Vandalised or a practical joke?

[Nebulous]

It's a difficult situation. Young people have quite a lot of legal protection, need specific risk assessments etc because of their vulnerability and theres a good chance HR or the manager's manager would quickly realise they had placed the company at risk, both reputationally and financially. Leaving an under 18 without transport on a late finish would be seen as unacceptable. In fact i'd be amazed if they can adequately risk assess a 10pm finish for a young person, and not having one would be illegal.

However once you start on that course of action the odds increase and you never quite know where it will go. The chances are it would get an apology and a new respect, but sometimes people will pull together and cover up rather than accept their responsibilities. Then you are left with either seeing it through, or backing down.

 

[Nebulous]

If your brother wants to keep working here running to HR and reporting him is not going to do any favours. Yes he is 16 but the time comes when you have to be able to talk to people. He was competent enough to get through an interveiw so surely he can go and speak to his manager and ask if he is going to put it right. Yes it's a little harsh and not fair the laddo has had to walk home but bullying??? Do we really think its that strong? Manager might be a nice guy who has made a bad judgment call. Admittedly if something like this happens again then look to take it further.

If he needs some support take someone with him but at somepoint he's got to stand on his own two feet. Might as well be now!

That's a very misguided post in my view. Effectively young people have protection because they are vulnerable, yet you're recommending something which many adults would find difficult. Bullying and harrassment depends on the person's perception of it, but the incident concerned would have every chance of fitting that description.

 

[Cyclopathic]

If your brother wants to keep working here running to HR and reporting him is not going to do any favours. Yes he is 16 but the time comes when you have to be able to talk to people. He was competent enough to get through an interveiw so surely he can go and speak to his manager and ask if he is going to put it right. Yes it's a little harsh and not fair the laddo has had to walk home but bullying??? Do we really think its that strong? Manager might be a nice guy who has made a bad judgment call. Admittedly if something like this happens again then look to take it further.

If he needs some support take someone with him but at somepoint he's got to stand on his own two feet. Might as well be now!

I think absolutely it is. Perhaps if this had been done between friends on the same pay scale then it it could be called a prank but this is different. It puts the lad in a very difficult situation that is at the very least going to cause him a deal of stress no matter how he decides he is going to handle it. Having said that, it may not be the most serious incident of bullying ever experienced but I think that because of the particular circumstances it crosses that line.
Personally I'm not sure what his best line of action would be but I think at the very least he should document this as fully as possible in case this is just the beginning of something more protracted. After that it is difficult for me to judge because I'm not in that position. It depends on a lot of things so only the ops brother can decide. My own feelings are to keep it low key and talk to the manager and say that I thought it went a bit far and could you replace my tape and taxi/bus fare, but the manager might be a complete bum hole who is unwilling to accept that he has done anything wrong. There are just too many variables for me to form a definitive idea of what I think should happen.
I do think this was bullying though and at the very least the manager himself should know full well that even if he didn't intend it as such that it could very easily be interpreted as such. There is more than one level on which this falls short of appropriate behaviour from a manager.

 

[Sandra6]

I'm absolutely stunned and disgusted that somebody would do that to another person's property - especially as it's his transport home.
Which Halfords was it, and who is the manager? I'll do some investigating and find out what I can if I know who it is.
In our branch nobody touches anybody's bike, even if they have to move one they come and tell the owner.
It's usually "I had to move your bike, sorry" They would not find this at all funny.
I hope the op's dad has had more than a word with the manager and got the bike sorted, I don't think pranks and initiations should be condoned in any way.
I'm not really keen on the idea of taking revenge either though, two wrongs and all that - plus it could end up with the young lad being in a very difficult position.

 

[Robson3022]

That's a very misguided post in my view. Effectively young people have protection because they are vulnerable, yet you're recommending something which many adults would find difficult. Bullying and harrassment depends on the person's perception of it, but the incident concerned would have every chance of fitting that description.

This absolutely could be viewed as bullying there is no doubt about it. However if its a one off it could very easily be dealt with this morning when he gets to work if he asks his boss if he is going to sort it. He doesn't have to be aggressive or confrontational about it. He shouldn't be scared of his boss, know-one should.

This experience is all part of learning about the workplace. I'm not talking about the incident as I don't think he should just take it as initiation but how he deals with it is important. If he feels very strongly about it and feels he has been bullied in a malicious incident then deal with it that way. If he thinks its a practical joke gone a bit far then he needs to deal with it that way. What I'm trying to say is the shouts of "this IS defiantly bullying report him to HR" are a little misguided as weather we like it or not we all no this is not how the work place works.

Would this one isolated incident be better dealt with at the source rather than going to HR. We all know that the lads life at work could be made difficult if he goes straight to HR weather we like it or not.


In the same breath if he goes to the manager and he shows no remorse and does nothing to put it right then by all means take it further.

 

[Robson3022]

There is more than one level on which this falls short of appropriate behaviour from a manager.

This is absolutely true of course.

 

[400bhp]

I'm absolutely stunned and disgusted that somebody would do that to another person's property - especially as it's his transport home.
Which Halfords was it, and who is the manager? I'll do some investigating and find out what I can if I know who it is.
In our branch nobody touches anybody's bike, even if they have to move one they come and tell the owner.
It's usually "I had to move your bike, sorry" They would not find this at all funny.
I hope the op's dad has had more than a word with the manager and got the bike sorted, I don't think pranks and initiations should be condoned in any way.
I'm not really keen on the idea of taking revenge either though, two wrongs and all that - plus it could end up with the young lad being in a very difficult position.

Look-let the lad decide what he is going to do before we potentially make the situation untenable for him at work.

As has been said, in the real world although this has happened, at 16 and a first job, confrontation at this stage may make the job untenable.

 

[400bhp]

This absolutely could be viewed as bullying there is no doubt about it. However if its a one off it could very easily be dealt with this morning when he gets to work if he asks his boss if he is going to sort it. He doesn't have to be aggressive or confrontational about it. He shouldn't be scared of his boss, know-one should.

This experience is all part of learning about the workplace. I'm not talking about the incident as I don't think he should just take it as initiation but how he deals with it is important. If he feels very strongly about it and feels he has been bullied in a malicious incident then deal with it that way. If he thinks its a practical joke gone a bit far then he needs to deal with it that way. What I'm trying to say is the shouts of "this IS defiantly bullying report him to HR" are a little misguided as weather we like it or not we all no this is not how the work place works.

Would this one isolated incident be better dealt with at the source rather than going to HR. We all know that the lads life at work could be made difficult if he goes straight to HR weather we like it or not.


In the same breath if he goes to the manager and he shows no remorse and does nothing to put it right then by all means take it further.

Spot on.

 

[400bhp]

Am I the only one who sees the OP saying his brother is 16?

Oops

 

[Paul99]

I can't believe anyone one on here is advocating that nothing should be reported in case the OP's brother loses his job or it could be very difficult for him in future.

What absolute rollocks.

The manager should be sacked, and if Halfords don't then they should be taken to a tribunal.

The OP's brother might well get over this and "learn" from it, but the next 16 year old that is a little more vulnerable than him may not fair so well from this immature prick of a manager.

 

[Robson3022]

I can't believe anyone one on here is advocating that nothing should be reported in case the OP's brother loses his job or it could be very difficult for him in future.

What absolute rollocks.

The manager should be sacked, and if Halfords don't then they should be taken to a tribunal.

The OP's brother might well get over this and "learn" from it, but the next 16 year old that is a little more vulnerable than him may not fair so well from this immature prick of a manager.​

I'm not saying don't do it as he will loose his job. Halfords might very well view it as a serious case and sack the manager on the spot. I just think there are better ways to deal with it initially.

 

[Paul99]

I'm not saying don't do it as he will loose his job. Halfords might very well view it as a serious case and sack the manager on the spot. I just think there are better ways to deal with it initially.

I'm going to have to disagree.

Making the "manager" apologise and buy new bar tape will, if he is a bully, make things far worse for the OP's brother.

 

[Sandra6]

Look-let the lad decide what he is going to do before we potentially make the situation untenable for him at work.

As has been said, in the real world although this has happened, at 16 and a first job, confrontation at this stage may make the job untenable.

I'm not planning on going in to work shouting the odds, ringing the branch and yelling at the manager in question.
But if I knew where he worked I might actually know him, and would know if this was the sort of thing he did a lot, or if he would be likely to be planning on cleaning off the bike and sorting it out in a "I was only joking" way. It might be helpful to know the sort of bloke he is in general.

 

[Robson3022]

And at that point he could take it further. The likelihood is if he goes straight to HR it will get the managers back up. If he trys to sort it himself I think there's a better chance of a positive outcome.

 

[Herbie]

I wonder if the grease was the manager's bought and paid for own property or lifted of the self at Halfords? I'm assuming it's the latter, and I bet HQ would be interested to know what one of thier 'trusted employees' is doing with thier stock

How about going to the press with this? Companys hate bad publicity and i'm sure Halfords would then take action against this doughball of a manager.I'm keen for a good outcome to this story