DF being bullied at work; what can I do to help?

[stookiesackhouse]

My DF, early sixties, is being bullied and harangued at work by his line manager. DF works as a driver for a large car sales garage (not independent; they have dealerships nationwide). DF is extremely hard-working, conscientious and really takes pride in his work - and goes above and beyond regularly i.e. working late for no extra money even though his wage isn't great. His boss is absolutely awful. DF is basically used as a scapegoat whenever anything goes wrong; is shouted at and humiliated in front of colleagues on a regular basis, and is regularly threatened with the sack.

I feel so angry because this little tyrant in a shirt and tie is causing my lovely DF to suffer massively from stress, loss of confidence and ruining the last couple of years of work of a guy who has worked bl**dy hard all his life.

I advised DF he should report the behaviour to his line manager's line manager. DF is reluctant though because the two managers are friends outside of work and feels he may make things worse for himself.

My DM has said they can look at their finances so DF could leave now - she'd rather they tried to manage without his wage than my DF's health suffering. I think it's so unfair though that he is in effect being 'pushed out' and his retirement is being marred by a vile bully.

My thoughts are that he could go on sick with stress and never go back. I am not sure how this would work though re length of time/benefits (will look into it).

Just thought I'd come on here to canvass any advice/opinions? Would be very much appreciated.

Urgh. Little brat. Not sure what to advise - your df needs to do what he's comfortable with. But also stand up for himself. He could start by recording all incidents, with dates and names of witnesses where possible. Think of it as the "rope book", give the bully enough and he will hang himself.

Thanks Stealth. He has started to note things down but I think he probably needs to be recording everything, including the witnesses as you say. I like the "rope book" concept :)

Bump for more specific advice

Thanks Stealth, I'll bump too.

What a shame - your poor dad!

If it's a nationwide company then they should have a HR dept and procedures in place to deal with workplace bullying. He could look into the company's grievance procedure and speak to HR about the matter. Keeping a record of incidents is definitely a good idea. HR would have a duty to investigate his grievance, and if there are witnesses that would help.

If he was signed off sick he could be entitled to company sick pay (if they have any) but this might not last long. Statutory Sick Pay is in the region of £80-ish and is only payable for a maximum of 28 weeks. In my own organisation, any company sick pay period is included in this 28 weeks. After that, he could claim for Employment & Support Allowance which involves a work capability assessment.

I hope that your dad feels able to stand up to this boss - he shouldn't be allowed to get away with causing people stress at work.

Thanks for the info MSS, I'll look into the HR side of things with DF.