I was then, called in to meetings on a regular basis.
I employed the services of my union rep Peter Cooper-Davies of the EPMU as my support person.
In the following days and months (in total approximately eight months)every little minor misstep I made was held against me, every opinion I expressed was misconstrued and noted, every effort was made to paint me in the worst possible light.
You may be surprised who jumped on the band wagon to dob me in but than again you may not be ) but its not a lie, it is all in the performance improvement plans they gave to me on a regular basis, and "oh dear" Shaun signed them as a true and correct record as he did with the notes of the meeting .after the first few I declined to sign)
As the days passed I became a pariah on site, slowly and surely being ostracized, treated like I had leprosy, at least it felt like that.
It was almost like everybody was acting under instructions; I wasn’t surprised I had seen this tactic used before
The older ones among us would remember Chick Tarawea, the sales coach from many many years ago, suddenly she lost her job, was put back on the queue and left shortly afterwards.
Why?
Well, the operations manager at the time called a meeting of all the team managers, asked for anything they had on Chick’s work performance that would throw her in a bad light, they complied .Chick was up against it.
Most, but not all the team leaders, dobbed her in, she was badly outgunned and out numbered. Consequently, eventually she left, which was what the operations manager required.
How do I know this ,remember this, I have kept a daily dairy for the last 12 years
The same operations manager spread a rumor that I was having an affair with one of my team.
Why?
Because on every break she had, I joined her, so tongues started to wag, encouraged by this manager
What she didn’t know, was this lady that I was helping, was being sexually stalked by a lesbian on the site, who wouldn’t take no for a answer. I was protecting her from the unwelcome advances.
This person had already forced her self physically on another staff member in the women’s toilets and got a smack in the ear for her troubles.
Only two people, that remain to this day on site, know about this as they where involved in the process of sorting it out and having this person's job terminated
How do I know?
This lady came to me first for help and I assisted her in writing the complaint letter to senior management on site, to get it resolved and kept her “safe” during her working hours.
Back to my story.
There was one meeting in which I walked in to be greeted by my site manager, immediate manager and a tape recorder place strategically on the table.
An attempt to intimidate me.
Multiple meetings went on with monotonous regularity for month after month, copious notes were taken, yet each time not one of my explanations were listened to properly, nor acknowledged as to its validity, this despite subsequent emails and company informer bulletins exonerating my actions in regards to some of the my work practices.
It was painfully obvious I was being patronized whilst being quietly walked down a predetermined path with a predetermined outcome.
Nothing I said in my defense was given the courtesy of through consideration to its merits, in fact they were becoming so blaze about it, that their answer to my rebuttal on occasion to their questions, where already in place, in writing, as was obviously the outcome of that meeting.( before I had even answered their question)
My union rep was utterly amazed at their pedantic behavior and attitude as nothing concrete was done to address the issues.
With a sensible manner I informed them that some of the issues they were penalizing me for , none of the site of approximately 180 people were doing correctly, that Terry Wilson another site manager had monitored the entire site and nobody was performing their duties to the same exacting standards I was being held accountable to how fair is that)
I asked only to be judged among my peers I felt that if I was for the chop at least a third of the site should be following me, all this was negated by them quoting the privacy act (convenient)
So on and on and on it went, week in week out ,the stress started to impact on my health and my marriage ,letters for my doctor proved ineffectual (more about that latter) and fell on deaf ears.
I was offered EAP help and this was a god send, as it gave me somewhere to express my frustration. It just went on and on with my health getting progressively worse, as was my marriage.
My counselor and my doctor where worried, what would occur first another heart attack or a mental breakdown and the advice was "Get out of the environment."
Careful analysis of notes taken by my Union rep Vs the documents being presented to me , indicate all three Bridgette Dalzell Michelle Young and Shaun Hoult lied to me..
Iain Galloway was lying by omission by leaving out details in the minutes of the meetings that presented Telecom negatively, verified with a comparison of his notes and minutes against those notes my union rep took.
I was asked what I thought would be a suitable punishment for my misdeeds
My reply “well when a site manager is caught “in flagrante delicto (The Latin term is sometimes used colloquially as a euphemism for a couple being caught in the act of sexual intercourse)on site, on company time with a team leader.
Both being married but not to each other and all and sundry know about it.
AND NOTHING IS DONE
that... a verbal warning should suffice.
Even after being advised of the names involved and the witness who saw, nothing was mentioned in of it in their notes of the meeting.
to quote the code of ethics.
Behaviors
Under take their duties in accordance with telecom values
Conduct them selves in away that demonstrates their honesty is beyond question and will not commit behavior that has the potential to bring telecoms image into disrepute
Iain you are the HR person involved explain why this wasn’t addressed and not included in the minutes (lying by omission)
Thats right.
It was a approximately two hour meeting and the minutes of same only went to a page and half.
Was the rest precluded under the official information act?.
Yeah right.
Plus having observed Shaun the team leader ,accompanied by another team leader , assist a third team leader who had turned up completely off their face, drunk for work to return that person home,and yet again nothing was done.
I felt . Wrongly it turned out, my indiscretions paled in comparison
Yet they remain in work.
I’m the one on the dole.
How fair is that I ask.
Surely both the act and the assistance given and then keeping it hidden from senior management is dishonest and unethical
to quote the code of ethics
Behaviors
Under take their duties in accordance with telecom values.
Conduct them selves in away that demonstrates their honesty is beyond question and will not commit behavior that has the potential to bring telecoms image into disrepute an>
About now you are thinking, bloody hell what is going on here.
How can Paul say these things.
Will he not get into trouble.
Well all the information is in writing as stated before in their own hand, thus covered by their own meeting notes,their own tapes of the meeting .my notes of the meetings plus the notes taken by my union rep
Unfortunately their lack of effort in addressing some of the questions myself and my advocate raised which, if the process was fair should have been answered as well is also noted.
Remember the quote in a earlier blog
You are not only responsible for what you say, but also for what you do not say
Martin Luther
Well they are responsible for not acting oh bugger!!!!!!!!!
Current telecom participants
Bridgette Dalzell current head of outsourced customer care at telecom New Zealand whom is Michelle Young's direct report at time of incident
Michelle Young call center manager Hamilton call center, whom is Shaun Hoults direct report at time of incidents
Shaun Hoult team manager weekend team Sat-Tues Hamilton
Iain Galloway HR representative spends a lot of time in Hamilton
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