Page 1 of Anyone else hate their f*cking life?

I have been in the same job now for over 2 and a half years.

In the last year I have been bullied by my boss, I tried to make an official complaint but my HR team found that all allegations were unfounded even though they made their decision without having a vital piece of evidence from my star witness.

As it is, I have been off work now for 4 weeks with depression and I dont know what to do.

I want to leave the job, but it is reasonably well paid and so far nothing else has come up. I cant afford to take a pay cut because I live in a relatively expensive area and most of my money goes to help support my girlfriend who can only work part time because of poor health.

Basically life has turned to s***. I have been demoted by the same manager for no specific reason and am totally f*cked for ideas.

Any suggestions?

Are you a member of a union or anything?? Perhaps some legal aid to take it further or your local Citizen advice Beaurea (i f*ckin hate spelling that word)

Im sorry that your feeling depressed - i cant say i`ve ever felt like that but im sure things will get better.

Neil

Isn`t this how the wasp thread started off

If your company is big enough ask for a move to another department, if not, for your own sanity, look for another job,
Sorry, but if your boss has had a downer on you for a year it`s unlikely he`s going to change, so unless it looks like he`s going to leave/be transferred.........

Sometimes unfortunately, people just don`t get on.
P.

This item was edited on Saturday, 7th June 2003, 11:08

If you are (or have been) bullied by your boss and the company does nothing about it, doesn`t listen to you, etc. You could be in a position to resign and have a case for constructive dismissal.

Might be worth chatting to your local Citizens Advice Buereau, or maybe someone else can recommend a similar organisation that can offer you good advice on this subject.


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I agree with the last posting. You could even approach some of these "free" legal outfits. If your company doesn`t sort out it`s bullies it will be legally responsible and liable for compensation if your case is succesful. The company probably doesn`t want to admit any responsability for that reason (i.e. may attempt to cover it up). It has a chance to put it`s house in order and has refused to do it. The thing is most people don`t want to resign and take the chance. It`s probably what they count on. Ideally you should have kept a diary of everything that happened and any witnesses present. Most people who witness bullying dislike it. You could do this from now.
Good luck

One other thought as regards legal representation. We get free legal advice with our house contents insurance. You may have something like that available if you are not with a union.

Sorry to hear about your treatment by your superiors ???.
Only advice I can give is as follows.
When registering a complaint you should speak to your immediate supervisor, which you have done.
If no action is taken or you disagree with their findings or actions then you are legally entitled to take your complaint to the next level of management.
If you disagree with the findings again then up the ladder you go.
If all this fails contact the C.A.B . they are experts at this sort of thing.
Further to this if you have been demoted for no apparent reason and there has been a drop in your salary then you should be legally entitled to an explanation or justification for the subsequent loss of earnings. If again they fail or have failed to provide you with a satisfactory explanation for their decision then the steps above are the way to deal with it, up the ladder etc. then the C.A.B.
Considering what you have posted I would believe the manager who has demoted you twice has in actual fact broken the Industrial relations or other acts laid down by the DHSS as it was when they were tabled. With this in mind if you do decide to leave of your own choosing contact the C.A.B. or the local Department of Employment Office and explain to them the reasons why you are considering what can only be described as a drastic step to prevent any further deterioration of your physical and mental well being. Also ensure that the C.A.B. and the Department of Employment are aware that the Human Resources department of your company refused to allow a submission on your behalf from a witness.

As usual JMHO folks

Just a further wee note Matt.
Hang in their Matt, depression is a curse that far too many of us experience for a multitude of reasons. Irrespective of the schite some "Real Men" will spout it does not make anyone any less of a man or woman simply due to them suffering from depression. There is always a light at the end of the tunnel even though you may not think so and you can rest assured that you will reach the light at some stage in the future. If you do feel particularly bad then remember this simple line
"A trouble shared is a trouble halved"

There are many decent people who use this site and will offer you very good advice and I can assure you that you will feel better as a result of speaking to people about it.

Take care Matt :-)

Choagy :-)

PS Amatryptiline and Grolsch make a wonderful mix :-) :-)

This item was edited on Saturday, 7th June 2003, 17:17

Why not join a union and have them deal with the problem!

Essentially your employers should have an effective grievance system. This will become law next year, following the Employment Act 2002, which means that internal grievances and a period of conciliation has to take place before an Employment Tribunal hearing can take place.

Regrettably, at the moment, there is no employment legislation that can support employees being bullied by management (victimisation is not, as is commonly believed, something a Tribunal can rule on, unless it is on grounds of race, sex or disability, and from 2005 age and sexual orientation).

Some forward thinking organisations (indeed, even the Employment Tribunals themselves) do have very rigid bullying and harrassment policies, tied in with the grievance procedure.

The recommendation to join your union is a sound one - they should be able to challenge the original decision, although your company may have set time periods in which to lodge an appeal (by the sounds of it, you are probably outside of that).

The advice to leave is a decision you need to take, but certainly if your employer is making it impossible to work, you may have grounds for constructive dismissal, which is something an Employment Tribunal can consider, although you need 12 month`s service. Certainly, if the job is making you ill you need to be getting out of there - they sound like a very uncaring employer.

Probably the best organisation to contact is actually ACAS - Citizens Advice Bureaux can offer free or independent support, or local law centres if your town/city offer them. Some solicitors will also offer a free 30 minute consultation. ACAS, however, is a Government agency charged with the responsibility of resolving workplace disputes (66% of Employment Tribunal cases are settled prior to a hearing, with the vast majority settled by ACAS). Again, this service is free, and they can advise you what to do next.

At the end of the day, you must put things into perspective. Your health is the most vital thing. We work to live, not live to work, so walk away from something that is making you so miserable. Financial obligations are tricky, but no matter what, as long as you are upfront with credit cartd companies/banks, etc. they will always come to a workable agreement about repaying lower amounts during a tricky time - they`d rather have something off you, than nothing and have top start issuing CCJs, etc.

It takes a lot of courage to stand up to bullies, and people who know bullying is going out but do nothing about it are actually worse than the aggressors, in my opinion. If everyone complained about that bully, his feet wouldn`t touch the ground : no employer wants their reputation sullied by a tosser on a power trip. An Employment Tribunal case that gets reported on in the paper is something they won`t want (hence the reason most cases settle) - some people refuse to settle on the basis that they want the company to be exposed, which is a very courageous step.



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