Twice a week we publish problems that will feature in a forthcoming Dear Jeremy advice column in the Saturday Guardian so that readers can offer their own advice and suggestions. We then print the best of your comments alongside Jeremy’s own insights.
Two months ago I started at a small property company and I really like it. The team is small and I feel I fit in well.
Another employee, the sole HR representative, started at the same time as me. I had requested a few meetings with them simply to discuss what time off I was entitled to as the company policy was strangely worded and unclear. I did not understand it at all!
I certainly didn’t want to upset my manager by requesting too much time off. Because we are such a small company, our chief executive noticed these meetings and (without my knowledge) got extremely upset with the HR manager for meeting me. They held their ground and tried to not tell the boss the nature of our meetings (I had explained that I needed to know about time off because of an ongoing personal situation). However, for some reason chief executive accused the HR manager of keeping secrets.
The next day the HR manager was fired, apparently without being given a reason.
There may, of course, be far more to it than this, but if the story is true I should imagine there will be some legal action for unfair dismissal.
Whatever the truth, or whatever happens, I am left feeling uncomfortable with this situation, particularly as I’m new.
How can requesting meetings with HR be seen as the wrong thing to do? I am also feeling nervous about working under such a volatile chief executive.
Do you need advice on a work issue? For Jeremy’s and readers’ help, send a brief email to dear.jeremy@theguardian.com. Please note that he is unable to answer questions of a legal nature or to reply personally.
