Ok, so first things first I am in the UK & work in IT and this situation literally came out of nowhere. I use to work with someone in IT & they left for another department as it was paying more. Let’s refer to him as John. I am mates with John & if I walk through the studio & see him I’ll sometimes stop for five mins to have a chat. It’s been this way for months.
Suddenly, two weeks ago, John’s manager complains about me to HR & my manager. They said the following:
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I spend too much time with him distracting him from doing his work.
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I was asked me to stop speaking to him as much but I’ve ignored her.
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A member of her team overheard me using offensive language. (Failed to specify what offensive language).
This came out of the blue and it has shocked me a bit. First of all, when HR told me about the complaint they refused to say who made it. However when they said it’s about me sitting with someone etc I knew it could be only one person. Since then they have confirmed it was John’s manager. Apparently those three points validate a need for an investigation.
It’s all hearsay so I’m not sure what they can investigate. John will back me up in saying that I don’t use any offensive language, I don’t distract him nor has his manager, with him present, ever asked me to not sit with him as much. I hardly ever speak to this manager so she can’t claim to have spoken to me away from John. Plus there is CCTV so if she did come upstairs to the IT office to speak to me it would reflect that but of course it won’t.
John always completes his work & in-fact he is always working on the jobs for the next day so I fail to see how I distract him.
Another note, she has been bitching about me at work for some time. Even making comments to others & asking personal questions about me. The day after she made that complaint she was telling someone I am an arsehole & asking sexual related questions about me. Weird stuff. Obviously has an issue with me.
Obviously the people who she made these comments to will back me up so she’s fucked up massively, there. HR & my manager are almost treating this as if I have done it. I know they can’t sack me for hearsay, but it does feel like they will try to write me up given the opportunity. Does anyone have any advice on what to do? I feel like I will give them short answers & will tell them I’ll seek legal advice etc. Maybe that will get them to back off?
Oh and when I explained to my manager that you can’t discipline someone on hearsay, that you need evidence, he tried telling me that isn’t necessarily the case. Which is of course BS. My manager will only be interested in covering his own back so I am well & truly on my own.