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Putting in a grievance when job could be at risk

Claire

Dear All,

I would like to have some advice as I am currently going through a worrying time. I am currently undertaking my CIPD qualification and transitioning from being a PA to HR within my organisation which has been a lifelong ambition. For the past year I have been targeted by an admin in another department who is particularly rude to most people but often runs me down to others and talks to me in an aggressive manner making me feel miserable at work, so after another incident earlier this week I have reported the incident. 

The downside is that this admin is protected by a director and has 17 years of service whereas I only have 14 months and as my organisation is going through some structural changes I fear that if I uphold my grievance then I may be dismissed. Are there grounds of which I can protect myself as I really do not want to lose my job as other than this person I adore the organisation I work for and the work that I do.?

Parents
  • It can seem counter-intuitive that, as HR professionals, when someone outside our field speaks to us about being bullied our immediate (and proper) response is "this is a grievance and must be dealt with as such" but when an HR colleague raises the same issue, our response is "this is a learning opportunity and should not be raised as a grievance".

    However, it's the way it is.

    If someone comes to us in our professional capacity with a complaint, gripe or whinge about how they are being treated by a colleague, we have an obligation to respond appropriately and in accordance with the law, which means going into "grievance mode" (of course, that doesn't mean we can't still deal with the grievance informally - we should exhaust all informal options before going formal as a matter of good practice).

    But when we, ourselves, face such behaviour we are under no such obligation and have the freedom to look at the problem more creatively.

    Others who've already posted are correct: we often do our jobs in spite of opposition and hostility and the ability to turn enemies into friends - or, at least, into neutral entities - is an essential skill to anyone who wants to develop and advance within the HR field (tbh, it's an essential skill to anyone who wants to develop and advance in any professional field).
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  • It can seem counter-intuitive that, as HR professionals, when someone outside our field speaks to us about being bullied our immediate (and proper) response is "this is a grievance and must be dealt with as such" but when an HR colleague raises the same issue, our response is "this is a learning opportunity and should not be raised as a grievance".

    However, it's the way it is.

    If someone comes to us in our professional capacity with a complaint, gripe or whinge about how they are being treated by a colleague, we have an obligation to respond appropriately and in accordance with the law, which means going into "grievance mode" (of course, that doesn't mean we can't still deal with the grievance informally - we should exhaust all informal options before going formal as a matter of good practice).

    But when we, ourselves, face such behaviour we are under no such obligation and have the freedom to look at the problem more creatively.

    Others who've already posted are correct: we often do our jobs in spite of opposition and hostility and the ability to turn enemies into friends - or, at least, into neutral entities - is an essential skill to anyone who wants to develop and advance within the HR field (tbh, it's an essential skill to anyone who wants to develop and advance in any professional field).
Children