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My sister is encountering some intimidation at work - small co., no HR dept...

6 replies

NoWayNoHow · 27/02/2012 14:43

Sister is in the middle of doing a 2 week trial period for a company, running with a 1 day notice period. She's done a week.

She realised over the weekend that the role isn't for her at all (it wasn't the job she went for originally), and it turns out the owner of the company is a complete cock. One of those bosses who orders people to make coffee for him, shits on them if they don't heat the mug up, etc, etc. All in all, it's been a banal and unpleasant experience.

So, today, she went in to give her one day's notice to work out the rest of the day. The owner of the company appeared, initially, to be very understanding, but then dropped this bombshell:

"I know that you're only contracted to serve out a day's notice, but I would suggest that you work out the rest of your trial period. I know you want a career in this industry in the future, and I am a big player in this industry, so it really would be in your best interests to leave my company on a good foot"

Shock Shock Shock

She was really quite taken aback, but decided that she wasn't going to be blackmailed by the threat of a tarnished reputation, and went back into him very politely and explained that after consideration, she would be unable to do that as she is currently commuting from our place (4 hours a day) and she needs to focus on finding a place of her own and a new job.

He told her she was unprofessional, leaving them in the lurch (she's not, she's completed all the work given her), and that she would never work in his company ever again. He told her to "get out of my sight" and "have a nice life".

She is now extremely worried that he's going to bad mouth her to anyone in the industry who will listen, when she's done absolutely nothing except give a job she wasn't certain about the benefit of the doubt, and fulfil the contractual obligations as set out by the company itself.

If they were a larger company, she says she would have gone straight to their HR department after the initial threat to force her to stay, but they don't have one and she now feels that legally she hasn't got a leg to stand on if he decides to move forward with his promise of making it difficult for her.

What can she do?

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NoWayNoHow · 27/02/2012 15:04

bump

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NoWayNoHow · 27/02/2012 15:18

Help! Anyone out there? She's leaving end of today and needs to know what to do!

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CMOTDibbler · 27/02/2012 16:03

Anyone who says they are a big player almost certainly isn't, with an attitude like that, everyone in that industry would know him for the twat he is.

So she shouldn't worry about it. If anyone ever said anything, she'd be able to say very truthfully that she was sorry that he was upset, but the job had not been suited and with the commute she gave the notice required as soon as she knew

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RetiredDJ · 27/02/2012 16:33

"Anyone who says they are a big player almost certainly isn't, with an attitude like that, everyone in that industry would know him for the twat he is."

A giant plus one to that.
Tell your sister not to worry and maybe say to him that she's very sorry that the job didn't suit. She understands that he feels let down, but she she would appreciate if he wasn't so agressive and rude. And that if she hears that he has been bad mouthing her, she will have no choice but to follow it up with her solicitor as it constitutes slander.

Obviously she won't, but it might make him think twice.
Anybody who is that much of an idiot will have no respect in their industry and nobody would listen to a word they say.

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NoWayNoHow · 27/02/2012 18:51

Thanks guys for this - it's reassuring to hear that it's unlikely he'll be taken seriously. She never wanted to go for the job in the first instance as she had a bad gut feeling about the company after they made a shambles of the interview process, but an old acquaintance knew the owner and somehow got wind that she was in line for an interview so gave a personal recommendation. Wish he hadn't got involved now, as DSis is convinced this arse is going to go straight back to old acquaintance and make her sound terrible, and she's going to have to defend herself to him too, as he's also well-connected in the same field.

I will maybe speak to her tonight and talk about sending a final email to him (now that she's left) outlining that she felt threatened and blackmailed which was completely inappropriate in the circumstances being as she was simply following the T&Cs as set out by them, not her. And then finish off with something about not hearing any bad mouthing or else she will consult a solicitor. Will need to have a good think about the best way to phrase all that...

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Justw0nder1ng · 27/02/2012 18:59

When I read this I thought he sounded like my old boss who was a short arsed little knobhead of a bloke who. I put up with loads of his bullying before I told him to get stuffed.
I now work in an environment where a lot of people have come across my old boss and not one person has a good thing to say about him. He thought he was some kind of a big shot as well. Can't see that anyone would take any notice of your sisters boss! Pour her a large glass of wine and tell her to forget about it and put it down to experience x

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