I have worked in a school for almost 24 years. I believe my job has been changed with no consultation and bears little correlation to my job description. This is being disputed. I think it’s been done to make me walk and has been dragging on since the middle of May. I raised the official grievance mid July, asking to be made redundant (which is what should be happening) then we had the six weeks holiday, and then I was signed off sick as I had an operation. I have been dealing with it whilst off to include emails and a Zoom meeting. My union is involved.
I’m due to go back next week after half term but just can’t face it, physically it will be a stretch as I have a mammoth task to carry out which I won’t get any help with. Mentally I am feeling very anxious about it. Would I be able to carry on dealing with my case whilst signed off with anxiety does anyone know? I just can’t face going back 😔
I would have thought yes.
If your doctor deems you unfit for work you should be able to receive a sick note.
Always keep your union, and the school, informed of what is happening.
That’s a complex situation. You need to press your union rep for help, they should have access to a lawyer who’s expert in employment legislation. That’s what you pay your union dues for.
I was a union rep many years ago but I’m not up to date now with what you need, so I’m not going to advise.
There seems to be a shortage of many skills these days - have a look around and see if any other schools have vacancies. I spent too many years stuck in a job that made me unhappy. If I’d know then what I know now I’d have cut and run.
Who needs the hassle. Sod ‘em if they don’t appreciate you now they never will so just try to move on to another more satisfactory post.
As each case is different it’s hard to give exact advice and agree that getting the Union involved is paramount but when I was in a similar situation I found ACAS extremely helpful. They give impartial advice over the phone to employees as well as employers.
I also used the hours free legal advice with my bank account, which many insurance policies etc also offer, which I used. They can’t do a great deal in an hour but if you have the facts and your questions clear and concise in your head or written down when you phone them they can give you very basic advice which can be helpful.
However if I have one piece of advice it is to keep a dairy of your grievances and a detailed written record of meetings, phone calls etc with your employer and if necessary get them witnessed by another person. This will help with your case a lot if it comes to disciplinary action or a tribunal. Just as an example one of the things that helped my case was that my employer had failed to give me an annual appraisal for 3 years even though they should have been done every year.
I didn’t ‘win’ in the end in that I still lost my job as my sick record was very bad but I did get early medical retirement which was worth quite a lot as I had a final salary pension. I was also allowed to work afterwards so long as it wasn’t in the same or a similar job which took a huge weight off my shoulders and let me move on with my life.
I have never believed in staying in any job where I wasn't happy, which is why over the years I had a multitude of often very different jobs. I was never afraid to try something new, and given the opportunity I would give anything a go. For a few years I even ran my own very small light haulage business. I always believed any employer had to earn my loyalty. If they didn't, I was gone.
It's great of you can just cut and run from a job you don't enjoy but when you've been with the same employer a long time, are at the top of your pay band with excellent holidays, pension scheme and can't find anothing that pays anywhere near what you're on its not always feasibleasy even if you don't like what you're doing. I'm lucky in that I'm only part time so only have 3 days a week of doing a job that I was moved into following a management of change, that mostly shouldn't exist as it's nannying much higher paid staff who should be more than capable of doing it themselves.
Yes I agree Kate it is much more difficult in your position. I was never in that position though, except maybe when I was a train driver. Having been employed when it was British Rail I was protected staff, and train drivers rate was train drivers rate right across the country. That all changed when it got privatised, which meant that people were coming in to the new company, doing the same job as me but for less money and on worse conditions. Although they couldn't touch my pay and conditions things were steadily getting worse for all of us so when they offered me early retirement I got out. Didn't actually retire completely then though, I had my small railway pension and free travel facilities and I took on 3 part time jobs. Less money but I was happier.
Thank you to those who responded, the answer to my question is yes, I was able to take it forward whilst signed off. I am currently awaiting the outcome 😁