Dismissal after 6months for no specific reason...

[user1487626525]

Hi, need some advice desperately! As I was leaving work on Thursday my boss came into the office and said he was sorry but going to make my day worse as he "had to give me (one month) notice as things weren't working out". Shocked doesn't explain how I felt. He continued by telling me that he felt bad because he really liked me and thought I was really intelligent. He also said that I wasn't like his original EA- he's let go a few other EA's in between her and me. He said a client complained about me- when I asked who, the person he said is someone I have very little contact with other than confirming meetings? So it made no sense. He then said he'd provide me with a reference and he'd like me to leave on good terms. I have never received any warnings written or verbal. Is this right that he can just get rid of me for no specific reason and without warnings?

Sorry I should have said I have worked in this company for 6months.

Yes, unless you believe you have been dismissed due to a protected characteristic as defined by the Equality Act you can be let go with no good reason in your first 2 years of employment. It is shocking but it is unfortunately true,

I’m not legally trained but I suspect he can. Were you on a probationary period?

I don't think he can, no. If he's saying he's letting you go because there has been a complaint made against you, he has to follow a grievance procedure and you can only be sacked if the complaint is proved. It all has to be done in writing too. Is there an HR dept you can complain to? Dig out your contract and speak to an employment lawyer asap.

Hoosey Really? Wow, I had no idea! That's shocking.

If you've worked there less than 2 years then they can I'm afraid. Unless you think you're being discriminated against for a protected characteristic. So sorry to hear this.

Yes, you don’t have employment rights in your first two years of employment. It’s ridiculous. The only way round it is if you genuinely believe you have been sacked due to discrimination surrounding a protected characteristic. An employment tribunal won’t even entertain it otherwise. Unfortunately, I’ve been there!

Hi, you might want to ask MN to move this to employment issues as you'll get better advice there. I'm so sorry this is happening to you.

In short however I'm afraid the answer is yes he can just let you go if you've worked there less than 2 years.

The exception is that you can't be dismissed for illegal discriminatory reasons, ie things like race, pregnancy, age. If you don't have reason to believe it's any of those things and it's simply a case of him capriciously deciding he doesn't like you any more, it's very annoying but you are best off trying to leave with good grace and a goodwill to make sure he gives you a good reference. Maybe ask if he'll let you go on gardening leave for your notice period so you can use the time to focus on looking for another job?

You might want to check if the organisation has any HR policies on dismissal or probation or similar. I doubt it will change the outcome but might give you some leverage in negotiating if he hasn't followed them? Good luck!

As you have less than 2 years service, the answer is unfortunately yes he can just dismiss without any reason. However, a sensible employer would still go through some kind of disciplinary procedure because, evidentially, it would be in their interests in the event you decided to pursue a claim in the employment tribunal claiming that you have been dismissed because of a protected characteristic (so a claim for discrimination rather than unfair dismissal)

Wow, thank you all for your responses! I was in my last job for nearly 15 years so had no idea about this 2 years business- shocking really! Guess I'd better start looking.
Thank you all again for taking the time to respond- you have all lifted me up :-)

Good luck with the job hunt