Help me put in a grievance without fucking my career!

[Fuckityfuckfuckbollocks]

I have to put a grievance in regarding sexism and misogyny how do I word it with out sounding like a crazy woman!

Not sure where to start! It's institutional within my company although my boss is particularly bad.

I'm an engineer and work in an all male field. Help!

Sorry but if it’s so pervasive then your chances are small.

What do you want to happen as a result?

Be clear of what your desired outcome from the grievance would be/is before starting the process. If you are hoping that it will result in some far reaching cultural change in your company and not impact your career negatively, then think very carefully. However if you want to leave the company and hopefully be compensated for having to do so, then go for it. Keep everything factual and provide examples with dates and witnesses if you can.

It's going to stay with you if your planning on staying with the company. I'm afraid that's just what happens.

Consider carefully what you aim to achieve by doing this! Make sure the risk is worth it.

With regards to writing it keep it factual, professional and don't dramatise it. Witnesses if you have them and they're prepared to speak out. Most will not want to get involved. If your in a union make sure you use them and make sure you have full payment protection on mortgages etc. Afraid most people who do this find they have to leave or are forced out of the company at the first opportunity.

Good luck op. It's all very wrong and you're probably in for a tough time ahead.

Thanks all it's what I knew was the answer
I'll have to take a settlement won't I, although it's that or constructive dismissal.

Was there a specific incident?

There have been several

You don't have to go into detail but how severe has it been op. X

promotion/development of male colleagues with less experience when I have been told i dont enough experience including a recent graduate with 2 years experience put in a lead role. I have 15 years+ experience

Specific incidents where male colleagues have bullied me, and my complaints were met with smirks and dismissed by boss

Specific incidents where I have done my job effectively including a specific field where I am uniquely qualified within the company but colleagues refuse to accept my guidance so that the company is not actually complying with the required standards and regulations with serious safety implications to clients.

That's just a few- I've had a lot of wine so I'm not very coherent can I give myself a

Fuckity, have you whistleblown on the failure to meet H&S standards? That, in conjunction with a grievance may help your position. You have 15 + years experience, how much of that is at the company?

sounds miserable - what's your plan for the next job - is it a toxic company, or is the company reflective of the industry as a whole, in your experience? Whatever happens with this bunch of pigs, you need to work on your next plan.

Have you documented everything? Do so asap.

4 1/2 years in company.

I have repeatedly complained we don't comply with relevant standards and have been labelled a trouble maker.
The whole blow up today is because I refused to put my name on a clients document that does not meet regulations (it makes me legally responsible).

I do think this is my bosses end game and be wants to force me out can I use this in any way or is it completely lost?
Without wanting to out myself my boss has also disclosed personal medical information concerning another colleague can I use that?

I'm fucked aren't I

Are any of these clients public sector?

I can only tell you this from personal experience of putting a grievance in and a grievance appeal. I submitted black and white, timestamped email evidence that showed the bad behaviour and lies of my managers on several occasions. It was ignored. I may as well have not bothered but by this stage I had a good inkling I would be going to a tribunal because the reality is if it was a choice between me and a senior manager, it was me they would kick to the kerb no matter how strong my complaint was or how good my evidence. They did not even bother to examine the evidence. I may as well have not bothered. As others have said, think very carefully about what you want. If you want to leave or have good grounds for a tribunal or whistleblowing to the HSE then do it because either way, your future there is doomed. If, however, you wish to stay and work or think you will effect some change in mindset and attitude, please don't bother, look after number one and put all your energy into staying positive and looking for another position. good luck and keep us posted xx

No matter how strong your case, think carefully about what the Grievance would achieve.

If I were you I would focus on your career and if you can get a new role in a different company move on swiftly. It will suck the life out of you, and you’d need to write off a year of your life if you were to take it to Tribunal, because you can bet your bottom dollar they will extend the investigation process to the maximum time they can possibly get away with. Do you have that time and money to spare?

I’m so sorry you are in this situation. I think you need to leave, there’s no way your company is going to do the right thing.

How easy would it be for you to get another job?

Each organisation and situation is different so I wouldn't assume that putting in a grievance is always a terrible thing - even if it was for you personally or someone you know.

I would say that in many instances (particularly where the complainant is in work and working) it can be and often is actually helpful.

You rarely hear about the grievances where it was all sorted out and was better afterwards due to confidentiality.

This talk of tribunals is extremely premature and also not very helpful.

I second what Daisy has said because I am at the end of this process and it has taken 14 months during which time the organisation has done everythign the can to make things difficult for me desite mountains of evidence and a tribunal judge telling them off for timewasting and playing hardball and that they had a case to answer to. Even now, they are doing everything they can to be petty and spite me. Tribunals are very draining and a last resort. I made the classic mistake of thinking Hr would be impartial. They weren't. Only you know the people involved and the circumstances so you need to call it but having spoken to lots of other people in other organisations, unless the grievance is about something really low level and petty, it can actually work against you and flags up that you might be willing to go further. They aren't treating you well. I was also at my company for nearly 11 years and acknowledged as being brilliant at my job but it didn't stop them screwing me over when it suited them. Look after you first, middle and last. your interests come first not theirs because if they wake up tomorrow and decide you are surplus to requirements, you are gone and all your loyalty, hard work and dedication means nothing. Please look for something else because I hve lost over a year to this sort of stuff and it isn't easy. I am not advocating throwing the towel in as if you feel strongly about the grievance then put one in, I am just saying don't be surprised if they disregard it. Good luck because I know how horrible it is to be in that place x

Thanks for all your replies, I've updated my CV and I'm going to start sending it out.

You have no case for constructive dismissal based in what you said although obviously you may have a case for sex discrimination.

I work in HR, of course we are not impartial we work for the company! We are not an external ombudsman!

Absolutely vital to start from desired outcome and work back in terms of finding out whether a grievance is the best route.

If you want to improve the situation at work I would say that’s probably an unrealistic aim, as it sounds like something which is ingrained and cultural and won’t be solved by (say) disciplining/removing one manager or similar.

I’d say probably the outcome which is likely to be best for you is finding a new job. A classic mistake many people make is to resist a particular course of action/outcome because they think that is what their employer wants. It may well be true that your (or anyone’s) boss wants to get rid of you, but that doesn’t mean that finding a new job won’t also be the best outcome for you.

Staying in a job or taking a particular course of action to try and teach your employer a lesson is rarely a good idea imo, and usually has far more of a negative impact on the employee than the employer, regardless of the result.

If you think you’d be able to find another job relatively quickly/easily, I’d probably concentrate your efforts on that rather than devoting time, effort, headspace and emotion to raising a grievance.

If, on the other hand, finding another role might be difficult/take a while, then a grievance might elicit an offer of a settlement from them which would give you a bit of a cushion.

totally agree with flowery, good luck on finding a much nicer job fuckity