Redundancy Ahead - Do I get in first with a Grievance?

[MeanIsTheNewGreen]

Long story short, my manager has been bullying me for the last year. I have tried and tried to build bridges and turn it around but as is often the case nothing has changed.

I documented some of the issues in my performance review knowing that HR could treat it as a grievance but felt the time had come to get it documented as it has mostly been verbal so far. HR are aware of my comments but haven’t reacted or approached me at all.

I have come to learn that I am going to be told my role has been made redundant. The source of this info is reliable and would have visibility to the decision so I am confident it is correct. I have been expecting this but before I go I do want to try and get my manager’s bullying behaviour documented and investigated otherwise this goes away for him when my role is eliminated and I would like it on the record.

Should I raise the issues documented in my performance review now as a formal grievance before (surprise!) I hear my role will be made redundant so they have to be investigated? Or can they still sweep it under the carpet and just wave me goodbye?

What should I do?

@TonerNeedsReplacing I think I am on the right side of the policy. I documented my comments in December but only got my manager’s feedback recently. Thank you for flagging that though - I will double check.

Thanks for your comments and support @Codlingmoths

This

What happened after you raised the matter in December? Were your concerns addressed?

Nothing happened at all. Even though HR were made aware of the issues raised.

Given this I would think through carefully how this may play out.

When grievances are raised for bullying and centers around performance, the manager’s answer to this is often that actually this is just them performance managing an under performer who doesn’t accept the issues. If whoever is doing the investigation accepts that then not only do they not get comeuppance, it arguably gets worse for the employee as it is now on file that they are underperforming and their response to that was not to improve but bring unfounded grievances.

I’m not saying that this is factually the case here certainly but I would look carefully at what you are disagreeing with and whether you can objectively demonstrate it is incorrect or inappropriate. If you can’t you may find the process doesn’t bring you anything but more pain. I have known cases where people riled up my well meaning friends (“don’t let him get away with it!”) but think grievances will clear their name, punish their manager and work out like a movie but actually the process is draining, they often didn’t get the outcome they wanted and it made working there intolerable.

Thanks @TonerNeedsReplacing All good advice. I will think about it carefully. I have been a manager assigned to investigate grievances before so have my eyes open I think.

Most of the feedback is ‘you did x, I asked you to do y’ when I have evidence to show I was asked to do x, not y. So while I’m sure it will be unpleasant and my manager will never truly be held accountable it might help the next person along when they raise the same sorts of things.

My manager gaslights and will absolutely insist back is white even if you have evidence. Which is what makes things so unpleasant.

I thought about doing this also as this happened to me! Tried to get me out of my own accord by implementing PIP and giving me non SMART objectives (it’s a long story). Anything I said was being twisted and had always been successful before they arrived. I had my grievance there and ready as I know someone else had put one in earlier.
then the redundancy card because I’d told my manager in no uncertain terms what I thought of them. As I was told the redundancy was not performance related I experienced relief I could get out with some money and a reference. It was clear to me this person had been brought in to do a job of which the outcome would have been the same and I’d passed the PIP or not. They were brought in to play absolute havoc and senior leadership team and HR would support them to the hilt. These people are brought in and probably know themselves they’ll only be hired for a short amount of time and then move on. So do you move forward and move or or put a lot of energy into trying to prove something that may not go how you want it to and cause you more grief and stress. I chose to move on.

Thanks for sharing @Reallyannoyedwithpitaboss

That sounds rough and I am glad you escaped.

It is very difficult to decide. I know I will never get a proper and fair resolution and either way I will be managed out. But I just can’t help feeling that if nobody ever stands up and raises this stuff the bully just continues to get slapped on the back as ‘getting things done’. The how will never matter, and it really should.

Someone has to at least try and take them on and I really have nothing to lose apart from my sanity! So I am struggling to let them paint this as a genuine redundancy and fob me off when we all know it isn’t and HR have been aware of the conditions I am working under and have failed to act.

The one thing HR said to me is that if you raise a grievance be very clear what you want to get out of it . I think bullying bosses are patted on the back when business is tough because they are seen to be saving money for the company. If business is booming they don’t! Our boss was new and put 2 of us on identical PIPs moreorless so it was a business strategy to try and get us out of our own accord. Senior leadership team would have been supporting them! Even HR!

Always start with the end goal in mind. If you raise a grievance, will you see it through to the end? Will anything compel your organisation to tackle poor management? Will it enhance or jeopardise a redundancy situation?

Did you follow up with HR when nothing happened after your initial complaint? Did they even acknowledge it or reply?

I outlined some of the challenges I had faced during the year in my performance review. My manager took that to HR and presumably HR told him how to respond. I didn’t ever get any direct contact from HR but I had not formally raised it with them. But they can’t deny they were aware of the issues I had raised.

My end goal would be leave knowing I had done my best to try to highlight poor behaviour. And to leave feeling I had laid the foundation for this to be visible as a pattern.

How many people are in your specific role?

Whatever you do you’d still feel bitter about the ending. I’d just move on and save myself the hassle.

I would raise the grievance, if you're confident of your next role. State you have previously raised concerns about bullying and harassment and that this is ongoing and that you fear that the person bullying you is in a position to decide about your redundancy. State that you do not believe you will get fair consideration or that the person will make a decision based on factual information as they have clearly decided they don't like you, as evidenced by their documented comments and behaviour. Is there a discrimination issue, or do you think it's just personal dislike and poor conduct from the other person?

Thank you for the advice. I will need to not mention redundancy at this point as I haven’t been informed I am at risk of redundancy yet but I can definitely cover the bullying behaviour now and that lays the groundwork to revisit during my redundancy consultation.

Sorry @bigboykitty I forgot to answer your question.

Basically my manager requires complete submissiveness. He tells, you do without question. Those that never question or challenge get on, those that (respectfully) ask questions are eliminated. I’m not the first and won’t be the last. I don’t think it is direct discrimination though women with children do seem to struggle with him more than women without children, but nothing you could prove.

I am the only one doing my exact role. There are others doing similar roles but not exactly the same.

Sorry - I thought you meant that staff have been notified of a redundancy process but you've been told you've been selected. But obviously you can't make mention of it if no one knows. He sounds delightful, BTW 🙄

He’s an absolute dream manager 😥