Management wont communicate with staff.

STRAWBERRY2010

Hi All,

Hope you can help. Work for a small privately owned company.

In the past 12 months we have made a lot of changes to reduce costs. Around this time last year all staff took 10% pay cuts, we reduced our office space and implemented other cost saving measures. Just before the end of last year, more cost cutting was implemented via redundancies, and putting all remaining staff on 3 and 4 days weeks (effective from Jan 2010). At this stage, we were told that the 3 and 4 day week arrangement would be reviewed on a quarterly basis and that we would receive regular update meetings.

The first of these meetings should have been held last week (end of Feb). We emailed management asking them to set a time for the meeting and to revert to us. We gave them one week to do this. They did not revert so we sent another email.

To cut a long story short, they still have not held a meeting with staff, opting instead to send an update email at close of play on Friday (when there were hardly any staff in the office as most people now finish their working week on Thursday).

Monday morning, we again asked for a meeting and have been ignored.

Where do we stand on this? Surely an update email does not constitute sufficient communication between management and staff particularly around such a serious issue as reducing staff employment down to 3 and 4 day weeks?

If you have any HR experience or employment law experience, we would be delighted to hear from you.

Many Thanks in advance.

RangeR

STRAWBERRY2010 wrote: »

Hi All,

Hope you can help. Work for a small privately owned company.

In the past 12 months we have made a lot of changes to reduce costs. Around this time last year all staff took 10% pay cuts, we reduced our office space and implemented other cost saving measures. Just before the end of last year, more cost cutting was implemented via redundancies, and putting all remaining staff on 3 and 4 days weeks (effective from Jan 2010). At this stage, we were told that the 3 and 4 day week arrangement would be reviewed on a quarterly basis and that we would receive regular update meetings.

The first of these meetings should have been held last week (end of Feb). We emailed management asking them to set a time for the meeting and to revert to us. We gave them one week to do this. They did not revert so we sent another email.

To cut a long story short, they still have not held a meeting with staff, opting instead to send an update email at close of play on Friday (when there were hardly any staff in the office as most people now finish their working week on Thursday).

Monday morning, we again asked for a meeting and have been ignored.

Where do we stand on this? Surely an update email does not constitute sufficient communication between management and staff particularly around such a serious issue as reducing staff employment down to 3 and 4 day weeks?

If you have any HR experience or employment law experience, we would be delighted to hear from you.

Many Thanks in advance.

Why are you communicating with management via email, especially when you know they are not responding. Can you not go to them face to face?

m5ex9oqjawdg2i

RangeR wrote: »

Why are you communicating with management via email, especially when you know they are not responding. Can you not go to them face to face?

Sending emails is the best solution, as you can record your conversations and look back on what was said.

Face to face is not so good, as you don't always say what you want to say plus the managers can say what they want and not impliment it. If it's not in writing it's not worth it.

RangeR

Amiya Broad Sportswoman wrote: »

Sending emails is the best solution

I know what you mean, but obviously it's not working for you at the moment. Are you friendly with anyone in management. Can you not walk up to one of them, any of them, and ask them if they read your email?

dudara

How big is the organisation, just asking so that I can get a feeling of the breakdown between management and staff.

STRAWBERRY2010

Hi All,

Thank you for the replies and apologies for delay in responding - problem with password

RangeR - To answer your question, the reason we are emailing is so that there is a 'paper trail' if you like. We have asked the questions 'face to face' but we dont tend to get the answers. We usually get the 'we'll come back to you on that' line which never happens.

After keeping the pressure on last week for a meeting, they eventually mailed saying they would revert with a time for the meeting. The meeting never happened, they send an 'update' email at close of play Friday. We pushed again yesterday for a meeting but its hasnt happened.

Dudara - its a small company, less than 20 staff.

flash harry

in the interests of being fair and good morale they would be better off talking to you all.

That said nothing stopping all of you leaving and setting up in competition....

micdug

Surely an update email does not constitute sufficient communication between management and staff

the reason we are emailing is so that there is a 'paper trail' if you like

So it's OK for you to communicate by email but not them?

Theres a certain type of "Wooorker" that presumes management is all knowing, has certain foresight, and every action they take is with the longterm goal of screwing the "Wooorker".
So I'm going to posit something that may amaze you - the management might not actually know what is going to happen! Maybe they don't know if they can meet payroll next week if they don't get that order, that payment in or that overdraft, and are working desperately to ensure one of these things happen. This is because contrary to opinion they don't control the world...
I'd say they won't have a meeting because they know the reaction will be bitching, moaning, complaining that "management" don't know what they are doing, particularily when they have guys like you looking for "official" correspondance.... essentially unproductive and unlikely to raise morale.

In any case the actual information is out there for you if you want to see - is there work for everyone in the office or is there only enough for 3 days (or less), are your customers paying up or going bust? Is your industry in decline. The company owes you nothing more than statutory requirements. Size of the company is too small to require consulatation.

That said nothing stopping all of you leaving and setting up in competition....

Given they are on a 4 day week I'd hardly say this is viable? Why is it some people think it's easy to go out there, setup a business, get customers, invest in machinary/stock/premises etc.... but never actually go and do that!

flash harry

micdug wrote: »

Given they are on a 4 day week I'd hardly say this is viable? Why is it some people think it's easy to go out there, setup a business, get customers, invest in machinary/stock/premises etc.... but never actually go and do that!

actually, sarcasm aside, I am in agreement with you, hence I was saying if its that easy do it yourself, put your own money on the line.....

STRAWBERRY2010

Micdug, we sent an email asking for a meeting. Management had promised us regular update meetings with regards our work situation, not regular update emails. My point is that, they refused to give us the face to face meeting we requested (and which they had initially promised).

The point of the meeting was to discuss what the plan is for the next qtr. Believe me, the staff have been more than flexible, in the last 12 months, we have increased our work loads, taken pay cuts and now even further cuts on the 3 and 4 day week. The workload has remained the same, we have not dropped any products across our portfolio. In fact, we have been developing and launching new products the whole time.

micdug

OK strawberry, maybe my post was overly harsh, but the fact remains they might not know. Approach the owner in low key way - explain staff's worries and there desire to know whats going on. The owners are probably as worried about the barny that might arise if a general meet is held and they don't have firm answers....