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Hi there,
I'm new on here and hoping for some sound advice at a really stressful time. It would be much appreciated. Sorry if it's long but it's a bit of a long story and hard to explain.
I work in the NHS and have only been with my current employer for one year. I know this may sound random but I did something really, really stupid (I know now) but with absolutely no malicious intent. I'm a keen cyclist and have cycled to work every day for the last year. I live in an area that isn't close to public transport so my bike was my only real means of getting to and from work. Last month my bike was stolen from a place outside of work and I wasn't able to replace it outright due to the expense involved. I began enquiring about a scheme at work which enables us to buy new bikes and pay per month from our salary. I have emails that prove my interest in the scheme and that I was intending to do this. Meanwhile, I was looking around at other bikes on site whilst thinking about buying a new one...just out of general interest and to see what was around. I noticed there were lots of what looked like abandoned bikes on the grounds and in particular in the bike shed I used previously to park my own bike. I cycle a lot and thought I knew enough to know when a bike wasn't being used. I think you may have realised by now what's coming. I'd seen a particular bike in the shed that was unlocked, had no front brake pads at all, gears that were jammed, hardly any air in the tyres, was really dirty...all the things I'd seen before. I figured I could fix it up and effectively borrow it to get to work and back just for a short time until I sorted the new bike on the bike scheme.
The thing is, on advice from colleagues I went to speak to security and asked what happened to abandoned bikes in the shed. There were about 7 or 8 that were in a state of disrepair so this bike was one of a number. I was told by a member of security that abandoned bikes had nothing to do with them, that they were not the trust's responsibility and that I would have to speak to the outside bike company about it as they were the ones who removed the disused ones. He said bikes in the trust shed were not actually the responsibility of the hospital. I tried to get the information for the bike company but couldn't get hold of them. They only came to the hospital once every couple of months to carry out services so I made the stupid decision of thinking by the time I got round to asking them I would have brought the disused bike back in a better condition and left it back in the shed for someone else to use. I didn't want the bike but I thought I could fix it to use temporarily. I took the bike out of the shed, dusted it off and gave it a bit of a ride round (in the grounds) to see what needed doing. I didn't think it was safe at all, the brakes were missing and it needed a lot of work so I decided to walk home with it.
We have cameras everywhere on site...I know we have as I've worked there for the last year. I didn't believe I was doing anything terrible so I made absolutely no attempt to hide taking the bike. I didn't act in any way like I was attempting to steal anything; I just wasn't thinking that way. I was absolutely convinced nobody would care about it as it was in such a dishevelled state. I know it sounds mad but I kind of thought it would be a good thing to take care of the bike and recycle it for someone else to use.
To cut a long story short, it turned out the bike belonged to someone...it was reported as missing to security, security stopped me whilst I was actually at work because they recognised me from the camera footage and now I'm being sent to a disciplinary for gross misconduct. Not by the person who owns the bike (who admits it's in a terrible condition) but by security themselves, who were the ones who told me int he first place when I asked, that they didn't have anything to do with the bikes in the bike shed...that it was not their responsibility.
I was absolutely horrified when I was told the bike belonged to someone. I was apologetic, offered to bring the bike back the same evening, told security I was a member of staff, asked if I could speak to the owner etc...they said it was ok at the time, it had obviously been a misunderstanding and that I should bring the bike back the next morning, which I did first thing. The police were not involved, the owner of the bike has not been involved, I was never once accused of theft at the time and was allowed to go home that evening after being told not to worry.
Three days later, I was taken into my boss's office and told I was being investigated for "unauthorised removal of a bike from trust premises". I admitted I took a bike and that I'd brought it back and tried to explain what had happened but they wouldn't listen. It is now at a stage where it's going to a disciplinary panel and I'm terrified. I've worked so hard to get where I am and I know it was a stupid, stupid thing to do but I would never, ever take a bike that I thought belonged to someone. I have been off sick with stress. It's taken five weeks so far and there still isn't a date for the hearing. My boss has told me he'll accept a resignation but if I do that I wont get a reference. I'm just too worried and stressed to face a hearing. I've admitted taking the bike but it was because I was misled by security themselves? I believe I was misinformed and misled and had I known it had anything to do with them or what the procedure was, I would never have taken it. Is this really gross misconduct given the circumstances? I know I should have been more thorough but I was so convinced it was abandoned that I stupidly thought nobody did care or would care about it.
So now I'm in the awful position of - do I go to the disciplinary with this and hope I get a final warning or do I resign with immediate effect but without a reference? If I get dismissed, which is a possibility I'm starting to fear...isn't that going to be worse in the long term? I'm just not sure what a panel would make of this stupid mistake I made. I genuinely didn't mean to cause any harm and I had no intention of keeping the bike? I genuinely believed it was disused...it had been there for weeks with no attempts to fix the brakes; they were missing every time I'd seen it and it was this that led me to finally believe it was abandoned. I really regret what I did, I know it was stupid and a total lack of judgement but I just don't know if I should risk hoping a disciplinary panel would see it my way.
Do I resign or let this go to a hearing? I'm worried they'll try to slap me with theft even though I didn't think it belonged to anyone. If I get dismissed I'll lose my license to practise as a health professional and my career. If I resign, I just won't get a reference. I've no idea how anyone on a panel would react to this misdemeanour. I have a completely clean record and otherwise doing really well in my position.
Any advice on what to do would be so appreciated. I'm going mad with worry and have to make a decision in the next two days.
Thanks...any advice would be so helpful. I've never been in this position before in my life.
I'm new on here and hoping for some sound advice at a really stressful time. It would be much appreciated. Sorry if it's long but it's a bit of a long story and hard to explain.
I work in the NHS and have only been with my current employer for one year. I know this may sound random but I did something really, really stupid (I know now) but with absolutely no malicious intent. I'm a keen cyclist and have cycled to work every day for the last year. I live in an area that isn't close to public transport so my bike was my only real means of getting to and from work. Last month my bike was stolen from a place outside of work and I wasn't able to replace it outright due to the expense involved. I began enquiring about a scheme at work which enables us to buy new bikes and pay per month from our salary. I have emails that prove my interest in the scheme and that I was intending to do this. Meanwhile, I was looking around at other bikes on site whilst thinking about buying a new one...just out of general interest and to see what was around. I noticed there were lots of what looked like abandoned bikes on the grounds and in particular in the bike shed I used previously to park my own bike. I cycle a lot and thought I knew enough to know when a bike wasn't being used. I think you may have realised by now what's coming. I'd seen a particular bike in the shed that was unlocked, had no front brake pads at all, gears that were jammed, hardly any air in the tyres, was really dirty...all the things I'd seen before. I figured I could fix it up and effectively borrow it to get to work and back just for a short time until I sorted the new bike on the bike scheme.
The thing is, on advice from colleagues I went to speak to security and asked what happened to abandoned bikes in the shed. There were about 7 or 8 that were in a state of disrepair so this bike was one of a number. I was told by a member of security that abandoned bikes had nothing to do with them, that they were not the trust's responsibility and that I would have to speak to the outside bike company about it as they were the ones who removed the disused ones. He said bikes in the trust shed were not actually the responsibility of the hospital. I tried to get the information for the bike company but couldn't get hold of them. They only came to the hospital once every couple of months to carry out services so I made the stupid decision of thinking by the time I got round to asking them I would have brought the disused bike back in a better condition and left it back in the shed for someone else to use. I didn't want the bike but I thought I could fix it to use temporarily. I took the bike out of the shed, dusted it off and gave it a bit of a ride round (in the grounds) to see what needed doing. I didn't think it was safe at all, the brakes were missing and it needed a lot of work so I decided to walk home with it.
We have cameras everywhere on site...I know we have as I've worked there for the last year. I didn't believe I was doing anything terrible so I made absolutely no attempt to hide taking the bike. I didn't act in any way like I was attempting to steal anything; I just wasn't thinking that way. I was absolutely convinced nobody would care about it as it was in such a dishevelled state. I know it sounds mad but I kind of thought it would be a good thing to take care of the bike and recycle it for someone else to use.
To cut a long story short, it turned out the bike belonged to someone...it was reported as missing to security, security stopped me whilst I was actually at work because they recognised me from the camera footage and now I'm being sent to a disciplinary for gross misconduct. Not by the person who owns the bike (who admits it's in a terrible condition) but by security themselves, who were the ones who told me int he first place when I asked, that they didn't have anything to do with the bikes in the bike shed...that it was not their responsibility.
I was absolutely horrified when I was told the bike belonged to someone. I was apologetic, offered to bring the bike back the same evening, told security I was a member of staff, asked if I could speak to the owner etc...they said it was ok at the time, it had obviously been a misunderstanding and that I should bring the bike back the next morning, which I did first thing. The police were not involved, the owner of the bike has not been involved, I was never once accused of theft at the time and was allowed to go home that evening after being told not to worry.
Three days later, I was taken into my boss's office and told I was being investigated for "unauthorised removal of a bike from trust premises". I admitted I took a bike and that I'd brought it back and tried to explain what had happened but they wouldn't listen. It is now at a stage where it's going to a disciplinary panel and I'm terrified. I've worked so hard to get where I am and I know it was a stupid, stupid thing to do but I would never, ever take a bike that I thought belonged to someone. I have been off sick with stress. It's taken five weeks so far and there still isn't a date for the hearing. My boss has told me he'll accept a resignation but if I do that I wont get a reference. I'm just too worried and stressed to face a hearing. I've admitted taking the bike but it was because I was misled by security themselves? I believe I was misinformed and misled and had I known it had anything to do with them or what the procedure was, I would never have taken it. Is this really gross misconduct given the circumstances? I know I should have been more thorough but I was so convinced it was abandoned that I stupidly thought nobody did care or would care about it.
So now I'm in the awful position of - do I go to the disciplinary with this and hope I get a final warning or do I resign with immediate effect but without a reference? If I get dismissed, which is a possibility I'm starting to fear...isn't that going to be worse in the long term? I'm just not sure what a panel would make of this stupid mistake I made. I genuinely didn't mean to cause any harm and I had no intention of keeping the bike? I genuinely believed it was disused...it had been there for weeks with no attempts to fix the brakes; they were missing every time I'd seen it and it was this that led me to finally believe it was abandoned. I really regret what I did, I know it was stupid and a total lack of judgement but I just don't know if I should risk hoping a disciplinary panel would see it my way.
Do I resign or let this go to a hearing? I'm worried they'll try to slap me with theft even though I didn't think it belonged to anyone. If I get dismissed I'll lose my license to practise as a health professional and my career. If I resign, I just won't get a reference. I've no idea how anyone on a panel would react to this misdemeanour. I have a completely clean record and otherwise doing really well in my position.
Any advice on what to do would be so appreciated. I'm going mad with worry and have to make a decision in the next two days.
Thanks...any advice would be so helpful. I've never been in this position before in my life.
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