shooter007

A friend of my wife has been suspended from her place of work for eating a packet of crisps while working on the shop floor. She is on full pay while an 'investigation takes place'. Is eating while at work classed as gross misconduct? Couldn't they have just have given her a verbal or written warning. She was asked to go into the Managers Office and was suspended with immediate effect. She has to go for a disciplinary and she can take someone with her. Does anyone know what happens in a disciplinary? Will she lose her job. It all seems a bit ott to me.

SwissTony

iTrader: (19)

Seems a bit OTT

What flavour crisps ?

richs2891

I would be getting your friends wife to look at the terms and conditions of her employment if she has one. A copy of the discaplinary procedure (if again have one - loads fall down on this) and a visit / call to the CAB for more advice.

Richard

dpb

I remember they took a dim view of us eating the merchandise when i was on the line !

SwissTony

iTrader: (19)

pimmo2000

iTrader: (6)

Depends where she works .. if she works in a shop that sells the product she was eating then .. er ... I know in ASDA you're not allowed to, you can't carry money on you either. Any money on a "colleague" is classed as stolen.

urban

iTrader: (1)

We'll the key is working on the shop floor.

You need to tell us what it is she does
I could probably foresee reasons for the dismissal
For instance, if she worked in a factory producing food product and was caught eating a bag of crisps on the produciton line - then thats most likely to be a sackable offence.

Have had to do disciplinary with a couple of employees
Basically you're summoned to meet with your manager, told the reasons why and what happens next.

Trout

iTrader: (1)

Is that her in the background eating the crisps?



If her contract requires that she does not eat on the job then, yes, she can be fired.

what would scooby do

Just tell her to be confident when meeting her manager and not to quaver to much.

Kieran_Burns

iTrader: (1)

They can't give her a written / verbal / final warning without going through the disciplinary process.

Suspension from work can be a normal part of this process, so you shouldn't worry unduly. It simply means that they need time to investigate the allegation while she is not there.

JDM_Stig

iTrader: (3)

does seem a bit harsh but she is only suspended and will probably end up with a verbal or written warning as mentioned, but the suspension will have got everyone's attention and got people talking, I bet everyone has stopped breaking those little rules now.

Gear Head

iTrader: (2)

Again, we need more info.
However, are you sure that she hadn't been warned about it before?
Surely she has to receive verbal, written warnings before suspension??

But saying that, whether you are working in a factory or in a shop, dealing with customers, it is pretty stupid to stuff your face with grub during work time.
I'm lucky and work in an office and get eat what I want when I want.

Probably explains my ever increasing waist line!

ScoobySteve69

iTrader: (13)

Depends if it`s classed as gross misconduct like where I work. All depends where she works and what the rules and regs are.

dpb

lol

richiewong

Is she part of a union, they should support her and go through the terms of her contract carefully

what would scooby do

Yes she is part of the Cheesn Union

ScoobySteve69

iTrader: (13)

Clarebabes

When I worked at the Haribo factory in Pontefract one summer whilst at Uni, it was a rule that you could eat as much of the merchandise as you wanted, but if you took any off the shop floor with you, that was a sackable offence.

For a relatively active job, I didn't lose any weight whilst there

richiewong

You stole my next line, you've a Nik Nak of that

shooter007

Thanks for all your replies. She works at that wonderful place known as......POUNDSTRETCHER.....she is a shelf stacker. And the crisps were cheesey wotsits.

BLU

iTrader: (27)

If she'd have picked Salt and Vineagar square crisps she'd have had no problems






Seriously though, follow richs2891 advice and I'm sure it'll just end up in a slapped wrist at worst.

davyboy

So she was eating food, whilst working in a shop?

That does seem a little unprofessional.

Tidgy

it will depend on her terms of contract. But i can't see her getting anything other than a warning, i'm pretty sure it doesn't constitue gross missconduct. p.s. assuming she didn't take them off the shelf and eat them, which is theft and is gross misconduct.

unprofessional yes, but a quick word would be enough for most people not to do it again

Clarebabes

Was the shop open at the time? Some places stock up after hours, so not so cut and dried as we may think.

They may get her to jump through some hula hoops in order to save her job though....

Carlh

Wotsit this thread about?

Hysteria1983

I suppose it does look unprofessional, if she was on the shop floor during working hours.
I doubt info as small as this would be stipulated in a contract, or you could go on forever!

: Do not eat crisps
: Do not file nails
: Do not read magazines

Etc...

I think it's pretty self explanatory. However, if there were no customers on the shop, or it were not open and she was simply sneaking a few crisps as a snack it is a bit OTT.

I remember when I was pregnant with my son and suffering with low blood sugar, I was aloud to snack when I felt light headed, but they were still strict about where I went, and it had to be the staff room or the store room nearest to where I was situated. Never in my room.

In this case I think that perhaps someone is just trying to prove a point.

what would scooby do

I'm amaized that she wasn't fried on the spot

davyboy

I know of a good law firm that specialise in employment law.

They are the real McCoy.

Kieran_Burns

iTrader: (1)

...can... resist... no... longer....

If she's lucky she'll be put on KP duty.


damndamndamn

njkmrs

I guess it would not have been so bad if it were a small snack but it sounds like she was having a monster Munch !!