Grievance Meeting in a coffee shop?

[QueenVictoria]

Just a brief explanation - i want to know what people make of this.

I am going grievance with my ex employers as i felt i was being treated less fairly after going part time (from full time). This was over a period of about 18 months. I handed in my notice and wanted answers about my treatment. That was in October.

The MD initially responded to me by letter saying "your manager denies the emphasis of your point etc etc" so i replied that i had requested a grievance hearing and felt the letter didnt answer my questions. It has taken over 6 weeks to arrange a meeting. The original one he suggested was a less than 24 hours notice and i couldnt find childcare at short notice.

I suggested tomorrows date before xmas and he has finally confirmed it this afternoon. However, the arrangement is for me to ring him with a LOCAL COFFEE SHOP for the location.

Might just be me but this seems incredibly informal for a grievance meeting to me. BTW - the company is a LARGE multinational, not some tin pot small business.

What does anyone else think?

thanks hadalife. Wish i did have someone to take but everyone is all holidayed out and busy back at work

thanks hadalife. Wish i did have someone to take but everyone is all holidayed out and busy back at work

Excuse me jumping in too - but I would contact the relevant HR department before meeting him. IME companies of that size have grievance policies set in stone and it seems strange that HR wouldn't be involved. He may be genuinely trying to be helpful in holding the meeting in a neutral place, but OTOH could be hoping they can frighten you off at the first hurdle.

Sorry I'm a bit confused. Can you go grievance if you don't work for them anymore?
Can't you just go to tribunal and skip this bit??

Its a huge company but doesnt have an HR department. It has a legal department but they are only contacted for advice if considered required.

BlondeIL - laws changed recently that if you want to go tribunal you have to go grievance - or attempt to - first, whether you still work there or have resigned.

Do you know where you're going to meet?

Btw - wasn't ignoring you earlier, had to pass DH a drink for DS and by the time I got back to PC you were offline!

Hope it goes well tomorrow - will be thinking of you x x x

No - worries - have been having a nightmare with ds tonight so been back and forth. Thank you though.

I dont know yet. Havent decided. Seems so odd to meet him for coffee to discuss something so contentious. oh i dont know!

Wish I lived nearer and could come and lend some moral support in person by sitting at the next table and taking surreptitious notes (oh, and not possibly be in labour - not that I am at all atm, but here's hoping!).

Well, you are a fast typist, if i bring my laptop you could sit on the next table and type away..............................

I would love someone to come with me but no-one is available. Bad time of year etc etc.

Thank you though Im sending hormonal contracty vibes your way

LOL, yes, I could do that! Wish I could too! Hope DS settles soon - I'm off to bed now but will be thinking of you tomorrow x x x

night xxxx

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(thats a big contracty vibe btw)

it is possible that the intention is 'neutral ground' and he thinks you would prefer this rather than go back to old ofice if things did not end well there, but if you are not happy with this, you have the right to say so. Just say that you feel that a private location is more appropriate and would appreciate the use of an office or meeting room at (whatever your old workplace or other of their offices is called).

100% agree with the idea of a dictaphone - if you try to take notes, that will distract you. either your notes will miss something, or you will not get as much out of the conversation as you hope. Also, while he might argue with your notes - i didnt say that etc, he will be unable to argue with a tape!

Make sure you are very well prepared - i am sure you have already got plenty of points written down! try to go over it with someone to make sure you have noted everything you are going to want to raise.

And good luck.

Thanks for that MTPW

QV sorry I only just saw this
I would say that this is completely inappropriate and if I were you I would insist that you go somewhere more private. you cannot talk properly in such a public place. who will take notes?
can you check your contract/handbook? does it say anything about being entitled to a witness? If I were you I would definitely call HR in the morning and ask them to arrange a proper room
don't let them bully you into something inappropriate

You could also contact ACAS (Advisory Conciliation and Arbitration Service) for advice - 0845 47 47 47.

If you are involved in a dispute or disagreement at work whether it involvs groups or individuals they could help to resolve it. Their aim is for you to to reach an acceptable solution without having to go to tribunal or any court hearing. they can advise you on ways of managing conflict & dealing with disputes or act as a neutral 3rd party. All thei services are voluntary and confidential so there is no charge for thei involvement.
www.acas.org.uk

qv how did it go? was thinking about you

Im afraid i didnt get to read your posts in time HC and helsi.

I met him in Starbucks of all places. Nearly didnt - he turned up at totally the wrong location. Said he thought i said something else on my voicemail message and had to grab a cab over which took him 20 minutes. So i went and sat in the office of my now ex employers! How daft is that.

It was a very strange experience. He is, in all honesty, a nice man. But i cant help thinking he is too biased to deal with this fairly.

He asked what i wanted from all of this. I said i didnt know but mainly i wanted my original complaint dealt with (that my manager didnt like my flexible working application to work part time and treated me differently after changing to part time hours).

he told me what my ex line manager had said in response to my claim. He actually showed me the email response which i thought was quite honest and open. He said that he felt my ex manager was rather dogmatic and that was half the problem. But that i was too emotional and that made things worse (am abbreviating greatly here....) and our positions had become so polarised that it made it difficult to recover from. I pointed out that i had made every effort to resolve this before resigning, and he admitted that he must accept some responsibility for that as i had approached him in confidence initially.

I told him to check some facts that my ex manager had got wrong which he will do.

His view on it all is that my ex manager felt a certain amount of frustation, and so did i, but isnt perhaps as bad a situation as i perceive it to be.

I said that i agree that my ex manager was frustrated, and that was my complaint - that he was frustrated and made his irritation clear to me often times, unsolicited.

Anyway, at the end i told him i was disappointed with how things had turned out, and then proceeded to cry , and apologised for crying! But explained that it was sad that circumstances had arisen at all, and then were allowed to escalate to such a degree that i felt i had to leave a company that i had invested 10 years of my life to, and had been with since i was a teenager.

Oh well, i will ponder it more, and await his typed "notes" on the meeting.