How to whistleblow a bully

[Milly699]

Last year I started a bank admin role, just myself and another long term colleague in the office. Things started off really well, then the person got a promotion to a made up job as “ supervisor.”

Things then started to go downhill, they stated they were going to start cracking the whip…… Long story short I was at the brunt of passive aggressive bullying for a good few months. Was in the process of looking for something else. However, I caught Covid nearly six months ago, was really poorly, I have been diagnosed with long Covid. I have medical appointments all the time, all over the place.

A couple of months ago I sent the “ supervisor “ a message to say I had a substantial sick certificate and sorry but I won’t be in until I’m better. I didn’t get a reply, I was completely ignored.
Fast forward to a couple of weeks ago, I received my work notebook in post with all the pages of my step by step instructions of how to do all my work ripped out. It took me ages to write it all up. No note with it, nothing .
If I ever get well enough to return, that notebook would be the only I can do my job, as I would pretty much have to relearn everything. I was absolutely fuming 😡. In fact in speechless!
I have never experienced such blatant, nasty, passive aggressive behaviour as this in my very long working life!

I want to make a formal complaint, not just about the most recent action but everything that precedes it before I was ill. But, if it’s just to my line manager, it will be swept under the carpet. AIBU to take this to HR director level ?
Should I just ignore it? I’m obviously not going back to that office.

Im so fed up of long term staff bullying and thinking they are untouchable.

Go above their heads.
sick leave should be acknowledged

@Danikm151 I actually have a text demanding I go in to cover whilst on a sick certificate and still testing positive! I sent a photo of my LFT ! I couldn’t even get out of bed!

Your company should have a Whistle Blowing Policy, can you access it whilst on sick leave?

@cheapskatemum I have tried to access them through google but I can’t find the ones I need. I can’t access staff intranet as passwords have expired. I don’t have a work laptop.

@cheapskatemum just to add there’s definitely a whistleblower policy.

Do the company have an HR department? Are you a member of a union or professional association?

That's a relief. Definitely call this bully out. Bullies are cowards that rely on no one challenging them.

You're not whistleblowing, that's a different thing altogether:


You’re a whistleblower if you’re a worker and you report certain types of wrongdoing. This will usually be something you’ve seen at work - though not always.
The wrongdoing you disclose must be in the public interest. This means it must affect others, for example the general public.

What you're doing is making a complaint about how you've been treated. It would be appropriate to make this complaint to HR or a senior manager.

@cheapskatemum Yes and Yes ! That’s why I asked if I was being unreasonable to go to HR at director level! I have the names and email addresses of three top HR executives. I don’t know if that level would be deemed appropriate, although I would love to go to CEO tbh.

@milkmonitor20 Thankyou, yes there’s so many different policies, it’s hard to find the most appropriate.

@cheapskatemum yes, the person has got away with it in the past from what they used to say about previous colleagues. One lady retired, the next went after a few months, now me.

In my company, which is a charity, if a person went higher up the hierarchy with a complaint, that Manager would go to the person at the appropriate level to deal with it. You have evidence of your colleague's behaviour (and stupidity, in sending it to you!). I don't see what you've got to lose.

Ah yes, she now thinks she's invincible.

Sometimes there is a HR specialist for this. But be aware HR are there to protect the company, not you.

you do have a case but maybe contact ACAS first to make sure you communicate all the pertinent points you need to raise. It can be easy to get carried away with the emotional offloading of the situation. I had to deal with passive aggressive bullying by a new manager without a shred of human decency and it is a horrible situation.

@cheapskatemum I have quite a bit of evidence, she was rude in a teams chat I photographed the screen. There’s a lot more I wish I had photographed, but went off sick before I had the opportunity. I guess IT could access my teams chat , if it came to it.

@flabbygoldfish thanks, good advice, I’m with Unison, I will get in touch and let them earn their money!

You sound like you have enough evidence logged. If you do get to speak to HR, you will probably remember more.

Ask HR for the Grievance Policy and follow that.

I'm routing for you! I hope you manage to recover from Long Covid too.

@cheapskatemum I have enough to write a very long essay! I just think that as I’m way down the pecking order, they would want more and more and not take me seriously in the end. This is my squashed confidence talking 😢😢.

@cheapskatemum Thanks ! 😊

To add this is not a whistle blowing matter. It's raising a grievance.

@MajorCarolDanvers Yes , I have been advised in an earlier comment, thankyou .

Did your notes have codes or procedures in it that the bank could consider a security risk? Could that be a reason they'd give (whether justified or not) for ripping the pages out?

@MarshaMelrose I don’t work in a bank! I have a bank/ zero contact! No security threats in my notes!