursery, or anything else. I simply just said what happened.

It turns out that the manager of this nursery is a member of the group. She decided to call the agency and report my post. The agency have given me a verbal warning, as well as said I will no longer be placed at nurseries belonging to this chain - this is despite me having a really good experience at a different nursery belonging to this chain after this incident!!

Considering the post was anonymous and it might not have been me who made it (I told others about my bad day), do you think it’s a bit much from the agency?

They don’t seem to care about the bullying and have just said they can’t afford to lose work with this chain.

Why is it a bit much? From their POV, it makes sense. They get paid by their clients, for providing a service, so keeping them happy is more important than keeping you happy when they might have other places they can send you to.

The nursery you complained about are unlikely to want you back regardless of what the agency HR manager said anyway.

I don’t want to return to the nursery I complained about, just to others belonging to the same chain. Like I said, I had a very good experience at a different nursery belonging to the same chain

I guess they are a business and they can choose to employ who they wish. If they were trying to dismiss an employee who was contracted and had worked over two years they would need to go through a disciplinary procedure and prove it was you. As it is I’m going to assume you don’t have the same protection as you are an agency worker.

Look, you burnt your bridges with the chain. Why do you think what you want has any sway in this situation? The chain don't employ you, they are fully within this rights to tell the agency not to send you again, and the agency will comply. If you wanted to maintain your relationships, making a public post was a big mistake.

Except they did send me again (to a different branch), and I had a great time. Also, it’s apparently the decision of the HR manager of the agency, not the chain themselves. The agency just said they can’t afford to lose the chain as a client because they have so many different branches and it would be a huge financial loss

Exact same thing. The chain don't want you back so the agency has decided to comply with their wishes. What you want doesn't come into it.

What's done is done. You have to let it go and move on.

Apologize sincerely, take the post down, and accept the written warning. Tell them you accept the decision but you would appreciate having another chance at different locations down the road.

I understand the need to vent and I know you thought you would be ok if you didn’t include names, but this was a lesson that a post isn’t actually anonymous if the people involved can read it and recognize it was about them. This is especially important for any clients and any remotely negative comments; you need to change and obscure enough info that no one involved would be able to ID themselves.

No, the agency have said it’s not the chain, but the agency’s HR manager. I was sent back to work for the chain after the incident. However, they have since gone back on this 2 weeks later

Thank you. It was actually mostly the manager who I was bullied by, so I’d have loved to be privy to her conversation with the agency! ‘I bullied your member of staff and she’s posted an accurate description of events’

I would must let it go, the Agency will send you (and have already done so) to the same chain again, in the fullness of time this will be forgotten about.

Yeah, hopefully - thanks! :)

The other branch did say how amazing I was

You were silly to complain about it on social media.

And you're probably not helping yourself by posting about it on an even bigger platform.

lol was it Kindred? I’m not a fan.

Honestly, that was a really silly thing to do - but now you're doing the same thing again by posting about it on here too

If the story can be figured out to be you then it wasn’t anonymous. Simply not stating your name, the agency or nursery doesn’t make it anonymous. I think your post at best was a bit naive.

Your agency has every right to protect their business and clients so have every right to not have you bring either the agency nor their client into disrepute. Again, if the story was figured out you unwittingly did this.

Your bullying claim is completely separate to these issues and while serious don’t warrant you airing your dirty laundry which is surely against the agency rules and client relationship contract..

Your agency acted correctly and I think you were probably lucky to walk away with a verbal warning. Bring up the bullying claim again to your agency but again as the nursery isn’t your agency they have no legal obligation to investigate. Generally in these cases they would just remove you from that nursery.

ask for proof it was you and refuse the verbal warning?

Have you spoke to your union or acas?

Ignore all the posts that miss the point.

Are you union member? How long have you worked for the agency? Are you an employee?

The agency very likely has a social media policy about bad-mouthing clients.

OP can't really deny it was her if she told her manager her version of events and then later an "anonymous" post exactly the same appears on social media.

Although I told friends and family of mine what had happened. They could have posted for all they know!!

The same could have happened to someone else.

You have been very naive to think airing professional grievances publicly that have not been formally proven and dealt with was going to achieve anything positive for you.

You are a loose cannon and your HR manager quite rightly is trying to minimise potential further damage to the agency, he could refuse to give you any further work anywhere for bringing the agency's reputation into question.

But it's not exactly unfair for OP to be verbally warned for it, is it? Considering she did it. 😂😂

And is now compounding the whole thing by complaining on mumsnet.

Just take it on the chin, OP.

Or if they are an admin or moderator in the group they'll know it was you who posted. Your real name and profile are shown to them, it's only anonymous to other regular members.