[Belles mom]

Alrighty now.

A coworker eavesdropped on a private conversation between the Farm Manager and myself before a meeting started, took one sentence out of context and misquoted that sentence to boot. She then went to our supervisor and complained. (The conversation was about whether our staff would be allowed to do research. My supervisor had said no a year ago. I told the Farm Manager that when he asked about whether a particular research project would continue now that I am down to 1/2 time. I followed that quickly with a statement that I did not know what was to happen).

The coworker told our supervisor that I said at a Unit Leaders meeting that research would no longer be allowed at our facility (apparently by anyone). Now I have been brought up on formal written reprimand with the likelihood of suspension without pay.

I am composing a letter as to why I am refusing to sign the written reprimand. Keeping in mind that my supervisor will say I am being insubordinate for doing so. Do I have a "case" for filing a grievance about a missaccusation (sp?)?

 

[dweck]

Do you have any kind of union representation?

 

[jzgrlduff]

Holy fark, Karen! What a bunch of aholes you work with / for. I hope you told the co-worker off?

 

[MidwestGirl]

Sounds like someone is jealous!

 

[kiddsmom]

Wouldn't the Farm Manager back you up or those present at the Unit Leaders meeting?

 

[amazongold]

Will the Farm Manager back you? If so - FILE and FIGHT! If you can't get backing, you are out on a limb.

 

[TangerineFizz]

I don't know much about employment law etc. but I'd go get a signed statement from the farmer dude you were talking to now, just outlining exactly what was said with respect to the whole research thing. That way, if **** hits the fan, you've got some coverage.

 

[bacatherine]

I'd also talk to the farm manager and see if he will back you up. Sounds like someone has it out for you in a big way.

 

[Belles mom]

Ya, the Farm Manager will back me, or at least he apologized for asking questions which led to me getting in trouble. Part of the reprimand was also that Penguin caught me talking to the farm intern about leader dogs. She wants to do that kind of thing professionally and the Farm Manager told her to come over here and talk to me. Penguin said that all I do is talk/do dog stuff at work. Well.....JL stands for what in wildlife??

 

[BauersMom]

Wow, and I thought I worked with crazy people! That sucks. Document, document, document . . . and I think writing a letter explaining why you won't sign the reprimand is a good idea. It doesn't sound like they listen to your verbal explanations, maybe a written explanation will be read and understood.

 

[BigBrownDog]

So, let me get this straight. You can be formally reprimanded at your place of employment based on hearsay? Without a follow up investigation interviewing the witnesses to this conversation (you and the Farm Manager)? How unfair. If you have no Union Representation your State Labor board may have some interest in this practice.

I mean - anyone could just make up anything about someone they want to hurt and have their wish come true! What sort of policy is that?

 

[Princess Zoe]

That is bullshit. They can't do that.

 

[Run Lola Run]

That's BS Karen! I wish they would stop treating you like crap.

 

[AZLAB]

I would call Human Resources. My SIL was in trouble about work for something she hadn't done and her boss wrote her up. She called Human Resources and met with them. They backed her 100% and made the supervisor pull the write up when they couldn't show she had made the error. I think HR would tell them they cannot write you up and suspend you without proof and as the Farm Manager and you both say co-worker over heard part of a sentence and took it wrong it should end there..they have no proof except the word of someone who was not even part of the whole conversation.

 

[myfavoritedog]

So, let me get this straight. You can be formally reprimanded at your place of employment based on hearsay? Without a follow up investigation interviewing the witnesses to this conversation (you and the Farm Manager)? How unfair. If you have no Union Representation your State Labor board may have some interest in this practice.

I mean - anyone could just make up anything about someone they want to hurt and have their wish come true! What sort of policy is that?

Exactly what I was thinking. I am certainly no labor law expert, but I would think there would be laws against this kind of treatment.

Sorry you are having to go thru this kind of things. Something we have all been thru at one time or another during our working lives. Sad that someone would do this kind of thing.

 

[MyGoldenBoy]

Wow, you're really going to need to go to HR immediately. It sounds like your supervisor is putting the appropriate paper trail in place to have you fired.

Keep documenting and bring it all to HR.

 

[patm]

I'm going to first say, that as this is written, it is CRAZY to give you a formal reprimand for something like this - basically misquoted hearsay. Get someone to support you , write it all down, and talk to HR. As for signing the written reprimand, read it carefully, and see what you are actually signing. Maybe it just says that you read it, not that you agree with it. Also, I can't imagine that this would be cause for suspension without pay - have you had other verbal or written warnings on anything else? I know that where I work, it really all depends on who you are and if they like you, or have something in for you. I know a gal that had seemed to work dependibly for years (I didn't work directly with her, but she did my job at another site), and got suspended for leaving a coffee cup with lipstick stains on her desk, but in sight of patients who were being treated in another room. She had already had a verbal warning about something else, and eventually got fired - no one knows the reason for it. They just wanted her gone. I also have a co-worker who has worked at my place for 7 years. They have been trying to get rid of her for almost as long. Obviously she isn't too bad if they haven't managed to do it yet, but one reprimand was something on hearsay also - very misquoted hearsay, but they took the other persons side. Other people can really DO things wrong, and they literally wont' believe it. As for "talking too much about dogs at work", it really depends on what you do at work - does everything talk about personal hobbies and things at work, or at break and lunch? Then it doesn't matter what you talk about - it might annoy your co-workers, but it's not suspendible. If no one else talks that much about personal things during work, then you might want to tone it down. My same co-worker got blamed for being on JL too much at work (she works at a computer) - now I also was on it a fair amount - but they never said anything to me - just to her - why? Because they had it in for her, and not me. So good luck with all this - don't sign any paper that you don't agree with, or at least put in writing that you don't agree with it. And if it really isn't the truth - don't sign it.

 

[BigBrownDog]

My same co-worker got blamed for being on JL too much at work (she works at a computer) - now I also was on it a fair amount - but they never said anything to me.

I actually fired someone where the last straw was his internet usage. Everyone should be very careful about what they do on their work PC as the usage is visible remotely in a corporate environment.

In this case - the guy absolutely needed to go away. I had written him up several times prior for his work habit, constant tardiness, crappy service skills and delivery and more - not one of which was egregious enough to pull the plug. Then I asked my corporate office to review his internet usage for the prior month... and found that he was on AdultFriendFinder.com every day for hours. Buh-bye!

It could very well be that others under my supervision in other locations were doing the exact same thing - but unless I asked for that review, I would never know it.

 

[Belles mom]

I talked to HR and they were very interested. But, because while we (off campus personnel) are on paper a of the Union (but do not pay union dues because we are "off campus" and are therefore not REALLY a part of the union) I have no rights what so ever. However, this particular HR person has a particular interest/campaign in being able to provide the union to "off campus' personal. He wants to use my case as an example of "If this person were a part of the Union, this would never happen"

What really set him off was the 32 hours of comp time in January that I "lost" (despite me seeing the administrative person entering it into the computer), because the "paper work was "lost." FEDERAL LABOUR BOARD kind of suing!!!!!!

Th HR person said that he would delight in having my situation used as a "public" (in a Union Newsletter) example of the benefits of offering union membership to non-union MSU personnel.

Hehehehhehehehehehe, public humilation of my supervisor....yup.....delights me to no end. I can retire with absolutely no notice. AND, public opinion is so VERY important to my supervisor, AND her boss........Hehehehehehehehehehehehe

 

[patm]

Since you seem pretty keen on publicly humiliating your supervisor, I would have to guess that I am right about there being previous problems? And I also question that employees who aren't part of the problems have no "rights" at all - no greivence process? No process for terminating employees?