Walking back into a ****storm tomorrow

[ThrowMeAwayTheVeryNextDay]

I've been away on holiday for a week, back in the office tomorrow. There was a bit of a crisis happening before I went so I wrapped up as much as I could and did a decent handover. It's all blown up, my boss (CEO) has been sending furious emails and I've spent the week keeping a face on for DH and the DC while lying awake for hours at night thinking about it. My team have handled it like troopers but have also been messaging me and have set up a meeting first thing tomorrow before CEO gets in so I'm not blindsided, bless their thoughtfulness.

I'm going in extra early to clear my desk before my team get in, in case I'm getting fired. I don't know how I'm going to hold it together TBH. I've told DH that it's bad, but not how bad. He just said it's a bank holiday, don't worry about it until tomorrow. I'm tired, my holiday was ruined and I just want to go in and get it over with.

Go on sick leave with stress and contact and employment lawyer. Then look for a new job.

awful that they are blaming you. And they should not have contacted you while on annual leave.

If it was me I'd take a minute to calm then gather all the information and do an e-mail with a timeline in it to all the senior people laying out the facts as you see them - with as much evidence as you can.

I may not send it - but I'd have one ready and in my control (copied somewhere I have control of) and ready to go if it looks like blame is being attached to me and my team.

I'd also consult an employment laywer and as I said previously start looking for a new job.

Please do contact an employment lawyer. Though whenever I suggest this to friends going through awful (and illegal) treatment, they never do.

They will have seen so many terrible cases, so you will feel less alone. And they will be able to give you perspective, even if you decide not to go a legal route.

Absolutely an employment lawyer, ideally with experience in your field. They won't be cheap but as pp has said see what of anything your home insurance covers.

Be careful as sending evidence to other emails, devices with private corporate info on may be something they could use against you, but you need to make sure all your evidence is stored somewhere you can access if you suddenly lose your work access or account.

Don't resign whatever you do, take sick leave if you need it and get onto that lawyer!

I have a legally defined (and legally protected) role that makes me personally responsible for ensuring the company does this sort of thing properly. If they won't let me do so then my position isn't tenable.

By personal you mean you are personally liable like an MLRO position?
You need to see an employment lawyer, you need to put in writing to your employer what needs to happen next even if they don't like it. If they ignore you, then you have little choice but to inform the regulator to avoid what could be punitive personal consequences.
Do you have personal indemnity insurance paid for by your company as part of your role?

Apols if I have missed it but the other thing I’ve not seen anyone mention is whistleblowing. Your company must have an anonymous WB process and I would assume one of the independent NEDs is responsible for over seeing it. And of course WBs are legally protected too.

Right but YOU didn't have these facts either and they had the benefit of being physically there. You left things in a manageable state. If your team had been left to their own devices and no one else had stuck their oar in got involved, this would not have occurred. You have to be away sometime.

If you have a knowledge gap, this is unfortunate and reveals something lacking in their training.

I've written the report they want, with them as authors, and sent it to them to sign off. No aggro, just offering them the opportunity to put their money where their mouth is.

Well done you. You have integrity.

Make it clear you are not willing to attach your name to their 'story'; they'll have to attach their own names if they want to go down this road.

I hope you managed to insert the wording that the subsequent decisions exacerbated the problem, rather than enabled the mitigation already recommended.

And breathe. These situations are difficult but that is why you are paid more. Give it a few weeks before you make any decisions to move company and your bosses have the time to recognise how well you performed in difficult circumstances

To be honest, OP - and without knowing what industry you're in/what regulatory function you're carrying out - my principal concern would be to look to the future. In particular, that nothing happening in your current employment will impact your future ability to fulfil a similar function elsewhere.

In my former industry, there were various fitness and propriety tests (among other things), and in your position, my focus would be that any such applicable criteria associated with carrying out your regulated function are not compromised by what's going on in your current employment.

My former regulator would carry out employment checks for the last 10 years of my employment history (or was it five? - I've now forgotten) before regulatory approval was given for appointment to the role. I would therefore want to ensure that what is going on now, including any exit from your company, will not affect future employment in carrying out a regulated function and any associated regulatory approval.

Apologies if this is way off beam.

Wishing you strength in getting through this ultra stressful time

Thankfully it's not that tight but it's still not something I'd want associated with my professional reputation. On that side, it's better to leave and be able to say it was because I didn't agree with what they were doing.

Any update?