Hiding in plain sight

[Nail]

To anyone getting stressed at the job I would say do only what you believe to be reasonable, anything more then tell them no. You have rights as an employee and you cannot be expected to do unmanagable work loads. You have more rights than you may realise and if you have been in the job a few years they can't just get rid of you, the disciplinary procedures they would have to go to to get to the point of sacking you are not worth the paperwork and their while, so as much as they might bark at you just bark back and stand your ground. Don't get stressed about it.

Well, this just isn't true.

[Simon]

Well, this just isn't true.

In what way is it not true?

[Nail]

In what way is it not true?

Not worth the paperwork to get rid of you. It is worth it if you have an employee that doesn't work. I have fired people myself and yes it's a fair bit of work but in the long term it can be the right choice. Disciplinary action is easy to sort and putting someone on a performance improvement plan is quite simple.

Barking back is not a good way to go if you plan to keep a good long term relationship.

[Simon]

Not worth the paperwork to get rid of you. It is worth it if you have an employee that doesn't work. I have fired people myself and yes it's a fair bit of work but in the long term it can be the right choice. Disciplinary action is easy to sort and putting someone on a performance improvement plan is quite simple.

Barking back is not a good way to go if you plan to keep a good long term relationship.

If someone simply isn't doing their job then yes it is worth it. If someone is refusing to do more than they feel is reasonable then it's not so easy. I've worked in the private sector in manufacturing and we had people who turned up on time every day and did the bare minimum, would never do anything extra and would work at the same pace no matter how hectic things were. They had good attendance and didn't put a foot wrong. They brought in new managers to try and sort things out and get rid of people who they saw as unproductive. They didn't want to pay out redundancy so they tried hounding them out. They tried every trick in the book, standing next to them with a stopwatch, improvement notices, disciplinaries for anything they could think of but they couldn't drive them out and they were absolutely ruthless. If you can prove what is being asked of you is unreasonable and causing you stress then your employer can't touch you and it is in fact they who are in breach of contract and employment law. So do what is reasonable and don't stress about it, the law is on your side.

When I said bark I didn't mean literally, Isimply meant stand up for yourself, I wouldn't have a slanging match with a manager and if they shout at you then they are out of order and you would be within your rights to put in a grievance against them.

[Handyman]

In my case the management definitely seem to think it's worth it and are like a dog with a bone. They are going through the procedures and every time I have begun to think it might be getting a little better they just double down. I don't know what I have done to deserve this, I have done my best with an ever increasing workload. I have seen former colleagues do about 10% of the amount I do and the management there used to make excuses for their behaviour and lack of work rather than do anything about it.

Thank you all for the advice, even if management magically dropped their campaign against me today and never mentioned it again, I have no interest in working under such people. They have treated other staff similarly. I will keep plugging away at the job hunt and hopefully get out of here before they make me any sicker.

[Vera]

In my case the management definitely seem to think it's worth it and are like a dog with a bone. They are going through the procedures and every time I have begun to think it might be getting a little better they just double down. I don't know what I have done to deserve this, I have done my best with an ever increasing workload. I have seen former colleagues do about 10% of the amount I do and the management there used to make excuses for their behaviour and lack of work rather than do anything about it.

Thank you all for the advice, even if management magically dropped their campaign against me today and never mentioned it again, I have no interest in working under such people. They have treated other staff similarly. I will keep plugging away at the job hunt and hopefully get out of here before they make me any sicker.

This unfortunately is the crux of the matter, I have twice in education decided that the stress and downright unpleasantness is just not worth it.
Sometimes your face just does not fit and for one reason or another management decide that they just don't want you there. When this happens there is very little you can do, fight if you think but ultimately it will result in the same thing.
A breakdown in trust and confidence between the 2 parties no one wins but ultimately as an individual it's not worth the fight.

Move on, for your own sanity and self worth move on.

[PalaceEagles]

To anyone getting stressed at the job I would say do only what you believe to be reasonable, anything more then tell them no. You have rights as an employee and you cannot be expected to do unmanagable work loads. You have more rights than you may realise and if you have been in the job a few years they can't just get rid of you, the disciplinary procedures they would have to go to to get to the point of sacking you are not worth the paperwork and their while, so as much as they might bark at you just bark back and stand your ground. Don't get stressed about it.

As much as I agree with you sometimes this isn't the case. I worked for a small Trust and saw how ruthless the CEO was to a number of staff including me in the end. I was in a meeting with an assistant caretaker, BM and CEO. The assistant site manager did make some mistakes but he also wasn't given the support from the Trust. Before I started he was looking after two schools when he was only supposed to be working in an afternoon at one school, he just had way to much work to do across two schools. The meeting was awful, the CEO ripped him to shreds, he tried to explain himself and apologise but the CEO wanted him out. He throw the H&S card at him, he was going to involve the H&S trustee everything. The CEO basically gave him two options either leave and get a good reference or be placed on gardening leave and a formal process was to start to remove him from his post, the CEO was going to involve everybody from the trustees downwards. He had already made his mind up as the BM and CEO had other plans on bringing in a contractor to look after the cleaning and caretaking side of it and me overseeing the contractor. He handed in his notice about 30 minutes after the meeting finished.
Fast forward a couple of years into this the BM manager went off with stress because of the workload put on her by the CEO, the head teacher at the second school in the Trust left after a meeting with the CEO that I was present at (we had weekly trust meeting with each head, bm, finance manager and premises manager(me). Teachers just disappeared in time I was at the Trust, same things happened as above and then I was next in the firing line, that was straight after Covid. I was the sole caretaker/premises manager/cleaner for two schools. I had way to much work to do and it got to much, went off with stress for 3 months. Came back and found a new job which I'm really happy in.

[Simon]

As much as I agree with you sometimes this isn't the case. I worked for a small Trust and saw how ruthless the CEO was to a number of staff including me in the end. I was in a meeting with an assistant caretaker, BM and CEO. The assistant site manager did make some mistakes but he also wasn't given the support from the Trust. Before I started he was looking after two schools when he was only supposed to be working in an afternoon at one school, he just had way to much work to do across two schools. The meeting was awful, the CEO ripped him to shreds, he tried to explain himself and apologise but the CEO wanted him out. He throw the H&S card at him, he was going to involve the H&S trustee everything. The CEO basically gave him two options either leave and get a good reference or be placed on gardening leave and a formal process was to start to remove him from his post, the CEO was going to involve everybody from the trustees downwards. He had already made his mind up as the BM and CEO had other plans on bringing in a contractor to look after the cleaning and caretaking side of it and me overseeing the contractor. He handed in his notice about 30 minutes after the meeting finished.
Fast forward a couple of years into this the BM manager went off with stress because of the workload put on her by the CEO, the head teacher at the second school in the Trust left after a meeting with the CEO that I was present at (we had weekly trust meeting with each head, bm, finance manager and premises manager(me). Teachers just disappeared in time I was at the Trust, same things happened as above and then I was next in the firing line, that was straight after Covid. I was the sole caretaker/premises manager/cleaner for two schools. I had way to much work to do and it got to much, went off with stress for 3 months. Came back and found a new job which I'm really happy in.

Sounds like a right bully. I know everyone is different but I'd have taken garden leave and got some free legal advice and gone down the constructive dismissal route. He was clearly not confident he could dismiss him or he would have done so, instead he went for the intimidation tactic. It's always best to have a union rep sat in on any disciplinary meeting or someone who's a bit clued up on employment law otherwise they try getting away with all sorts these people.