Help needed (trouble at work)

[London Geezer]

Hello guys,

i have just written an email. It is all explained in there so i will let you read. My question to you is, do i have any grounds for a law suit based on the false information i was given by my manager? I am in the UK so keep that in mind.

Read, sorry it's long but i would really appreciate your help. And i think it's quite entertaining which never hurts!

Dear all,

I am writing this to highlight my disappointment in the way my work has been overlooked and the way I have been treated when trying to highlight my miscontent.

For all of you who do not know yet, I have been covering for Linda while she was away for the last year, and in the meantime also took on tasks that used to belong to Andy (margin reports and some managerial tasks), and also some special projects I was happy to be responsible for, like the BiGGeR implementation, testing and training, the Frankfurt trip where I helped set up, manage and train a billing team etc.

A few months ago I expressed my concern about the fact that, seen how Linda would not be back until January at least, and seeing how much hard and good work i was producing for the company, I kept seeing my title and my salary unchanged for the whole duration of her maternity leave. This was expected, seen past history, however I believe I was lied to, which was not expected and absolutely unacceptable.

This email is not about the merits of a potential pay rise, which I think everyone can agree I have met and surpassed many times over. It is about how I have waited for this to happen, based on false information given to me by management, when nothing was really going to happen.

To explain a bit more in depth, when I first confronted Andy about my salary review before and then again at appraisal time, asking him to tell me for sure whether a proper salary review was going to happen or not, his idea was that he "agreed 100% with my views and will try to do all he can to make it happen". This was good news, and I started waiting for information: If a salary review were to happen, I would have waited; if not, it would have been absolutely fine, however I needed to know, so that I could start looking for employment somewhere else.

After a couple of months, when I had yet to hear anything, neither positive or negative response, I confronted Andy again. Here Andy informed me that "Haran agreed to it in principle, it just has to be agreed in practice". Here Andy also showed me his plans for what he would have liked my position to become after Linda comes back. This to me sounded like good news, and I started waiting again until something happened in practice.

Another month goes by and no news.

On friday 27th October, I asked Andy again whether he knew what was happening. His response was along the lines of "I know, I know, he (Haran) is just very hard to convince, if it doesn't happen, I understand if you have interviews".

Shockingly, this to me sounded much like nothing was really "agreed in principle", as previously stated, and that in the last few months I was used, like I have been used thorughout the whole year, to make sure that the things some people cannot handle, are done for them, without giving anything in return. All while buying time until Linda comes back, expecting me to keep quiet and somehow go "back to normal" and forget about all the things I have done in the last year (which at least gave me a lot of experience, which will be very useful when i get another job thank you very much) when she does.

This treatment is absolutely appalling, especially when taking into consideration my position, my efforts during the last 3 years, the quality and quantity of work put in these years and especially the last one. It is very sad that it would come to this, but I really see no way to pass over this. I feel used and lied to, and this is affecting me phychologically, it has affected my personal life and my life is more important than any job.

All I wanted were clear answers, and what I received in return was a kind of treatment I would never have expected from this company, and the people in this company.

Hopefully this plea will move some people to give me clear answers, which is all I needed from the beginning, so I can embrace my job once again feeling that I am being appreciated for what I have done and what I am doing, or finally let go if I have to let go.

Thanks for listening

 

[poopypoo]

Well I'm no lawyer, but congrats on such a well-put email. I mean, I can see how it would be affecting you psychologically, and the professional nature of the email clearly hides some of your distress, but it seems you handled it well and are ready for that most important step, a move. The question is, will you do it? Gotta get that ball rolling! You're clealry too bright to sit around and get shafted. Kick some ass, L-B!

 

[London Geezer]

Well I'm no lawyer, but congrats on such a well-put email. I mean, I can see how it would be affecting you psychologically, and the professional nature of the email clearly hides some of your distress, but it seems you handled it well and are ready for that most important step, a move. The question is, will you do it? Gotta get that ball rolling! You're clealry too bright to sit around and get shafted. Kick some ass, L-B!

Thanks! It is a fabulous email i have to admit. And definitely, that is the last one i'll send.

My CV is already with lots of people who are very interested

 

[Bouncing Zabaglione Bros.]

Pretty simple LB. You can talk to the HR department and see if there's anything in the company handbook that covers this sort of thing (pay rises that should have happened, job reviews related to that etc) and maybe take it from there. Most likely though they will say that there is nothing they can do if the procedures before giving you a pay rise haven't been met - it was your job or your manager's job to ensure that you had you reviews, and you didn't, so there's nothing to base a pay rise on. HR tend to just shrug their shoulders in situations like this unless there has been an overt breach of company policy, and even then what's likely is that your manager will get a slap on the wrist, rather than you being given your promotion.

You could log complaints against your manager, but that will just make your life harder. When it comes right down to it, he did the standard manger's trick of lying to you and putting you off in order to let the status quo continue to drift - all to his advantage. Now he's getting his maternety leaver back, you are worthless to him.

You can cut your work back down, simply stating that you see no reason to go beyond your job description when you just get screwed over like this. Especially satisfying if the maternity leaver comes back, works a few months and then leaves to spend time as a full-time mother (happens a lot). Again, your life might not be much fun, but there's no way your manager will go to HR on this one because it means explaining his lies to them.

The more productive alternative is just to put all your energies into finding a better job outside the company, making sure you do an exit interview that sticks the knife into your old boss. In the meantime you could cut your work back, telling your boss how dissillusioned and demoralized you are by his actions and lies, assuming he's not in a position to hurt your references to a new employer.

I doubt you're in any position to go to take legal action unless you can prove that some kind of law was broken. Unless you were discriminated against for your gender, age, colour, or that some written contract was broken, all that happened is that vague verbal promises and expectations were not met. Your manager can just come up with a million plausible excuses why he can't/didn't give you a pay rise or promotion.

 

[London Geezer]

Pretty simple LB. You can talk to the HR department and see if there's anything in the company handbook that covers this sort of thing (pay rises that should have happened, job reviews related to that etc) and maybe take it from there. Most likely though they will say that there is nothing they can do if the procedures before giving you a pay rise haven't been met - it was your job or your manager's job to ensure that you had you reviews, and you didn't, so there's nothing to base a pay rise on. HR tend to just shrug their shoulders in situations like this unless there has been an overt breach of company policy, and even then what's likely is that your manager will get a slap on the wrist, rather than you being given your promotion.

You could log complaints against your manager, but that will just make your life harder. When it comes right down to it, he did the standard manger's trick of lying to you and putting you off in order to let the status quo continue to drift - all to his advantage. Now he's getting his maternety leaver back, you are worthless to him.

You can cut your work back down, simply stating that you see no reason to go beyond your job description when you just get screwed over like this. Especially satisfying if the maternity leaver comes back, works a few months and then leaves to spend time as a full-time mother (happens a lot). Again, your life might not be much fun, but there's no way your manager will go to HR on this one because it means explaining his lies to them.

The more productive alternative is just to put all your energies into finding a better job outside the company, making sure you do an exit interview that sticks the knife into your old boss. In the meantime you could cut your work back, telling your boss how dissillusioned and demoralized you are by his actions and lies, assuming he's not in a position to hurt your references to a new employer.

I doubt you're in any position to go to take legal action unless you can prove that some kind of law was broken. Unless you were discriminated against for your gender, age, colour, or that some written contract was broken, all that happened is that vague verbal promises and expectations were not met. Your manager can just come up with a million plausible excuses why he can't/didn't give you a pay rise or promotion.

Thanks.

On the HR side, procedure would be to have an appraisal (happened in August) from which they can review your salary. This was done, the appraisal went amazingly well, and i was told that because i was doing a Senior's job, i should get a Senior title and Salary. That was the misinformation, which was also put down in paper at the appraisal. Nothing happened though.
So, while the maternity leaver was away, the company saved on her salary, while i was doing her job and part of my manager's job.

Don't know, it's not about whether i should have gotten a payrise or not, that was a given, it's how i was told it would happen, but it never did.

 

[Bouncing Zabaglione Bros.]

Don't know, it's not about whether i should have gotten a payrise or not, that was a given, it's how i was told it would happen, but it never did.

It's about how the manager you trusted to look out for you lied and cheated to you. Unfortunately, that's not too unusual nowadays. If things have deteriorated that much, your only option is to move to another department and another manager, or to another company altogether. The latter is probably the better way of getting a pay rise and career advancement.

It's also quite usual that companies will force people to leave to get pay rises, and then have to pay more to get a replacement in who doesn't know the job for months. In your case, it's easier for them because they have a maternity leaver on the way back.

Sometimes you just have to write a job off and put your energies into moving forwards to a better job, company, and pay packet. Draw a line under it and move on.

 

[London Geezer]

It's about how the manager you trusted to look out for you lied and cheated to you. Unfortunately, that's not too unusual nowadays. If things have deteriorated that much, your only option is to move to another department and another manager, or to another company altogether. The latter is probably the better way of getting a pay rise and career advancement.

It's also quite usual that companies will force people to leave to get pay rises, and then have to pay more to get a replacement in who doesn't know the job for months. In your case, it's easier for them because they have a maternity leaver on the way back.

Sometimes you just have to write a job off and put your energies into moving forwards to a better job, company, and pay packet. Draw a line under it and move on.

Agreed 100%. Got a couple of interviews next week

It's true, i should have gone long ago. Best way to move on in life is to change jobs and it will be very good for me, not just money-wise.

 

[Geo]

"Dear all"? Ummm, how many people in the company did you send this to?

It's a great email, but if you just aired the dirty laundry across a broad cross-section of the company, then I imagine you and your box of stuff were escorted to the elevator?

One time when I was really annoyed and not sure where things were going, I took everything home preemptively, so I'd not give them the satisfaction if it came to that (from either side) of standing over me while I put personal stuff in a box and did "the perp walk" to the exit carrying a cardboard box. I wanted to be able to say "oh no, I'm ready to go right now" with nothing more than my briefcase.

That worked, actually. . .management got the idea of how serious I was without having to have a long thing about it. Actions louder than words and all that.

 

[London Geezer]

"Dear all"? Ummm, how many people in the company did you send this to?

It's a great email, but if you just aired the dirty laundry across a broad cross-section of the company, then I imagine you and your box of stuff were escorted to the elevator?

One time when I was really annoyed and not sure where things were going, I took everything home preemptively, so I'd not give them the satisfaction if it came to that (from either side) of standing over me while I put personal stuff in a box and did "the perp walk" to the exit carrying a cardboard box. I wanted to be able to say "oh no, I'm ready to go right now" with nothing more than my briefcase.

That worked, actually. . .management got the idea of how serious I was without having to have a long thing about it. Actions louder than words and all that.

Oh i haven't sent it yet!!

It will go to HR and my managers. In the meantime lots of people have read this but that's not the issue

 

[Geo]

Oh. Well then there are a couple "seen" in there that want to be "seeing". :smile:

 

[John Reynolds]

That worked, actually. . .management got the idea of how serious I was without having to have a long thing about it. Actions louder than words and all that.

I recently did just that too. All personal items were boxed up and taken home. First thing noticed was all my pictures of Megan that used to sit across my desk. Second thing was my round of recent, cough, doctor appointments, cough.

Good luck ironing things out, though, LB. Don't let a job affect your life. . .unless that position is really important to you, move on if management doen't handle things in a satisfactory way.

 

[Skrying]

You're probably going to be better just moving on, no matter how this all turns out. I personally do not see a lot of grounds for any real action unless you can prove that "Andy" did not talk to "Haran" at all. If anything Andy seemed very up front with you about the whole thing, thought maybe he was a bit over confident in his own personal abilities to convice someone to give you the review. So, maybe the email will get a reaction enough to see if Andy actually ever followed through with what he said, other than that it sounds like you getting a review is not in his direct controll.

 

[London Geezer]

I recently did just that too. All personal items were boxed up and taken home. First thing noticed was all my pictures of Megan that used to sit across my desk. Second thing was my round of recent, cough, doctor appointments, cough.

Good luck ironing things out, though, LB. Don't let a job affect your life. . .unless that position is really important to you, move on if management doen't handle things in a satisfactory way.

I'm moving on very soon!

I just feel very cheated. Heck, i know the "standard managers practice" crap of flat out lying to people all to well, i've used them, i just never thought he would do it to ME, of all people!! It makes my blood boil and it makes me want to stomp on the little guy.

 

[London Geezer]

Oh. Well then there are a couple "seen" in there that want to be "seeing". :smile:

Where where? tell me, i was writing that very much on adrenaline.
EDIT: got it! search function is our friend.

 

[hey69]

Sorry for you but somebodys promise or word doenst mean a thing. And NOT a reason to bitch about.
This type of communication will make you a whiner at the very least.
IF I where you , i would look elsewhere for a new job or continue where you are but accept that managers are managers (They do these kind of things to keep you going on with your work)

I experienced this kind of stuff a few times before in other companys and a bit in my own . Thats why I choose to leave to somewhere else

 

[London Geezer]

Sorry for you but somebodys promise or word doenst mean a thing. And NOT a reason to bitch about.
This type of communication will make you a whiner at the very least.
IF I where you , i would look elsewhere for a new job or continue where you are but accept that managers are managers (They do these kind of things to keep you going on with your work)

I experienced this kind of stuff a few times before in other companys and a bit in my own . Thats why I choose to leave to somewhere else

Oh i'm leaving for sure, but i'll never leave without a fuss!

 

[_xxx_]

Sending that mail is a rather weak move and will make you a whiner. Just make an appointment with the names involved and the HR and discuss that in all openness with the whole round. No good making enemies, you might as well be returning there a few years down the road.

 

[The_Wolf_Who_Cried_Boy]

Oh i'm leaving for sure, but i'll never leave without a fuss!

Some measure of vengence may make you feel somewhat vindicated but there's potential for that to haunt your career. Never having met anyone who's found their dream job it's likely there will be an element of frustration and discontent wherever you find yourself. Being afflicted with a similar attitude I would reccomend from just letting it be and move on. Overly simplistic perhaps but work is what pays the bills, real life is what gives you contentment.