My Boss Lied to H.R. and Disciplined Me Without Assigning Any Work
My question involves labor and employment law for the state of: California.
I cannot trust my boss. When she found out I was about to reach out to my HR Rep about her disciplining me about leaving work 4 minutes early, she contacted my HR Rep and told her lies. She accused me of leaving work 45 minutes earlier than I really had (when there is proof I did not). She lied and said I did not inform any one of my doctor's appointment - lie.
She has accused me not being a "team player" when in fact she has not assigned me more than 5 secretarial assignments in the past two months. I am a senior level position.
She has used tones and phrases with me that are very authoritative in a parental way: "I'll deal with you later". Instead of assigning me actual work to do, she had me pack her office for her. Physically pack her books and files into more than 12 boxes. During this process, my knees were hurting and cracking (making loud cracking sounds), I asked her if she could hear it. She acknowledged she could. I explained to her that I have mild knee arthritis and that my mother recently had knee surgery because hers were so bad. My boss did not ask me to stop, in fact, she asked me to pack more things!
I felt obligated to pack her office because I had been accused of not being a team player. This was my opportunity to contribute. However, in retrospect, I feel very demoralized and insulted. I am a senior level corporate employee. She should have made arrangements with the appropriate people for packing issues.
I am floored that she lied so blatantly to the HR Rep! Since then I have been keeping a daily record of my tasks (or lack thereof) and other things I notice.
I really would like to quit, but I feel I'll probably be fired soon. If so, I feel it would be uncalled for and without merit. Does anyone have any advice?
Re: My Boss Has Lied to Hr and Disciplined Me Without Assigning Any Work
Continue to do the job you've been hired to do and follow the directions of your supervisor. Right now I don't see any legal issue. If you are terminated you can apply for unemployment. Your boss is under no compulsion to be nice to you or speak to you in a certain tone.
Re: My Boss Has Lied to Hr and Disciplined Me Without Assigning Any Work
Quote:
Does anyone have any advice?
look for another job?
nothing you have stated rises to the level of illegal.
Unless you have a contract that precludes you from being required to pack boxes, then your boss can require you to pack boxes. If you have a medical disability that would be covered by ADA, then you would have to request accommodations based on that.
Other than that, making the statement you are a senior level employee several times simply makes it sound like you believe you are too good to do menial tasks. Sorry but even the VP of the biggest company in the country can be made to clean the toilets if his contract doesn't preclude it and it is what his boss tells him to do.
Re: My Boss Lied to H.R. and Disciplined Me Without Assigning Any Work
Absent a contract that states otherwise, you are an at-will employee. This means that you can be fired for any reason except those reasons prohibited by law. Reasons prohibited by law include things like your race, gender, age (but only if you're over 40), disability and/or religion. Nothing in your post indicates that if your boss was to fire you, it would be for one or more of these reasons. Under at-will, it is perfectly legal to fire someone just because.
It is perfectly legal for employers to give their employees assignments that differ from what they were hired to do. Your boss did not do anything remotely illegal by having you pack her things.
If you quit, you won't be entitled to UI benefits. UI only pays resigners if they can show they've been subjected to discrimination based on the reasons listed above. If you want to be entitled to UI benefits, you need to let them fire you.
Re: My Boss Has Lied to Hr and Disciplined Me Without Assigning Any Work
Yeah, I just wanted to make sure whether this was just a bad job situation or more than that. I'm not at all trying to be pig-nosed. I'm just really frustrated. I have never before dealt with someone more unprofessional in character, flat out lying and disciplining without real merit.
Thanks for the response.
Re: My Boss Has Lied to Hr and Disciplined Me Without Assigning Any Work
You do understand that there was nothing even remotely illegal about her disciplining you for leaving work early, right? Regardless of whether it was four minutes, forty minutes, or four hours? And that if you had complained to HR about it, the likelihood is that they would have politely heard you out and then forgotten the whole matter?
Re: My Boss Has Lied to Hr and Disciplined Me Without Assigning Any Work
The point was that on Day 1 when I had a scheduled doctor's appointment, I was set to leave work at 4pm. I left work at 4:05pm. My boss accused me of leaving at 3:30pm. Not true and I had proof. I spoke to HR about the situation just to get advice, nothing else. Before I could talk to my HR Rep, she called her up and told her that there was no schedule doctor's appointment and that I just decided to up and leave at 3:30pm. This is AFTER my boss had already accused me leaving early and I had corrected her.
Day 2, I left 4 minutes early. I understand she can discipline me for this day.
I'm not exactly sure how I can be called a poor performer, not a team player if I'm not being assigned work to do.
Re: My Boss Has Lied to Hr and Disciplined Me Without Assigning Any Work
The employee sounds a little bit like a whiner .... want to avoid this: make doctors appointments on your own time ... take a vacation day.
Re: My Boss Has Lied to Hr and Disciplined Me Without Assigning Any Work
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Quoting
brai83
The point was that on Day 1 when I had a scheduled doctor's appointment, I was set to leave work at 4pm. I left work at 4:05pm. My boss accused me of leaving at 3:30pm. Not true and I had proof. I spoke to HR about the situation just to get advice, nothing else. Before I could talk to my HR Rep, she called her up and told her that there was no schedule doctor's appointment and that I just decided to up and leave at 3:30pm. This is AFTER my boss had already accused me leaving early and I had corrected her.
Your boss did not do anything illegal here, ergo you have no legal recourse.
Re: My Boss Lied to H.R. and Disciplined Me Without Assigning Any Work
How did your boss find out that you were about to reach out to HR?