Please help…
Sorry if this is posted to the wrong place but I urgently need answers and I feel I am on a time crunch.
I'm hoping for some legal advice for the workplace, I'm in NZ so needs to be to my country as I know every country has different laws.
I'll try give as much details as I can. I (female 29) am a lower level manager at my work (there are 3 different levels of managers. Shift manager, assistant store manager and store manager). I put in a formal complaint to my store manager (SM) about our assistant store manager (ASM) for bullying and harassment. The solution for this was that we weren't to cross paths. If management asked for help at night time I'm not allowed to go in (she works afternoon shifts well I work morning shifts as I have kids). I'm still unsure if I like this outcome as I feel there hasn't been anything done about my complaint. She was apparently spoken too and told not to do it. The whole store has been told not to talk about the assistant manager at all (she has bullied nearly every single staff member and hasn't had any consequences or formal complaints made till I done mine. Everyone acknowledges her behaviour but it is also pushed to the side as “that's just her” or “you know how she is”). Everyone has been warned not to speak about her in the workplace or they will be immediately fired. I feel this makes a mockery of my complaint as she is the one being protected by higher management when it's her behaviour that is wrong. Weeks before I put in my complaint I was being told that she was telling our SM that the rosters needed to be changed and people work different shifts. She was also telling other staff members that shifts need to be changed… although when she was saying this it was only my shifts she wanted to change! Nothing happened then but now she is trying it again. I have been told again that she is pushing for my shifts to be changed and her put onto mornings instead of me. I am mad. I feel she has a problem with me and is trying every way she can to fuck with me at work. I have been working just the mornings for months now as it suits my life style. Myself and SM are the only ones with children. My current hours are worked around their schooling. I was told over winter I would need to work afternoon as we would be busy but I haven't been added onto an evening shift.
ASM has a worker who is essentially her mini. For 2 weeks in a row my finish time was moved back by half an hour, so in total I lost an hour of rostered work. I have found out that I lost that hour of work because ASM mini had complained to our SM that she didnt want to cross paths with me, as a result my hours were cut back to suit her. She has told other workers in the store about this and said it was because I butted my nose into her life and made it bad. For context, she started dating a customer who I found out was a convicted sex offender for assault on minors. I choose to protect my staff and made sure everyone was aware of who he was and what he done. We have a lot of minors in our workplace, so he was trespassed. Although the trespass didn't cover the carpark as there is other businesses. He had came to the carpark a couple of times looking for me to physically assault me for exposing him (he tried to change his name to hide away from what he done but I provided proof of who he is and what he has done). He started to stalk one of our minor female staff. Police ended up being involved and the ASM mini has accused him of SA so he is currently in jail awaiting his trial. Nothing has been said about him or her situation for months now (and when it was last brought up it was by her to another staff member). I have worked shifts with her since this, I have had conversations with her when we cross over. I believe that her issue with not wanting to see me isn't because of her scumbag ex but is infact because I made the formal complaint against our ASM and it is her way to try grease up. This also won't be the first time. Our last shift we worked together she went to our ASM and claimed myself and another worker had said stuff about ASM that we hadn't said.
I'm not sure what I'm exactly wanting. I believe that everything I am experiencing will violate some form of laws or workplace practices. I feel it is all unfair and I want to know what I can do about it all. Because of the time I'm unable to find legal advice as it's Friday afternoon and we have a managers meeting on Monday where I wish to address all the issues I am having. I feel that they both have a personal problem with me and because one is higher management than me they have been allowed to let their personal issues affect my work.
I should add that when we all were given our contracts they left the hours empty, I added mine to my contract as I got my job with assistance from work and income (government agency). I get more than my original contracted hours so I feel he will reply saying that he doesnt have to give me that extra time. I do believe that that would be a warranted answer but because she has stated to people she is the reason I had to finish early and that I have had the same finish time for months prior to this I believe makes it wrong. I did work past my finish time so we crossed paths on one of those days, the other day she called in sick. I feel like I should be paid for that hour I lost as I lost it because another worker has a personal problem with me and instead of altering her time since she brought it up I was the one who was affected.
I loved my job, I faintly still do. My partner has told me to just leave or dramatically reduce down my hours. I've also been told that I would have a case against them should I decide to take legal action for workplace bullying. I'm not really clued up in workplace issues as this is my first proper job but I feel I have a rough idea of what is and isn't legal. I do fully believe that if I address this without any legal advice I will be just disregarded and covered by a made up reason.
I do feel that my ASM is trying to make my worklife as difficult as she possibly can and I feel upset that she's being allowed to do it cause she claims she “doesn't have a problem with me”.
Please help. I don't want to quit but I don't want to continue feeling like I am being targeted. I also want to stop this all for my mental health. I get upset about everything and my partner gets frustrated about the situation and what I'm being subjected too. I can't quit without anything to fall back on as I do need the money, especially with the prices of everything today.
I hope this makes sense. Thank you for reading.