so im told I have a disciplinary meeting tomorrow

[knowlesy]

Heads up slight wall of text....

summary: Me and a colleague asked to go on free training (minus travelling and hotel) from a company that sells us a particular product, we were told no as they thought it was more sales than technical, so me and my colleague went ourselves, in our own time and money, as just ourselves and not representing our company and we have a disciplinary.



Full story,

Me and my colleague got some training a few months back from a product partner and they invited us down to there partners meeting etc for some training on new kit etc.....

We asked our bosses if we could go and if work would pay, we were told straight up no as they thought it was more sales oriented (which was said in the email), we told our partner however they said well you can come yourself if you want

so we asked our direct boss, he said yeah you shouldn't of needed to ask or pay yourself just go and he informed another higher up to see if we could get the holiday back, we didn't hear anything back about the holiday but never mind

so we booked and traveled down and whilst we were down there today we got an email with a meeting invite to product disciplinary ....... so we called up asking if it was a joke or not and no ....

Now I've chatted to my boss about this and he went nuts over this notion of crazyness and I have an apparent meeting about this tomorrow with my colleague, now my boss has a meeting before this about this mess and hopefully i don't have to go in...



but has anyone any suggestions for this etc ???

 

[ThePengu1n]

So you did something, in your own time, at your own expense and your boss wants to discipline you for it?

Tell him to shove it.

 

[Tefal]

what they going to do give you a disciplinary for taking a holiday?

take the union rep and laugh as he destroys them.

 

[anything I don't mind]

Sounds like there is possibly an underlying issue there and this was just the excuse to stur up trouble.

Sometimes i think that hr departments and managers realy have nothing better to do. I know that is an over used saying, but sometimes i think they realy do have nothing else to do.

 

[Gooner Leroy]

Tell them to go **** themselves

What you do in your own time is entirely up to you. (within reason )

 

[knowlesy]

Sounds like there is possibly an underlying issue there and this was just the excuse to stur up trouble.

Sometimes i think that hr departments and managers realy have nothing better to do. I know that is an over used saying, but sometimes i think they realy do have nothing else to do.

see I would say exactly the same thing here but Im at a loss to what

 

[Brookert]

what they going to do give you a disciplinary for taking a holiday?

take the union rep and laugh as he destroys them.

Exactly what I was going to say. Sit back, shlurp a cup of tea, and watch HR get slaughtered.

 

[Deleted member 77746]

making an excuse i think....

 

[AHarvey]

making an excuse or not, they don't have a leg to stand on in this case and I really wouldn't worry. The worst that happens is that it ends in a tribunal and your employer gets spanked!

 

[DcD]

Did you sign any sort of contract for non-competition? Was the company considered a competitor of your employer at all?

I work for an email marketing company that produce their own product/service. If I were to go to Dotmailer and get training and whatnot with them, I'd probably be disciplined myself.

Outside of that situation mind, tell them to gtfo.

 

[geuben]

My opinion is the same as everyone else so far.

However. Could there be an argument that as you were invited to attend as a representative of your company, even though you went on your own time and money you are still technically a representative of the company?

 

[fiveub]

Ask them to write it all down too for you, that way you have a hard copy of this "disciplinary", which you can use to take further.

 

[memyselfandi]

So technically speaking you're on leave today and you've been emailed telling you you have a disciplinary tomorrow?

Ignoring whether the disciplinary is justified or not it would be interesting to know whether they've followed their documented disciplinary procedure by in affect giving you no proper notice of the meeting (as who says you will check your email on holiday).

 

[DcD]

My opinion is the same as everyone else so far.

However. Could there be an argument that as you were invited to attend as a representative of your company, even though you went on your own time and money you are still technically a representative of the company?

This is true actually. Was the invitation for training for "Joe from XYZ"?

 

[rotters]

So it's not your boss it's his boss causing the issue? Also a disciplinary with less than 24 hours notice? Errr no just no. Tell them to rearrange the meeting so you can get representatives in place.

 

[knowlesy]

Did you sign any sort of contract for non-competition? Was the company considered a competitor of your employer at all?

I work for an email marketing company that produce their own product/service. If I were to go to Dotmailer and get training and whatnot with them, I'd probably be disciplined myself.

Outside of that situation mind, tell them to gtfo.

Good point but my work is solutions based and mostly consists of whatever fits the customer best the only thing that would be considered similar is another IT helpdesk/solutions based company

My opinion is the same as everyone else so far.

However. Could there be an argument that as you were invited to attend as a representative of your company, even though you went on your own time and money you are still technically a representative of the company?

Yes that was apparently mentioned when my boss was talking to this guy but no when we said we weren't able to go, the gent said your more than welcome to come along for yourselves as in just you not your company etc....

Ask them to write it all down too for you, that way you have a hard copy of this "disciplinary", which you can use to take further.

Will do cheers, I was thinking of recording everything as well but informing them of it ?

 

[knowlesy]

So it's not your boss it's his boss causing the issue? Also a disciplinary with less than 24 hours notice? Errr no just no. Tell them to rearrange the meeting so you can get representatives in place.

not even his direct boss, its the "sales director" which set up the company with my boss's boss so I cant see him saying anything.....

 

[fiveub]

Will do cheers, I was thinking of recording everything as well but informing them of it ?

Recording is good too, however they may feel a bit more uncomfortable with that. If not a simple letter about the whole situation should do the job. Just get any hard copy of it. - Just so if you need to go back to it, or get evidence, you have it.

 

[J-FRO]

As much as I'm in general agreement with everyone else here, they may also be looking at it from a perspective of using company connections for your own benefit, i.e. they may fear you leave the company and enter into some sort of agreement with their own commercial connections. My memory of the case law is a little hazy, but I seem to remember something about a case with some guy and his frozen chicken. I'm now hoping that was an actual case and not just a case study...

Sounds to me like they are probably going to want you to explain why it is you so badly felt the need to acquire this training.

 

[piggeh]

Training in your own time could be seen as a personal 'gift' and may be against company policy. Or they may just have their knickers in a twist.

Go along with an independent witness (preferably union rep) and ask them to write down what the accusation is and how they envisage any disciplinary action will go. I wouldn't say anything given your current lack of understanding of the finer details of any disciplinary charge against you.