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Blackmail at work

LegacyUser

I am a secretary in a medium sized organisation. There are strict rules about the use of the internet at work. About a week ago my mother was trying to book a flight urgently. Because of the panic I did it at work but was caught by my boss. He made me sign a form admitting what I did. He says he hasn't referred it to higher authority yet. He says I will be sacked if it gets higher up. He has now asked me to meet him for a "drink" after work. He is late forties, I am mid twenties. I am afraid that iof I do not go I will be sacked. I cannot afford to be laid off at this time particularly if I get a bad reference. I don't know what to do!
part of me says go and humour him, the other part just says Yuck!

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Ickle Magoo

Did he ask you in person?

I would go straight to whomever is above him and explain that you used the internet and why and ask them to deal with it compassionately so you can't be blackmailed. If you can get any record of your boss trying to use the internet booking as leverage then take that with you as explanation of why you have jumped a chain of command.

Best of luck.

XarcherX

+1 to above. Go straight to who's over him and admit to using the net. Don't let him hold it over you... if you give in now he'll get way worse and probably won't stop at wanting one drink after work..
what a sleazebag, i'm shocked!!!

parker kent

I would be absolutely amazed if anybody was let go because they used the Internet once in work. It is not as if you were looking at anything extremely inappropriate or illegal. Yes it is against most usage policies, but they would not just fire you after one incident.

The advice above is very good, follow that and you should be OK. Nobody in a position of power should ever abuse it the way he currently is using his position.

matt-dublin

They won't be able to sack you, at worst a written warning. If the company has a policy about internet use they should have a system of enforcing the policy.

GO to his boss, also go to human resources as it could also be qualified as sexual harrassment.

He also should not have made you sign any such document without witness from corrosponence from HR/IT/Legal.

Miss Fluff

What a sleazy cnut. People like that make me sick. Did he ask you in person for the drink or email you?

Do not under any circumstances meet him for a drink. Go to his superior and say that due to exceptional circusmtances you took a spur of the moment decision to use the internet and it won't happen again.

Pebbles68

I wouldn't think twice about it. I'd go straight to the Gardai.

Chucky the tree

Pebbles68 wrote: »

I wouldn't think twice about it. I'd go straight to the Gardai.

Definitely don't do this if you want to keep your job.

matt-dublin

why, they can't fire her for this, they'd end up in a labour tribunal!

Go to human resources and your boss's boss

Chucky the tree

matt-dublin wrote: »

why, they can't fire her for this, they'd end up in a labour tribunal!

Go to human resources and your boss's boss

If it's in her contract that she can't use the internet and she did then they can just use that as the excuse. Go to your boss boss and HR and say you used the internet, but I wouldn't mention anything about what the boss did.

matt-dublin

she would need written and verbal warnings first...
It also depends on their internet usage policy...

If they have a strict internet usage policy and they're a decent size firm, they should be policiing it either on their firewall or via a proxy server.

Would need a good look at their policy though because it sounds like a bad HR/IT implementation and more than likely wouldn't stand up in court.

Would also like to see the documentation she signed because thats the first i've ever heard of that in any company.

I dont think this should be in the Personal Issues forum.

Mods this should be moved to legal, no?

JimmyCrackCorn

Ickle Magoo wrote: »

Did he ask you in person?

I would go straight to whomever is above him and explain that you used the internet and why and ask them to deal with it compassionately so you can't be blackmailed. If you can get any record of your boss trying to use the internet booking as leverage then take that with you as explanation of why you have jumped a chain of command.

Best of luck.

No company will fire you for that. At most a warning, if worried about this contact a solicitor. Its unfair to have an automatic dismissal.

I would contact HR or a superior manager as this is abuse of position and a much more serious offence.

If you can gather any evidence of this harassment it will make your life easier.

Ickle Magoo

matt-dublin wrote: »

I dont think this should be in the Personal Issues forum.

Mods this should be moved to legal, no?

The Legal discussion forum is for just that - they (and we) cannot and will not offer legal advice. If the OP requires legal clarification regarding the employment protocols for their place of work, they should contact a solicitor.

ravima

+1 go th HR or a higher level than whoever made you sign something. Ask for a copy of the document you signed as well - that'll put pressure on the maggot. I'd also mention to HR that he wanted to meet you 'for a drink' and ask their advice as to what to do!

That puts them in the frame and they will have to investigate.

Miaireland

Pebbles68 wrote: »

I wouldn't think twice about it. I'd go straight to the Gardai.

I can see where you are coming from but what law has been broken? He has asked the op to come for a drink with him. We all know what he means but he actually has not committed any crime. He invited her for a drink, the police will say she is just reading something into it. She has no proof of blackmail.

Instead OP go to HR. Explain the situation. I can't see them firing you over booking a flight, it is not like you spent hours on facebook, chartrooms, eBay etc. You can offer to take a shorter lunch break to make up the time but I would think they would be more concerned about your boss's behaviour than your five seconds on.

hsi

Crazy,, if you are not supposed to use the internet, then they should block it.

In the company where I work all the sites I visit get reported to my boss. He does not care as long as I am not in it all day. Booking a flight is totally acceptable even for your mother.

God Speed.

futonic

I think you need proof of what he's up to. if you were to go to HR now as advised above, he would just deny it.

Go for the drink and bring a hidden recording device, tape recorder or something. Or even a phone a friend/colleague on speaker, so they can witness what he's up to.

Mozoltov!

futonic wrote: »

I think you need proof of what he's up to. if you were to go to HR now as advised above, he would just deny it.

Asking her to sign a form admitting to what she did and retaining it rather than pushing it forward right away would prove that he's hanging it over her.

Go for the drink and bring a hidden recording device, tape recorder or something. Or even a phone a friend/colleague on speaker, so they can witness what he's up to.

Don't do this. It's illegal to record a conversation with a person without their prior consent.

Go over his head, tell your super's that you used the internet and for the reasons.

If you're at the company a while and this is your 1st slip up, albeit minor, it'll be thrown out. He's using scare tactics and knows damn well that you wont be sacked for something so small, especially if you're doing your job well.

Prove to high-ups in your company that doing this small favour for your mother did not sidetrack you from any of your work or day to day duties and explain that your boss threatening you with termination of work was quite upsetting.

TBH this is clear blackmail with sordid intentions. Anyone human enough could have cast their eye over this and been blind to it. I can't see you getting let go over going on to ryanair or the likes.

Don't fret, the reason he hasn't brought it to the attention of higher ups is because he knows he has nothing.

futonic

Mozoltov! wrote: »

Asking her to sign a form admitting to what she did and retaining it rather than pushing it forward right away would prove that he's hanging it over her.

He wouldn't show it. He'll just deny anything happened at all. Or he could say, yes he did catch her on the internet and warned her that she shouldn't, but no he didn't ask her to sign anything, or ask her for a drink. She must have concocted this story, in order to get out of trouble. Now prove otherwise.

Mozoltov! wrote: »

Don't do this. It's illegal to record a conversation with a person without their prior consent.

It's not illegal to phone someone and forget to hang up.

smiles302

futonic wrote: »

It's not illegal to phone someone and forget to hang up.

Is illegal to tape that conversation...

Mozoltov!

futonic wrote: »

He wouldn't show it. He'll just deny anything happened at all. Or he could say, yes he did catch her on the internet and warned her that she shouldn't, but no he didn't ask her to sign anything, or ask her for a drink. She must have concocted this story, in order to get out of trouble. Now prove otherwise.

It's not illegal to phone someone and forget to hang up.

If a company had such forms I'd expect them to be numbered or by default they'd have to rule in favour of the employee making the complaint about the behaviour of a superior.

If they are numbered and it's looked in to, there'll be discrepencies i.e. form #122, #123 & #125 are there, but #124 is missing.

Again, if there's no numbers to record incidences as they occur, then it's the companies fault. There's nothing worse than putting an untrustworthy person in a position of power in the work place.

whatsamsn

If you go to HR/Above his head, you have to expect the possibility it to go no-where. He'll either flat out deny it or they'll just entertain you. For every one sexual harressment case that gets acted upon, loads fall on deaf ears. The world we live in.

You could very well be in a catch 22 situation (look at outcomes)

- If you tell the manager to get lost, he'll have it in for you (common sense if he is willing to blackmail you for a drink) ... So he could be gunning for you or you'll be the first to get the axe when cutbacks are on the table.
- If you goto HR etc, it could fall on deaf ears. Being a manger, he has more clout than you with the higher ups (aka who will then listen to more?)
- If you goto HR and they DO listen and say to him to stop messing about. He'll DEFINITELY have it in for you.
- A user mentioned going to the guards. All they will do is take a statement and advise you to record any further incidents :rolleyes:
- If you think by going out for that drink will solve things, it wont. He'll just suggest something else and the same blackmail method will be used.

Remember your pride and self-respect here. You have to put this old chancer in his place. If I was in your shoes i'd tell him to get lost (in a nice way obviously) then see what he does. If he tries to get you back, goto HR. I know you could lose being pre-emptive this way, it beats rocking the boat to begin with.

zxcvbnm1

The solution is simple. Politely decline his offer. He won't report you for being on the Internet. Like - your 'crime' could not be any more irrelevant.

He's bluffing you about the Internet thing. The company clearly don't have an issue with people using it sometimes. Otherwise you wouldn't have access to any sites.
You will get in zero trouble for that. No person in their right mind would complain someone for being on the web. Anyone in their right mind would be way too embarrassed to bring such a thing to hr.Hr would laugh him out of it with such a complaint.
They have far better things to be doing with their time.

Op - are you sure you didn't misunderstand his thing about the Internet?
It seems bizarre that anyone in their right mind would use such a misdemeanour as a tool and expect the recipient to actually believe it.

<snip>

whatsamsn

zxcvbnm1 wrote: »

He's bluffing you about the Internet thing.

I agree 100%.
He is just blowing your internet usage out of proportion as a way to get you to go out with him so he can chance it on.

Just let the old chancer know you aint interested. Then its up to him. If he wants to rock the boat after being rejected, then goto HR/Above his head.

blackbird98

send him an email begging him not to report you, and turning down his offer of going for a drink at the same time. (also BCC it to a friend - preferably a work colleague) If he hasn't replied within a given time frame, tell him you are going to report him to his superiors.

Or, you could type a letter explaining to him that it is totally inappropriate behaviour to try to blackmail you into going out with him, and that you will report him to his superiours, and also get a work colleague / friend to sign it as a witness.

that should scare the sh1t out of him!!

matt-dublin

Stop giving useless advice.

Stik to appropriate channels and go to HR. Thats what they're there for.

LegacyUser

I know the internet seems like a small thing, but there was an incident a few months ago when someone got in a virus from a personal e-mail. It casued mayhem. There was a written warning sent to everyone saying that the company almost closed down for good over it and anyone breaching the internet policy would be liable to dismissal. As well as that, my role changed about 9 months ago. I was asked to take over some work with an accounts package after another girl left. I did it because business has got quiter and they did not want to hire a replacement. If they had I maight have become redundant. I took the work on, was given a new contract and put on probation. Since then I have made a few mistakes because there was no training given. It would be easy for my boss to get rid of me.

blackbird98

matt-dublin wrote: »

Stop giving useless advice.

Stik to appropriate channels and go to HR. Thats what they're there for.

that's a matter of opinion, and obviously ours differ. If the Op doesn't have any proof that this has happened, how are HR (assuming there is an HR dept) or any other superiors supposed to make a decision? Who's word do they take???

Mozoltov!

corneredbyboss wrote: »

I know the internet seems like a small thing, but there was an incident a few months ago when someone got in a virus from a personal e-mail. It casued mayhem. There was a written warning sent to everyone saying that the company almost closed down for good over it and anyone breaching the internet policy would be liable to dismissal. As well as that, my role changed about 9 months ago. I was asked to take over some work with an accounts package after another girl left. I did it because business has got quiter and they did not want to hire a replacement. If they had I maight have become redundant. I took the work on, was given a new contract and put on probation. Since then I have made a few mistakes because there was no training given. It would be easy for my boss to get rid of me.

Booking a flight online entails a much lower risk than opening emails on work computers.

Both your company's Anti-Virus software and the airlines secure website would ensure no viruses/hackers pass through.

If you'd been caught opening personal emails, fair enough. However this seems fairly black and white of you using the net for a couple minutes on a secure site. I don't see any risk to your company's sytem/servers/computers. What if, by chance, a superior needed you to book them a flight to a meeting or the likes? Would they make you go use the internet café across the road or would they trust their own offices networks?

Oryx

If you give in to him, where do you think this is going to go? A glass of wine and a pat on the leg? If you feel his motives are improper, then absolutely you need to talk to someone in a higher position than him. Even if you dont bring up the harrassment, you need to discuss all your problems in the company with someone other than him, because for sure he does not have your best interests at heart.

matt-dublin

blackbird98 wrote: »

that's a matter of opinion, and obviously ours differ. If the Op doesn't have any proof that this has happened, how are HR (assuming there is an HR dept) or any other superiors supposed to make a decision? Who's word do they take???

HR have to take the accusation seriously whether there is evidence or not.

Threatening him won't make matters any better, especially if she's directly reporting to him. If someone threatened me like that i would go to HR as her boss for blackmail.

If she gets to HR first, notifies them of the incident and her interpretation (spelling) of the events HR will have to go to him and conduct an investigation.

The least that she can expect is that he treats her better. If he doesn't she can go back to HR and further report him for discrimination due to previous complaint and bullying.

This sort of behaviour is unacceptable in any workplace, and i don't know of too many workplaces that would stop you from booking flights using a business computer.

Here in my office I block Social Netorking, Forums, Gambling and Personal Email sites for over 500 employees. We however allow access to ebay, travel sites etc.

Our blocking however isn't to prevent people abusing internet access, its to assist in preventing data loss etc.