Here is big shot bigwig big-mouth Geoff Tomlinson. He is the MD of a freight lorry company in Cardiff. Geoff takes no prisoners. Works hard, plays hard. That's how it is in this game. One day, Geoff got in a right old tizzy because one of his lorry drivers was off sick and an order was delayed. Geoff hit the ceiling. That's how he is, you know. The Malcolm Tucker of trucking. The chief cūnstable. Stomping around and cursing and waving his arms around. His poor under manager, who'd been working since the crack of dawn and while Geoff was still under his power shower, had stopped off to drop his daughter off at school. Only a few minutes. Geoff was incandescent. Fumin'! When the poor man arrived at the great man's office, it appears the following exchange took place. Geoff was accompanied, as they often are, by an obsequious goon sidekick Uriah Heap type manager. Here is the conversation reported in full and glorious detail in the press: Uriah Heap Goon: That was a shítshow this morning! Where have you been? Poor Under Manager: I could not have done more than I did and I was doing the school run. As agreed. Big Geoff Tomlinson (shouting aggressively): I don't give a sh*t about your kids, you're the manager and it's your responsibility! Poor Under Manager: I’m sick of giving up my life for you, I wish I didn’t work for you f***ers anymore. Throws apron (or managerial equivalent) on floor and walks out. Heads to working area full of other employees, pursued by irate Big Geoff in high, high dudgeon.. Geoff (shouting still): "Don’t you think you can get away with speaking to us like that. If you speak to us like that again you won’t be welcome in these offices!" Poor under manager gets his things in his carrier bag and heads out of the building, STILL pursued by puce faced, hollerin' Geoff who can't believe he's being defied and that someone has said no to him. Under manager gets the last shot in: "That's the last time I let you speak to me like that I won’t do it again." So he goes home and hears nothing from them. But he gets text messages off others in the firm who are telling him he's suspended. The next day he gets a letter through the post saying he's been suspended on the grounds of "walking out of a meeting, using inappropriate behaviour and language with the directors, threatened to quit and a continuation of such behaviour in our open offices”. They had a hearing and gave him the old tin tack. Da da daaaaaa.....
In his sacking letter they said it was for: "refusal to obey a legitimate management instruction and negligence of performance of duties relating to the incident and for serious insubordination to your line manager and the managing director”. Oops. It was the first time negligence of duties had come up and he's already been sacked with no chance to defend himself. The judge said: "I find that an extra charge was added, post-disciplinary hearing, that had never been raised with Mr Sutcliffe as a potential disciplinary matter". Oops. Big Geoff started stammering and changing his mind when asked about the abuse HE had given and regularly gave to his cowering unfortunates. But we all know that liars get cowardly when the truth pops its head up. Mr Tomlinson claimed in fact he had actually told Poor Under Manager that "the issue with the late delivery was his responsibility and whether he is taking his kids to school or not he should have managed this". But Judge Lloyd-Lawrie noted that on a previous occasion Mr Tomlinson had claimed he did not mention the claimant's children at all. And during the tribunal he claimed he could not "recall" the conversation. The judge described his position as "inconsistent". That is judge language for "lying". After the sacking, poor under manager appealed and in a surprise move, the company appointed an independent appeal officer. The judge found the officer acted "competently" but the appeal process was "tainted" by Mr Tomlinson providing incorrect evidence. That means he lied to the independent appeal officer. She described FSEW's witnesses, and "most importantly" Mr Tomlinson, as being "disingenuous" both in the tribunal and the internal process. In judge language that means "a stupid liar". Judge Lloyd-Lawrie found that Mr Under Manager was not taking offence at the "heated nature" of the March 28 meeting until Mr Tomlinson made the comment about his children. Mr Under Manager's response to the "inappropriate" behaviour and "provocation", she said, was justified. Swearing was so commonplace in the business that the language used by Mr Under Manager did not amount to misconduct, she added. The judge found Mr Under Manager "did not contribute to his own dismissal" and his claim for unfair dismissal succeeded. She said a remedy hearing would be listed unless the parties reached a settlement within 28 days.
Over to you Geoffrey. Ball's in your court. How much is your big bullying mouth going to cost you? Oh dear.
If he told his boss to stick the job up his ar5e and walked out why was he bothered about being fired?
