dont_do_it_doug. Posted July 12, 2015 Share Posted July 12, 2015 Anyone else think it'd be funny if he walked in and his employers said: 'Well, this meeting was called to talk about the stuff on Facebook which we were just going to give you a slap on the wrist for, but then we saw that thread you started on Villa Talk and things just got a lot more serious.' In short, take a team consisting of leemond, Rugeley and Useless in with you and let them do all the talking. 50/50 chance he gets away with it. Seriously, tell your missus that winding you up is not helpful. The meeting is an informal one, you won't be getting the sack. Still, tell them bollocks; you are entitled to have somebody of your choosing in there as a witness. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Zatman Posted July 12, 2015 Share Posted July 12, 2015 a. delete your facebook and deny you ever had an account b. say you were fraped Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Seat68 Posted July 12, 2015 Share Posted July 12, 2015 I work for a very large company and the accounts I work on are very large retailers, I never mention the company I work for on social media and have to resist criticising some of the retailers we deal with. Its a pain but we have a very clear social media policy. I also try to limit the number of people from work that friend/follow me. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dodgyknees Posted July 12, 2015 Share Posted July 12, 2015 Informal meeting. The letter is from HR. Yeah... Sorry but you must take somebody along. Don't fall for their bollocks! An informal meeting would be the manager approaching you and asking you about it, this is not an informal meeting. Tits. 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Popular Post Xela Posted July 12, 2015 Popular Post Share Posted July 12, 2015 Phone in sick on the day of the informal meeting then check in at Alton Towers on facebook Seriously, do you have a social media policy at your company and have they made you aware of it? 6 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
leemond2008 Posted July 12, 2015 Share Posted July 12, 2015 Anyone else think it'd be funny if he walked in and his employers said: 'Well, this meeting was called to talk about the stuff on Facebook which we were just going to give you a slap on the wrist for, but then we saw that thread you started on Villa Talk and things just got a lot more serious.' In short, take a team consisting of leemond, Rugeley and Useless in with you and let them do all the talking. Jesus the poor kid wants to keep his job not lose it Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dr_Pangloss Posted July 12, 2015 Share Posted July 12, 2015 (edited) Phone in sick on the day of the informal meeting then check in at Alton Towers on facebook Seriously, do you have a social media policy at your company and have they made you aware of it? Very much this. You should check your contract, if there's no social media policy detailed either in your contract or as some kind of directive by HR then your employer is probably in a bit of grey area because they are basically infringing on your work/life balance, really, an employer needs to justify monitoring employees online, can they demonstrate this to you? The fact the letter is from HR is a little bit concerning and feels way more 'formal' than the 'informal' chat they are apparently requesting. As others have said, you should have someone else in the meeting (union or otherwise) in order to cover your back and ensure that everything is independently witnessed as best possible. The question is how bad were your comments? Did you name any names? Could what you said constitute bullying or defamation? This is very important as these are two things that will be taken very seriously. The flip side of course is that if your employer hasn't updated their bullying policy to include social media then you could probably play dumb on it. One things for sure is that you should ensure that you have no colleagues on your Facebook and make sure your privacy settings are set such that only your friends can see your messages/comments. Edited July 12, 2015 by Dr_Pangloss Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
StewieGriffin Posted July 12, 2015 Author Share Posted July 12, 2015 There is a social media policy, but i can't remember signing anything - not saying i didnt, just cannot remember. I didnt name names, but what I said was pretty bad. Obviously my account has now been deactivated. I dont have an issue with it being a disciplinary - im obviously massively in the wrong, Im just scared im going to lose my job Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
lapal_fan Posted July 12, 2015 Share Posted July 12, 2015 What did you say? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dr_Pangloss Posted July 12, 2015 Share Posted July 12, 2015 (edited) There is a social media policy, but i can't remember signing anything - not saying i didnt, just cannot remember. I didnt name names, but what I said was pretty bad. Obviously my account has now been deactivated. I dont have an issue with it being a disciplinary - im obviously massively in the wrong, Im just scared im going to lose my job Well then it's a question of how bad the comments were, could it be interpreted as bullying or defamation or as discriminatory? Or were you just really pissed off and said some unkind words? You could probably play dumb on the social media policy, saying that it wasn't really made clear to you and you was just venting on your personal facebook page. Then you could admit you were being very stupid and naive and it won't happen again. Incidentally, this happened to a former colleague of mine a year or so ago. He lamented a client and the company and he got into trouble. It amounted to a slap on the wrist with a threat about doing this again. It did however harm his reputation a bit and he ended up leaving a few months later (albeit for a pay rise at a competitor). My point being, if you do keep your job, just be wary of the fall out from this and how it might harm you going forward, so could be time to look for another job regardless. Edited July 12, 2015 by Dr_Pangloss Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Folski Posted July 12, 2015 Share Posted July 12, 2015 Don't bring someone in with you stay for 3-5 minutes then claim you were raped 3 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BOF Posted July 12, 2015 Moderator Share Posted July 12, 2015 Bringing someone in with you might escalate something that was just a chat. In which case you'll have blown the chance for this to be over quickly. I'd probably go in alone to see how it all feels, but have the ability to record the meeting (free android apps will do that) and if it becomes something that is clearly more than 'informal' then request the equivalent of a recess and say it appears you needed to prepare for a trial rather than a chat. I would try to give them every opportunity to just slap your wrist before I went all lawyer on them though because you'll only get that chance at the very start. 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Xela Posted July 12, 2015 Share Posted July 12, 2015 On a wider note, be careful what you write on your social media pages. It doesn't even have to relate to slagging work off, it could be anything. Remember that lad who wished Petrov had died last year on this twitter post? He lost his job. Plus the individuals who recorded the fake IS execution video recently?. They lost their jobs. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dr_Pangloss Posted July 12, 2015 Share Posted July 12, 2015 On a wider note, be careful what you write on your social media pages. It doesn't even have to relate to slagging work off, it could be anything. Remember that lad who wished Petrov had died last year on this twitter post? He lost his job. Plus the individuals who recorded the fake IS execution video recently?. They lost their jobs. Which is why it's probably best to always, as best possible, to keep your work and personal life separate. I'd never add colleagues onto my Facebook. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sharkyvilla Posted July 12, 2015 Share Posted July 12, 2015 I had an informal investigation a few months ago and almost got caught out by thinking it was actually just an informal talk and slap on the wrist, whereas it's actually where they gather the evidence before putting it through to proper disciplinary, which should be done by a neutral manager (guess it depends on the size of the business). I took a colleague in with me and was glad I did. My manager decided to put it through to the next stage and I ended up basically walking out of the meeting, but he ended up getting talked out of it by my supervisor a few days later. It was only a petty time keeping issue, so slightly different to 'brand damaging'. You won't get sacked unless you're on a final conduct warning (though it depends how bad what you said was!). What I'd recommend is taking someone in with you, apologise saying that you made a mistake, was unclear of the company policy, won't do it again, and have already deactivated your account on the back of it. I think anything other than a verbal or written conduct warning would be unjust. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
djdabush Posted July 13, 2015 Share Posted July 13, 2015 You won't get sacked unless you're on a final conduct warning (though it depends how bad what you said was!). What I'd recommend is taking someone in with you, apologise saying that you made a mistake, was unclear of the company policy, won't do it again, and have already deactivated your account on the back of it. I think anything other than a verbal or written conduct warning would be unjust. Whilst I hope this is the case, this might be well off the mark. It really depends on how your contract is worded and what your employer considers gross misconduct and whether you have signed a social media policy. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mykeyb Posted July 13, 2015 Share Posted July 13, 2015 My friends wife used to work for NHS as a manager of a department, she came back of holiday to be escorted of the premise and suspended while an investigation took place by their anti fraud department. They basically wanted rid of her and looked into every minor detail such as claiming she hadnt worked the hours she claimed, when she was working from home she was just logged into the system etc. She had a nervous breakdown. In the end she resigned at got a job outside the NHS and the investigation didnt find a single allegation against her. My mate said that he was going to one day find the bloke who led the investigation and run him over because he was pure evil. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
StewieGriffin Posted July 14, 2015 Author Share Posted July 14, 2015 Been suspended on full pay "pending further investigation" I've basically just been sacked, right? :-( Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BOF Posted July 14, 2015 Moderator Share Posted July 14, 2015 Oh shitballs. Sorry to hear that (although I wouldn't necessarily jump to the worst possible conclusion). Hopefully someone more experienced in those matters in here can suggest the next course of action for you. If they've gone straight from 'informal' to this then it's possible they've skipped some necessary due process? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
choffer Posted July 14, 2015 VT Supporter Share Posted July 14, 2015 http://www.slatergordon.co.uk Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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