Welcome to City-Data.com Forum!
U.S. CitiesCity-Data Forum Index
Go Back   City-Data Forum > General Forums > Work and Employment
 [Register]
Please register to participate in our discussions with 2 million other members - it's free and quick! Some forums can only be seen by registered members. After you create your account, you'll be able to customize options and access all our 15,000 new posts/day with fewer ads.
View detailed profile (Advanced) or search
site with Google Custom Search

Search Forums  (Advanced)
Reply Start New Thread
 
Old 12-08-2014, 11:33 AM
 
4 posts, read 8,355 times
Reputation: 10

Advertisements

I Was hoping that someone could help me with some advice. I recently received a write-up or PIP at my job for something that I honestly feel I cannot be held responsible for.
basically, at my job one of my responsibilities require monthly inspections at one of our clients locations. This entails arriving on site, checking in, and inspecting all items on a checklist and recording the appropriate items score and closing out the work ticket. At this particular location I am also required to sign in to a visitor's log book, however 9 times out of 10 after arriving on site I am unable to access the area where the visitors log book is located. When I first started with the company there was a receptionist at the front desk of this location who would buzz me in the front door, I would sign into the logbook and be given a visitor's badge and then be allowed to do my work. However they no longer have a receptionist at the front area and when I arrived on site I am unable to get into the area where the log book is located as there is no one there to answer the door. There is only a telephone on the wall with a sign stating to call extension and someone will let me in, but the problem is when I go to this location I repeatedly called all of the extensions on the sign but no one will answer. I have up to this point been able to get into the building through an employee side door by asking an employee to let me in when they Enter or leave through the door and I continue to do my job.
Another responsibility that I have is to do monthly inspections on equipment at this location and each piece of equipment has a service tag on it that is supposed to be initialed and dated by myself. Recently service tags for the equipment were full, and no available areas to initial and date. I began the task of replacing all service tags on the equipment however I had not yet finished nor closed the ticket but had to leave due to an emergency.I had planned to return to site and complete the inspections and initial all service tags however prior to returning to the site the Client Manager visited the location and saw that none of the service tags were blank. Unfortunately due to the fact that all service tags were brand new there were no initials from me on any of the tags as I had yet to complete the inspections for that month and as stated all of the previous service tags had no areas left to initial, hence the need for replacing the them. Unfortunetly, after they were replaced, the janitorial crew threw out tje old tags. Also due to the difficulty in accessing the area where the visitor log book was located at I was unable to sign this log book.

so the client manager contacts my employer and request that all money spent for the inspections and work performed going back to the beginning of the year be refunded to them as they felt that no work was being done at that location. This however is just not the case!

I previously told my immediate supervisor MULTIPLE times that I had problems accessing and signing the log book. I had told my supervisor this on multiple occasions, and also stated that while I was unable to access the area where the log book was I was still performing my work and that should there ever be an issue I wanted him to be aware of it and his response to me at that time was "I will see what can be done about it and talk to the client manager in the meantime just make sure that you do your work at that site, and if you can't sign the logbook, just make sure your work is done"

To make a long story short I was written up with a pip and it states that due to not following company policy and signing the visitor and maintenance logs I was being written up, and also being written up because I was not performing preventive maintenance on the equipment at this client location, however I am NOT responsible for performing preventive maintenance at this location, nor have I ever received any work tickets for servicing preventive maintenance on this equipment, yet I am being written up for that also.
Basically, I am being written up for not signing the logbook although I was unable to access the log book in the first place and had repeatedly told this to my supervisor, & I am also being written up for not performing preventive maintenance on the equipment, although I never receive service tickets for doing preventive maintenance and it is not my responsibility to perform preventive maintenance. I feel that my supervisor and my supervisors boss were too quick to refund the client as the refund was given prior to even speaking with me and hearing my version of anything pertaining to this issue.
What I think happened is since the refund was given so quick and the company lost money, someone has to be held responsible for it and since im the lowest one on the ladder I am being hung out to dry. I don't know what to do here but I feel that im about to be let go from my job. It is very frustrating because I really do enjoy my job very much, and I don't know what to do here. This is causing me a great deal of stress and it is to the point where I can not sleep at night. I did exactly what I was told to do yet I was still disciplined for doing it, as well as being written up for something that is completely bogus and false as with the not doing the preventive maintenance.

Also, I'd like to add that The Client Manager requested the refund for services at the end of October and as these inspections are done every month, I cannot help but wonder why they would request a refund at the end of October and wait until 2 months before the end of the year, as opposed to requesting a refund back in February or March had I not been doing my work. I just cannot help but feel that something is not right and honestly I think that my supervisor may be manipulating things to save face with the company, and to keep himself from getting reprimanded by blaming everything on me.

should I contact Human Resources directly or should I try to speak to my supervisors boss first? I am hesitant to speak with my supervisors boss as I cannot help but think that he will always side with my supervisor regardless since he could also be held responsible for losing money for the company since he is the one who signed off on the refund to the client.
I have been told by my supervisor after requesting a conference with him and my supervisors boss that if I want to speak to hiitm I need to email my supervisor first. I think this is so my supervisor can manipulate what is relayed to his boss and I also think that he never told his boss about me previously stating the difficulties in accessing the area where the log book was located at. also I don't believe that human resources is even aware that I had previously mentioned to my supervisor about the difficulties accessing the log book, nor are they aware that I am NOT responsible for doing preventive maintenance on the equipment at the site.
I just don't want to make a bad situation worse by contacting human resources, yet if I'm about to lose my job over this I think that it would be the right thing to do. Any advice or help will be greatly appreciated. I cannot afford to lose my job, especially here so close to Christmas. If anyone has any advice I would love to hear it. Also I know this post is long but I apologize for that as well
Reply With Quote Quick reply to this message

 
Old 12-08-2014, 11:45 AM
 
Location: broke leftist craphole Illizuela
10,326 posts, read 17,333,795 times
Reputation: 20321
Look for a new job. This will not end well for you no matter what you do. HR are not the champions of work-place justice they are there the make personnel problems disappear and to protect the company from lawsuits. Going to them is like going to the company's lawyers for advice about suing the company. They do not represent you nor your interests.

You are being scapegoated. What were you suposed to do break and enter to sign the log book.
Reply With Quote Quick reply to this message
 
Old 12-08-2014, 11:47 AM
mzd
 
419 posts, read 884,124 times
Reputation: 939
You said you repeatedly "told" your supervisor multiple times about the access problems. Did you tell him verbally, or send him emails? Always, always leave a paper trail to cover your tush.

What is done is done, and you're the fall guy for this fiasco. Hang in there as long as you can, but at the same time look for another job. I think you'll find the work environment to be far from optimal, if you stay.
Reply With Quote Quick reply to this message
 
Old 12-08-2014, 12:00 PM
 
Location: Stuck on the East Coast, hoping to head West
4,640 posts, read 11,871,853 times
Reputation: 9885
IMO, it looks like the supervisor failed to do his/her job (making sure you had access to the visitor log book) and is having you take the fall for it. If your supervisor doesn't write you up, then your supervisor has to take responsibility for not following protocol and directing you to NOT follow protocol, too. At the places where I've worked, the supervisor could lose his/her job. In other words, the supervisor had a choice: blame you or take personal responsibility. The supervisor is clearly throwing you under the bus.

At this point, I think you are fighting for your job. Your supervisor is not your friend and is not going to help you. Find someone who will. Do you have a record of all the times you told your supervisor you couldn't sign the log? If not, do your best to create it. They should include date & time as well as a brief summary of the conversation.

Next, I would either go over your supervisor's head, to his supervisor or manager. I would say that ordinarily I would never, ever go over my boss's head b/c I like and respect him; however, I don't have a choice. Then I would rationally and calmly explain the situation. I would bring copies of my notes--but I would not leave them with anyone. I would also stress that I take my job extremely seriously, take pride in my work, am honest, and love the company. It's for those reasons I can't let this go. I would end it with the asking for something in writing backing me up. Your boss's boss is going to want to talk to your supervisor, suggest that all 3 of you talk now.

HR is not there to help you. HR exists to protect the company. If you go to HR, they will simply notify the managers and tell them to firm up their case against you.
Reply With Quote Quick reply to this message
 
Old 12-08-2014, 12:03 PM
 
Location: Suburb of Chicago
31,848 posts, read 17,461,533 times
Reputation: 29383
It would be helpful if your exchanges were done with email, so you could print them out and bring them to a meeting. If not, you could always put together a timeline with month/year and an entry about "told supervisor I am unable to access log and he said not to worry about it".

The problem is, your supervisor is not acting as your advocate. When a good manager is working with a valued employee, he or she may apologize to a client and refund them the money, but then turn to their employee and reassure them with, "I know you did your job - don't worry about it."

If you don't have an advocate in your supervisor now, you really won't have one after asking for a meeting with his manager. And you could include someone from HR in the mix, but what good will that do?

I agree he's looking for a scapegoat. However, I'm not sure you're completely without blame. If there is a policy in place, I would have pushed the customer a little more saying you have to follow procedure and you need someone to get the log for you to sign as you do your work. That's all it would take. Furthermore, if someone threw away labels, you didn't ensure that wouldn't happen. And finally, you had to leave for an emergency but should have made it a priority to get back there to complete the job. So it sounds like some of this is on you.
Reply With Quote Quick reply to this message
 
Old 12-08-2014, 12:32 PM
 
4 posts, read 8,355 times
Reputation: 10
The "emergency" was work related, and your right about leaving the old tags for someone to throw out, but at the same time, there is no policy written for this situation. The writeup states, "Although you may not have intended to violate policy, this action looks bad to the client. I appreciate your honesty and forthcoming, however should this occur in the future additional action may be taken"
So, yeah it says that the manager is basically acknowledging I did nothing intentional, yet I find it funny how it doesn't mention why he acknowledges it wasn't intentional, I.E. me telling him repeatedly about the logbook. It must be nice to be able to conveniently leave incriminating things like that out.
Reply With Quote Quick reply to this message
 
Old 12-08-2014, 12:36 PM
 
12,064 posts, read 23,102,437 times
Reputation: 27160
Never pull all of the old tags at once; you replace them as you do them. You never throw out new documentation without ensuring that new documentation is in place. You also apparently did not make it a priority to correct this in a timely manner.

Is it safe to assume you don't have any documentation about not being able to sign the log book? There should have been a trail from you, to your boss, to the facility manager explaining to them that they ae preventing you from complying with the contract.

I agree that your boss is looking for someone to blame, but you are not completely without blame. What kind of hell would be raised if a fire marshal stopped by for an inspection and found a bunch of equipment without any tags?
Reply With Quote Quick reply to this message
 
Old 12-08-2014, 04:24 PM
 
Location: San Antonio
923 posts, read 1,494,666 times
Reputation: 812
Quote:
Originally Posted by Tatsun View Post
I Was hoping that someone could help me with some advice. I recently received a write-up or PIP at my job for something that I honestly feel I cannot be held responsible for.
...
I just don't want to make a bad situation worse by contacting human resources...
Take it from someone who has been falsely written up, the only choices you have are:

1.) Refuse to sign the write-up, and let the chips fall where they may, OR
2.) On the write-up form, first put a few sentences giving your side of the story, THEN sign below that.
You will not get another chance to tell your side in writing.

If you go to HR after the fact and ask them to include any documentation that gives your side of the story, they will tell you to go pound sand (trust me, I've BTDT).

Honestly I would leave and find a better job, that's what I had to do.
You don't want to work for an organization that does witch hunts.
Reply With Quote Quick reply to this message
 
Old 12-08-2014, 04:42 PM
 
3,657 posts, read 3,261,809 times
Reputation: 7023
I'm sorry you are going through this. I posted a thread a few weeks ago about what a PIP really means. It means they are going to fire you, and you should be spending your time now updating your resume, gathering your best references (that also means do NOT use your supervisor!), and look for another job.

Don't waste any further time with HR or trying to talk to anyone about this. The management there is incompetent. You told them repeatedly about a problem and they did nothing to correct it. They don't want to accept blame so they want to blame you. Don't sweat it, this is a horrible company where you report a problem and management does nothing about it.

PIPs are bogus, consider them an advanced warning you are going to be fired. If the PIP has an end date on it, then consider that to be your last day with the company. This means you have to move now to find another job.

I'm sorry to tell you this, but it's the truth. HR works for management, they won't do anything to help you. Management has already decided they are going to blame you, so don't do anything else now to complain about it, just play a-long like you are going to improve. Because if you do anything else, they will fire you immediately.

Furthermore, don't listen to anyone here that tells you the PIP is legit and they just want to make sure you do better at the job and will spend time with you to improve. That's just a huge lie. Face the fact they are going to fire you, but be thankful you have an advanced warning so you can go find another job now. It's better to be employed while looking for another job, than be unemployed. Focus all of your attention on the things I mentioned here and others have told you to go find another job. Again, don't waste any time complaining to HR or anyone else there at your company about this, it won't do any good and it will make things worse for you. Find another job, and go quietly.
Reply With Quote Quick reply to this message
 
Old 12-08-2014, 04:58 PM
 
Location: Planet Woof
3,222 posts, read 4,546,387 times
Reputation: 10238
I agree that they are scapegoating you and that HR is not your friend. Regarding blame, it seems to me that you fought hard to try to get your job done, but nobody is thanking you for that. Instead they ''all of a sudden care'' and you are their ''slacker''. It's all crap and we know it.
I recently was ''pipped' by management when I filed a grievance against a psychotic employee who was personally verbally abusive to me and who is tearing our workplace apart. I did a thread on this. Check it out.
I'm still there after a few months, but I'm looking for another job. I'm in no hurry because I believe my situation may transform to a positive, which is another thread.
My point: start looking around and don't resign or you probably wouldn't get unemployment. Leave an email paper trail from now on too and print those emails out and keep a folder at home. CYA until you're gone. You might need evidence for unemployment filing or a lawsuit.

I mean, let's face it, they may start to micro--manage a case against you . In my case they haven't yet, but I have cleaned out my desk so that I can exit in a flash if I need to.
Reply With Quote Quick reply to this message
Please register to post and access all features of our very popular forum. It is free and quick. Over $68,000 in prizes has already been given out to active posters on our forum. Additional giveaways are planned.

Detailed information about all U.S. cities, counties, and zip codes on our site: City-data.com.


Reply
Please update this thread with any new information or opinions. This open thread is still read by thousands of people, so we encourage all additional points of view.

Quick Reply
Message:


Over $104,000 in prizes was already given out to active posters on our forum and additional giveaways are planned!

Go Back   City-Data Forum > General Forums > Work and Employment
Similar Threads

All times are GMT -6.

© 2005-2024, Advameg, Inc. · Please obey Forum Rules · Terms of Use and Privacy Policy · Bug Bounty

City-Data.com - Contact Us - Archive 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13, 14, 15, 16, 17, 18, 19, 20, 21, 22, 23, 24, 25, 26, 27, 28, 29, 30, 31, 32, 33, 34, 35, 36, 37 - Top