Advice needed as wife being given a hard time at work
Discussion
I'd really appreciate some advice from PH members who have a good knowledge of employment law & HR, my wife who's been a nurse for 19 years although working for this current NHS Trust since 2004, is really getting a hard time at present from what appears to me to be a dysfunctional manager and HR Officer. I've just drafted a grievance submission for her to submit which follows guideance received from a Senior HR Officer within the trust she works for.
I've posted the grievance letter below, (it wont read that fluidly as I've naturally had to edit quite heavily to be able to post), I'd also appreciate the PH spelling police keeping their comments to themselves as it's real employment law / HR advise I need.
Do those in the know think that my wife has been treated inappropriately? Thanks to all in advance.
Grievance Submission
To Whom It May Concern:
I wish to submit a formal grievance in relation to the process I have been subjected to since confirming I was able to return to work on a Phased Return Plan by Occupational Health from long term sickness
I feel that the processes I have been subjected to have been poorly and inappropriately managed by my Line Manager.........
I feel that the correct application of the Trust’s policies & procedures has not been adhered to in relation to the miss-matched processes I have been subjected to by ..........
In addition I feel that .......... have left me in a position of receiving continued contradictory information and of being totally unsupported during the processes they have subjected me to.
I do not feel in any way able to seek support or guidance from either .................... as to date since my return to work neither of them has worked in a supportive manner towards me, in fact it has openly felt and been observed by others that they have been working against me in a manner that presents as unprofessional, unsupportive and dysfunctional.
I strongly feel that neither of them has applied the correct application of the Trust’s policies & procedures and their distinct lack of appropriate process and communication towards me has had a hugely detrimental impact on me both mentally and physically, as I have endeavoured to my best abilities to re-engage with work as I’ve worked through my Phased Return Plan.
As such I do not feel in any way that I can trust either of them to fairly and appropriately conduct the 30 day Formal Consultation process which I am now subject to, opposed to the Ill Health Redeployment process that they first started to subject me to.
I strongly feel that the actions thus far taken towards me since I have tried to return to work by ....................are nothing more than trying to constructively dismiss me from my role and work at .........., a job which I have held for over ........ without incident or blemish.
Chronology of Events & Grievance:
I have been employed by ........ since February 2004, I have been working within my current role of .................since September 2008.
I had been on long term sick leave from December 2009, on the 22nd March 2010 I met with Senior Occupational Health ..........., who commented that I was progressing well and agreed to meet again at the end of May 2010 (a report of this meeting was sent to my Line Manager.............).
I met ............ again on the 17th May 2010, at which time a Phased Return Plan was mutually agreed, which outlined my limitations, (a report of this meeting and Phased Return Plan was sent to my Line Manager ................).
I contacted ............ via telephone on the 18th May 2010 to advise of the outcome of my meeting with Occupational Health and the agreed Phased Return Plan, during this telephone conversation I requested a meeting with .............to be able to action my Phased Return Plan, at which point I was told by ............. that ....... could not meet with me on ..... own because ............................. wanted to meet with me to discuss my role and future within the ................
I was somewhat surprised and concerned by this as it was my understanding that I was simply going to be returning to my role and working through a Phased Return Plan, I asked why ............ wanted to meet with me, but ................. did not expand.
I met with .............. and .............. on the 24th May 2010 at the ..................., during this 3 way meeting I was asked to explain in detail my health history and explain my condition as neither of them understood this.
................ then explained that the ........ was going through a service change and part of that change would be that my clinical role would be solely out of hours, at which point they queried how my health would fit into this role & how I would be able to do the role.
At no point was there any mention of a Consultation Period due to the proposed changes in my role, nor the fact that my Contract of Employment and Job Description do not mention the undertaking of any out of hours working.
I explained that I would not be able to undertake a solely out of hours role due to my health condition, in addition that as I have two young children working out of hours was not something I would be able or willing to undertake as a permanent change, at which point it was discussed by ............................. as to how I would be able to fulfil my clinical role during the day.
I was advised by both .............. and .......... that I would need to liaise with other .............., i.e. .................. to see if they had any vacant posts or project work that I could undertake.
............ explained that if I could find a suitable role or project then the budget held within the ........... for my role would be transferable to the department with the vacancy, at no point during the meeting was any timescale or formal process mentioned by either .......... or ..................
I found this meeting to be very demoralising and upsetting as this was first meeting with my Line Manager since being on long term sick leave and my main & only focus had been to complete my Phased Return Plan and return to work, however I was now being told that as far as they were concerned I no longer had a role within the ........... and had to basically go and find myself another job.
This all came as a total shock & on reflection I probably didn’t ask all of the questions I should have done during the meeting in regards to how this followed the Trusts policies & procedures as the whole process felt very sudden and underhand.
I was not due to return to work until the 8th June 2010, however following the meeting with ............. & .........., and my concerns that as they had advised I would no longer have a job, I immediately followed the instructions given by .......... and started to liaise with numerous clinical staff throughout the Trust trying to obtain a suitable clinical role for myself.
All of the Clinical Managers that I spoke to were keen to have me within their teams as I have over the past six years established a good name for myself & my work within the community, this has included being awarded a ‘................... Award by the Trust.
All of the Clinical Managers that I spoke to requested confirmation that the budget for my................was transferable, I felt really unsupported in having to undertake this cold calling exercise of trying to find myself another job, especially seeing as I was trying to prepare myself for returning to work after six months of ill health.
I returned to work on the 8th June 2010, at which time I had been unable to secure a new role as advised by .......... and ..............in our meeting on the 24th May 2010.
On the 9th June 2010 ......... called me explaining that .... had found me a clinical role at ............Hospital as a ..................... and that I should liaise with the Manager of the team to arrange my start date.
I was surprised by this as I have been a Community Nurse for the past six and a half years and working in............ Hospital was although clinical a totally different role that my current one within ........., I voiced during this telephone conversation that I wanted to know whether this was a temporary move or permanent one as .......... Hospital was an hour long commute in heavy traffic that would impact on both my health due to the long commute (something that was later high lighted by Occupational Health as a concern) and my child care arrangements.
In addition I have been a Nurse for nineteen years, and a Community Nurse for six and a half of those years, community work was my chosen vocation and I did not necessarily want to work within a Hospital setting again.
.............. advised that I should ‘just go and try’ as it was ‘just going to be a very short term solution, whilst a more suitable role could be found’.
Since the phone call from ........... on the 9th June 2010, I have received no correspondence from her in regards to ‘finding a more suitable role’.
I followed ......... instructions and liaised with ................. at ............... Hospital, I went the following day on a visit as advised by ............., during my visit I was advised that the team had been told that I would be with them for a minimum of six to eight weeks.
I was shocked by this as at this point I had not even confirmed that I would be able/willing to take on the role and it left me feeling extremely uncomfortable and most definitely out of the loop in regards to what was happening with my own role and career.
I was also concerned that not only was I working through a Phased Return Plan, but I also had to learn a whole new paperwork process, role, team and hospital which considering this was my first time back in work for six months I felt was really unsupportive towards me and added undue stress towards me.
I spoke to ............... on the telephone on the 10th June 2010, at which time I voiced my concerns in regards to the situation and was told by ............that she would be starting an Ill Health Redeployment process on me.
I was totally shocked and upset by this as I’d only literally been back to work for two days, however ............ attempted to explain that the reason ........ had decided to do this was to actually ‘help me to secure a better role’.
This did not necessarily make sense, ........ own explanation was very confusing and ..... in fact got confused herself explaining what ....... wanted to do, I discussed this with fellow professionals who were also confused by this as they had all still been hearing that my role & budget were transferable and that I was being discussed throughout the Trust, in regards to moving into another role/team.
The paperwork for the Ill Health Redeployment process arrived through the post a few days later, the paperwork requested my attendance at a meeting with ........... and HR at ............. Hospital on the 23rd June 2010.
In between this time I continued travelling to and working at ............ Hospital despite the commuting clearly having a detrimental impact on my health.
On the 21st June 2010 I was contacted by telephone by ............. who advised me that .... wanted to cancel the meeting scheduled for the 23rd June 2010, as .... still needed to clarify whether my budget could be transferable or not.
I questioned this, as it was my understanding from the meeting we had had with ......... on the 24th May 2010 that the budget was transferable which is why I had been cold calling and liaising with numerous Community Managers since my return to try and secure a new post.
I explained to .............. during our telephone conversation that the continued commuting to Huntingdon Hospital was impacting on my health and I was told by ... to ‘just go sick’.
I refused to do this as I wasn’t sick, I had just spent six months being really ill and was doing everything I could to get back to work and also felt that ..... suggestion was really inappropriate and unprofessional.
I subsequently contacted HR and spoke to ......... to seek advice,..... advised me that ‘if I could not do the ........... Hospital job I should go sick because he had been told I wasn’t well enough to do my job, which was now out of hours’.
I asked who had told ............ that I was not well enough to do my job and he advised that .... had spoken to ..................
I advised ........... that I wasn’t working out of hours and that I wasn’t sick, I was just unable to do a two hour commute in heavy traffic especially seeing as this was meant to be a supportive period of time for me whilst I worked through my Phased Return Plan.
... advised me that I should speak to ..........again, I questioned the issue of my budget transfer, to which ............. commented, ‘budgets are not normally transferable, so you should just look on the computer for a new job’.
I contacted ........... following my conversation with ............, to seek guidance as to what I should do and I was told by .............. ‘oh well perhaps I shouldn’t advise you to go sick if you’re not sick, I suppose you should just go back to your original base of .................’.
I was also told by ........... to contact ........... Hospital and tell them I wouldn’t be going back, in addition ........... told me during the conversation that the rescheduled HR meeting would now be on the 6th July 2010.
I felt that this unsupportive process of being sent to ............. Hospital had really tarnished my reputation as I’ve never quit or given up on anything in my life and that I had been put in this unmanageable & unsupportive position by ............. and ....................
I was mortified that seeing that all I was trying to do was return to work, that my Line Manager should be telling me to ‘just go sick’, it felt deeply unprofessional and unsupportive on all levels, and I found the whole events to be very upsetting and emotional.
Seeing as a Phased Return Plan is meant to support the employee returning to work I felt that in my case this was the total opposite, the stress, upset and anxiety I had suffered due to this chaotic and unsupportive process had really undermined my confidence and ability to do my job.
I was also deeply confused as to why seeing as ................ had now instructed ,me to return to working as per my role within the ............. office .............. team this was not permitted when I first returned to work as it would have allowed me to adjust back to work and complete my Phased Return Plan within a role, team, environment, location that I was familiar with and would have avoided all the undue stress, impact on my health and anxiety that I had been subjected to due to being sent to H............. Hospital.
On the 22nd June 2010 Occupational Heath contacted me by telephone advising that ............. had requested an urgent health review as .... felt I was no longer able to do my job, Occupational Health informed me that they had advised ................ that I had a review meeting scheduled with them for the 28th June 2010 and that they would be unable to see me prior to this.
Throughout all of these processes I have remained in regular contact and continued to liaise with Occupational Health who have continuously voiced their concerns as to how I have not been supported with my Phased Return Plan, I have throughout this entire process found Occupational Health to be very supportive towards me.
From the 22nd June 2010 onwards I have worked within the ................ team, engaged in my original role, from the 24th May 2010 ................. has not met with me, nor have I received any supervision support since returning to work, in fact .... has virtually no communication towards me and it is as if as far as .... is concerned I already no longer exist within the CAT team.
Prior to my sick leave I had a good, supportive working relationship with ............ and am saddened at the unprofessional and dysfunctional way that .... has been towards me.
On the 28th June 2010 I met with .............. Occupational Health Advisor, who agreed that my health was OK and that I was fully able to continue do my original job.
However ........... did comment that it was felt that the whole process had poorly managed and as such had put an undue and unacceptable level of stress on me, and in addition that making me commute to .............. Hospital and work within a role, team, location that was all new to me was really unsupportive and unacceptable considering I was at the start of working through a Phased Return Plan.
I met with ............. and HR on the 6th July 2010, it was my understanding that the meeting was the first formal stage of the Ill Health Redeployment process as I had been advised on numerous occasions by telephone by ............. and in addition by the letter dated 11th June 2010 that I had received from ........... which was cc’d to HR.
However, upon arrival at the meeting I was advised by ................. that they would be starting a 30 day Formal Consultation process in regards to my Band ..........Clinical Role within the ........... Team, in addition that they would support me in finding another job however, if after the 30 Day Formal Consultation period there was no change then I would be put on the At Risk of Redundancy and given two months notice.
At no point during the meeting was the Ill Health Redeployment Process discussed, and due to the total shock of being advised that I now potentially faced redundancy even though I’d only been back at work less than a month and was only just finishing my Phased Return Plan I didn’t myself ask at the time ask what had happened in relation to the communication and understanding that they were to conduct an Ill Health Redeployment process.
I did however request minutes from the meeting as I was now totally confused due to the continually changing processes and felt extremely vulnerable and unsupported in regards to how I was being treated by .................., to which I was advised by HR that the meeting was an ‘informal process, so there would be no full minutes but he would email bullet point notes’.
However, the meeting lasted forty minutes in duration and HR was only present for ten minutes of these forty, at the meeting I was told it was a ‘Formal 30 Day Consultation process’, by HR & ............, on looking back on the letter from ............ requesting my presence at the meeting it clearly states that I’m asked to attend as it states it is ‘the first formal interview in accordance with............ NHS Trusts Management of Attendance policy’. However in the meeting HR is advising that it’s ‘an informal process and as such I’m not entitled to minutes’.
All of which was deeply confusing, unclear and unprofessional and as such I found the whole process very emotional.
During the meeting HR took my personal email address and advised that ..... would email all vacancies within the Trust to me, in addition that I would have priority in regards to advising me of any positions that had been approved, but not yet advertised.
Since the meeting on the 6th July 2010 to the date of this Grievance Submission I have not received any correspondence from HR in relation to potential or actual vacancies.
During the meeting it was advised that I would not receive the paperwork starting the Consultation period on the week of the 12th July 2010 as they were aware I was due to go into hospital for a minor operation (not related to my health condition) and that the paperwork & consultation period would officially start from the week of the 19th July 2010.
However, the paperwork was not received by myself until the 31st July 2010, the paperwork received is dated Thursday 28th July 2010, whereas the 28th was actually a Wednesday, this is two weeks later that agreed at the meeting and has meant that for those two weeks I’ve been living in a state of confusion not knowing whether I would be under the Consultation period, whether I was still facing redundancy or whether ........... and HR had changed the process yet again.
Within the Proposal to Alter the Current Band ....................paperwork that I received from ............. the Consultation Timetable states that on the 29th July 2010 meetings with ................ & myself will commence.
However I have not received any correspondence from ................ in regards to arranging such meetings and as outlined earlier within my Grievance Submission ............. has for several weeks had no communication with me at all.
This is despite the fact that ......... is my Line Manager, I have just completed a Phased Return to Work and have/am been subject to an Ill Health Redeployment Process and a Formal 30 Day Consultation, in addition to which I am entitled to supervision with my Line Manager, yet this also has been ignored by .............. as I have now been back at work for two months and to date have not received any supervision from ..................
It also states within the Consultation Timetable that as of September 2010 the New Band ............... role within the ......... team will commence, as this is supposed to be a Consultation period for me how can there be the open and honest opportunity to see if there is a role for a daytime Band ..............as I’ve been advised I need to evidence, if it is already time lined that the new Band .............. role will start in September 2010.
The covering letter advises that if I have any queries at this stage I should contact ........... or HR, as outlined in my Grievance Submission I do not feel in any way able to seek support or guidance from either of them as neither ...............or HR has to date since my return, worked in a supportive manner towards me.
I strongly feel that neither of them has applied the correct application of the Trust’s policies & procedures and their distinct lack of appropriate process and communication towards me has had a hugely detrimental impact on me, both mentally and physically as I have endeavoured to my best abilities to re-engage with work as I’ve worked through my Phased Return Plan.
As such I do not feel that I can trust either of them to fairly, appropriately, supportively and professionally conduct the 30 day Formal Consultation process.
I strongly feel that the actions thus far taken towards me since I have tried to return to work & complete my phased return by ........... and HR are nothing more than an attempt to constructively dismiss me.
I've posted the grievance letter below, (it wont read that fluidly as I've naturally had to edit quite heavily to be able to post), I'd also appreciate the PH spelling police keeping their comments to themselves as it's real employment law / HR advise I need.
Do those in the know think that my wife has been treated inappropriately? Thanks to all in advance.
Grievance Submission
To Whom It May Concern:
I wish to submit a formal grievance in relation to the process I have been subjected to since confirming I was able to return to work on a Phased Return Plan by Occupational Health from long term sickness
I feel that the processes I have been subjected to have been poorly and inappropriately managed by my Line Manager.........
I feel that the correct application of the Trust’s policies & procedures has not been adhered to in relation to the miss-matched processes I have been subjected to by ..........
In addition I feel that .......... have left me in a position of receiving continued contradictory information and of being totally unsupported during the processes they have subjected me to.
I do not feel in any way able to seek support or guidance from either .................... as to date since my return to work neither of them has worked in a supportive manner towards me, in fact it has openly felt and been observed by others that they have been working against me in a manner that presents as unprofessional, unsupportive and dysfunctional.
I strongly feel that neither of them has applied the correct application of the Trust’s policies & procedures and their distinct lack of appropriate process and communication towards me has had a hugely detrimental impact on me both mentally and physically, as I have endeavoured to my best abilities to re-engage with work as I’ve worked through my Phased Return Plan.
As such I do not feel in any way that I can trust either of them to fairly and appropriately conduct the 30 day Formal Consultation process which I am now subject to, opposed to the Ill Health Redeployment process that they first started to subject me to.
I strongly feel that the actions thus far taken towards me since I have tried to return to work by ....................are nothing more than trying to constructively dismiss me from my role and work at .........., a job which I have held for over ........ without incident or blemish.
Chronology of Events & Grievance:
I have been employed by ........ since February 2004, I have been working within my current role of .................since September 2008.
I had been on long term sick leave from December 2009, on the 22nd March 2010 I met with Senior Occupational Health ..........., who commented that I was progressing well and agreed to meet again at the end of May 2010 (a report of this meeting was sent to my Line Manager.............).
I met ............ again on the 17th May 2010, at which time a Phased Return Plan was mutually agreed, which outlined my limitations, (a report of this meeting and Phased Return Plan was sent to my Line Manager ................).
I contacted ............ via telephone on the 18th May 2010 to advise of the outcome of my meeting with Occupational Health and the agreed Phased Return Plan, during this telephone conversation I requested a meeting with .............to be able to action my Phased Return Plan, at which point I was told by ............. that ....... could not meet with me on ..... own because ............................. wanted to meet with me to discuss my role and future within the ................
I was somewhat surprised and concerned by this as it was my understanding that I was simply going to be returning to my role and working through a Phased Return Plan, I asked why ............ wanted to meet with me, but ................. did not expand.
I met with .............. and .............. on the 24th May 2010 at the ..................., during this 3 way meeting I was asked to explain in detail my health history and explain my condition as neither of them understood this.
................ then explained that the ........ was going through a service change and part of that change would be that my clinical role would be solely out of hours, at which point they queried how my health would fit into this role & how I would be able to do the role.
At no point was there any mention of a Consultation Period due to the proposed changes in my role, nor the fact that my Contract of Employment and Job Description do not mention the undertaking of any out of hours working.
I explained that I would not be able to undertake a solely out of hours role due to my health condition, in addition that as I have two young children working out of hours was not something I would be able or willing to undertake as a permanent change, at which point it was discussed by ............................. as to how I would be able to fulfil my clinical role during the day.
I was advised by both .............. and .......... that I would need to liaise with other .............., i.e. .................. to see if they had any vacant posts or project work that I could undertake.
............ explained that if I could find a suitable role or project then the budget held within the ........... for my role would be transferable to the department with the vacancy, at no point during the meeting was any timescale or formal process mentioned by either .......... or ..................
I found this meeting to be very demoralising and upsetting as this was first meeting with my Line Manager since being on long term sick leave and my main & only focus had been to complete my Phased Return Plan and return to work, however I was now being told that as far as they were concerned I no longer had a role within the ........... and had to basically go and find myself another job.
This all came as a total shock & on reflection I probably didn’t ask all of the questions I should have done during the meeting in regards to how this followed the Trusts policies & procedures as the whole process felt very sudden and underhand.
I was not due to return to work until the 8th June 2010, however following the meeting with ............. & .........., and my concerns that as they had advised I would no longer have a job, I immediately followed the instructions given by .......... and started to liaise with numerous clinical staff throughout the Trust trying to obtain a suitable clinical role for myself.
All of the Clinical Managers that I spoke to were keen to have me within their teams as I have over the past six years established a good name for myself & my work within the community, this has included being awarded a ‘................... Award by the Trust.
All of the Clinical Managers that I spoke to requested confirmation that the budget for my................was transferable, I felt really unsupported in having to undertake this cold calling exercise of trying to find myself another job, especially seeing as I was trying to prepare myself for returning to work after six months of ill health.
I returned to work on the 8th June 2010, at which time I had been unable to secure a new role as advised by .......... and ..............in our meeting on the 24th May 2010.
On the 9th June 2010 ......... called me explaining that .... had found me a clinical role at ............Hospital as a ..................... and that I should liaise with the Manager of the team to arrange my start date.
I was surprised by this as I have been a Community Nurse for the past six and a half years and working in............ Hospital was although clinical a totally different role that my current one within ........., I voiced during this telephone conversation that I wanted to know whether this was a temporary move or permanent one as .......... Hospital was an hour long commute in heavy traffic that would impact on both my health due to the long commute (something that was later high lighted by Occupational Health as a concern) and my child care arrangements.
In addition I have been a Nurse for nineteen years, and a Community Nurse for six and a half of those years, community work was my chosen vocation and I did not necessarily want to work within a Hospital setting again.
.............. advised that I should ‘just go and try’ as it was ‘just going to be a very short term solution, whilst a more suitable role could be found’.
Since the phone call from ........... on the 9th June 2010, I have received no correspondence from her in regards to ‘finding a more suitable role’.
I followed ......... instructions and liaised with ................. at ............... Hospital, I went the following day on a visit as advised by ............., during my visit I was advised that the team had been told that I would be with them for a minimum of six to eight weeks.
I was shocked by this as at this point I had not even confirmed that I would be able/willing to take on the role and it left me feeling extremely uncomfortable and most definitely out of the loop in regards to what was happening with my own role and career.
I was also concerned that not only was I working through a Phased Return Plan, but I also had to learn a whole new paperwork process, role, team and hospital which considering this was my first time back in work for six months I felt was really unsupportive towards me and added undue stress towards me.
I spoke to ............... on the telephone on the 10th June 2010, at which time I voiced my concerns in regards to the situation and was told by ............that she would be starting an Ill Health Redeployment process on me.
I was totally shocked and upset by this as I’d only literally been back to work for two days, however ............ attempted to explain that the reason ........ had decided to do this was to actually ‘help me to secure a better role’.
This did not necessarily make sense, ........ own explanation was very confusing and ..... in fact got confused herself explaining what ....... wanted to do, I discussed this with fellow professionals who were also confused by this as they had all still been hearing that my role & budget were transferable and that I was being discussed throughout the Trust, in regards to moving into another role/team.
The paperwork for the Ill Health Redeployment process arrived through the post a few days later, the paperwork requested my attendance at a meeting with ........... and HR at ............. Hospital on the 23rd June 2010.
In between this time I continued travelling to and working at ............ Hospital despite the commuting clearly having a detrimental impact on my health.
On the 21st June 2010 I was contacted by telephone by ............. who advised me that .... wanted to cancel the meeting scheduled for the 23rd June 2010, as .... still needed to clarify whether my budget could be transferable or not.
I questioned this, as it was my understanding from the meeting we had had with ......... on the 24th May 2010 that the budget was transferable which is why I had been cold calling and liaising with numerous Community Managers since my return to try and secure a new post.
I explained to .............. during our telephone conversation that the continued commuting to Huntingdon Hospital was impacting on my health and I was told by ... to ‘just go sick’.
I refused to do this as I wasn’t sick, I had just spent six months being really ill and was doing everything I could to get back to work and also felt that ..... suggestion was really inappropriate and unprofessional.
I subsequently contacted HR and spoke to ......... to seek advice,..... advised me that ‘if I could not do the ........... Hospital job I should go sick because he had been told I wasn’t well enough to do my job, which was now out of hours’.
I asked who had told ............ that I was not well enough to do my job and he advised that .... had spoken to ..................
I advised ........... that I wasn’t working out of hours and that I wasn’t sick, I was just unable to do a two hour commute in heavy traffic especially seeing as this was meant to be a supportive period of time for me whilst I worked through my Phased Return Plan.
... advised me that I should speak to ..........again, I questioned the issue of my budget transfer, to which ............. commented, ‘budgets are not normally transferable, so you should just look on the computer for a new job’.
I contacted ........... following my conversation with ............, to seek guidance as to what I should do and I was told by .............. ‘oh well perhaps I shouldn’t advise you to go sick if you’re not sick, I suppose you should just go back to your original base of .................’.
I was also told by ........... to contact ........... Hospital and tell them I wouldn’t be going back, in addition ........... told me during the conversation that the rescheduled HR meeting would now be on the 6th July 2010.
I felt that this unsupportive process of being sent to ............. Hospital had really tarnished my reputation as I’ve never quit or given up on anything in my life and that I had been put in this unmanageable & unsupportive position by ............. and ....................
I was mortified that seeing that all I was trying to do was return to work, that my Line Manager should be telling me to ‘just go sick’, it felt deeply unprofessional and unsupportive on all levels, and I found the whole events to be very upsetting and emotional.
Seeing as a Phased Return Plan is meant to support the employee returning to work I felt that in my case this was the total opposite, the stress, upset and anxiety I had suffered due to this chaotic and unsupportive process had really undermined my confidence and ability to do my job.
I was also deeply confused as to why seeing as ................ had now instructed ,me to return to working as per my role within the ............. office .............. team this was not permitted when I first returned to work as it would have allowed me to adjust back to work and complete my Phased Return Plan within a role, team, environment, location that I was familiar with and would have avoided all the undue stress, impact on my health and anxiety that I had been subjected to due to being sent to H............. Hospital.
On the 22nd June 2010 Occupational Heath contacted me by telephone advising that ............. had requested an urgent health review as .... felt I was no longer able to do my job, Occupational Health informed me that they had advised ................ that I had a review meeting scheduled with them for the 28th June 2010 and that they would be unable to see me prior to this.
Throughout all of these processes I have remained in regular contact and continued to liaise with Occupational Health who have continuously voiced their concerns as to how I have not been supported with my Phased Return Plan, I have throughout this entire process found Occupational Health to be very supportive towards me.
From the 22nd June 2010 onwards I have worked within the ................ team, engaged in my original role, from the 24th May 2010 ................. has not met with me, nor have I received any supervision support since returning to work, in fact .... has virtually no communication towards me and it is as if as far as .... is concerned I already no longer exist within the CAT team.
Prior to my sick leave I had a good, supportive working relationship with ............ and am saddened at the unprofessional and dysfunctional way that .... has been towards me.
On the 28th June 2010 I met with .............. Occupational Health Advisor, who agreed that my health was OK and that I was fully able to continue do my original job.
However ........... did comment that it was felt that the whole process had poorly managed and as such had put an undue and unacceptable level of stress on me, and in addition that making me commute to .............. Hospital and work within a role, team, location that was all new to me was really unsupportive and unacceptable considering I was at the start of working through a Phased Return Plan.
I met with ............. and HR on the 6th July 2010, it was my understanding that the meeting was the first formal stage of the Ill Health Redeployment process as I had been advised on numerous occasions by telephone by ............. and in addition by the letter dated 11th June 2010 that I had received from ........... which was cc’d to HR.
However, upon arrival at the meeting I was advised by ................. that they would be starting a 30 day Formal Consultation process in regards to my Band ..........Clinical Role within the ........... Team, in addition that they would support me in finding another job however, if after the 30 Day Formal Consultation period there was no change then I would be put on the At Risk of Redundancy and given two months notice.
At no point during the meeting was the Ill Health Redeployment Process discussed, and due to the total shock of being advised that I now potentially faced redundancy even though I’d only been back at work less than a month and was only just finishing my Phased Return Plan I didn’t myself ask at the time ask what had happened in relation to the communication and understanding that they were to conduct an Ill Health Redeployment process.
I did however request minutes from the meeting as I was now totally confused due to the continually changing processes and felt extremely vulnerable and unsupported in regards to how I was being treated by .................., to which I was advised by HR that the meeting was an ‘informal process, so there would be no full minutes but he would email bullet point notes’.
However, the meeting lasted forty minutes in duration and HR was only present for ten minutes of these forty, at the meeting I was told it was a ‘Formal 30 Day Consultation process’, by HR & ............, on looking back on the letter from ............ requesting my presence at the meeting it clearly states that I’m asked to attend as it states it is ‘the first formal interview in accordance with............ NHS Trusts Management of Attendance policy’. However in the meeting HR is advising that it’s ‘an informal process and as such I’m not entitled to minutes’.
All of which was deeply confusing, unclear and unprofessional and as such I found the whole process very emotional.
During the meeting HR took my personal email address and advised that ..... would email all vacancies within the Trust to me, in addition that I would have priority in regards to advising me of any positions that had been approved, but not yet advertised.
Since the meeting on the 6th July 2010 to the date of this Grievance Submission I have not received any correspondence from HR in relation to potential or actual vacancies.
During the meeting it was advised that I would not receive the paperwork starting the Consultation period on the week of the 12th July 2010 as they were aware I was due to go into hospital for a minor operation (not related to my health condition) and that the paperwork & consultation period would officially start from the week of the 19th July 2010.
However, the paperwork was not received by myself until the 31st July 2010, the paperwork received is dated Thursday 28th July 2010, whereas the 28th was actually a Wednesday, this is two weeks later that agreed at the meeting and has meant that for those two weeks I’ve been living in a state of confusion not knowing whether I would be under the Consultation period, whether I was still facing redundancy or whether ........... and HR had changed the process yet again.
Within the Proposal to Alter the Current Band ....................paperwork that I received from ............. the Consultation Timetable states that on the 29th July 2010 meetings with ................ & myself will commence.
However I have not received any correspondence from ................ in regards to arranging such meetings and as outlined earlier within my Grievance Submission ............. has for several weeks had no communication with me at all.
This is despite the fact that ......... is my Line Manager, I have just completed a Phased Return to Work and have/am been subject to an Ill Health Redeployment Process and a Formal 30 Day Consultation, in addition to which I am entitled to supervision with my Line Manager, yet this also has been ignored by .............. as I have now been back at work for two months and to date have not received any supervision from ..................
It also states within the Consultation Timetable that as of September 2010 the New Band ............... role within the ......... team will commence, as this is supposed to be a Consultation period for me how can there be the open and honest opportunity to see if there is a role for a daytime Band ..............as I’ve been advised I need to evidence, if it is already time lined that the new Band .............. role will start in September 2010.
The covering letter advises that if I have any queries at this stage I should contact ........... or HR, as outlined in my Grievance Submission I do not feel in any way able to seek support or guidance from either of them as neither ...............or HR has to date since my return, worked in a supportive manner towards me.
I strongly feel that neither of them has applied the correct application of the Trust’s policies & procedures and their distinct lack of appropriate process and communication towards me has had a hugely detrimental impact on me, both mentally and physically as I have endeavoured to my best abilities to re-engage with work as I’ve worked through my Phased Return Plan.
As such I do not feel that I can trust either of them to fairly, appropriately, supportively and professionally conduct the 30 day Formal Consultation process.
I strongly feel that the actions thus far taken towards me since I have tried to return to work & complete my phased return by ........... and HR are nothing more than an attempt to constructively dismiss me.
anonymous said:
[redacted]
She was in the union for years whilst working in Hospitals, but stopped a few years back when moved to community nursing, spoken to them and as it's an 'ongoing current' matter she can't rejoin now and they'll assist.
anonymous said:
[redacted]
Ideally she'd want to continue doing the role she has now although accepts that which this proposed restructure this may not be possible, but really prefers the community work opposed to hospital, + we're not anywhere in easy commute of a hospital.The clinical managers are screaming out for her to be allocated to them, but it's all a matter of allocating budgets as far as I can see.
In addition currently within the Trust she works for there appears to be zero recruitment taking place, as for being negativeI don't see that at all and appreciate a 'fresh set of eyes' on the process.
many thanks
Mark
anonymous said:
[redacted]
Some people can do it... my mother is one of them, off long term sick due to cancer drugs and then developing a blood clot on the lung that the local GP thought was asthma and then the blood clot got stuck in her leg on the way to the heart (which would have been bad) they then gave her the wrong drugs and she almost went into kidney failure...Now after a year (maybe more) she is off to work at the NHS again as a radiographer... She cant wait to get back and they keep asking her to come back and at the moment she is on part time (she was always part time) and can't do things like ultra sound and portables anymore without help but she has had no issues.
OP... She is also a union person (does the AGMs and is a spokesperson for her section of the hosiptal) and can possibly advise on yours, if you want to send me a cut down version (as well as the full version) I will talk to her tonight and pass it on... She has had many dealings with HR and senior people and takes no s
t and they are now scared of her which is very funny to watch... fk even the doctors are scared of her!!eddited to say union person = spokesperson who will talk to HR/Senior people and give them s
t and not just a person who is part of the unionEdited by Dupont666 on Tuesday 3rd August 11:37
anonymous said:
[redacted]
I'm / she is being 100% open on this, her L/M and their L/M are pushing for this role to be out of hours only, every other clinical person is shouting about how bad/wrong a plan that is and that they all NEED this role as a day role, however they're all being shut down/out by my wife's LM and her LM.My 'hope' was that by submitting the grievance (which my wife was against as she feels thoroughly demoralized by the processes discussed already) that the 30 day consultation would then have to be managed and implemented by others which would hopefully allow for a fairer process without this 'hidden agenda' that seems to be in place, it may well still come to the same conclusion, but at least then you know you've had a fair process.
JakesterUK said:
The clinical managers are screaming out for her to be allocated to them, but it's all a matter of allocating budgets as far as I can see
JakesterUK said:
every other clinical person is shouting about how bad/wrong a plan that is and that they all NEED this role as a day role, however they're all being shut down/out by my wife's LM and her LM.
There you have the problem in a nutshell. The NHS sufers from too many levels of management who have no idea how things work in the real world of patient care. All they are interested in are budgets, targets and deliverables handed down to them by the last Labia Government. Until the new Government cut out the deadwood consultants and jobsworth levels of management the problem will remain and people like your wife will find their professional life more and more of a chore and less and less rewarding.I haven't read your letter in detail as I believe you have had to leave too much out for obvious reasons. All I can suggest is that you maintain the "100% committed to work" approach and try to get the Clinical Managers and other interested parties to provide back-up to the idea of your wife's proposed role in writing. If this fails then at least you have used all the right channels to try to get where your wife and other medical porfessionals want to get and the record is in writing. If it works then I hope it all falls into place and your wife adds value in the role and the Clinical Managers provide positive reports and appraisal input to reflect the job she wants to do for them.
Bottom line is the NHS is overwhelmed by management muppets and needs to be handed back to the professionals who know how to provide clinical care, backed up by significantly less accountants. Costs should not dictate what levels of care are made available on the NHS.
Dupont666 said:
anonymous said:
[redacted]
Some people can do it... my mother is one of them, off long term sick due to cancer drugs and then developing a blood clot on the lung that the local GP thought was asthma and then the blood clot got stuck in her leg on the way to the heart (which would have been bad) they then gave her the wrong drugs and she almost went into kidney failure...Now after a year (maybe more) she is off to work at the NHS again as a radiographer... She cant wait to get back and they keep asking her to come back and at the moment she is on part time (she was always part time) and can't do things like ultra sound and portables anymore without help but she has had no issues.
OP... She is also a union person (does the AGMs and is a spokesperson for her section of the hosiptal) and can possibly advise on yours, if you want to send me a cut down version (as well as the full version) I will talk to her tonight and pass it on... She has had many dealings with HR and senior people and takes no s
t and they are now scared of her which is very funny to watch... fk even the doctors are scared of her!!eddited to say union person = spokesperson who will talk to HR/Senior people and give them s
t and not just a person who is part of the unionEdited by Dupont666 on Tuesday 3rd August 11:37
Grey Ghost said:
JakesterUK said:
The clinical managers are screaming out for her to be allocated to them, but it's all a matter of allocating budgets as far as I can see
JakesterUK said:
every other clinical person is shouting about how bad/wrong a plan that is and that they all NEED this role as a day role, however they're all being shut down/out by my wife's LM and her LM.
There you have the problem in a nutshell. The NHS sufers from too many levels of management who have no idea how things work in the real world of patient care. All they are interested in are budgets, targets and deliverables handed down to them by the last Labia Government. Until the new Government cut out the deadwood consultants and jobsworth levels of management the problem will remain and people like your wife will find their professional life more and more of a chore and less and less rewarding.I haven't read your letter in detail as I believe you have had to leave too much out for obvious reasons. All I can suggest is that you maintain the "100% committed to work" approach and try to get the Clinical Managers and other interested parties to provide back-up to the idea of your wife's proposed role in writing. If this fails then at least you have used all the right channels to try to get where your wife and other medical porfessionals want to get and the record is in writing. If it works then I hope it all falls into place and your wife adds value in the role and the Clinical Managers provide positive reports and appraisal input to reflect the job she wants to do for them.
Bottom line is the NHS is overwhelmed by management muppets and needs to be handed back to the professionals who know how to provide clinical care, backed up by significantly less accountants. Costs should not dictate what levels of care are made available on the NHS.
JakesterUK said:
Dupont666 said:
anonymous said:
[redacted]
Some people can do it... my mother is one of them, off long term sick due to cancer drugs and then developing a blood clot on the lung that the local GP thought was asthma and then the blood clot got stuck in her leg on the way to the heart (which would have been bad) they then gave her the wrong drugs and she almost went into kidney failure...Now after a year (maybe more) she is off to work at the NHS again as a radiographer... She cant wait to get back and they keep asking her to come back and at the moment she is on part time (she was always part time) and can't do things like ultra sound and portables anymore without help but she has had no issues.
OP... She is also a union person (does the AGMs and is a spokesperson for her section of the hosiptal) and can possibly advise on yours, if you want to send me a cut down version (as well as the full version) I will talk to her tonight and pass it on... She has had many dealings with HR and senior people and takes no s
t and they are now scared of her which is very funny to watch... fk even the doctors are scared of her!!eddited to say union person = spokesperson who will talk to HR/Senior people and give them s
t and not just a person who is part of the unionEdited by Dupont666 on Tuesday 3rd August 11:37
Gassing Station | Jobs & Employment Matters | Top of Page | What's New | My Stuff