AIBU to go off sick over complaint about me at work

[SadlyNotATroll]

have kept some details deliberately vague but will try to give as much detail as I can. I work in the public sector dealing with members of the public, making decisions that affect their lives. We recently recruited and I chaired the recruitment panel. Due to legal issues affecting our department we were no longer able to recruit and withdrew the vacancy. I was tasked with communicating this decision to the unsuccessful applicants after they had interviewed, but was not able to offer any information as to why they were unsuccessful, despite them being told if they were unsuccessful that they would get feedback.

One of the candidates was very upset about this and emailed me several times asking for feedback. I explained I could no longer provide feedback but I couldn’t explain why. Upper management forbade me from providing any further context, e.g. that there was a legal issue affecting the vacancy. The candidate emailed me several times over the following days and I replied each time saying I was sorry but the decision was final.

They have now complained about me and I am being investigated. I am confident I have done nothing wrong but I am so anxious about the process. I’ve been told it could take up to 4 weeks. I’ve been invited to a formal interview next week and have asked a member of the union to come with me. I don’t know if it would look bad if I went off sick. I’m so anxious my brain keeps jumping to the worst conclusion. I just don’t know what to do.

I suspect the policy on this states that if a complaint is raised it must be investigated. Doesn’t make it less stressful for you but it’s a box ticking exercise.

If you go on sick, it will be on hold until your return to work.

I speak as someone who’s been investigated and someone who’s an investigator/decision making officer.

It makes no sense but HR must be seen to follow their policy. (Protect the organisation not its people).

Have your evidence ready, name anyone who has been party to the situation and listen to the union rep.

Get through it.

Why didn't you forward the second,third and fourth email up the chain and pass it to the twat who made that decision.

I don't understand why (and I know the OP doesn't either) you couldn't say that due to unforeseen circumstances the position is no longer available, we haven't evaluated your application therefore we can't give feedback.

And just because your being sued for giving feedback, surely you still need to fill the role.

Op go off sick and let the bosses deal with the shit show. I personally would have responded to the bosses that I will be attending the meeting only if the person who made the decision is also in attendance

Who is the person that told you the vacancy was withdrawn and you couldn’t provide feedback to candidates that had been interviewed; your line manager, or an HR Director? Did you push back, explaining you had given an undertaking you would provide feedback and now they were placing you in a difficult situation?

Yeah I suspected as much. I've been public sector before but perhaps not in the worst offending areas for this sort of thing. I'd still question the process regardless. It's a waste of everyone's time and you are still within your rights to object even if they claim they have to do the thing regardless. I'm sure your rep will guide you. Just make sure you have all your evidence lined up, it sounds like you have a solid 'defence'. Stick that grievance in afterwards if you're still feeling upset by it.

why would you need to go off sick? You were doing as you were told, so nothing will come of it.

I understand how stressful this is for you, because you know it is unethical. Some of the PPs on here that just attempt to write the complainant off, I think one suggests an “unhinged applicant”.

If this is the attitude of the public sector, well we only have ourselves to blame and @SadlyNotATroll like to many become unwell and days are lost, lowers productivity.

I left the public sector many years ago, much to the surprise of my colleagues. One person said that those that care leave and the rest become institutionalised.

Don’t go sick. Put your metaphorical red lipstick on. Contact your union rep. Be prepared for the person who told you not to provide feedback to try to throw you under the bus by saying something along the lines that you didn’t explain fully you had a commitment to provide feedback and that was stated in the job vacancy.

Oh, I omitted to say, that I left for my MH.

Just habg in there. It’s not nice but if you’ve done nothing wrong it will be ok. Even if you fucked up then it will be ok

HR and your management have behaved appallingly, what a ludicrous waste of everyone's time. Don't go off sick though, just do the bare minimum to get through the day until this farce is over. Wishing you all the best!

as a senior manager in a government department i would take a very dim view of you going off sick over this.

tbh if this situation makes you that sick I’d question whether you’re suitable for your role

No, you shouldn't go off sick over something like this 🙄

And you really shouldn't need anyone to tell you that

It sounds procedural.

Where I work every complaint has to be recorded and investigated.

It's not personal.

Going off sick looks like you have something to hit and are stressed for a reason.

Take confidence in the fact you have down nothing wrong. Ride it out. It will be over soon.

Please dont go off sick, difficult as it is, try and take one day at a time and see the process through. That said, I am livid for you. I can understand why you feel you are being made a scapegoat. Some Fucker further up the line has thrown you under the bus. If I were you I would be checking the Bullying and Harrassment policy word for word and making strong noises about feeling scapegoated and vulnerable .....
Be strong and look after yourself.

4 weeks off sick (full pay of course) because someone complained about you? Civil service is great 😃.

The OP is not in the Civil Service.

If anxiety is affecting you so that you are constantly worried, not sleeping properly and it has affected your appetite, or any or all of the above, you are in fact sick and should take sick leave. You should see your GP in any event so that the impact is documented in your medical record. The processes you have described were almost certain to have the outcome you are experiencing and before you go off sick you should begin a grievance procedure with the support of your union rep. Good luck!

Going off sick does not make you look like you have something to hide it makes it look like a very stressful situation has had a profound impact on an employee. Procedurally there’s no benefit to toughing it out. Interviews can be pushed back and means there will be extra time to prepare

This happens a lot within the NHS too

I’ve had to interview people then want to appoint and all of a sudden there is no money in the budget - this has happened twice to me In 3 years of managing a team in the nhs

Its awful but thankfully we can be honest and say it’s down to budgets

I wouldn’t worry it doesn’t sound like you have done anything wrong

don’t go off sick
hold your own
and ask IT to block the candidates email address (this can be done!)
they have to investigate as they are answerable however the chances are that this is just a formality because the candidate has complained

Print off ALL the emails from your management and to/from the candidate and save them to a USB stick. You could write a written statement and attach these as appendices to the investigating officer and say that the wait for this is making you anxious, so you’ve been proactive and written a statement and supplied all the evidence in the hope this can expedite the hearing. I’m sure it will be fine but I appreciate it’s very worrying x

So you did what you were told to do, and as a result they’re investigating you?!

Totally bonkers. Your organisation must be over-staffed, and completely on top of everything they need to do, if they have time and resources to spunk on this.

Time to raise a grievance yourself, and explain to your GP how it is affecting your health. Get it on record.

Sure, but I really do hope you’d also take a dim view of public funds being wasted investigating a staff member for doing what they’d been told.

Yes, a complaint has been made, but it shouldn’t take any time at all to ascertain the staff member did what they’d been asked, and close the compliant with no action taken.

Wasting organisational time and public funds AND putting a staff member under unnecessary pressure that will affect their wellbeing by dragging this out is the height of bad management.

I say that as a former senior manager in the public sector - while I do understand there will undoubtedly be baroque procedures to go through, somebody with some common sense needs to step in here, and stop the madness.

Teacher?

really stupid that you cannot be transparent with candidates. There’s zero logical reason why you can’t give them individually feedback on their performance at interviews whatsoever… this would have zero meaning on whatever else is going on in your workplace. Maybe the person has applied to hundreds of roles and is frustrated; especially if they were promised feedback.

You've done nothing wrong, you tried to explain that you were unable to give more information.

The candidate is disappointed and looking for someone to blame, unfortunately you are the scapegoat but it really isn't your fault.

If the situation is making you feel unwell, by all means go off sick but only for a couple of days. This is going to blow over, it really is. x

I wonder if they’re quietly compiling evidence against the person who told you not to give feedback. Perhaps there's a pattern of slipshod decisions and behaviours.

Either way, you’ve done nothing wrong and you have the receipts to prove it. Even if you did (which you didn’t), you’d get nothing more than a tap on the wrists. All you were doing was following written instructions. Don’t go off sick, because this isn’t going to go away. Talk to your union and get support from them.

This isn’t just a public sector thing though. Private sector organisations do this all the time - and they’re often a bit more brutal about it.