harassment

babyhack

I don’t know how to start this but I have to write down all of what has been going on over the last few months cause it is slowly killing me inside and if I keep it all bottled up I will end up going mad.

Where do I start, it was about 2 months ago every thing was fine in work and I was getting on great with everyone. All the trouble started when I went out for a meal with a mate from work that was leaving the job cause she was going away for a month with her family. I went out for this meal and about half way through the night I get a phone call from a co-worker who I am very close to. She was very upset on the phone and she was also worried about me cause another co-worker who I thought was a friend was on the war path and was looking for my mobile number cause she had found out that I was out with a good friend and was not in work. From this day (Fri 13th Dec 2002) this women has made my life in work a living hell.

This person who I thought was a mate has not talked to me since that day and has been bullying and harassing me for the last couple of months. I am not the only person in the job who has been picked on and harassed there is a few more people all co-workers of mine and good friends who have went to the management and told them what was going on but nothing is ever done we are all just brushed off and management don’t want to know anything about it.

I have seen this women talking to management about some of my co-workers and reporting people who are good workers cause she has a problem with them or cause she does not like them. This has upset staff and I have been upstairs in the canteen many times trying to comfort this staff members cause they have been so upset by what has been said about them and by the dirty looks they are getting by staff and management because the women in question has also been circulating rumours about staff who she has a problem with. I have been the centre of a lot of these rumours.

The most resent and the one that has upset and damaged my reputation and me the most is that this women has told people in the store that I am stroking two of my co-workers and that I sit outside there house and watch them through there windows. This rumour has upset me greatly and has turned a lot of my friends against me and has also caused me to consider leaving a job that I really enjoy.

This women has also turned one of my closest friends against me and has also told other members of staff to choose between me and her this has also upset a lot staff as they should not be forced to choose who they should be mates with.

Staff have left this job because of the way in which this women has treated them.

Many of my co-workers have gone to management about the way they have and still are being treated one co-worker was in tears talking to a manger and she was just shoved off. Its as if the management of they store don’t care or they are so blinded by this women that the just don’t she it.





My life in work over the last week has been hell most of the people who I thought where my friends are looking at me funny or not talking to me at all. I feel like there is nowhere to turn and nothing I can do about this women cause the management in the store don’t seem to care. If it was not for the help and support of a very close friend I don’t think I would still be working in this job.

It just seems funny that the management and staff of this store seem to believe the words of a woman who has worked with them for only 4 months over me who has been there over 2 years. I have worked hard in this job have stayed back late some nights till 6 or 7 in the morning and have very rarely been in any trouble with staff or management. But still the management of this store seem to believe her and don’t seem to care that I am unhappy and upset in my job.

babyhack

i know its a long post but could u all please read it and tell me what u all think i should do about what is going on
thanks
babyhack

pickarooney

Just for the sake of clarity, are you male or female?

babyhack

male but does it make any differance

Gordon

I really think you should go to upper management, again. Maybe putting something in writing is a good idea? This thread may be better suited to the Work forum, I'll leave this here for a while, unless co-mods move it, and see the feedback.

really it is an issue that should be taken to a higher level at work.

Tusky

hmm how old are you may i ask ? I rekon u should

A. go to the person whos cause'n all the trouble and ask them what you did....

B.Go to the management and tell them what has been going on...

thats about all you can do if you want to stay working there, you obviously have done somthing to upset,anoy or maybe make this person jelous - you should find out what it is, maybe even by talking to som1 else and trying to find out....but hell what do i know

Drunk pirate

What are words anyway? Just ignore it. She get bored. And all of the above.

s10

how did u find out all this stuff was happening to u .
did she tell u , no . did management tell u ...missed opportunitly

the main thing is to smile as if your best friends
joke (but very lightly)
i need more info

Victor

Keep an accurate record of the harrassment and then go to management.

Pimp Ninja

From what your saying it seems like she in bullying you and certainly, the word you used was harassment, so this in itself is extremely important. It is the managments responsibility to do something about this. This is what they are paid to do. If they are not dealing with it apprpriately then they are not doing their jobs properly. You shouldnt be afraid to approach them [managment] and if you are then that person/persons are not right for the job.

Organise a meeting, a proper meeting. Request that there be more than one manager present, and that you be allowed to bring a witness. The witness need not be another person from the job, just somebody that can say yeah on that date he said that and managment said this.

Explain the situation to the managment. Explain how this persons behavour is affecting your performance, and how they make it difficult for you in your working environment. Give specific dates if possible. At the end of the meeting ask the managmend what do they think that they are going to do. Be sure to tell them that you feel you are being harassed, and even bullied.

At this point it's important to remember that the ball is in their court and it is up to them that they do something. Even if it's just take the offender in to have a chat, and beat around the bush about nothing.

Take note of what they've agreed and at that point (the end of the meeting) ask for another meeting, in about a week or 2, so that you can update them on how things have gotten better, or tell them that nothing has changed/gotten worse. Thank them for their time and continue with work as you would normally.

This will force the managment into the position of having to do something about the problems. Because from what you are saying they seem disinterested. Do they [managment] actually do any work, because its part of their job to make sure that all their staff are happy...

At the second meeting if nothing has changed tell them that you really want something done about this, otherwise you wouldnt have come forward in the first place. And that because the situation has not changed you are likely to take further action. If this doesnt make them get their arses into gear, then they should be sacked and you should take up with somebody higher than the manager.. owner perhaps???

thedrowner

yeah i'd agree with gordon and go with higher management.
if there not doing anything try and scare them into it a bit, let them know youre going to higher management and that they're not gonna look so hot if theyre found out for just sitting back and doing nothing. but dont make it sound like a threat either! talk to a trade union (or something like that) who can give you adivce on who to talk to and what rights your management should be ensuring you have.

babyhack

thanks all

i have just gotten in from work now it was all a bit quite but was still getting the dirty looks all night and i found out that this women has said that she is going to get the law involed.

i have never done anything wrong and have never done anything to this womenn she used to be a mate and i used to get a lift to and from work off her.

she only started all this when i went out for a meal with a female friend who was leaving the job.

this women is in her 50s and i dont know what her problem is

btw i am 20 and as for going to mamagement it has been done by me and other co-workers and we are just shoved off

Evil Phil

Hope your still there:

Okay, Firstly you have grounds for a libel case against this women. There are solicoters (spl?) who will give you a free consultation for a libel case and if they think you have one they'll take the case for you and discuss payment then. Go see one.

Second, you've complained to managment and they've done nothing about it, you now have grounds to take them to court too. Ring the department of labour and see what your rights are. They may take you case for you (free of charge perhaps), or recommend somebody who will. Go talk to them.

My feeling is management/crazy woman don't expect 20 year olds to do something about this and will treat you anyway they want. What is happening to you is illegal and will be stopped if dealt with in the right way. Get some legal advice tomorrow.

[P.S.]
Don't warn them about any of this. Don't go into a meeting without a 3rd party present (you are perfectly within your rights to refuse to do so), preferable a soliceter (spl?)
[/P.S.]

thedrowner

well if you've done nothing wrong and she gets the law involved you have nothing to worry about, your workers will back you up and she'll come off looking like a complete idiot....hopefully.

DriftingRain

There are Store managers then their are Store owners and then investors. If you get nothing accomplished you go higher and higher and higher untill someone listens to you! I agree that you and a few mates, that want to do something about it, should start keeping a log. Harassment in the states is against the law. Even not doing something about it is against the law. You can always chat to a law official to find out what your options are. It is better to get people like that outta the job than it is to keep them in a position of power where they feel like they can walk all over someone. I really hate that this is going on in a professional work place. Good Luck!

woolymammoth

The Equality Authority has responsibilities for ending
discrimination in the workplace.

Niall Crowley CEO of the Equality Authority.

Formal investigation organised by the Department of Justice,
quality and Law Reform.

The civil service policy document defines bullying as
offensive, abusive, intimidating, malicious or insulting
behaviour or abuse of power conducted by an individual or
group against others which makes the recipient feel upset,
threatened, humiliated or vulnerable.

That may include: spreading rumour or gossip, preventing the
victim from speaking by using foul, aggressive language,
social exclusion or isolation, intimidation, physical abuse or
threats, swearing and name-calling or by making an individual
the butt of Jokes or uncomplimentary remarks.


_____________________________

its like my dad says, there's somebody out there bigger than management, in this case its The Equality Authority. if like Pimp Ninja says that management doesn't do their job, go above management.

Mercury_Tilt

This post has been deleted.

Kell

Originally posted by Mercury_Tilt
Shell find someone else and then you can get the bitch back. You would probably be surprised how weak she is if you faced her down.

Merc, by the sounds of it she picks on just about everyone to cause hassle for. As he said, he's consoled loads of people when their life has been made hell.

Personally I favour the equality commission approach. There's a lot of info at www.equality.ie on what your rights are etc. Get on the phone to the Equality Commission, find out exactly what your rights are then the next time she starts, point out the options open to you i.e. libel case against her, equality case against employer and then if it really turns sour grapes and you are forced to leave, then theres another thing called involuntary redundancy (methinks) that you can claim whereby you werent given any other option other than to leave as a result of treatment by your co-worker and management. You might try www.lrc.ie (Labour Relations) for more info.

Having lost my job twice in three years due to the slow down in the economy and one príck boss, my attitude is fúck 'em up the jaxy with every bit of muscle you can muster. Just get on with it. You've been there two years and have rights out you rear end.

Big Chief

Originally posted by DriftingRain
Harassment in the states is against the law. Even not doing something about it is against the law.

yeh but everything is against the law in the states if you have the "right lawyer" :rolleyes:


a )personally i'd call her a hackit old cow, laugh in her face at every given opportunity, why give these people the satisfaction of knowing they are getting to you?

b) i also agree with going with the acting friendly approach, this can really annoy this type of person, smile and act polite no matter what is being said..

Tazz T

Keep a record of all incidents.

If it's a big company, you should have a HR department, go and have a confidential word with someone there. They get paid to look after matters such as these and should be able to advise you.

Carbiens

this probably doesn't help, but believe me theres always one no matter where you work, although your one sounds kinda worse than the usual:(