Where do I stand??

[10shamrock]

Hi there,

I have posted on here a couple of times before, basically because my Line Manager seems to have it in for me. I would be very grateful for a little advice again please?

I received a call from my son's school today about 1pm saying he had been in an accident and I needed to get him checked at Accident and Emergency as soon as possible. My wife was attending a hospital appointment with my younger son at the time so her phone was out of service, hence the school called me as the second emergency contact. I immediately called the office and spoke to my Line Manager who refused to let me leave early and said I must finish my round otherwise it would be gross misconduct.

This meant my six year old son was left waiting for nearly 2 hours before either my wife or myself could get to him. My son has autism, ADHD and severe learning difficulties so was extremely frightened when no parent turned up.

Would someone be able to advise me if this treatment is right or if I can insist on leaving early in an emergency situation? I would have been happy to make up the hours the following day but, I was never even given this option.

Any advice would be very gratefully received.

Many thanks

[mondeoman1]

How are you expected to carry on working when you have been told you need to take your son to hospital?

Personally I would have gone straight back to the office with the mail and told line manager I was going to sort out my son.

I would very much doubt that you could be done for gross misconduct.

Family comes first.

[motherhubbard]

Where do you stand?
Close enough to the little twat so you can put your fist straight in his gob.

[TrueBlueTerrier]

I would stand next to the rep so they can make sure I fill in greviance form correctly.

http://www.dad.info/work/your-workplace ... ergencies/" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

If you are an employee, you have the right to time off when you need to deal with an emergency involving a dependent. There is no right to be paid for the time off but many employers pay for a limited number of days, so check your contract.

What is classed as an emergency?

The circumstances when you can take time off are when:

a dependent falls ill, is injured or assaulted
a dependent gives birth
a dependent dies and you need time to arrange or attend the funeral
care arrangements for a dependent break down
you need to attend your child's school to deal with an unexpected incident

The government also back the above site through its own website http://www.direct.gov.uk/en/Employment/ ... G_10026555" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

What counts as an emergency?
An emergency could be any unexpected or sudden problem involving someone who depends on your help or care. The right to time off for dependants could apply to a wide range of different circumstances but below are examples of some of the more common situations where you could be entitled to take time off:

To deal with an unexpected incident involving your child during school hours
For example, if your child has been involved in a fight, is distressed, has been injured on a school trip or is being suspended from school.

[luddite]

Give him a visit to hospital!

See a rep about a grievance or ask Moya what she would have done!

[maisymoo04]

even better give me the dims number al f@@@ tell him cheeky t@@@

[Himaggen]

See a rep about a grievance or ask Moya what she would have done!

Dont bother with the grievance procedure for this, get in touch with Moya, provide the Managers Name and Office, inform her that you were denied your rights and require action to be taken against the Manager and adequate compensation for the way you were treated.

(Just make sure you don't accept a s**t load of Gold Medal Stamps as compensation.)

[TrueBlueTerrier]

even better give me the dims number al f@@@ tell him cheeky t@@@

but would kirkby walk for you.

[maisymoo04]

no

[10shamrock]

Many thanks for all your replies - they are much appreciated.

I feel like my Line Manager has crossed a big line today - its one thing having an issue with me but, totally another thing when it affects my son. Out of interest how do I contact Moya please?

[maisymoo04]

justsayit@royalmail.com

[Pokemon Postmon]

It's a Grievance case for sure but, even if it's found in your favour (and I can't see any reason why it wouldn't be), very little will come of it. I once had two successful grievances against a previous DOM. I found out a few years later that he believed that they were found in HIS favour! Go figure!!
Anyway, it would be best to follow it through and that way if, as you say, this manager has it in for you then you'll have something official to show that he has mistreated you in the past if there are further issues.
Good luck.
:)