‘Union Rep Was Being Unhelpful on Purpose’ : Employee Receives Unfair Formal Warning for 3-Week Medical Absence Given by Unprofessional Manager, Resulting in Malicious Compliance by Means of Appeal

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    Font - r/r/MaliciousCompliance Posted by 3 hours ago u/AdventurousString719 Received a formal written warning for being absent from work when I injured my knee
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    Font - This happened in the UK, about 12 years ago when I worked as a Customer Assistant in a large well- known retail store. It's nothing big but at that time, I thought 'ok, if that's how it is then that's how i'll play it too'.
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    Font - I'd been working for the company for 3 years and had not taken a single day off for sickness since I'd started working there. If I was feeling a little under the weather, I'd just go in and work through it whilst taking any medication, if required.
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    Font - Here's where it takes place. I'd been playing football with friends on a weekend when i got tackled and felt a shooting pain in my knee. Instant excruciating pain. I went to the hospital and got an X-Ray but nothing of concern was visible as there were no broken bones. I recieved pain
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    Font - kers and was referred for an MRI as I was still in pain. MRI results showed that I've got a partial tear to the ACL and would need time to recover. Initially, I'd notified my manager that I'd been injured and would not be coming in to work. After a week of
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    Font - absence, I provided a Doctors Note (as required) which signed me off from work for 3 more weeks. A month after the injury took place, I was able to hobble around and was going stir-crazy at home. My colleagues were keeping me updated
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    Font - on what was happening at work. I was aware that my manager was getting heat from senior managers for a member of the team having an extended absence. So, I decided to go back in to work. First day back, I am informed that there will be a meeting for my absence. I attend the meeting with a Union Rep and go over the
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    Font - absence and the reason for it. I explained everything that happened but it seemed like my manager was not actually listening. She was just giving me a chance to have my say but she already knew the decision she was making..
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    Font - The manager then takes some 'time out' to make an informed decision on the outcome of this meeting. She comes back and tells me that because I have reached the trigger point for absences, she will have to give me a written warning. That simple.
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    Font - I felt betrayed and appalled at how I was being treated after all I've put in to the company. I also found out that the Union Rep I had reached to support me was intentionally being unhelpful because she was friends with my manager. Cue malicious compliance...
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    Font - I had 7 days to make an appeal against the decision so I started looking in to the company's Attendance Policy. The first thing I noticed was that the trigger point is to trigger a meeting to review absences and not to hand out written warnings like the manager had stated in the
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    Font - meeting.I also realised that employees cannot receive a formal warning for their first absence. It must be an informal verbal warning first because the manager has to personally tell you about the attendance policy at that initial meeting and keep a record of it in order to escalate.
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    Font - Then I went through the rest of the policy and found a loop hole which meant I could take 3 days off sick every 3 months without triggering an Attendance meeting. I made my appeal and the initial decision was overturned. So, no written warning on record. Then every
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    Font - 3 month I would take 3 sick days off. This ended up giving me 12 extra holiday days per year. The result: They could have just let me have that 1 month absence and return to work as normal but instead I am absent for 12 extra days a year because the company doesn't give a st about employees
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    Font - Aggravating-Monkey +1 - 2 hr. ago I would have also escalated the situation with the union about the rep who not only didn't support you but either was unaware of the company policy or ignored it - seems like a serious failing either way. Vote Reply Share
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    Font - AdventurousString719 OP · 1 hr. ago I didn't get a chance to. I was in the process of communicating with the Lead Union Rep in regards to the support (or lack of support, I should say) that was provided when I found out that the Union Rep was under investigation because she had been stealing items of clothing when deliveries came in. What goes around comes around, I guess.
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    Font - Hotlips76 3 hr. ago Sounds like Tesco or Sainsbury's Reply Share Vote Landrig22 +1 -2 hr. ago I thought Sainsbury's as well (stopped working there a year ago) Vote Reply Share
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    Font - Baltimore Badger23 +1 -2 hr. ago Retail is like this because corporate won't cover the costs of sufficient staffing to allow for a location to absorb even a 1-2% absence rate. The CEO might have to wait an extra month for his third Yacht if they did that. Vote Reply Share
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    Font - AdventurousString719 OP · 57 min. ago That used to irk me all the time when the manager would say, 'I do believe you but...' and then dismiss all the points you've raised just to come to the same conclusion as if you hadn't explained anything. There's always a but. Vote Reply Share

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