The guy who sits opposite me has filed an official compliant about bullying and harassment by his direct manager who sits next to him.

I’ve just had a meeting with HR about it, where I was asked about a specific episode to which I answered truthful, which is in favour of the guy, and answered also that I believed their relationship to be poor.

The HR questioning then changed tack, away from the specific relationship of the two guys, to a more general enquiry about the behaviour of all staff members in the office.

(For a bit of colour. We are a room of about 80 guys, it a glorified class room but without a teacher!! We call each other every name under the sun and rip the pee constantly. I believe no one is specifically singled out and I don’t believe that is what the complainer is insinuating. In fact, his manager is one of the few who doesn’t engage with any banter between anyone… their issue is different)

It was at this change of questioning l became uneasy, it felt as if I was being given rope to hang myself. Being asked questions like, “Do senior management do enough to stop this behaviour?” …. “No comment”, was my answer to that and about 5 other questions.

Now the guy who has complained hasn’t been in the office for over a month and it seems to me that he’ll not be coming back.

I feel as if there was no value in my speaking for “his side” and that this is a can of worms being opened. It encompasses the whole room with my name (and a few others who also witnessed the specific event ) squarely in the centre of it because of being asked questions over an incident that is only indirectly linked a the boarder issue now officially bought to light.

There were just two of us in the meeting and I’m to be given a transcript of the conversation, which I’m to sign if I’m happy with.

So Im thinking … I’ll sign the part relating to the specific event and rescind anything relating to the general enquiry.

Your thoughts please gents.

If you have said it you have said it and it will be on the note of the meeting – you are signing to say its an accurate record of what was said.

Yes you only need to sign the bit about the events, that’s what you were there for, not the rest – tell them to remove the rest as it’s not relevant to the bullying.

4 of us recently kicked HR’s ass and a very senior manager about being told we had to re-apply for our jobs as the new JD was significantly different. When we listed what we do now, then they backed down – we did 18 of 19 things. Our JD was 14 years old.

You only sign what you will agree with.

What TJ said you sign what was said and ask them to remove or reword anything that is wrong.

Nope – all the note is is a record of what was said at that meeting. To refuse to sign any of it is to say that HR are lying and these things were not said. they were – so you need to sign .

Get union advice if you want. they will know your workplace

Oh…. One of the other guys who gave “evidence”, about 3 weeks ago wasn’t asked about the general stuff.

If you sign all of it, then make sure you are happy with it. You can refuse to sign the bits that were outside of the discussion, but they may also be after the manager for not ‘managing’ the banter etc.

I can be an awkward git when I need to be, but I’ve significant experience to know when not to sign something or argue back as I can run rings round most HR people given my job and experience.

Update

If you don’t ask, you don’t get !!

I made a bit of a song and dance about how I only volunteered to the interview thinking I was going to be asked questions on the specific episode. HR lady said she hadnt had anyone not wanting to sign the minutes before, so would delete questions on the boarder matter as I felt appropriate or comfortable with ?

She also said, she hoped it was the end of the matter for me.

Suprising result but good for you.