Employer requesting I visit head office

[charitynjw]

Re: Employer requesting I visit head office

Hi maff81,

Have you considered contacting ACAS?
They have a dispute mediation scheme.
http://www.acas.org.uk/index.aspx?articleid=1680

[Eloise01]

Re: Employer requesting I visit head office

knew that already just forgot to mention it as there is a lot going on. The people who gave me advice are people just like you and others on here its a forum with ex solicitors policemen etc. Not paying for advice or saying its wrong or right just few things were slightly different to response you gave. It feels like people are getting upset that I have taken advice from another, I actually asked both sites at similar times and was waiting for first response. They explained that it is not acceptable to expect my employer to want me to travel nearly 4 hours to head office wait there for 3 hours and travel back again another 4 hours and pay for it myself, they have already requested I get a doctor fit to work letter which I had to pay for. It seems from advice here that there is little I can do and it doesn't seem fair. I will not be paying for legal advice as I cannot afford it but was hoping that with the evidence I have during the last year with this company is enough to let them know I can do some damage and that they know I will forward it on to relevant people for investigation. I am grateful for any help and advice I am given. I am just a hard working person who keeps my head down, but feels like myself and my co workers are being taken advantage of and the company doesn't give a hoot if we are injured or told to use machinery that is faulty or dangerous. They would not use it so why should we.

And I was just saying that I would appreciate the link so that I can double check both what you have said (people may not realise that they can say different things to different people, and that reflects on the advice they get), and to see why they disgree - because based on what you said here, this is very basic employment (and other) law and so there shouldn't be much room for difference. The point being that on line people can claim to be anything. You don't know we are ex- solicitors and policemen (and I am neither!) - you take our word for it. I have quite certainly come across people claiming to be employment law solicitors on other sites who have made very fundamental erros in employment law - so really not solicitors at all!

It does not matter whether you think or they think it is "reasonable" for your employer to require you to travel that distance to head office. It is a reasonable instruction in law - your time is the employers, and they pay you for it, so if they ask you to attend a meeting elsewhere then that is reasonable provided the pay your travel expenses. Refusing a reasonable instruction of the employer is potentailly a disciplinary offence.

I have asked you previoiusly and you did not answer - why have you had to pay your GP for a fit note because this is not a chargeable service. You cannot blame your employers for a cost that they have not levied and which is nothing to do with them!


Like many people you are confusing the terms "fair" with "legal". When the law discusses "fairness" then what the law means is "legal" or "lawful" - fairness as you are using it is a wordly term and relates to what you think is fair, and that isn't the definition used in law. The fact is that you have just let slip another "fact" that indicates you are floundering as to what fair means: you say that you hoped that "with the evidence I have during the last year with this company is enough to let them know I can do some damage". The fact is that you have no evidence of anything, and even if you did - (a) you must use and exhaust the grievance procedure with the employer and (b) you are out of time to complain about anything that happened three months or more ago.

I should also point out, although to be honest, I suspected as much from the original post, that you asked a specific question relating to the reasonableness of expecting you to make a journey to the head office. You did not ask about "inflicting damage on your employer", although my response to the wider issues (which were never relevant to the question) was intended to make it clear that the situation was much more complex than you thought and that your chances of legal action on these matters almost non-existant. People get caught up in what they believe are their legal rights - they are very often not their legal rights at all.

You need to understand that "keeping your head down" is incompatible with legal action - you cannot simply rush off and sue the employer for anything without first using your grievance procedure to its full extent. Clearly, and possibly advisedly, you are not willing to do that. But if you are not, then I am afraid that the best advice you will get has already been given - find another job.

[jon1965]

Re: Employer requesting I visit head office

Maff
I used the wills and probate lawyer as an example. I could have said that you would not want a GP to perform complex cardiac surgery yet they are both Doctors.

If the machine whatever it is , had a vibration test done then who did it, was it an outside contractor. There is an option for checking it out.

I know the advice you have been given may not be what you wanted to hear but as everyone has said, if the company want you to travel to head office they should pay.
If Eloise is to give you good advice then she needs the answers to her questions.
A link to the other forum so she can compare advice/questions
Who did you ask and when about travel payments
What exactly did the company ask you for, a return to work note or something else. My belief although I stand to be corrected is that a fit note should be free of charge

[wales01man]

Re: Employer requesting I visit head office

Another OP who is ommiting many things but expecting advice,those who seek advice need to tell all or nothing it must be frustrating for those on here who are able to advice to keep chasing the info to give the help that is sought.Again the OPs posts are being dissected bit by bit to try and get the truth?

[charitynjw]

Re: Employer requesting I visit head office

I guess people tend to see things from their own point of view, & are reluctant to consider conflicting arguments/discussions.

(Hence my 'signature') :tinysmile_grin_t:

[jon1965]

Re: Employer requesting I visit head office

Walesman I do agree but I also know first hand how difficult it can be to be 100% honest on an open forum. I would urge the OP to be as open and honest as they can. People do not judge on here

[Inca]

Re: Employer requesting I visit head office

I'm with Wales on this one...Eloise (and others,,using Elo here as a case in point) ask specific but very important questions and those questions will quantify the responses.
When you see someone asking such precise questions it's pretty obvious (I think) that the person absolutely knows their stuff,,they aren't 'p***ing in the wind,they are trying to structure responses best suited to OP's situation.However random the question may seem you can be assured of it's relevance.
OP's need to understand that half the story is as good as no story..

[charitynjw]

Re: Employer requesting I visit head office

I've got a fridge magnet which states 'My idea of an agreeable person is someone who agrees with me' :whistle:

[maff81]

Re: Employer requesting I visit head office

All sorted

[Inca]

Re: Employer requesting I visit head office

All sorted

As a matter of interest..would you care to expand on ''all sorted'' please. It's nice to draw a line under threads

[maff81]

Re: Employer requesting I visit head office

Always honest and head office rang and said that made a huge mistake in asking me to travel there, they were having a moment, also back to work . After I explained what happened with Machine and proved that I had indeed copies of the faults and an engineers report suggesting machine would not be used do to health and safety and causing discomfort to drivers, they were most appalled at Supervisor expecting me to use said machine. I was told that in no uncertain terms was I to be sacked form said company as I have done nothing wrong, Supervisor has taken his role a bit to "Jobsworthy" and taken it upon himself to dish out advice and the wrong advice at that. I was grateful at any advice given by LB but did find certain persons to be quite personal and off putting. And yes I might not be able to afford advice from certain people on here, but to write that is quite offensive and snobbish. I did not want the answers to suit myself just the right answers, oh and the hours of work are to be changed back as they were not changed by head office but by the supervisor, so unless you speak out no one can hear you.

[maff81]

Re: Employer requesting I visit head office

Grateful for advice as said many times why are people so angry

[Sapphire]

Re: Employer requesting I visit head office

Grateful for advice as said many times why are people so angry

Hi Maff, I've been following this thread and I have to say that I am so pleased that you have got a satisfactory conclusion and wish you well going forward. What I would say to you though is no one is actually angry, what they are is 'passionate' and want to give the best advice they can, you were lucky, you had the advice from one of the best in the country and for free.

[Eloise01]

Re: Employer requesting I visit head office

So, in actual fact, you had rasied none of these issues with the employer, had not brought these matters to their attention, and had simply spoken to your supervisor without then following up with the correct procedure? Which demonstrates that there is a reason why procedures are there. You consistently stated that the employer had changed these things when, in fact, raising the issue showed that the employer had not. All of these matters could have been resolved by talking to the employer. That does not make the advice you got wrong though - the employer could have imposed such changes and TUPE does not prevent that.

[charitynjw]

Re: Employer requesting I visit head office

Hi maff81,

I for one am not angry, & thanks for posting - that's how we all learn what the score is.

But I am intrigued - how is the problem been 'sorted'? (It may help others)

Update - I've just read back on the thread, & have seen your explanatory post.
Well done for sorting it out.