On May 14th I was suspended from Hafal when my Line Manager, Sharon Jones, alleged I: “acted in a threatening and abusive manner towards another member of staff and that acting in this way in a public place I behaved in a manner that might damage the reputation of the voluntary care sector or reduce the trust and confidence of the public.”
Ridiculous.
My suspension followed a brief conversation I had with Hafal’s Head of Communications, Mathew Pearce, the manager I raised a grievance against a few months earlier.
I spoke to Matthew before work on a campaign event in Cardiff Bay begun. The conversation was witnessed by Hafal’s Event’s Co-ordinator Emma Billings and also Jacki Chard. I said: “Hello, how are you? Are you talking to me after the grievance?” Matthew smiled and mumbled: “Yes”. I then said: “Don’t ever do that to me again.”
It was a spontaneous comment. By “that” I meant: don’t lie about my job prospects; recommend I get the sack when my work was fine; send me job applications I didn’t want or take an overly keen interest in my private life, that kind of thing (see my previous post).
Matthew stormed off and that was it. The conversation – I didn’t shout or swear – must have lasted four seconds. However that was enough to see me sent home from the event a few hours later and suspended at 4pm that day.
I was shocked by what I considered to be the malicious severity of the allegation and by Sharon, my Line Manager’s willingness to act swiftly on the words of a manager with a record of lying behind my back: Sharon did not witness the conversation that morning nor did she phone me for my account of what happened either before I was sent home or before I was suspended. No-one from Head Office sought my account. One of my colleagues, who works at Hafal Head Office, later wrote privately to me saying I was “stitched up.”
After Sharon’s ridiculous offer of counselling, the grievance “whitewash” and this allegation I thought “I can’t work here anymore” so I e-mailed in my notice a few days later. I was gutted to leave Hafal as I loved working with virtually all my colleagues, service users and carers.
An investigation into the conversation was eventually held. I was told it would be “full and transparent” however no verdict on whether I was “guilty” or “not guilty” of the allegation was given. Also my request to see signed written witness statements was refused. When I asked Hafal Company Secretary Nicola Thomas if I could see the statements, she wrote that “as it’s the summer holiday season seeking any further information may take some time.” The investigation into my four-second conversation with Matthew took over two months to “complete”.
In hindsight my days were numbered after I raised the grievance; subtle changes took place shortly afterwards, I became increasingly isolated. For example Sharon excluded me from meetings and tasks I was promised and accustomed to doing; I had no appraisal or support and supervision; I was also tipped off that one senior member of staff had suddenly started using the work computer I worked on when I was away from my desk.
When I asked a colleague why this might be I was told: “That’s what they do to people they want to get rid of.” When I found the senior staff member in question at my desk he said: “I was just keeping your seat warm.”
This, like everything else in this blog, is on the record. I’ve documented it all in an exchange of letters during the summer; nobody at Hafal has disputed this post-grievance conduct.
It’s not the kind of behaviour you expect from senior managers at a mental health charity.
In my next blog post I will explain why I didn’t take the charity to an employment tribunal as that may help others facing a tricky, potentially expensive decision.
POSTSCRIPT – CLEARED
After leaving Hafal Emma, who witnessed my conversation with Pearce, got in touch. Her words clear my name and show the behaviour of Pearce, Chard and management in their true light.
Emma wrote: “I just want you to know that I stood up against all of them for you. It did me no favours but I did. The day in Cardiff Bay was just awful and I was the only one who told them that there was no way that you were causing any disruption. There was a lot of selfish people there and not just the most senior either.
“They (Pearce and Chard) were both utterly incensed and every time I stood up for you they couldn’t bear it. I dread bumping into them round Swansea.”
Thank you for telling the truth, Emma.
If you would like to share your public interest concerns about Hafal in confidence please e-mail me at: john.gilheaney@btinternet.com
johngilheaney 