Bullying & Harrassment at work

[trolly61]

My son has worked for a travel company for three months, was sent on a training course for ten days then has been having ongoing training in the shop. Before getting this job, he applied for lots of jobs in the travel industry. He didnt hear anything back from the job he really wanted to until he had started this new one. He felt a bit bad about handing in his resignation, but felt he had to take up the offer of the job he really wanted and worked so hard to achieve. Since handing in his notice at the travel company, the manager has refused to let him make any bookings and has constantly picked on him by making him clean all the stockrooms and the whole shop, wash up and run around making drinks for everyone. He comes home every night really upset and its really knocked his confidence. The manager says he cant do anything with him with regards to training as he is leaving and he wont even let him make any bookings which would earn him commision. He really wanted to leave on good terms as up to handing in his notice he liked the job a lot. He feels like walking out. Is this harrassment? Any advice would be appreciated. Thanks

[SeaJayPea]

So presumably he's been offered the job he really wanted and has handed in his notice?

If that's the case, then frankly his current manager may well feel he/she's been let down after investing in all sorts of training. In addition, is your son going to what may be competition? If that's it, I wouldn't let him anywhere near anything where he could be acquiring knowledge that would help in his new job. If he has to work his notice period I'm afraid he's stuck with making the tea. But after just three months he can't have to work more than a week or two, surely. Or a month at the absolute maximum. I'd tell him to just stick with it and be as pleasant as possible. It's not for long.

Wish him good luck.

[trolly61]

Thanks for your answer. No its a different job altogether. He understands that the manager may feel let down and he felt so bad that he wasnt going to accept the new job, but as I said to him, you have to do whats right for you, and believe me, they wouldnt feel bad if they had to let you go due to cuts etc. Where he is now is only part time and he asked for more hours as he needs the money, but there are none available. He explained this to the manager and that this was one of the reasons he was accepting the new job. From a personal point, he felt bad, but from a professional point, he has to do whats right for him. The manager has been brilliant with him until he handed in his notice but now is seriously picking on him making him do all the cleaning which is not in his job description and they do have a cleaner go in there every night after closing! His notice period is a month. He only has three days left to go so hes going to stick it out even though he dreads going in there in the morning. I still think though that this is bullying the way hes being treated, it really shouldnt make any difference whether the manager feels let down or not, there are ways of treating employees and this is not one of them.

[Maydup]

It hard to motivate yourself when you know one of your team would rather be somewhere else. The Manager is only human and having been brilliant with him has not been repaid with committment. He feels let down having put all the time an effot into your lads training and just wants to get on and replace him.

I wish your son all the best in the new job - in this climate he's dead lucky to have such choice, his cake and eat it. Encourage him to stick with this one for at least a couple of years, regardless of whatever else comes up.

[tonywiltshire]

The legal definition of harassment is (sorry) on the grounds of sex, race, disability, sexual orientation, religion or belief an employer engages in unwanted conduct which has the purpose or effect of violating an individual’s dignity or creating an interrogating, hostile, degrading, humiliating or offensive environment for the individual.
The second thing to think about is the remedy. Your son does not have sufficient service to take his employer to an Employment Tribunal.
He is probably best advised to talk to his Manager about his treatment and look forward to the new job.

[Nosha123]

"The manager says he cant do anything with him with regards to training as he is leaving"
A fair comment as spending any money on training would be wasted now your son is leaving
"he wont even let him make any bookings which would earn him commision."
Perhaps the manager is worried he might make a mistake or do something malicious leading up to his departure and doesnt want to risk a customer or transaction going wrong?
Sit it out and soon he'll be in his new job!

[Twenty20]

He has only got 3 days left to go at the company??? I'm sure he'll make it through until the end without it affecting the rest of his life.

Perhaps your son ought to be grateful that the company aren't attempting to recoup some of the money they've invested in him in training etc. Many companies have this written into contracts these days, that if they spend money training someone, if that person leaves within a certain period of time that the employee will have to pay back some of the training costs.

If I were your son I'd keep quiet, do the menial tasks and hope that I don't get charged for the wasted training.

[flip_flop]

I wouldn't allow him to make bookings and earn commission either - not when there are employees there who aren't leaving.

I agree that a manager should act professionally, but having vested time and money in your son, I think the manager is entitled to feel a little bit peeved.

[Pimpernel]

Maybe that manager is jealous... He should realise that anybody would take a f/t job over a p/t one. How is your son ever going to get a mortgage, or even pay rent, if he keeps working p/t?
What's the turnover in that company? As you said, they wouldn't hesitate to let go of him if they had money problems, so there isn't any reason for him to feel guilty, least of all over the training he received. I've asked employers to give me training over and over again, and even if I stayed there several years, I never received any. Basic in-house training, yes, but anything like IT courses, accountancy courses, professional qualifications, I've had to pay myself, while colleagues who were less the managers' friends were sent on courses to learn how to create a text box or to put their out of the office on!
Good luck to your son in his new job!