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Original poster

Received THIS email from my manager

68 replies

Navrat · 02/03/2018 21:11

I am a nurse and I started a new job at a hospital. I am a single mum and don't drive and I knew some visiting would be needed so I made sure I had a good plan in place to complete the job and manage chikdcare. On my first day I was informed I was going to be doing emergency visits. This is not something that I was informed of until the first day. The first week I did not get back to my children until 7pm. I was paid until 4:30pm, the rest was unpaid overtime and I was exhausted. The commute was taking me 2 hours one way and I quickly realised the job was not sustainable.

I emailed my manager and explained that the commute was too long for me but that I have loved being a part of the team and should another position become available that was part time I would be happy to take it. I explained that I was available for a meeting to discuss my resignation anytime and offered to help with the transition in any way I could. I reiterated that my experience of the team was completely positive and my decision was made due to the commute only.

I had emailed as there was going to be a new office created on Monday and I didn't think it was fair for them to set me up on a work station there only for me to not be remaining. In hindsight it would have been better to wait until Monday when I was in in person but I genuinely thought id done the right thing at the time.

The reply I received left my speechless. The manager called me a coward for emailing, informed me that not offering to work any notice was unprofessional and discourteous.She said I had group visits planned and I should have rang those workers individually to inform them if no longer be working with them. She was concerned by my lack of maturity and insight and stated that it I applied for another job at hospital I would not be getting an interview and I was not welcome to apply there for any positions. She said she would refuse to give me a reference. She then said my lack of professionalism makes her question if I am appropriate to be registered with any professional body. She said she will not consider giving me a part time position either now or in the future. She ended by saying she has no sympathy for my difficulties with childcare or commute.

This manager has never seen me in practice. She is my line manager but just arranged my induction. She has not experience of his I am in work. I'd only been in the job two weeks and my latest supervision showed my on site manager was very impressed by my work and attitude.

Maybe I shouldn't have emailed. I understand that. But in was courteous and polite in my email and offered to support with the transition. I offered to work with them to find a different role for me. I didn't offer a specific period of notice but was happy to work with them to set work some kind of notice. The email was one long angry personal attack. I feel it was incredibly unprofessional and lacking in any kind of empathy. Even if she was annoyed she Copenhagen politely explained she would have rather had an in person discussion and then thanked me for informing her of the resignation. I've never in my life seen such an unprofessional email from a professional mamager. I think they have huge difficulty recruiting specialist nurses and this was why she was annoyed and took her frustration out on me.

I am not wanted back there and so won't be serving any notice. I wasn't planning to reply to the email at all as I just didn't know what to say but my friend who works as a doctor at the hospital says I should go to BE as the comment that I'm not going to get another job there and I'm not allowed a reference are not for her to say and are unacceptable. He said the hospital will not have wanted a nurse with an in demand speciality to have been good never to apply again.

What would you do in this situation? I don't want to return to the hospital as it's too far from my home anyway. I have an interview lined up next week for another hospital. I was in tears for a few days but I'm starting to feel better now. Trying not to let this affect my confidence too much.

OP posts:
AlexanderHamilton · 02/03/2018 21:16

I would send a formal, polite email thanking them for their reply but pointing out the inaccuracies in the email is a totally factual way (working notice etc) but that it became apparent the job was not what originally envisaged re unpaid overtime etc.

Copy in HR.

Original poster
Navrat · 02/03/2018 21:19

That's for your reply. Do you think the managers email was okay?

OP posts:
myrtleWilson · 02/03/2018 21:22

What was your contracted notice period - you say "I didn't offer a specific notice period" - I would have expected you to work contracted notice unless agreed otherwise.
Overall I think emailing like this was unwise - especially "offering to help them find a different role for me" - you probably would have found a more sympathetic ear if you had emailed your manager asking to meet with her to discuss the role as it was not as you understood it to be.

AlexanderHamilton · 02/03/2018 21:25

I think it’s unacceptable. But By staying calm, polite and factual rather than emotional you will stand yourself in much better stead if there are any repercussions.

Original poster
Navrat · 02/03/2018 21:27

I hadn't signed any employment contract so bad no contracted notice. In was free to leave at any time. Offering a different role was misinterpreted. I didn't want to work there due to it being too far away but offered to do a different role to make it easier for them if they were short staffed.

OP posts:
Original poster
Navrat · 02/03/2018 21:28

It would definitely have been better to speak in person but I doubt the manager would have been pleasant in person either. So at least I've saved myself a nasty in person rant. I'm not angry just sad. So no chance of an angry rant from me. As far as I'm concerned I've dodged a bullet!

OP posts:
lougle · 02/03/2018 21:29

I'm a bit confused, so sorry if I misunderstood. Did your email not acknowledge the need to give notice as per your contract at all? In general employment law, you have to give one week's notice if you have been employed more than one month. But under Agenda for Change, most employers use either a 4 week or 8 week notice period.

lougle · 02/03/2018 21:31

"I hadn't signed any employment contract so bad no contracted notice."

That doesn't mean you didn't have a contract. If you knew what the terms were that you were employed under, you had a contract. You must have discussed the role?

Lalalaleah · 02/03/2018 21:33

This reply has been deleted

Message withdrawn at poster's request.

Original poster
Navrat · 02/03/2018 21:34

I offered to work a notice period suitable for then. Sorry if this was misunderstood. The managers reply stated she did not want me returning at all.

OP posts:
Original poster
Navrat · 02/03/2018 21:34

*them

OP posts:
myrtleWilson · 02/03/2018 21:36

did you email today?

Original poster
Navrat · 02/03/2018 21:36

I haven't written about this before. I think a phone call is worse than email. I'm not denying emailing was not an unwise decision but it's made now and I was polite in my emaik. It's not like I sent an email telling her to stuff her job.

OP posts:
FlippingFoal · 02/03/2018 21:38

The job description is always included in the interview and this forms the contract. By accepting the job you accept the terms.

It is extremely unprofessional to email suggesting what you have - they are not obliged to find a more convenient roll for you, however you are obliged to work your notice. To not do so would result in you not receiving a reference.

It would have been more reasonable to have discussed the unpaid overtime you were being expected to do and discuss the impact on your work-life balance. That would have been the professional way to do it.

Sadly your card is now marked - word gets around and you may find it difficult to get future roles

Original poster
Navrat · 02/03/2018 21:43

I offered to work a notice period suitable for them. It was the manager who told me not to return.
There was nothing in the job description or interview regarding overtime never mind unpaid overtime. The role wasn't for me and I informed them as soon as I realised.
I was in the probation period and did not have a contract of employment (as they were too disorganised to print one out and to through the policies and paperwork). I spoke to the CAB about it and I was informed I was free to leave whenever I wanted until I'd signed an employment contract (I'd never leave an employer in the lurch though).

OP posts:
DailyMailReadersAreThick · 02/03/2018 21:48

Ignore FlippingFoal - it was NOT unprofessional to say you would love a part time role if one could be found, and if "word got round" nobody would think what you did was wrong.

The only mistake you made was emailing before talking face-to-face, but you know that and it's hardly the crime of the century.

You'll find a much better job soon and be glad you dodged a bullet with this sorry excuse for a line manager!

myrtleWilson · 02/03/2018 21:49

I understood (perhaps erroneously) that there are implied terms of contract though - and by accepting the role (and presumably being paid for your time to date) you have accepted the terms of the job description. Did you explain to the CAB that you were actually working this role?

Jamboree05 · 02/03/2018 21:51

May I point out that employment law dictates that you must only give notice once you have been employed more than a month. Even then it is only a week unless otherwise stated in your contract. Clearly not the case here.

And OP would obviously still be in the probationary period. Is the probationary period not exactly that? The time when both employer and employee ascertain if they are appropriate for each other?

OP, I don't think you did anything wrong. Your manager was incredibly unprofessional and I would involve HR in this.

Original poster
Navrat · 02/03/2018 21:52

CAB were aware of the situation a be advised me that I had no notice period. If you're not a legal professional it's best not to give employment legal advice on a forum.

Yup the manager will look worse than me if word not round. The hospital is far from my house though so I'm probably safe from harmful gossip.

OP posts:
Original poster
Navrat · 02/03/2018 21:54

That's correct jamboree

What should I say to HR? Id never normally get HE involved but I feel her email was so nasty she cannot get away with it invade she is like that with someone else.

OP posts:
myrtleWilson · 02/03/2018 21:57

I didn't give legal advice actually - my post specifically says "I understood perhaps erroneously"

mooncuppy · 02/03/2018 21:57

As a manager, I find it quite unprofessional when I spend time and effort recruiting a person, and they decide they don't like it within a few days and resign without giving the job a chance, leaving me in the lurch. It usually indicates to me that they didn't research the role properly or have a very poor work ethic, both of which are pretty annoying. Not saying that its necessarily true for every case, but that's what it has felt like every time its happened to me.

Original poster
Navrat · 02/03/2018 21:59

mooncuppy it may seem that way but it could also be that there's aspects of the job that were not mentioned at any stage of the recruitment stage. As was the case with me.

It's reasonable to suspect a lot of things but sending personal attacks via email still isn't accrptable.

OP posts:
ChikiTIKI · 02/03/2018 22:01

Were you hired without a contract or background check?

Heartofglass12345 · 02/03/2018 22:03

I think you dodged a bullet with her to be fair! it baffles me how people like that can be nurses let alone managers, I have had some awful, nasty ones in the past. how can she stop you getting a job at that hospital again, what kind of hospital is it? do you need a reference from her? she sounds like a bitch to be honest. I don't miss nursing at all!