Situation: A co-worker of mine was standing next to my desk speaking with her boss and me. The way she was speaking to her boss was as if she thought she was above her boss. After they left, I was still laughing at my co-workers nerve, and sent her a one-line email that read: "Damn girl...damn!" My position at work makes me somewhat of a bad guy as I approve or disapprove commissions for co-workers, including the abovementioned. It just so happens that this co-worker did not complete her job and therefore, did not get paid that commission. The next day, I get pulled into the head of the HR department for sexual harassment. The "proof" that I sexually harassed her was my one-line email that I mentioned above. I was slammed with a 90-day probationary period and was told, by the head of the HR dept., "If this was alleged of anyone else in the company, I would have laughed, but since it's you, we have to do something about it." This is the first time that anything like this has ever been brought against me. Now, I'm not a complete saint, but I have never sexually harassed anyone. I am forward and have a (self-proclaimed) great sense of humor. I do not cross the professional-personal line with anyone that does not reciprocate. I was told by the head of the HR dept. that I need to stop being friends with two of my co-workers, for their benefit, and that there are a couple of other people in the office that I need to not be so friendly with. He went so far as to hold one-on-one meetings with two co-workers. One he told that us three (two co-workers and myself) need to stop our "tree-house club" and that if would be better if she didn't associate with me, and the other one he said that if she doesn't want people to start believing the rumors of her and myself having an affair, she needs to stop associating with me, also. What blows me away about this is that these two individuals had nothing to do with the original complaint against me.
My question is this: Did he overstep his legal boundaries by judging me unfairly? Would that be considered slander, as it was verbal? Also, did he slander my two co-workers?
Any help would be much appreciated.
Thank You!
mjh79
My question is this: Did he overstep his legal boundaries by judging me unfairly? Would that be considered slander, as it was verbal? Also, did he slander my two co-workers?
Any help would be much appreciated.
Thank You!
mjh79
My advice is maybe you should go and see and employment adviser/solicitor.