[Nicola_Red]

Oddly, I've got a work porn story too..

I've got one too! One weekend (thank the Lord I wasn't in) our entire payment system went down. There were 3,000 failed internet bookings. Investigation revealed that a crucial plug in the main office had been unplugged. I think if everyone had just kept quiet then we would have all assumed it was a cleaner plugging in the hoover or something, but for some reason, a maintenance bloke admitted that he'd plugged in his laptop to watch porn. He was promptly fired.

[dimtimjim]

but for some reason, a maintenance bloke admitted that he'd plugged in his laptop to watch porn. He was promptly fired.

Stupidity knows no bounds...

[Yudster]

Hahhahaha Lol..... Yuds called me Silly.

I love silly things.

You can not have an investigation with an opinion as to what the outcome will be, and fixed as to what you believe the facts are, you can't do it.

That is not an investigation. It is an exercise in complying with HR strategy to cover your arse at Tribunal, which incidentally it would not.

If you are in a position where you feel you need to cover your arse for Tribunal, you will lose anyway. But the first bit I don't agree with. If I turned up at one of our Supported Living establishments and found a support worker drinking or drunk, I would know then and there what the result was going to be (and it wouldnt' be me who undertook the investigation in those circumstances anyway). The process still has to be gone through, but unless that person can prove that they were NOT drinking or drunk, the result remains the same.

It wouldn't happen like that, we would get a report from someone alleging such and such - in those circumstances you are absolutely right, and given how people love putting other people in the shit, you'd always be very careful not to pre-suppose anything. But for instance - one of our support workers was here a minute ago with one of our service users. If that staff member had been swigging from a can of Special Brew, I know what would have eventually happened.

She wasn't by the way. She may have left it outside.

[foot-loose]

Oddly, I've got a work porn story too..

I've got one too! One weekend (thank the Lord I wasn't in) our entire payment system went down. There were 3,000 failed internet bookings. Investigation revealed that a crucial plug in the main office had been unplugged. I think if everyone had just kept quiet then we would have all assumed it was a cleaner plugging in the hoover or something, but for some reason, a maintenance bloke admitted that he'd plugged in his laptop to watch porn. He was promptly fired.

Nic wins.

[Bonanzoid]

Agreed.

[Nicola_Red]

I have two further juicy sacking stories:

1. a woman who used to manage one department had made a massive fuss about her hours and spent ages negotiating with HR for specially arranged hours for childcare reasons. I don't know how it came to light, but it was discovered that the real reason was that she was in fact moonlighting in another job. She was actually escorted from the premises by security.

2. a bloke who worked backstage stole a tour jacket that was brought as merchandise by a particular band who we had playing. It was found out and he was fired. He had to come back and face everyone two weeks later though, because he was having his own wedding at our venue.

[Yudster]

Year before last one of our directors was escorted from the premises by our Chief Exec. Never did find out exactly what happened, but he was eventually persuaded to resign rather than allow the disciplinary procedure to take its course. That was when I decided to stay there - once he had gone there was hope for the whole organisation.

[foot-loose]

There was a big scandal back in the days I worked in a supermarket where the checkout staff were giving their 10% staff discount to the customers they had a good chat with. About ten staff disappeared in one go.

[dimtimjim]

Back in my first 'proper job' I was shocked to be called into branch managers office to be told I was being suspended pending an investigation into me stealing cash from the company (coming in from clients, via my desk). I knew I hadn't so didn't overly stress about it.

Turned out I got a paid week off and a letter of apology from the area manager. Funnily enough, my branch manager was moved into a non-management role elsewhere not long after that...!

[Boboff]

When I was first made MD we had a guy from the previous management that I didn't like, on the list of items I sacked him for was

3."He's a *" - Sorry ladies I hope that gets starred out........

Anyway, he saw it, and it came up at Tribunal, I lost..........(£8k later.......) still smiled, cheap.

We had lots of temps in the seasonal business, and if I worked with people and they wern't working hard enough, I asked them a few time to speed up, if they didn't or gave me attitude I was known to just say very loadly "YOU, * OFF, now, go * OFF" then take them outside......

My nick name at the time was RAC...... Robs a yes, well, work that one out for yourself.

Proud of Myself? No, Do it again? No. Indicative of the Angry Ambitious Intollerant Depressive that I was? Yes.

[dimtimjim]

When I was first made MD we had a guy from the previous management that I didn't like, on the list of items I sacked him for was

3."He's a *" - Sorry ladies I hope that gets starred out........

Anyway, he saw it, and it came up at Tribunal, I lost..........(£8k later.......) still smiled, cheap.

We had lots of temps in the seasonal business, and if I worked with people and they wern't working hard enough, I asked them a few time to speed up, if they didn't or gave me attitude I was known to just say very loadly "YOU, * OFF, now, go * OFF" then take them outside......

My nick name at the time was RAC...... Robs a yes, well, work that one out for yourself.

Proud of Myself? No, Do it again? No. Indicative of the Angry Ambitious Intollerant Depressive that I was? Yes.

One for the Grand kids!

[MK Chris]

When I worked on the Unilever carelines, one of my colleagues was sacked for taking a note of the number of someone who got through to him and calling her to arrange a date. Awkwardly, he lodged with his team-leader at the time.

[Yudster]

Oooh that's harsh!

[Nicola_Red]

A customer once wrote a letter asking one of my colleagues out on a date after she sold him tickets on the phone. She didn't go...

[MK Chris]

Oooh that's harsh!

You think? I'd say it was a clear breach of DPA for personal reasons - unacceptable.

[Yudster]

Oooh that's harsh!

You think? I'd say it was a clear breach of DPA for personal reasons - unacceptable.

If he's been harassing her, or had used significant work time or resources to arrange the date, or if his performance at work had been compromised as a result of the incident, then its a case for an investigation and possible disciplinary in any workplace. And if the rules in that workplace say that you aren't allowed to have any interaction with people you speak to on the phone beyond business, then presumably those rules would be enforced. I would just question the need for the rule in the first place. What harm has it done? What harm WOULD it do? I'm not suggesting that an employer ought to encourage such things, but if it happened, as long as the business was not compromised in any way and the staff member was doing their job to an acceptable level, yes, seems harsh to me.

[chrysostom]

It may make the girl in question feel as though her personal information could be abused by anyone at the company - which damages the integrity of their data protection, and also their brand. It's harsh if she didn't make a complaint though.

[Yudster]

She didn't HAVE to give him her number did she? It seems daft to me that if you "meet" someone over the phone or by any other means through work, and develop a friendly relationship on that basis, that there should be rules in place which prevent you from continuing that relationship outside of work. Its just so arbitrary.

[chrysostom]

Oh, I was under the impression that he took the number from the call log/database without her knowing and then arranged the date.

[Nicola_Red]

That's what I thought too. I get marked down on my call stats if I don't take the customer's phone number, but it would be against data protection rules to then call them back and ask them out on a date. Not that I'd want a date with any of my customers.

[MK Chris]

Oh, I was under the impression that he took the number from the call log/database without her knowing and then arranged the date.

I believe that is what happened, though I can't really remember. I assume she must have complained, otherwise I can't think how it would have come to light.

[Yudster]

Well in that case scratch what I said - I thought you meant she had given her his number. If he just nicked it, well of course that's a no-no. I obviously didn't read your post right because everyone else seemed to get what you meant, it was just me...