#WorkplaceDrama #HRIssues #EmploymentRights
Hey there! So, I’ve got a pretty sticky situation at work and could really use your insights. Here’s the scoop:
I’ve been part of my team for over five years with a spotless record—no bad reviews or complaints. Recently, I went to my boss with some concerns I had, and ever since, she’s treated me like dirt. 😞 This all came to a head when I returned from a 10-day vacation (which she approved, by the way), and she was incredibly angry. I tried to smooth things over, but she just snapped, telling me she couldn’t even look at me and she didn’t care what I did next.
Now, here’s where it gets really wild: she’s gone and reported me to HR, claiming I’m abusing my PTO. She even listed days I supposedly didn’t work, but I was actually there—proof and all! 🙄 So now I’m left wondering a couple of things:
- Is it even legal for her to lie to HR without facing consequences? 💼
- How do I tackle this situation effectively?
I’m torn between focusing on the clear lies she told and the retaliation aspect of it all.
🔑 Here are some pain points I think are really affecting me and others in similar situations:
- Job Security: It’s horrifying to think your job could be threatened based on lies!
- Mental Strain: The stress of dealing with a toxic boss can take a toll on your mental health.
- Isolation: You often feel alone when you’re up against someone in a position of power; it’s hard to know who to trust.
So, I’m leaning towards gathering proof of her lies and presenting them to HR while also mentioning the retaliatory behavior. I think documenting everything clearly and providing evidence will help back up my case. But I’m also wary of making this a long, drawn-out process.
💬 What do you think? Have you ever faced something similar? How did you handle it? Any tips for navigating these murky waters would be hugely appreciated! Let’s chat.
While it’s unethical to lie about your team members, its not necessarily illegal. The illegal part would come if the lies impact your job and income (libel or slander) or if the lies come in the form of harassment based on a protected class.
HOPEFULLY your HR team knows her MO and will stop it and hopefully try to help her. If it were me, no I would not sign off on a termination like this as HR. If the employee told me “Hey, I can show you how all of these accusations are false” I’d probably hit pause to investigate.
But it is possible that she could succeed in firing you. And I don’t see anything overtly illegal about what you’ve shared. Focus on the facts when you talk to your HR team.
(Former W&H, EEOC, OSHA compliance, violation-lawsuit resolution, arbitration)
Don’t need any details but, can you give the subject on what the “concerns” were and why it made her upset with you?
Report the facts, then wait to see if HR focuses on anything.
Were you included on the email that she wrote to HR? If so, just respond *calmly* with just the facts, no emotion and provide the proof that you say you have. This should be a complete none issue when you provide your evidence.
Did you request specific days off for PTO? She knew you were leaving but did she know you were taking 10 days off? That is the part she’s mad about … how long you were off. Did you have enough PTO accrued to cover it?
HR and payroll will have a record of your PTO days used. Your check stubs will also show PTO used. So, say your boss said you abused PTO on May 12th – your pay records would show if that day was paid as straight wages for hours at work or PTO hours used.
It is very unsound that she is lying about PTO abuse since the records are all there.
As for her being a ranting lunatic- sadly that doesn’t meet the definition of harassment or retaliation. It just means she is a horrible boss.
You could ask HR for mediation to help you speak with her and figure out where it all went off the rails.
Or you could (most likely should) dust off your resume and start job hunting.
Your safety net is to make sure you are sending emails while in the office from your work computer…to prove you were in the office.
If you’re sure you were in office, you can ask HR to have IT pull your security logs and login credentials, login, log off, restart and shutdown events/time stamps, and emails, etc.
You better make sure you weren’t playing hooky and logging in from home though, as they will be able to see that too.
Only you know if you were in the office.
HR and IT can sort out who is lying.
Hopefully, your company will discipline her for trying to falsely terminate you. Just be aware that they could terminate you for any reason…but it sounds like she is setting you up for a just cause termination based on false accusation. While they could still terminate you, you would have a possible defamation/slander lawsuit against her and the company. Of course you would need to seek legal guidance from an attorney in your state and sometime the legal fees may be more than you may win. Unless you can prove it was due to discrimination of you in a protected class which would be a EEOC lawsuit. Harassment might also be a claim but it would be hard to prove.
Also, to make it easier, start sending yourself an email every morning you login to your computer.
Disclaimer: I’m not in HR.
In my experience, it doesn’t matter if disciplinary action is based on lies, unless those lies involve protected class topics like race or gender. For instance, I was placed on a PIP due to wholly fabricated claims, including an accusation of rudeness in an email that wasn’t even argumentative or contentious. When I asked my manager to point out the rudeness, he couldn’t. I appealed to HR, stating the PIP was demonstrably based on fabricated events. HR thanked me and said they’d investigate, but the next day they upheld the PIP. When I questioned how the investigation could come to that confusion, they said my manager felt the PIP was fair, which was the extent of their “investigation”.
Years later, I realized HR’s role isn’t to ensure fair treatment but to protect the company from lawsuits. They didn’t care if my termination was unfair; they cared whether my appeal posed a legal risk. Since my case didn’t involve anything like sexual harassment, they proceeded.
My advice: start job hunting. Even if some HR reps would investigate, most won’t force a manager to keep an unwanted employee. As long as the termination doesn’t break laws, you’ll likely be fired.
1: If this is all for abusing PTO and you said your boss approved this.
Ain’t there a paper trail with all of this in it ti back your claim up?
2: If it is that easy for your boss to fire you, And your boss wants you gone.. Honestky; nothing you can do about it.. Because no reason really is needed.
Welcome to the Club.
I am 100 percent sure I was in the office – so that’s a positive for me. My computer scans my face to let me in and my key card gets me in the building and into the printing machines. There’s literally no way I could fake it. I rarely work from home – as in I have to ask permission to do so and have those dates documented as well, but she didn’t mention any times I was working remote. One of the dates she gave… she lied and said I didn’t come to the office for an entire week when my family member was in the hospital – yet I was there every day but 1/2 of one day and on that day I was texting with her personally back and forth….. keeping her updated on the situation and my time frame for coming back into the office. That same day, another manager started and I have teams messages from him talking about how great it was to meet me in the office. But also – all my other colleagues were in the office that day and will vouch for me. They won’t have to bc I’m sure IT can pull my logs.
Tell HR the truth. If she is putting the company at risk they will protect you.