work colleague has made secret recording of our conversation and broadcast it

[theseboots]

After a bit of advice. After taking a day sick to look after my daughter my colleague who had to cover my shift was waiting for me the following morning at work. He started laying down the law about never covering shifts for me again, telling me I was to cover him 2 days later, no excuses and generally being 'in my face' physically.

I was tired and emotional after a worrying weekend with my daughter and ashamed to say, lost my temper, swore and shouted at him and walked out, saying 'I quit.'

3 days later the manager returned from holiday and rang me asking me to come back to my job, which I agreed to do.

I went back today and have found out my colleague had recorded the conversation, even starting the voice recorder 10 minutes before I arrived at work and had in fact been lying in wait and had deliberately goaded me and set me up.

He has also played the recording to everyone else at my workplace and members of staff at a sister workplace downstairs.

Where do I stand?
What do I do?

I have written a card to him apologising for my behaviour towards him, just to cover my own back really.
Any advice?
I am back at work and will see him tomorrow.

I don't know about the legal aspects of recording conversations but doing this in a work environment is bullying. I would talk to your HR department. Be upfront about what happened, what you said and why you said it, and raise a complaint about the colleague.

He should have informed you he was recording the conversation. Am not sure whther against the law but companies are always carefu to tell you when being recorded.

Do you have union? You need legal advice.

Thinking about it, it's professional misconduct on his part.

From my union member days: you may not make or use a recording without the other person's knowledge or consent. However, a recording may be made to make a verbatim transcript in your own handwriting.

You can stamp on your colleague for this, hard. If you are in a union, definitely get them in on this. Otherwise, get a colleague to go with you to any meetings with HR, as a witness.

thanks for the replies.
Am going to contact HR and make a complaint against him I think.

Remember though that phoning in sick just so you can look after your daughter will be potentially gross misconduct, unless it's written into your contract of employment that you can do that.

Yes be very careful about sick days they should only be when you ate sick unless you have special conditions in your contract. Nevertheless you are still entitled to time off work, parental leave, carer's leave or dependents leave but this may not automatically be paid.
However you could possibly argue you felt I'll after a weekend of sleepless nights or had even picked up the bug from your daughter.
He was totally out of order though and sounds like a bully.
However there is a post I read yesterday from a poster who was fed up because she was being asked to do lots of overtime caysibg jet problems with child care and getting her days off, as i think they were staffed etc. She was denied time off she wanted for an interview for a new job because of this.
I'm not making excuses for him and he shouldn't have reacted the way he did or taped your conversation but maybe he had some reasons behind his behaviour.

Oh dear sorry about the typos. Typing on phone
Ate sick = are sick

I'll = ill
Caysing jet = causing