Colleagues complained. Civil service

[Fishheaddoobydoo]

Just found out 4(!)people have complained about me at work. I'm a line manager. None are my team apparently but I don't know much more.
One has mentioned bullying.
I'm not a union member. I've emailed the union in a hope they might represent me if I join. It's unlikely isn't it?
My manager told me tonight. It's formal because they are waiting for a decision maker to be appointed. I don't know anything about the allegations yet.
Im civil service
Ive changed username for this.

I read somewhere the other day that bullying is going to be the new #metoo since the Dominic Raab issue.

How long have you been a manager? Have you had any complaints before?

Are you abrupt or are you direct? Have you ever had any negative feedback on appraisals? Or positive feedback?

good luck. Wishing you all the best.

@Fishheaddoobydoo you will have the right to be accompanied make sure who ever you take, takes detailed notes for you.

Write down your recollection of what happened on Saturday and if you can get stats/figures/output data for the Saturday. As a pp has said you probably expected them to work.

Hello, are you sure these are formal complaints as opposed to people raising issues? If you are not their line manager then it might be more appropriate for them to go through their line manager rather to you direct - doesn't necessarily make it a formal complaint.

If the complaints are about you checking their work or setting high standards this will not necessarily reflect badly on you. Presumably that's what you are employed to do?

Do you actually see any irony in your post whatsoever?

I'd say I'm direct vs abrupt. I've been told to try and 'fluff it up' when talking to people.
If it IS about the Saturday I can justify that easily with figures etc.
I haven't had any complaints before. I've been a manager just over a year.

If you are civil service then your union is PCS? Where I work they wouldn’t represent someone who hadn’t been a member for at least three months (might be six). If you are invited to any formal meetings you can take a colleague rather than a union rep. You say the process has been made formal, so presumably this is in the form of a grievance, so wait and see what the grievance actually says. There will be an investigation of the allegations and the investigating officer will speak to you as part of that, so you give your side. Also worth considering how long you have been a manager/what training you have had to do the role/any previous complaints. Check your intranet for your grievance procedure and disciplinary procedure. If you have a separate bullying and harassment policy check that too. They will explain the process management will follow. Good luck op.

How did you find out? How do you know it’s about bullying whilst also not knowing what the complaint is?

ultimately there’s nothing you can do in this moment so try not to dwell over the weekend. It is RARE for someone in civil service to be sacked so you will likely keep your job so just go through the motions and see what you can do to improve/ensure this doesn’t happen again

abrupt people are NOT nice to work with. In your job application I’m sure you harped on about managing stakeholders, good team work, great communication etc but being “abrupt” is not the best method. You need to tailor your approach to different people and be tactful. Being abrupt is abrasive and generally should be a last resort, not your default.

Absolutely take someone along.

One thing to keep in mind - there's ample evidence what people frequently mean by being "abrupt" is really "abrupt while female." In anyone else it probably would be called "leadership qualities." Not saying that's the case here, but it could certainly be a component.

www.politico.com/magazine/story/2014/05/editing-while-female-jill-abramson-106782/

@GrumpyPanda nope. I also work in civil service and one female HEO and one male SEO are both abrupt. This isn’t leadership - they have been complained about consistently to the extent they’ve been shifted around the department a number of times, away from line management, and are a HR nightmare. Both have an equally horrific reputation.

Why do you need to be abrupt? You should be able to articulate yourself in other ways.

It sounds like there is a basis for the complaints.

If you have that many people complaining you have an issue. Depending on your department you could be in hot water…the people survey results mean a lot of departments are facing taking a hard line on bullying, harassment & discrimination. You may want to speak to ACAS as the union is unlikely to give you much support.

Four people is a lot. We have a manager at my work who has had 6 people complain about her to our union, not as a group but individual complaints.

If it makes you feel better she's still in position. She shouts, micromanages and is very unpredictable (sometimes nice, sometimes mean.) It's probably worth trying to imagine what working for you would be like and perhaps seeking some training or a mentor - being a manager is really tricky so I do feel for you, but being managed by a crap manager is worse!

@pixie5121 good managers monitor their staff. It’s not micro managing. Remember the contents of jobs can be very different. I worked somewhere were a teams performance/output was measured at several points in the day to ensure targets were hit.

For example, if the staff were sitting around chatting and not processing cases, work etc. as they would be expected to do during the week a quick chivvy up to do some work could see the group complain.

You can’t just join a union when you have a problem! That’s really selfish, and is not what they’re about. You need to pay for an employment lawyer if you need someone to represent you. Lesson for the future OP.

Came on to say exactly this.
Women are frequently critiqued for being direct.

I'm not a union member. I've emailed the union in a hope they might represent me if I join. It's unlikely isn't it?

yes, it is unlikely. Join a union, pay the dues, and then when you need them they are there. Not ignore them until you need them and then they won't help you.

If you are abrupt and you stay in post, or get moved to another you need to learn some interpersonal skills, even if you think it's fluff and useless. Interpersonal skills smooth the wheels of our lives, particularly at work. It is important especially in managerial positions.

Not the only CS union. In my dept it’s one of several - it depends on your profession and grade.

Ah, thanks Lemoncurd. Where I am it’s only PCS but I am forgetting how big the CS is!

Perhaps it's time for some self reflection OP? If you have been bullying your staff, then you deserve to be held to account for it.

I'm ex civil service and my first role was horrendous. Utterly toxic and headed up by a bully which I believe set the tone for those working beneath her. I was junior member of staff, just out of college and it was a really awful experience.

If it's 4 complaints from one shift with slackers that's not going to be so bad. If it's 4 individual complaints from different events (which is unlikely if they've all come at once) there'll be questions asked.

Don’t be ridiculous. In fantasy land would you purely be supportive.

Some people do take the mick, underperform and some have no resilience.