Suspended from work for gross misconduct

[Sam1993]

Hi all, I need some advice ASAP as I am really stressing out here
In a nutshell, I’ve recently been suspended from work for gross misconduct (call avoidance) however I’m also 17 weeks pregnant... I know it was ridiculously silly of me to become so complacent at work but due to ill health I really did just let it all get on top of me. It’s no excuse but I genuinely had no idea how far it had gone until I was called in for a meeting to be told I’m being suspended!
I’ve got an interview this week to see facts/figures so I’ll know better then, but if anyone can please advise in the meantime I’d thoroughly appreciate it x

When I worked in a call centre years ago, avoiding calls was not unusual. I watched other people answer a call and immediately put the caller on hold so they got music, they thought they were waiting to get through and the call time was counting away. Then my colleague would cut them off and the stats would show as the call lasting a minute or whatever. I am sure systems are more sophisticated now, but something must be massively amiss for it to have reached investigation meeting stage.

Are you ok OP?

I hope it all works out for you OP. It must be a clearly very stressful time for you.

I've certainly dismissed for this before; due to OFCOMs rules on nuisance rates, every silent call is potentially a £10k fine to your employers.

Homeserve were fined £750k for persistent abandoned calls.

Your best bet is to plead total stupidity, throw yourself on their mercy and vow to completely change your ways.

If you've been there less than 2 years and your work has been shit since September last year then you're really walking a knife edge.

OP, you don't sound like you are suited to this type of work (I wouldn't be either). If I were you, I'd resign now so you can still have a reference that is decent, rather than having dismissal on your record. Then I'd look for other work that you enjoy more and area suited to - maybe inbound calls would be easier, as not everyone is suited to sales calls.
Your attitude isn't great - you seem to be sorry that you were caught, rather than sorry that you have made nuisance calls to customers and risked getting your company in trouble by making those nuisance calls. This to me shows that a parting of the ways might benefit both you and your employer.

How are you OP?

At my place if work on the reference if you resign before you are fired we would mention it. We had such a case recently were a employee was suspended for gross misconduct had been with us for years resigned mid way through the disipline process and future enployer wanted a direct reference.

So we gave her a true reference along the lines of she punctual, often a good working was suspended for gross misconduct resigned before process was completed but evidence was clear she had breached industry regulation etc.

Its the policy of our company to give honsert references and as she has worked for us for so long she would ether have no references for 8 years or use our complete honsert reference.

How are things OP?