Intimidation at work

[bingo1]

I must first stress that I am new to this forum and hope I am not raising an issue already discussed. I have no one else to discuss my work related matter as my work colleagues are all 'in the same boat together' and I am not on board.
The issue relates to both one of a contractual nature and a behavioural one with management. I have raised the issue of my working hours with HR but as of yet had no reply.

In response to my actions of exercising my 'contract hours', my line manager came into my place of work and was intimidating and bullying in his manner and passed comment which put suggestion that I "Was of no use" if I was not going to submit and carry out a direct order of a delegated task which he had assigned.

As this is an issue directly related to behaviour with my manager, I do not wish to confront him with this, I intend to call the company's whistleblowing helpline but other than that, is there further advice anyone can offer

Wow op. You can’t just do that. Firstly as said your contact will say they can change the hours to suit the business, it would be very unusual for it not to say that. And then you accepted the change and worked the new shift

You can’t just decide you will work your old shift and then proceed to do that. Whatever are you thinking. If I was them I’d be looking to terminate your employment on breach of contract.

The wording is important in the contract as well because if the wording was those were core hours that's not the same thing.

However as PP have said if you have been working a shift pattern for a long period there is protection for the employer.

If you had raised a grievance with HR for delaying a reply you would have had a leg to stand on. You have lost the upper hand by unilaterally changing your hours.

Your manager absolutely should not have been aggressive or said those things but by changing your hours they way you did you have now lost most of the power you had. If you had followed process properly then likely you would have been successful but you didn't.

After making the request and it being delayed (by how much is very important here) you should have gone through the accountability process. You could also then have raised a grievance to the Managers behaviour.

Now I suspect you will get very little because you took the silly way of dealing with it. You can request flexible working but if it doesn't meet business need they can refuse it. It pays to do it in a respectful manner to keep them in the idea that it will benefit them. I've just moved to a flexible working request that could be challenging for the company but I was approved because I gave them ways to be reassured the job would work that way.

You can't argue process breaks with the employer if you change things without understanding what the rules really are. Contracts are not the bullet proof vest you think they are.

If you refuse to work the hours requested of you, be aware they can sack you for breach of contract
Might be a good idea to stay looking for a new job now

OP, you are totally in the wrong. If you've worked different hours to what is in your contract, and therefore agreed to it, it has become your new implied contracted hours. You can't then revert to your old hours without formal agreement.

This was a very poor move on your part. You need to apologise and work with your manager or you might indeed find yourself without a job.

@bingo1

To answer HalfShrunkMoreToGo I shall investigate raising a flexible working request, this I was unaware that it was an option available to me

Perhaps you should asked for advice before unilaterally changing your hours and opening yourself up to being fired for misconduct....

Perhaps you should also let people on your other thread know that your original contract has effectively been changed by your agreement.

Frankly you sound like an entitled nightmare and well in the way to being fired legitimately.

Honestly... they can't give you a bad reference so look for a new job with suitable working hours. The fact HR haven't responded to your request to revert back to your original contractual hours is bad enough... though equally I don't think changing your working hours comes off at all well. Time to move on, OP.

@TerraNovaTwo

Honestly... they can't give you a bad reference so look for a new job with suitable working hours. The fact HR haven't responded to your request to revert back to your original contractual hours is bad enough... though equally I don't think changing your working hours comes off at all well. Time to move on, OP.

They can give a realistic reference though, so they could say 'Bingo worked the 6-2 shift for several years. We were not able to accommodate her request for different hours however Bingo ignored that and decided to work the hours that suited her....'

Merely saying something you don't want to hear isn't actually bullying.

You can't unilaterally change your working hours and expect to continue employment. Just like you can't refuse to take your breaks and then swan off early.

That is not how employment works.

‘Honestly... they can't give you a bad reference’

And that, ladies and gentlemen, is why you shouldn’t take legal advice from random anonymous people on the internet.

www.mumsnet.com/Talk/employment_issues/4395184-Enforcing-of-lunch-breaks

@TerraNovaTwo

Honestly... they can't give you a bad reference so look for a new job with suitable working hours. The fact HR haven't responded to your request to revert back to your original contractual hours is bad enough... though equally I don't think changing your working hours comes off at all well. Time to move on, OP.

Many companies take the approach of not giving a personalised reference at all and just confirming basic information like length of service, title, salary etc.

It's important to be accurate on this though. Companies Cannot by law give a false reference and need to be able to evidence any negative statements they make if they were called to answer a complaint in court. If however they can evidence it then they can give a negative reference. In this case they absolutely would be able to tick the 'would not re-employ' box and write a statement to say that 'bingo1' had decided to change her hours without permission leaving the business understaffed during key hours.

I hadn't realised both threads were started by the same poster. Honestly OP you've gone about this all wrong and as you sound as though you hate the place/management then it's probably for the best for all concerned that you look for another job.

As previous posters have written, you can't just take it upon yourself to unilaterally change the shift pattern you have worked for the last 12 years with nobody else's agreement.

What hours have you been working, compared to the 8am-4/4.30pm as outlined in your contract? If it's not a huge difference, you may be able to meet with your manager again, and grovel with them to allow you some leeway.

You've been there for 12 years so sacking you wouldn't be easy but by God if I was your manager I'd be trying to get rid of you.

OP, you haven’t answered a lot of questions so I can only assume that these gaps suit your narrative here.

I have nothing to add except that you’re so far off here, it’s concerning. You can dress it up in as much attempted legalese as you’d like, but, based on what you’ve posted here and on your other thread, you don’t have a leg to stand on.

Op
You sound totally and utterly batshit.
What on earth was going though your head. In my company you'd absolutely be disciplined for such behaviour.

I am so so SO glad that you are not in my team. What a complete nightmare. I don't think you realise how much of an impact behaviour like yours has on managers in the workplace.