Employee arrives at their disciplinary work hearing with receipts that disprove the accusations against them, committee still gives them a written warning: ‘Politics trumped evidence’

You know you're in deep trouble when you come to your workplace with receipts in your defense, and they still don't believe you. At a disciplinary work hearing, an employee defends themselves with receipts and oppositional documents they had collected in the workplace. The employee doesn't specify the actual problem at hand, but instead ridicules the very flawed system that is clearly in place to keep the integrity of the company's operations safe. In all, it seems that the higher-ups refuse to stay true to their employees' words and the process of collecting tangible evidence that clears this specific employee's name.

If you've never been in trouble at work, you might not be aware of your specific workplace's best practices to ensure a safe and fair environment for all employees. The bottom line for most companies is that they will always hear both sides of an interpersonal issue, ensuring that the process is fair. Depending on the type of issue that exists between two or more colleagues, they'll try to mediate. If the situation warrants evidence, they'll look at that, too.

The story below is a testament to how some workplaces can lean crooked. Even without context and looking strictly at the company's mediation process, it's apparent that evidence is lower on the priority list than keeping the company's record clean. Scroll below to read the full story.

Author image for Lana DeGaetano Lana DeGaetano
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  • a group of female employees sitting around a conference table
    via Andrej Lišakov For Unsplash+

    Image is representative only and does not depict the actual subjects of the story.

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  • "Went into a disciplinary with evidence shredding the process and policies - still got a written warning. Feels like it was about saving face, not facts."

    I'm trying to check whether this is just how office politics works, or whether I'm right to feel like the outcome was predetermined.
    via IrisMaven

  • In the workplace, every detail matters. You can pick apart someone's words and find intent, and physical evidence is just the icing on the cake.

    When a company's safety is on the line, whether they are intentionally partaking in something shady or not, you have to expect them to save face before they help you. But hey, that's what lawsuits are for.

    This employee is 110% sure that their evidence is strong enough to refute the accusations against them, but even still, the company gives them a warning. In the work world, that's never a good thing. The worst part? The employee is taking it up with a senior employee, and they might carry some internal bias as well. 

  • I was recently subject to a disciplinary process. I went in extremely prepared - not defensively, but factually.
    via IrisMaven
  • I had: Evidence showing inaccuracies in the data relied upon Clear inconsistencies with the company's own policies and procedures ⚫ A breakdown demonstrating the alleged issue did not meet the threshold being claimed Context that had never previously been raised in supervision, performance management, or informal discussions During the disciplinary meeting, the MD openly acknowledged several of these points.
    via IrisMaven
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  • By the end of it, it was clear that the original framing of the allegation didn't really stand up.
    via IrisMaven
  • I actually think I just embarrassed him with all the evidence I had that I'd not used my phone excessively as being claimed.
    via IrisMaven
  • A guy who was harassing me put in a complaint about me and shared messages. He then gave them his personal phone and they decided it was a lot of messages and so they exported the chat and checked timestamps against when I was on shift.
    via IrisMaven
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  • The message number wasn't even high. The complaint was withdrawn and they claim it wasn't based off the complaint - but they wouldn't have had the evidence had it not been because of that and my phone use would never have been under scrutiny.
    via IrisMaven
  • I don't use my phone much at work at all, genuinely. But we do have operational needs that require occasional phone use (work credit card on my phone, work group chats, calling staff when on shift).
    via IrisMaven
  • Despite that, I still received a formal written warning. What's bothering me isn't just the outcome, it's the structure around it: The investigating officer and HR officer are both professionally (and socially) close to the Managing Director The Managing Director was the one who ultimately issued the disciplinary decision ⚫ The warning felt carefully calibrated: not enough to be easily appealable as unreasonable, but enough to avoid "no further action" and the embarrassment that would come with
    via IrisMaven
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  • a woman sitting at a desk speaking to a fellow female employee
    via Andrej Lišakov For Unsplash+

    Image is representative only and does not depict the actual subjects of the story.

  • I have been extremely loyal to the company, I'm the best staff member there. People walked round on Tik Tok and FaceTime to family/friends.
    via IrisMaven
  • That's never been me, I've never taken the piss. I've appealed, but realistically the appeal is being heard within the same senior circle.
    via IrisMaven
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  • The father of the person who gave me the disciplinary lol - feels criminal but isn't.
    via IrisMaven
  • So my question for those who've seen this before: Is this just organisational face-saving dressed up as due process?
    via IrisMaven
  • Have you seen situations where management knows the case is weak but still imposes a sanction to avoid undermining authority or internal relationships?
    via IrisMaven
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  • I'm not naïve - I know workplaces aren't courts - but this has been one of the clearest examples I've seen where politics trumped evidence.
    via IrisMaven
  • Would genuinely appreciate perspectives from anyone who's navigated similar dynamics.
    via IrisMaven
  • TPatches1989 Time to delete all company chats, apps and cards off of your personal phone as it is no longer welcome in the workplace. They don't get to discipline you for having it while also benefiting from it. Also time to look for a new job.
    via TPatches1989
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  • IrisMaven 100% agree. I've removed all the chats. Haven't removed the card yet but will get a physical one and remove it also. This was my exact thought. They know we need our phones operationally.
    via IrisMaven
  • throwRA094532 Uninstall everything. Go back to HR and tell them that if they want you to check your phone, they are welcome to change your contract with clear timestamp where you can check a phone provided by the company and use it. Or a limited time like maybe 30min max a day on the phone whatever. If no changes in the guidelines are provided, you won't use your phone or any other phone for that matter. They can save face but it doesn't mean you can't benefit from it.
    via throwRA094532
  • Efficient-Night-192 I swear our experiences are identical Wonder even if it's the same company. My employment was terminated shortly after with a grossly inadequate severance offer. I had an employment attorney review my experience and events surrounding my termination and the severance offer. Ended up getting labor board involved and began arbitration which eventually awarded me triple the amount of original offer from company. Being thorough in documenting everything and establishing my work p
    via Efficient-Night-192
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