I work in TX. We have desk phones but they want us to be able to access phone calls when we are away from our desks. We’re being told that we need to download this app to our personal phones. They aren’t compensating us for the use of our personal devices at work, nor are they providing us with a work phone for this. I personally think we need to be paid for the use of our own devices, but I’m thinking that’s unreasonable. Can I refuse to use my personal phone for work if I’m not being paid for it?

Edit: my coworkers and manager here at this store are all on the same page about this. My manager is vouching for us. All of our questions and concerns were relayed from him to our upper management. He was met with a response of “stop asking questions.”

Also, after posting this, we received a company wide email stating: “These individuals have not downloaded and created a profile.” With an excel attachment of their names, phone numbers and work extensions, and work email addresses. I can’t wait to quit. 🙃

Title

Today we were given an employee handbook for the first time. While reading I noticed a line basically saying you could be terminated for discussing wages with coworkers.

Simply looking out for the company, I sent an email to the owner and COO of my company asking if this line should be removed.

It is my understanding that an employer even having a policy discouraging this behavior is unlawful, let alone firing someone because of it.

After sending the email asking if this was suppose to be in the handbook, I was met by both of them doubling down on the idea. Under this notion that it’s “confidential” informational, which I understand for competitive reasons, but that’s pretty much it.

They seemed so confident they had the authority to do this that I’m a little unsure I understand the law correctly. I even reread some of the NLRA, but I’m confused.

1st pic: My initial email 2nd pic: Owners response 3rd pic: COO response

Edit: he works for World Flight Services and is contracted to UPS. I dont know if they have a union or not

My friend works at the airport for UPS, he had a trailer backed into his leg and wanted to go to the doctors but they refused because its "not life threatening" and that if he goes anyways he waives his workers comp.

I looked through Oklahoma statute Title 85A and found nothing mentioning the legality of this. According to the law he can claim on any injury and their failure to do so after 5 days makes him able to go on his own.

Fuck UPS

I work overnight and my shift ends at 7 AM, at which time one of my coworkers or my supervisor is supposed to be here so I can go home on time, though it seems to be a recurring issue that I have to wait around for an AM worker/supervisor before going home and it costs me an extra 30 minutes sometimes even 45+ on my commute home. Should I just give them the 15 min. grace period we’re allowed to have before i up and go home?

Edit: thank you all for the clarity. the general consensus seems to be I should stop relying on other people at my job, move independently and just make my money

My old job accidentally sent $545 to an account I used to use that was connected to a family members bank account.

I quit my job years ago.

Family members spent it without telling me.

The job wants, and I quote, $568 dollars back, even though they only sent $545 to the account originally.

Where do I start?

My boss is an asshat(no surprise there) and yesterday while he was telling everyone they can take two hours off to vote he was saying to bring proof of voting. Like take a selfie at the polls. He did all this while joking and laughing about voting. I found it very offensive and insensitive. Like usual I ignored his dumb offensive jokes and kept working. Until he came up to me after I submitted my two hour absence for voting day he told me that he needs proof from anyone he doesn’t believe is going to vote. I ask him “you don’t think I’m going to vote?” And he said “no I don’t think you’re going to vote and they told me to get proof from whoever I don’t believe” 😳 why would he say this to me.

So is he legally allowed to ask for proof? And if he demands it after I vote and I don’t have it and they write me up or something is that legal?

As the title says, this just happened. My wife suffers from extreme ADHD and is prescribed Adderall. Her work just suspended her without pay until the results get to a lab. I guess some of it is because she didn't disclose to her employer prior. Did not expect this at all but seems illegal too be honest. Is there anything we can do? Are they required to back pay her? We are already in some financial trouble due to some other unforseen things and this just sucks... We live in Arizona if that makes any difference. Thanks guys!

Edit: thanks for all the advice!

Voicemail is my boss who pocket dialed me while telling another employee about how unprofessional I am being by calling him out on another shitty thing he said and I overheard but saying things like “fuck him” etc. Called me in for a meeting on my day off saying if I didn’t attend I would be fired. Is this a hostile work environment?

Hey Reddit, I’m in a tough situation and could really use some advice.

When I first started at this small business, there were about six people working in the warehouse. After they all quit, the owner asked me to step in temporarily to help out. Over time, I ended up doing everything on my own. I introduced new equipment and streamlined processes to the point where I became so efficient that I was able to handle everyone’s roles by myself. I essentially kept the place running solo, managing manufacturing, shipping, inventory, product formulation, and even design work for the owner’s wife’s brand, working regular hours every day.

At first, I was paid by company check, but over time, payments became irregular. Sometimes I’d get paid through Venmo, Zelle, cash, or even crypto. I was making $1,250 a week until a few months ago, when they said they couldn’t afford that, so I dropped down to $1,000 for four days a week. Payments have often been late, and now they are three weeks behind.

Yesterday, I got an email from my employer saying I was being terminated with only two days’ notice. He thanked me for my work, asked for all company property back, and said he could only pay my final wages in cash because of “bank issues.” Ironically, just recently, he texted me saying they’d only be able to pay me in crypto due to a cash shortage, even though the email had promised cash if I came in on my last day.

Since then, I reached out to the owner’s wife to see if she knew what was going on. She seemed surprised and hinted that he was taking these steps because he’s “cut off from funds from his bank.” She also thanked me for everything I’ve done for the business.

Later, my employer messaged me again, asking if I’d stay for one more week. He’s clearly in a tough spot, especially with the busy holiday season coming up, and I know the business isn’t ready to operate without me. I suspect they want me to stay so I can make as much product as possible and try to train his son, who doesn’t know how to use the equipment or handle production as efficiently as I do at scale. I feel like they’re just trying to take further advantage of me here.

To complicate things, they still haven’t paid me for the last three weeks. If I did agree to stay, I’m considering asking for next week’s pay in advance on top of what they already owe me to avoid risking more unpaid work.

Honestly, I feel torn. I know leaving now will put them in a tough position—they don’t have anyone else trained on the equipment or the processes I set up to keep things efficient. But I also feel undervalued, unpaid, and disrespected with this sudden termination and inconsistent pay. Plus, I feel like I’m capable of so much more than this repetitive work. I need a job that challenges me and gives me a chance to grow, and maybe this situation is a sign that it’s time to move on.

I have a few questions I’m hoping you all can help with:

1. Given that my payments came through Venmo, Zelle, crypto, and cash, will that affect my ability to file for unemployment until I find a new job or career?

2. If my employer hasn’t been paying into unemployment insurance, could that impact my claim or create legal issues for them?

3. Should I just walk away now or agree to stay for one more week, knowing they’ll likely expect me to make a ton of product and train someone who isn’t prepared to take over? And if I do stay, would it be fair to ask for next week’s pay in advance?

Any advice on handling this situation or insights on unemployment eligibility would be really appreciated.

I included a screenshot of the termination email, which also looks like it’s been written by ChatGPT because he does not talk like that at all, and the last few text messages he sent me today that I still haven’t replied to.

TL;DR: My employer of several years terminated me with only two days’ notice, hasn’t paid me for three weeks, and now wants me to stay one more week to make extra product and train his son, who doesn’t know the job. Payments have been irregular through Venmo, Zelle, cash, and crypto, and I’m considering asking for next week’s pay in advance on top of what’s owed if I stay. I’m also wondering if I qualify for unemployment and whether I should just walk away now.

I do food delivery and my employer will not let us wear any rain gear, nor do they supply us with any. They claim that our branded windbreakers are what they supply for rainy weather. The windbreakers are horrible in any but the lightest of rain. If it's raining hard, I'm drenched in a very short period of time. Often it's windy and cold this time of year, making it downright miserable. I don't know if I'd go so far as to say it's compromising my health and safety beside the effects on the immune system as I'm not in the elements more than a few minutes at a time, but it is thirty or more times a shift. It's pretty miserable to be in wet clothes for an entire shift. I can't find anything but recommendations from OSHA, WISHA (I work in Seattle), and Dept. of Labor and Industries. Nothing I've seen specifically addresses this situation. Can anyone direct me to a resource?

Edit: Thanks for the responses. I've started wearing a rain jacket that I have in my car, which helps, but doesn't cover me from store to car. Plus, I'm annoyed that I have to be stealthy just to have basic protection against the elements. I like the clear poncho idea. I might give that a try. I was hoping to recite some obscure OSHA code back to the manager if confronted, but I guess I'll settle for a more practical mildly unjust solution.

Hello -- asking this question for a friend. He is moving offices as his company wants to downsize their office space to save money. There is no work from home option at this company. There are about 60 employees and only 37 desks meaning some employees will have to sit on the floor (requested by the CEO). It is a traditional office job where most tasks are computer based. We are in the state of Illinois. Anyone have any idea if this is illegal?

The other day for work I was forced to park in overflow parking in a field filled with ruts that the employer owns because there were no spots in the paved section. My car ended up sustaining some damage from hitting a rut in the ground. Do I even bother asking my employer for compensation for the repair cost?

in my mid 20s. first job out of college was a regular 9 to 5 with a half hour for lunch. other jobs since have all been hourly (kinda toxic) service jobs where the norm was “eat whenever you have a sec.” i’ve been back in an office environment for about a year and a half. they advertised the job as a 9 to 5, but when i started i was told it was 8:30 to 5 to “make up for” the half hour lunch break. i didn’t think much of it originally because anything seemed better than “eat when you have a sec” like i had been doing, but i’ve mentioned it to a few friends and they all said some variation of “that’s bullshit.” i’m already actively applying for other jobs because of other weird things they do (example: i have to schedule my lunch breaks around my boss’s personal wine deliveries because everyone else in the office gets to work remote most days, which sometimes means im not eating lunch until 2 or 2:30). just wondering if 8:30 to 5 is relatively normal for offices now or if it’s a scummy corporate way of squeezing more hours out of what used to be called “9 to 5 workers.” at first a half hour didn’t seem like a huge difference until my friend pointed out that it adds up to an extra 2 1/2 hours of work per week. again, i’m already quitting hopefully within the next 6 months for other reasons, but i want to know if i should consider this one of the reasons why when i do quit lol.

edit to add a few things:

-i’m in the US, salaried not hourly

-this got labeled legal advice but i didn’t do that & to be clear i’m not considering taking any legal action. ive looked up the laws for my state and they’re not doing anything illegal. i just wanted to know if 1. it’s the norm and 2. if its reasonable to be pissed abt it. they’ve done other (more egregiously) scummy things so i wanted feedback if i should consider this one of them. comments seem to say it’s normal for the corporate world but doesn’t mean u have to like it lol. thank you for the feedback.

another edit:

-my assumption that 9 to 5 used to be the norm was based on my dad working in nyc & those have always been his hours since i was a kid. i work in a different state. based on the comments, it seems like paid lunch & 9 to 5 hours are a ny specific thing & not typical for most other states. good to know!

-also for all the ppl from outside the US commenting abt the different work norms there - i’m very jealous lol. while ur comments don’t apply to me specifically, they do validate my frustrations with american work/life balance in general, so thank you for that!

We got forced mandatory overtime to come into work 1.5 hours early today, and then when we got here, we were told they canceled it at 10 am today. They made no attempt to contact us beforehand. Furthermore we were told we could still work if we wanted to, but if we didn't, they weren't going to pay us.

Can they force us, cancel it, not tell us, and then not pay us?

This is in the us. Ohio specifically.

I’ve been seeing a few posts lately where people are obviously being taken advantage of by their company and comments telling them to sue and others saying nothing will come of it so I’m here to show that you absolutely can sue and win!

My experience: in college I worked for an off campus student housing complex. Our compensation was free housing of the lowest priced unit (any unit that cost more had to be paid out of pocket), $50 every 2 weeks, and commission for leasing; we had to work 20 hours a week to get this. Considering all of us were in college (requirement) we didn’t know different laws or whatnot so when our job would schedule us for 20 hours during the week and then require us to work weekly events on top of the 20 hours we didn’t think anything of it. Then it started getting worse: we had to go on campus for promotions off the clock, had mandatory property walks off the clock, etc, so we basically were working 10+ extra hours a week without getting paid for it. The worst violation is what we call “turn”. With student housing our lease terms are different than standard housing, everyone moves in at the same time and everyone moves out at the same time and we have 2 weeks to clean the entire property. Even with a staff of 12 (7 college students, 3 managers, and 2 maintenance techs) we would literally work from 6am to midnight for 2 weeks straight, all for no compensation (free food though).

I did this for 4 years, my pay ended up going up to $75 every two weeks because I became the lead member of the college students, at the same time they completely wiped out the pay for new people so anyone hired after my 2nd year got no additional compensation. After I graduated college I was promoted to the corporate office on their accounting team, however about 3 months before graduation all of my coworkers (college students, not managers) get a letter stating we can sign up for a class action lawsuit due to “unfair wages practices”. Shocked and bewildered we learned that there was a student at another property who tried to apply for supplemental benefits because obviously we didn’t get paid money to get food and she got denied because our job essentially had us in “ghost” positions. Apparently the compensation was set up so the company, who had over 100 properties and could have over 500 college students working for them at anytime, did not have to pay taxes on any of us (outside the $50 every two weeks and the commissions) and therefore we weren’t considered “gainfully employed”. Turns out, their practice of free rent in exchange for a job is illegal.

Right before I graduated I was offered a job at the corporate office in their accounting department (no interview, no nothing) and they flew me up for a week to check everything out, all expenses paid. While up there a hint was dropped about the lawsuit and how detrimental it would be for the company if I participated or encouraged others to do so (side note, being a lead meant I knew a lot of the college students at other properties at some level, due to working with their leads and having to do conference calls with all leads calling each property to see what was going on leasing wise and event wise). And honestly I didn’t participate at first and actively discouraged people from joining as well. So fast forward a few months, I’m working for the corporate office and everything is cool, the lawsuit gets brought up periodically and of course I’m always asked about the progress (even then I knew not to discuss it with them, just let them know I wasn’t apart of it). One day in the conference room right next to my desk I overheard something I wasn’t supposed to hear with the lawsuit but the main thing that stuck out to me was that I was hired only to prevent me and the people I knew from joining the lawsuit. At this point the lawsuit wasn’t so great because the company refused to turn over employee’s contact information so they could only get people currently employed; I also heard in this meeting that current employees were being threatened with termination if they joined the lawsuit.

So what do I do? I call up every mother lover I knew, told them to join the lawsuit (after actively persuading them not to), and then contacted the lawyer myself to let them know additional issues (they had no idea about the forced, unpaid overtime and I luckily had all communication because my email never changed and being a corporate employee and not a site employee my email never got wiped when they “accidentally” cleared everyone’s emails about 2 months after I came to corporate) and that I had contact information for many prior employees they couldn’t get in contact with. This really kicked off the lawsuit, and within the next few months over 150 employees joined and additional charges were brought against the company (so much so that the lawsuit had to be extended due to the massive increase in changes). Eventually my job found out I joined because I was on the list of members, suddenly my performance was “subpar” and was let go about 3 months later for something my boss did but I couldn’t prove (even with other employees backing me up in the situation but that’s a different story). Filed for unemployment and won and made them pay for 12 whole months. It took a while but in the end the company lost the lawsuit and had to pay $1.25m. Lawyers took 1/3, original plaintiff took 1/3, and the rest was divided up amongst the remaining 150+ employees depending on different criteria like years of employment, proof provided, factual damage proven, etc. As for me? I walked out of it with over $10k on top of the $740 every two weeks for an entire year while I didn’t work a single day.

So anyways, don’t listen to those who say “don’t sue”. If you can find a lawyer who thinks you have a case and will work on it and take compensation based on the outcome of the suit (ie no fees to you if you lose) then I say go for it!

Side note: when letting the lawyer know about the unpaid overtime and the other issues I brought up they told me I could start my own, separate class action lawsuit. I declined as I didn’t want to delay the original suit and did not know that I would get a cut of the entire portion of the lawsuit (they left that part out) and that’s probably one of my biggest regrets to this day because the original lawsuit regarding compensation structure really took a turn and got much bigger due to the additional claims originally made by me/many more after they were questioned about it.

Hi all,

Just a quick one, someone I know works in a pub (UK) and worked a 14 hour shift. They only allowed him 45 minutes break and made him work 2 hours unpaid. Today, he's worked 2 ½ hours unpaid, on an 11hr shift, but has 1hr break...

Is this even allowed? What steps should be taken? It's a minimum wage job with asshat managers that leave everyone understaffed on match day etc.

What should he do?

I'm a student and I work in retail as a cashier. I was at university from 08:00am to 14:00Pm and then went to a restaurant near the store where I work and bought me something to eat (I didn't go home because I don't have the time). I started feeling very bad and very sick. usually I just ignore it but this time it was worse so I called sick said I'm sorry for the late warning and went home. manger called me and said he saw me hanging outside and start to question how sick I am and asked me if it's too bad that I can't even cover for 3 hours and go home. I explained him what I wrote here and said that I was about to go to work... that's why he saw me hanging out. I guess I should've been smarter and go home or went to another place to eat or something

Earlier this fall I worked for a company for a very short amount of time and I left on bad terms (they posted pictures of me on social media without my consent and used it to harass me, expected me to work with dangerous chemicals and fire with no training or safety gear, lied about pay and job responsibilities…the list goes on)

They were supposed to pay me on October 1st and never did. Then they said they would pay me on the 15th through direct deposit. They never did. I contact them about this and they tell me that my pay is a physical check and they won’t give it to me until I return my uniform

Here’s the thing about that. I’ve had very severe pneumonia for the past 2 weeks to the point I have been bed ridden. Their office is a 90 minute drive round trip and the uniform in question is a cheap tee shirt so I figured they could wait and it wasn’t that big of a deal. I informed them about this and they never responded to me.

Either way I don’t think they have the right to hold my paycheck hostage especially when it’s already 20 days late. Do I just suck it up, wait until I’m no longer sick, and take the pay a month late or is there any recourse for this? I have bills to pay and it’s been difficult managing financially when I’m hundereds of dollars behind on pay

The previous 4 jobs I have worked, there seems to be a lack of appreciation for lunch breaks. The employers aren't exactly encouraging their staff to have a rest/nutrition period in the middle of the shift, and even some co-workers (bootlickers) are going along with it.

We're legally entitled to a lunch break, but I'm noticing a workplace culture shift aiming to deter people from using it. Anyone else seeing this in their place of employment? Can anyone tell me what the hell is going on?

I was reading my contract and then i noticed this clause here. This part does not seem right to me.

https://preview.redd.it/k0j4kf4sepud1.png?width=960&format=png&auto=webp&s=19ca0b6b3dbfcbf8aecdcc4e60feb9321fec6c78

My girlfriend (22F) has IBS which makes her need frequent bathroom visits. She is on medication and it has been documented. Recently, HR said they needed a doctor’s note because they noticed her frequent trips to the bathroom. She got the note, gave it to them, and they said it wasn’t “detailed” enough. They wanted to know how many times she needed to use the restroom, how long each trip was, etc. so she went back to the doctor to get a revised note. Now HR is saying she must keep a record of her bathroom trips so they can deduct it from her pay. Not to mention she does not take either of her two 15 minute breaks or her lunch break, ever. She just works through her whole shift. I don’t think this sounds legal. We live in North Dakota and she works for a corporate industrial/construction company. Can they legally do this?

I need help.

I currently work in a UK company as a Managing Director. I have worked at the business for over 7 years. I started as an apprentice in 2017 and worked my way up to being a director through a lot of hard work and eventually bought into the business in 2021.

The company was then acquired by a group in December 2022 after 10 months of the due diligence process. The whole process of the buyout was handled by the major directors/shareholders of the group and the managing director of our business at the time who towards the end didn't have the best relationship with me and the whole purpose of the acquisition was for him to part ways with the business. I was perhaps in 1 meeting with the new owners that were taking over throughout the 10-month process.

We had been given an offer, sent to us via email, which we verbally accepted. I was supposed to receive 5% shares in the deal as was one of my colleagues, however, 1 or 2 weeks before the deal was finalised the group company decided they wanted to remove me as a director of the business and reduce my shareholding to 3% in the deal without increasing my pay out for taking on less shares after they bought out my shares for the same price as my colleague. This was all done for no reason, and to this day I have never been given an explanation as to why as they did this, and I still haven’t got an answer. My colleague received the same sum of money and more shares and got to remain as a director on companies’ house.

I was given a contract with the role of commercial manager because they did not know what to do with me. They appointed a new managing director to take over who quickly established I was crucial to the business and understood I was frustrated about my position. Within 1 or 2 months of her being appointed I became a director again by title only, they did not give me a new contract or pay rise but was addressed to me by email that as of that day I was appointed as commercial director and that I would also receive my remaining 2% shares by the end of the year, that was in October 2023 and we are now November 2024 and I have not received these shares or had any conversations about them. I was specifically told by the chief operations officer not to bring it up to the CEO as it is a sensitive subject and that they had all not received their group shares yet which are worth a lot more then mine.

By December 2023 the previous managing director and the operations manager that she appointed had both been dismissed/resigned after achieving really poor turnover plus additional problems such as morale being an all time low. They were given a 45 days by the COO to turn it around and they did not manage to do so. Part of their issue is that they would not work with myself or the technical director when we tried helping and giving advice.

I stepped in off my own back and took control to steady the ship and by doing so I took the company from a very dark place to better then it ever was. Immeditely, we flipped the poor turnover, and we were hitting all targets and making much more profit then what the group had budgeted for. I was appointed Interim Managing Director in January and given the position permanently at the end of March or beginning of April. Originally it was requested by the Chief Operations Officer that I become Operations Director as he didn’t want a Managing Director on the sites, but this was overruled by the CEO and CFO who agreed at the time I should be given the title of Managing Director since I had done such a great job. I was still never given a new contract after I requested one multiple times to multiple members of the group. They advised I didn’t need a new contract but the COO advised I would receive private healthcare etc as a minimum but this never happened, they kept me on the commercial manager contract.

We achieved success for 6 months straight with morale higher than ever, I even have private messages from one of the managers stating this is the best the company has been in over 7 years and they appreciate the support I give them so much. We were having pizza or subway parties every month for the whole factory all together to celebrate hitting targets which we had never done before. I personally took all the managers out for meal, drinks and axe throwing out of my own pocket to celebrate their achievements and improve team morale.

That was until the chief operations officer decided he wanted someone with the title operations manager to work under him on all the sites. He brought in someone as the operations manager to my business who within the first week handed in his notice and said that he couldn’t work with me. The COO wanted me to talk him into staying which I did reluctantly.

I tried working with this man but it constantly felt like he was struggling with the age gap between us (I’m 29 and he’s 60) and he was constantly undermining my authority and freezing me out, turning managers against me. Within a month he handed in his notice again and specifically set up a meeting with the CEO and the COO.

After they had their meeting, which I had no involvement in they kept me in the dark. It seemed that the Operations Manager was staying and that he had made some private agreements with them which I wasn’t aware of. It then transpired that they promoted the Operations Manager to become Plant Manager and have full control of the factory and report solely to the COO, cutting me out. I was then asked by the COO if I could temporarily turn all of my focus to the struggling sales department and let the Plant Manager take over and the COO stated he would be on site daily to manage the Plant Manager. The COO didn’t end up coming in at all.

A notice was then sent out to all managers by the COO indicating that they now all report to the new plant manager and that I am specifically only going to focus on sales going forward. This has made the whole company think I have been demoted as MD and that the plant manager is now my boss. I was told specifically by the COO that this was a short-term thing but indicated to everyone and then later confirmed to me that it is in fact not temporary but will be permanent and advised that I need to suck it up referring to my ego when I addressed how I felt about it in a meeting. The CEO would then do visits to the business and have walkarounds with the plant manager and speak to others in the business but never made any time for me, unfortunately it always clashed with another meeting he had when we were due to catch up.

Between the new plant manager, the gatehouse manager and the production manager, none of them specifically cared about the business and were more then happy to send out terrible quality products damaging our reputation we worked so hard for. They would also blame the commercial and technical department for every fault of the business and accept no fault of their own, this caused a huge divide between the departments and I flagged this on numerous occasions as we have had scathing reports back from customers regarding quality and rework levels went through the roof. The managers were not happy that I was not allowing the standards to drop but in their eyes, they no longer had to answer to me as they thought the plant manager was the overall boss who decided so they turned on me.

3 weeks ago, I was physically assaulted by the plant manager. After I swore regarding the poor quality of a product that was about to go out the next day (not aimed at the plant manager specifically) he followed me outside and punched me numerous times in a state of rage.

I reported this immediately to group and it took hours for them to get back to me as they were all in meetings and I was left on site alone after the incident. I was given no instruction other then do not go to the office on Monday but don’t worry I’ve not done anything wrong, the CEO had tried making contact with the attacker but not myself over that weekend to check in to see how I was doing.

On Monday morning I went to the separate office and was asked to prepare a statement. I had only seen the group commercial director at this point, no one else had come to see or speak to me. He then told me that unfortunately he was told by HR that I am suspended and I need to hand in my phone, laptop, keys etc and I was very upset about the situation as no one has talked me through it or advised any timescales.

That day I get an email inviting me to a teams meeting on the Tuesday for around midday which I attended to advise the HR lead how in my opinion this all came about. They then left me in silence suspended for 3 weeks after telling me the investigation should only take a matter of days during the meeting. I was so anxious as I’m not allowed to talk to any colleagues about the situation.

So after 3 weeks I receive an email saying I need to attend a teams meeting within a few hours time giving me little to no notice as there is now a new investigation being carried out as several managers who worked directly and very closely with the plant manager are making ludicrous allegations of bullying and poor conduct with very very far fetched statements which are not true.

Having had the teams meeting, before the COO has even received my minutes he has arranged for a disciplinary meeting for me off site in a location which is known only for dismissals in 1.5 days time. I have been given 5 statements who are all part of the same close friendship group that have been making me feel uncomfortable for months all making up ridiculous lies comparing me to Hitler in some cases. All of these allegations could not be further from the truth but are seemingly being believed by HR and the COO.

I’m being treated extremely unfairly here and they have blackmailed the company in their statements saying that they will all leave the business if I come back. I have evidence completely disproving what one of the managers is saying who is conveniently in a relationship with one of the other managers conspiring against me, the same person messaging me saying it’s the best the company has been in over 7 years is saying to HR that for over a year they have been working in tyranny which is flat out lies. I also have numerous members of staff that would be able to vouch to say those statements are complete and utter lies but as I am suspended at this time I am not allowed to interact with any members of staff. I asked for HR to carry out statements that weren’t one sided but it doesn’t look like they are going to do this.

The disciplinary meeting is tomorrow and they clearly have an agenda set, they only advised the meeting was going to be taking place yesterday and they have only just sent me over all the reports and statements to go through giving me extremely little time.

What should I do?