Area manager has it in for my wife

downwiththat

Guys need some advice

My wife is a manager of a fashion retail company. We are just back from a trip away for a few weeks and she was called into a meeting with the area manager. She told her that all of her staff had made complaints that she wasn’t doing her job and not giving them any direction. Also that she hadn’t done some things the area manager had asked her to do before she went on holidays. That there was going to be a discipliner interview in a week or so.

Then she was then told by the area manager that she wasn’t to talk to any of her staff about these complaints. Also when she asked to see the written complaints the area manager said there wasn’t any written they had spoken to her.

Now this same area manager tried this a few months ago but when pushed nothing came of it. It also happens that the same temp manager was involved in the last complaints too.

The area manager also told my wife that she was very unhappy that she wasn’t doing her job and asked her was it because she had just become a new mother or that she had to travel so far to work.

I don’t know but seems to me like the last time, this area manager has already made her mind up that my wife is in the wrong and the complaints are all true without giving her an option to defend herself.

I’m finding it very frustrating to see someone trying to walk all over my wife. Call into question her ability to do her job all on the say of staff. Who from what I can see only ever complain when the other temp manager is round. If my wife is so incapable of doing her job why haven’t they complained before?

Plus what’s with there being no complaints wrote down and also being told not to talk to her own staff.

What should my wife do? Should she go above the area manager head to head office?
Just seems to me that this area manager has it in for her. As a while ago there was temp Area manager in place and there was no trouble with my wife’s work. Surely if she is as bad and incompetent as said that area manager would have picked up on it as well.

Just feel so bad to see my wife being walked all over and so upset.

wmpdd3

OK complicated.

But yo still have a few options, usually in these situations your only recourse is the HR dept if it exists as the area manager either reports to the director of the co or if your luck the district manager who probably looks after Ireland and Scotland etc.

As your wife is a manager, the union route is probably out but she still has some rights.

She is entitled to have a rep when she has her disc. meeting with the area manager. Obviously another manager would be the choice as her own staff are out. This will take planning but should be done.

The two issues should be treated seperatly, 1 work not completed, 2 staff issues.

Notes have to be taken at these meetings, every sentence should be documented. If the area manager mentions your wifes family position in these meetings and this is documented then the area manager is in the wrong. If your wife is asked for any other information she would like to add, and mentions her family, then this is ok.

What the area manager is doing could be described as performance managing your wife out of her job.Your wifes defence in this is basically to ask for proof of all issues raised against her, if there's no prof then just get her to put on record in all meetings that she cannot answer these issues as she is denying they happened as she cannot be shown any proof of the.

As this is your wife's first meeting it is unlikely it will lead to anything other than a verbal warning, in relation to the work not completed.

To me the staff issues should be resolved in a meeting with staff, if your wife usually holds these meetings there should be no build up of bad feeling.

Hope this helps.

downwiththat

The area manager has no letters of complaint just what was told to her .

and now my wife says the disciplinary interview is to take place in a cafe surly that can't be right . Being brought into a disciplinary interview on hear say that can't be right or professional .

At least my wife is being someone with her to witness every thing .

spongeman

Yeah I would bring a solicitor.

downwiththat

My wife is just out of a so called disciplinary meeting ( which took place in a café ) and is in bit on the phone to me . Her area manager has just accused her of Grossmisconduct and incompetence.

These seem to relate to some paper work that was supposed to have been done also on some paper work on delivers. Also to do with some complaints that the area manager has said she has received from my wife’s staff. However when my wife questioned her about the complaints she was told there was no written ones just some calls the area manager received from the staff.

When my wife tried to defend herself over the paper work things she was told that these were only excuses and that she was now on a final warning and she would be reviewed every 2 weeks. She was then told to go straight back to work and ring the area manager when she got there.

I am so mad. This area manager is making my wife’s life a living hell. Accusing her of Grossmisconduct and Incompetence but not allowing her to defend herself against any of this. Putting her on final warning over alleged complaints because without written ones that is exactly what they are.

I can see what this woman is at. She is trying to remove my wife from her job for no reason at all.

Jumpy

All this was witnessed right?

antoinolachtnai

Assuming your wife is in the job more than 12 months, and even if she is not, a trip to the solicitor is in order here.

tony1kenobi

Tell your wife to bring a dictafone to,and record,any future meetings of this sort.She is perfectly entitled to document it just like the business will have someone to take shorthand.

Waive the legalities if someone says they are not agreeable to being recorded.They can object to that at a later date if need be, but they will be far more cautious of what they say and do knowing your wife is documenting it for her own records. Tell them this action has been recommended by your family solicitor.

I had 2 unfair actions against me years ago ( I was being bullied by management ) and was advised the above.

Both actions resulted in an apology and I was told the action was reversed and there would be no mention of it on my employment record. I left that job some years ago and can still rely on them for a decent reference.

wmpdd3

I have never heard of such treatment by a retail company in 10 years asa retail manager. Even in caes where managers did no paperwork for 6 months and made her staff's lives hell, the regional manager still had to go through various steps before dismissal.

I really wouldn't say this lightly bearing in mind the cost and damage to future career but I agree that your wife should consult a solicitor as a matter of urgency.

I can't even begin to list the amount of employee rights mistakes made in her case.

gandalf

Get your wife to talk to an employment law solicitor and based on their instructions take this issue up with the company HR. It sounds like the area manager does not have a clue what she is on about and is leaving herself and the company exposed to action here. Tell your wife to document everything going forward to do with the job noting the exact date and time of every interaction with this person. Try and get them to commit what they are saying in writing to use as proof.

The fact they held a so-called disciplinary meeting in a cafe just shows how unprofessional they are acting. Good luck I will keep my fingers crossed that this gets sorted.

downwiththat

Thanks guys for all the replys.

Further to above my wife just got a letter of final warning from the company. This after the area manager that caused the whole problem has resigned from the company.

Since then the new area manager that has taken over where the old one left off. At the so called disciplinary meeting the area manager told my wife that a manager from another store would be calling in week to do a stock take and check all was right. No minutes or any thing were taken at this meeting.

When the manager came into my wife’s store she acted as if she was the area manger and ordered my wife round. Also gave out to her for not having the stock take done when my wife said that the area manager had said this manager would call and do it . She then said that the area manager had said no such thing and had told her my wife would have it done. I asked my wife did she not just tell this one to feck off as all she is , is a manager of another store .

Next thing my wife gets a call from the new area manager saying that the other manager had rang her to say my wife hadn’t the stock take done and also was lying about not receiving a company newsletter all the shops get . My wife told her that she hadn’t received it to which the area manager replied “I find that hard to believe, as all the other stores have got it“my wife asked her if she was calling her a lier to which she replied “I’m not calling you a lier but find it hard to believe that you didn’t receive the newsletter when all the other shops did “Now what sort of mad reasoning behind that.

So now my wife has had to do 5 stock takes in the last 2 weeks. What ever in gods name that is all about.

My wife also found out that while she was on holidays a few weeks ago. The area manager had come in and ripped her store apart. She found this out from other managers in other concessions on the store. They thought this was so disrespectful that my wife wasn’t there to defend her store or her actions.

And the final thing is that she asked the new area manager to come and have a meeting with her to sort all of this out. Her reply was She was to busy to come to a meeting after taking over as new area manager. Seems to me like they are closing off every avenue for my wife to defined herself against all of this.

The final warning letter says my wife has 7 days to appeal the warning. She is at her wits end at the moment. I have to watch to as I’m afraid I’m over reacting to all of this and not helping things.

One final thing . Am i right in thinking that if no notes are taken at a meeting and no memo is sent about any thing said at the meeting . You can't be held respconable if something is done . Only things this company use are post , phone and fax . The use no computers .

gandalf

Engage a solicitor immediately. From what you are saying they are basically involved in constructive dismissal and you really need to get the opinion of an expert in this field.

It sounds very dodgy from what you are describing?