I have been with my current employer for a little over a year and a half total. I left for a little while at the peak of the pandemic due to complete burnout. I was often working 6-7 days a week, which would be a lot for anyone, so left about March or April and came back in October with an entirely different view (at least initially). However, when word came out that I was coming back, a person that rarely works with me decided to make up lies about me.
She went to management telling them I was Facebook stalking this unit clerk, and that I supposedly said that I wanted to eat her (like a cannibal, not sexually) – meanwhile, she didn't even catch the entire conversation that I was having with the other worker. He had asked me if I was stranded on an island with no food, would I be able to eat a person? I said, while not ideal, if there was no other option, yeah. Just harmless banter between two guys. Neither of us are intimidating in any way, shape or form.
Fast forward to today, it has been roughly a year or so since that conversation took place. Only just NOW she makes a false claim to higher-ups, which results in a call from employee relations to me. Took everything in me to not go, “Are you serious?” but I told her everything I could remember being that it has been a good bit of time.
After their “investigation”, I was cleared of any wrongdoing. Meanwhile, during the investigation, the girl that made the claims, though told not to talk to anyone about it during the investigation, did so. She did that after being told she could face termination for disclosing anything. She works as the same job title just a different department (most of the time, but she's cross trained to do both). The younger employees are usually not under as much scrutiny, but to top it off, certain employees are allowed to get away with murder.
My question is:
– for most employers, if faced with this situation and the person was found innocent, doesn't that alone usually warrant a suspension, if not termination?
Legitimately nothing happened to her, nothing. And to top it off, she more frequently has been my relief (or I've been her relief) – making it more uncomfortable than it already is. Needless to say my current employer will not be my current employer much longer, thankfully.