My employer invited me to attend a discipline hearing. They scheduled it for my day off. I declined to attend and stated I would prefer to deal with a work matter in work time. They have replied that they can’t spare the staff time for a meeting on any of my working days and want me to agree to go in on my own time on a rest day. I work part of the week Mon-Fri. I’m not expecting an HR meeting to be arranged at the weekend to suit me.

My union is supporting me. Without going into the details of the matter or the company involved is this a common thing expecting staff to attend a workplace unpaid, in their own time for these sort of things.

Take time off in lieu?

Wasn’t offered. They declined my offer of swapping one of my working days to the day of the hearing.

Indeed. YOu can agree time in lieu. However if you don’t want to you don’t have to but is it a fight worth having? even if you win?

I have refused to go in on my day off for meetings that are nothing serious – just rearranged them another day

Ninja edit – in that case then you are well within your right to refuse to go in on a day off.

No don’t go in, its an agreed (I imagine) day off. Tell them you have plans and get them to reschedule. Its unreasonable to expect you to come in on a booked day off, they should give reasonable notice of the meeting and it should be at a time to suit both parties.

Best of luck

I’d agree with the above, based on what you have said, any meeting like this should take place during working hours.

Agreed with others. My wife is (was, just changed career) an HR manager and says so too. When she was HR manager for a 24/6 factory she was forever getting up a 4am or going back in at 11pm to have that sort of meeting to suit the employee. Would often have said meeting at the end or beginning of the person’s shift.

While I suppose all the above is correct, how serious is the meeting, and would good faith help?

If you’re getting a bollocking no matter what, then they can arrange it in your work time. If this might be your last chance to save a position you wish to keep, then perhaps discretion is the better part of valour?

Or, if you’re not the subject of the disciplinary meeting (i.e. you’re the claimant in a dispute) then definitely get them to re-arrange, and to do their job properly.

I agree with Zokes…. depends on the nature/severity of the disciplinary action, and how you attend to approach it. You could be disadvantaging yourself before you even get in the room, by allowing others to paint you as uncooperative.

That sucks, obviously….

The quality of the company admin can be judged by the fact they wrongly docked me a day’s pay (mistakes happen)then took 4 months to refund me after trying 3 different reasons why it was docked. I had to go through 3 different supervisors up to regional manager level before it was fixed. The HR dept routinely ignore e-mails.

Anyway rant over. The job/work is OK just the management that is crap. I’m telling them to arrange it for a working day or I won’t be there.
I’m not hugely worried about the outcome. Most employers wouldn’t even consider it a discipline matter. I suspect the outcome will be the same whether I attend or not. As I have a 100% clean discipline record and close to zero sickness they can’t do anything much outside the precedents for similar cases.

And I’m in the lucky position of not being completely dependent on the cash from this job. Thanks for all comments.

I think you should go in. Why wait around for the axe to fall ? Sounds to me like they want to empty you and HR bods have selected their most playable option, and you have just handed them “failure to obey a reasonable request” to add to the charge sheet.

Smile nicely and be conciliatory could be a tactic worth trying ?

Worked in HR 25 years – asking to re-arrange the meeting for another date is not unreasonable – it happens all the time. Arranging a meeting when it is someone day off is unreasonable.

Some petty grandstanding from both sides. Somebody has to be the grown-up !

I am quite cynical, and would therefore wonder about the insistence that you come in on your day off ? What is that about ? Do they not want you in the workplace after the meeting ? Or are they just useless as you say ?

I would say having to go in on your day off is unreasonable, considering from what I’ve read you’re the one they want to discipline..
If it was myself, I would be asking for it to be arranged in work time, or failing that I would come in on my day off but for a full days pay..

Their inability to hire sufficient staff to hold the hearing isn’t your problem.

If they want you to come in on a rest day, that suggests you may be a driver of some sort?
Pretty sure that rest days are a legal requirement are they not? Therefore if you have to come in to work on a rest day, thats no longer a rest day.
If it was 5 mins down the road I’d probably go, but if you have to travel for more than half and hour total, I’d ask for a re-schedule.

I agree that it seems unreasonable to ask you to attend a disciplinary meeting on a day that is not a normal work day.

I’m sure you’re already doing so, but make sure you save copies of all correspondence about the meeting and the proposed times and venue. Make sure they are making the requests by email or with a letter (with a “wet ink” signature) on company letter-headed paper.