#FalseAccusations #SupervisorIssues #HRConflict #WorkplaceHarassment
🚨Update: My supervisor continues to falsely accuse me of sleeping during in person meetings, impacting my performance review and creating a hostile work environment. 😞
If you find yourself in a similar situation, it’s important to know your rights and how to navigate through these challenging circumstances. Here’s a comprehensive guide to handling false accusations in the workplace and protecting your professional reputation.
###Addressing False Accusations: Understanding Your Rights and Options
####1. Documenting the Incidents
– It’s crucial to keep detailed records of every interaction and accusation made by your supervisor. This includes dates, times, and specific details of the alleged incidents.
– If possible, gather supporting evidence such as emails, meeting agendas, and witness statements to refute the false accusations.
####2. Seeking Support from HR
– Despite your supervisor’s attempt to deter you, escalating the situation to Human Resources is necessary to protect your rights. Explain your concerns and provide all evidence to support your case.
– HR is responsible for ensuring a fair and respectful workplace environment, and they have a duty to investigate your claims without bias.
####3. Understanding Workplace Harassment
– Your supervisor’s consistent false accusations and threats of disciplinary action may constitute workplace harassment. Know your company’s policies on harassment and how it’s defined within your organization.
– If your supervisor’s actions create a hostile work environment, it’s important to seek legal advice to determine the appropriate course of action.
####4. Know Your Defenses
– Refute the false accusations with factual evidence and witness statements. Present your documented records and any supporting evidence to disprove the allegations made against you.
– Employers have a duty to provide a fair and transparent process in addressing workplace issues. If there are discrepancies in the investigation or disciplinary process, seek legal counsel.
####5. Protecting Your Professional Reputation
– While navigating through this challenging situation, it’s important to maintain professionalism and seek support from trusted colleagues who can provide witness statements to support your case.
– If you feel the need to seek alternative employment due to the hostile work environment created by false accusations, ensure your job search is discreet and does not negatively impact your current employment situation.
###Seeking Legal Advice and Support
– If you feel your rights have been violated or that the workplace environment is becoming increasingly hostile due to false accusations, consider seeking legal advice from an employment attorney.
– A legal professional can provide guidance on potential legal actions, including filing a formal complaint with the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC) or pursuing a lawsuit for workplace harassment and wrongful termination.
In conclusion, dealing with false accusations from a supervisor can be emotionally and professionally challenging. It’s important to seek support from HR, document every interaction, and understand your legal rights in addressing workplace harassment. Remember, you are not alone, and there are resources available to help you navigate through this difficult situation.
Stay strong and know that your professional reputation is worth fighting for. Don’t hesitate to seek the necessary support and legal guidance to protect your rights in the workplace. #WorkplaceRights #ProfessionalReputation #EqualityInWorkplace.
For more guidance on addressing workplace harassment and false accusations, visit our website for helpful resources and legal advice. Remember, your rights matter, and you deserve a fair and respectful work environment. Let’s stand together against false accusations and workplace harassment.
Unfortunately, you’re being targeted and now they’re building a case against you. This is very typical actions when they want to get rid of someone.
Sorry you’re going through this
Document everything, of course. Every time anything happens, quickly write what happened and when.
It might not be enough to save your job but if nothing else you’ll be able to look at those notes to know when you’re being gaslit.
Are you sure you’re not sleeping? I would sit next to my spouse at movies and they would have their eyes closed and would be snoring, but would swear they weren’t sleeping.
Basically all you can do is keep records for yourself but yeah, he’s harassing you, and it seems like HR isn’t willing to do shit about it.
I’m so sorry.
They’re making up reasons to fire you. You should document the false accusations and reject them as being untrue via email so that you have them documented.
One option you have for yourself is to invest in an aura ring sleep tracker. This will provide you with the necessary evidence to combat any of their further attempts to say that you’ve been falling asleep.
I wouldn’t tell them you have it. Only bring it up when they falsely accuse you again — which they will.
You can bring up the information off the device and you’ll have them caught in the lie and severely undermine their prior claims 😉
If you want to further add insult to injury, bill them for the cost of the ring after the fact being as it was their false accusations that made it necessary for you having to invest in the device.
If they pay for the cost of the device, this has the potential to help you further down the road if you decide to lawyer-up.
Wish you the best.
This is their way to build up a case to fire you. There is no salvaging this job. Get out as soon as you can and don’t look back.
Hey OP I’m glad you’re documenting and gearing up to get out. They are being totally unfair and most definitely targeting you.
This is why you keep a nice stash of fu money. That way if I’m ever messed with like this and have no other option but to leave, I can do it on my own terms. That said, if you can do it, and you aren’t relying on a reference from them (let’s be honest I’d be wary of asking for reference from them) wait to rage quit with no notice on a 4 day week right after offering to do a bunch of extra work. 🥰
I have a friend who is extremely concientious and has an amazing work ethic. She was fired for sleeping at her desk after putting eye drops in and closing her eyes for a couple of seconds. If they want you gone for any reason, they will find a way. I’m sorry this is happening to you it’s shitty and no one deserves this treatment.
They are looking for reasons to fire you. This is probably a good time to take some sort of medical leave and stretch it out for as long as possible
I would dive deeper into the health concern angle. Ask for in person meetings to be recorded. Just prop your phone up and record yourself. Frame it all as wanting to understand what he is seeing and that you want to have something to show your doctor. Make an appointment with your doctor, and make sure when you submit a time off request for it that it is clear the appointment is to address this issue of your falling asleep during meetings.
Any time they shrug it off, you repeat that you are concerned for your health if you are falling asleep and cannot remember it. It could be a symptom of something serious. You want to have evidence to bring to your doctor.
Ask your manager to write a letter or if they would call your doctor about what they saw, or if the two other people could. They are going to scoff at this. They are a witness, and you want your doctor to be able to ask any pertinent questions about what happened.
Just be clear that you are wanting to work on this issue, and talking with your doctor makes the most sense as this would 100% be a medical issue if you are falling asleep uncontrollably and without noticing it.
This seems like a really poor choice of avenue to attack someone on, there’s a lot of room for you to push back here. You WANT to fix this. You dont know how, he doesnt know how, so you are seeking an expert. Just be very vocal and clear that you are seeking help and what you are doing and what that timeline is.
Anytime they try to push this as a performance issue, you say, “no, I disagree that this is a performance issue. If I am falling asleep with realizing it, that could be seizure and not actually sleep, at the very least it is a worrisome symptom. I have a doctor’s appointment on X day. Would like to provide a letter detailing what you have seen at our in person meetings that I can pass along to my doctor?”
I’m not sure what line of work you’re in but if someone told me they couldn’t move a meeting time and I had to be there and needed to reschedule a doctor’s appointment I’d booked months before I’d provide them an escalation path and invite either of my other extremely competent colleagues. No single person should ever be a failure point for a single conversation at any company.
All this to say they sound like assholes and furthermore, they sound like assholes who unfortunately have it out for you. I’ve been pushed out once before and the circumstances around it were completely bizarre. At the time I thought I was being paranoid and weird and figured it was me but looking back it was them creating this paranoid and strange environment. Once you’re out I feel you’ll find exactly the same hindsight.
It sucks to have to find something new, but I agree with others that’s the best course of action given their treatment of you.
I had an employee that was sleeping in meetings but would adamantly deny sleeping in these meetings despite about 20 other people being in the room and seeing it. Imagine how frustrated your supervisor is.
Can you start standing during meetings instead of sitting? That way there’s no possible way to accuse you of sleeping (of course I’m sure they’d try a different angle or even say you’re sleeping standing up somehow)
>I want to escalate it to HR but he told me who was also in the meetings who supposedly saw it happen as well
And you’re going to take his word on that when you already know he is a liar?
Talk to HR yourself *in person*.
It’s best to find other employment.
They don’t need to find a reason to fire beyond not being a good fit for the team.
Good luck.
I have nothing constructive to add for you, but I did have a coworker who was fired for sleeping at work. In his case, he absolutely was, and it was well-documented with video and time stamps. He even fell asleep on the toilet for an hour.
You. Need. To. Leave.
Maybe you let them fire you but they may try to block your unemployment.
The only way you maybe get out of this is with some medical excuse and then the company is too afraid to fire you.
You may as well go to HR, especially with the detailed contemporaneous notes of said meeting. Seems you don’t have much to lose at this point.
Is your company pushing a return to office plan? I know where I work they are. It’s become “optional” to return, however some managers have dropped hints that on-site workers are more successful. Is it possible they’re weeding out remote workers?
It’s does look like you have a target on your back and I hate to say this because I am a huge proponent of WFH. If you go into the office more if it’s possible and do a bit more face time. It might slow it down until you can find a new job, I don’t know what industry you are in but things are tough so start looking now.
I sat next to a bloke on the tube the other day who had his eyes open and looked like he was reading a paper but was snoring loud as fuck. I kept looking at him to figure out whether he was sleeping with his eyes closed or just fully awake and snoring. Pretty certain it was the latter – maybe you inadvertently do the same? Especially if they specifically said ‘you were making sleeping noises’
I always take notes at meetings. Have the date, time, people present, and sone general notes. This is a good way to refute your bosses claims.
Sounds like they are pushing you hard though. It might be a good idea to speak with HR about how to improve. If you can get HR to at least see you are making the effort they might side with you.
Good you are looking elsewhere. I would not want to work in this type of environment. It sucks when it seems like people are out to get you.
What field do you work in?
I’ve only ever known one person who survived a PiP, my daughter’s boyfriend, and the reason he was in the PiP was medical, and getting accommodations is how it was resolved.
I have Hypersomnia, I can fall asleep while doing active things at my desk if I’m not medicated, but I know it’s about to happen. My vision swims, I feel extremely sleepy and I zone out. I fell out of my drafting chair enough times that I got a standard desk and chair instead.
I’d talk to the doctor, if you can swing it, have a sleep study done. I don’t expect you’ll find any cause since they’re likely lying through their teeth, but it could be worth investigating just in case.
I mean, you might just need to get under a doctor’s care for this supposed narcolepsy, make sure you apply for FMLA for any time away you need to have testing, appointments, etc., and maybe that will get them to at least slow down or back off enough for you to make it another year or until you can find another job. You’re definitely a goner, but maybe this will at least slow their roll.
Buy yourself a good Garmin or smartwatch. When they accuse you of sleeping, you’ll have heart rate metrics to prove you weren’t.
Either he doesn’t know who you are and is thinking of the wrong person or is actively trying to get you to leave. If you like the job and are willing to push it to stay you could go to HR over this with your evidence and lack of effective communication, as it’s only your supervisors word that HR has also seen you sleeping in a meeting you were awake for.
If you manage to stay, clearly I would request to be on another sups team as well
Go see a doctor. Have them fill out FMLA paperwork. This will protect you against termination for “falling asleep” as you are seeking treatment. Schedule your 15 min breaks so people know when they are. Let people know when you are going to log off for the day. “I’ll be logging off in 30 min, anything that needs my attention at the moment?”. Look for ways to improve your performance and request advice on areas you can improve. Don’t make excuses for everything. Accept responsibility even if it’s illegitimate concerns. “You fell asleep!” Really? I was listening to you closely, yet if it seemed I’d fallen asleep, I’ll go see a doctor for a check-up. Then go get ADA paperwork filled out. Be proactive.
This sounds alarming similar to a previous boss I had. He claimed to have witnesses for my falling asleep as well. But it never happened anywhere else and should have been considered a medical emergency if true.
It didn’t end well for me. I was able to prove I was over achieving in every area of work highlighted in the performance plan and HR closed it off. The next day I was suspended for a breach of IT policy instead. I was really lucky that HR assigned a manager from a different site to investigate me. It took 8 weeks but I was cleared and offered just over 3 years salary to sign an NDA and leave without a fuss. I did nothing wrong and they knew it, but chose to back him and cover themselves by paying me off.
Looking for other jobs is the right move here, but for the rest of this job and future roles, is there a way you can appear to be looking slightly down at the camera? Putting your laptop or webcam just slightly below eye level can help you appear taller and your eyes appear wider open. Also, making sure your face is well-lit, nodding and responding verbally from time to time, and maintaining an upright posture can help make you look more alert.
There is no winning in this situation. You’re going to be wrong no matter what you do. I would keep applying elsewhere and get out of there. If the problem is just this particular manager, perhaps there is another department at your company? Just a thought.
Your supervisor is a dick and if/when you do exit, please be very clear that you are leaving because your supervisor created a hostile environment and targeted you unfairly and you would suggest HR deal with that before bringing a new person on board in the future. If they choose not to do anything, oh well, you tried.
Good luck to you. I am in a similar situation though not as severe as yours, so I truly feel for you. Keep your head up.
I genuinely think you need to start applying for a new job because they’re definitely doing a vendetta.
Sorry that you are going through this but they obviously do not want you there.
Everyone seems to be all in for this dude, and given how he’s explained it, I am too.
That said, I’d be interested to hear about his overall work performance from a coworker in his area.
I worked with a guy that was only capable of being 85% “with it” at any specific moment, but thought he was some sort of business savant. He was clearly not good enough to realise he was not good enough to pay attention or finish tasks. The job was keeping up with tickets and calls that were equally assigned round-robin style… We all got roughly equal amounts of work, and no one worked more than 8 hours a day. Not hard.
When asked about his trouble following up with customers and clearing calls, he only saw these objective concerns over his quality of output as a personal attack and he assumed that certain people were “trying to get him fired” in his complaints to other coworkers. The dude sucked to rely on at work, but if anyone asked him to step it up or if maybe he’d be better in another role, he’d balk and talk about how he didn’t want to “get caught in the weeds”
I mean, bad places exist, but if your boss and a bunch of HR people are trying to find anything to write you up in your eyes, you might as well leave. Either they are making your life hell, and that sucks… or they are just asking you to perform at an equal rate, and YOU suck… enough to not realise it.
Sorry this is happening to you. Your boss clearly wants you gone and has probably been told by HR what is needed to legally terminate you. There’s no saving this job unless your boss leaves but they’ve already tainted your reputation in general. Double down on your job hunt. I hope you find something bigger and better.
Targeted harassment, take notes and press charges.
Hey you might be getting pushed out but here’s another thing to think about:
We had a guy at work who kept falling asleep at his desk and wouldn’t believe anyone It was happening. Which was really weird so we video tapped him and showed him. We told him he absolutely had to go see a doctor and he did.
Turns out it was a medical condition that if went untreated would have killed him. I can’t remember exactly what it was but I thought it was a sleep apnea thing.
Anyways he got treated and still works for us. I strongly suggest asking more people who were in the meetings if they saw this happen and if they did – Go To The Doctor
Hire a lawyer and sue him for libel. You won’t win, but name the company in the suit as well. There’s a good chance they’ll settle out of court and whoop his ass privately for the headache.