To report my colleague to management for unprofessional behaviour ?

[SunConure]

So there have been redundancies in our department and also redeployments to lower grades. It’s been a stressful process but I recently found out I have kept my job. Unfortunately the person doing a similar job at the same grade has not kept hers. Perhaps naively, I tried to help her in various ways, we even discussed a job share. Now I find out from various colleagues that, on more than one occasion, she is going around telling all and sundry that I did not deserve to get the job as “she doesn’t know anything about
science” and “her research is not aligned to what the department wants” and “she shouldn’t even be in our team”. It’s making other colleagues uncomfortable to have to listen to this and one or two asked her to stop. AIBU to report her to management and ask them to deal with it? I could ignore it but the way she is trying to undermine me makes me think it needs nipping in the bud right now and also that management should know about it so they maybe think twice about redeploying her. She is always nice to my face and she doesn’t yet realise I know about how she’s behaving. I could bring it up with her but I know from experience she will deny,
minimise and pretend it was not as bad as it actually is.

The people who have brought this to you have their own agenda.They could have reported the colleague themselves or shut the conversation down immediately.
I am suspicious of people who tell colleagues what others have said about them behind their back. It creates drama and upset.

@walrushurricane yes

I would definitely not take it any further then. HR will be short staffed and too busy dealing with redundancies to care (not that they would care much anyway) and not a good time to go to management complaining about what someone said about you either. The people that told you are stirrers.

Doesn’t matter if she’s leaving. It’s misconduct against the OP and she has a right to defend herself and consequences applied if necessary.

Justifies even further the need to make a complaint, if a whole group of people are repeating these comments about the OP.

but I’d trust her judgement, they’ve told her in good faith that she should know.

if the others are repeating it maliciously ‘for their own agenda’ then they’ll be found out too.

You need to be a grown up, running to tales to management about gossip and bleating she’s being mean would have me side eyeing you as well.

speak to her, explain uouve heard some unpleasant things, if she wishes to discuss your work or he feelings then she can. Past that it needs to stop as staff are becoming uncomfortable and you it could go to management.

you know she’s just jealous and unhappy. As much as it’s not ok. Don’t make it worse for her,and try to lose her her job.

OP I’m really surprised how many people on here are advising you to let this go.

its not appropriate. You are all bound by the same policies for conduct. HR will care, especially as she is actually making claims of unfair process or unfair outcomes which is an no no for redundancy in the UK, and slandering your experience and fit for the position you’ve retained.

why should you lie down and take it? You don’t owe her any favours and clearly, she is happy to walk all over you.

It's not misconduct. And of course it matters that she is leaving. Do you seriously think they are going to do anything about what she has said when they have made her redundant?

HR really will not care. And it is not a "no no" to complain about being made redundant or the redundancy process.

On the basis that she is saying the OP didn’t deserve to retain her position and her work isn’t aligned with department objectives, she is suggesting the outcome of the process was unfair.

Any half decent HR person will recognise statements like these have the potential to pave the way for constructive dismissal should she be made redundant or be offered a lower grade position on lesser terms and as such would want to proactively manage the situation.

her personal comments against Op are very likely in the realms of misconduct given she has repeated the comments to multiple people.

OP should make the complaint and let HR decide if they want to do anything about it. They can’t do anything without the complaint being made.

Anyone who thinks this is just slagging someone off and everyone body does it or nobody cares needs a head wobble because you are enabling it.

What do you mean by HR will want to manage the situation? And of course people are allowed to complain that a redundancy process in unfair. The woman may be consulting with unions or solicitors for all we know.

Correct, she may be. Complaining about her own situation is one thing but making statements about another persons retention is making accusations of wrong doing.

And if she we’re consulting, there is even more reason she isn’t throwing these statements around.

it seems that she wants someone to back her up, but nobody has.

HR need to be clear with her (again) about the selection criteria, affirm that the process was transparent and fair and instill that her conduct in the office is not acceptable with a reminder of their conduct policy.

employment law often isn’t ambiguous.

She has the right to question why she was chosen for redundancy rather than other members of the team. It is certainly not misconduct to do that. For all we know she may have a case. If there isn't a case then solicitors/unions will let her know.

Randomly criticising/backstabbing a colleague as nothing to do with querying why her role was made redundant.

She should raise any concerns/queries she has with her manager and HR.

I really wonder why some people on this thread are trying to bend over backwards to find excuses for this person's crass behaviour to the point of completely making up new scenarios...

Because some people know it is a blood bath in many universities at the moment and feel sorry for those being made redundant through no fault of their own I don't think this person is saying anything particularly terrible about OP and I certainly don't think it is "misconduct" or particularly unprofessional to question why they are being made redundant over other members of the team.

And those questions or concerns should be directed at her manager and HR. Not as malicious remarks about the OP to other people.

Are you in fact the woman we are talking about? You are going to very far lengths to justify her behaviour, and make her the victim instead of the OP who should rightly make a complaint.

Thankfully, you don’t work in HR.

You have to question 1) what are the motives of the people that have come and told you. Do you trust them? At the moment its 'hearsay' and people have a tendency to button their mouths when HR start asking questions

2. Have you previously had a good relationship? While her behaviour is not ok, it might be a reaction to her shock/upset/embarrassment at not being rejected but if she has always been a gossip then perhaps not.

3. What actual outcome do you want? Do you really want to stop her being redeployed or get her into trouble? If you just want it to stop then just confront her directly, 1 to 1. Say something like 'I have heard from multiple sources that you have said x,y and z about me, is it true?' If she doesnt admit it and apologise then just say I dont know who to believe but if I hear about it again I will be going to hr and asking them to get to the bottom it - that might be enough to shut her up.

Its crappy, but just be gracious and respectful regardless then you are rising above it.

Do you?

I don't disagree that she should not talk to other people. If she thinks it unfair she should discuss with her union or solicitor. I just don't think HR will be interested in the hearsay though especially at the moment.

No I don’t work in HR, I employ a People Director for that.

Any union or solicitor will first advise that you follow the employers appeal or grievance process to seek resolution. Until then, she doesn’t have a case they can take as she hasn’t adhered to the employers policy.

its very straight forward if she genuinely feels aggrieved. But she is choosing to berate her colleague behind her back instead and that’s not acceptable behaviour, hence a conduct issue..

Yes, she would follow the employers appeal process first but that doesn't mean the employer gets to dictates whether she can talk to other people or a union or solicitor if she feels unfaitly selected. The employer can't silence people and threaten them with misconduct if it is compulsory redundancy. And let's face it, why would the employee care if they are leaving anyway,

The employer has every right to follow a disciplinary procedure for any employee who disregards its policies, irrespective of whether they are in any form redundancy process.

as I said earlier, she can talk about the impact to herself all she likes. But that’s not what she’s doing.

you are her aren’t you?! Or do you know her?

I am pretty sure that there won't be a policy stating that employees who are made redundant aren't allowed complain that they have been unfairly selected and comparing themselves to people in a similar role who weren't selected could certainly be part of that. Anyway, the law trumps what the employers policies are so even if they did gave a policy stating that employees can't complain it wouldn't make a difference. And as I said if she is being made redundant why would she care what HR says about her conduct?

Ok.