This is a bit of an ethical dilemma/employment question. Current situation is this: I'm a casual mechanic and I'm leaving my current job in exactly one week. I gave my boss just over 2 weeks notice even though I technically don't need to as a casual. He is very understaffed and also away a few days this week, so I thought I'd do the right thing and give him the shifts he'd rostered me on for for this month. He is making my life hell and he's really upped the ante on everything. He also owes me 2 weeks pay. My question is, do I just leave because I don't owe him anything (I'm the only other current employee able to open up the shop while he's away and I'd feel bad for leaving my work mates and customers in the lurch. On the other hand, I might find it hard to get him to pay me if I just leave) or, do I ride it out even though I have no contractual obligation to and endure the bullying and verbal abuse?
Firstly...nobody deserves to be abused or bullied in their workplace. It is actually illegal and your employer has a legal obligation to ensure that it doesn't happen. Are you handling the unnecessary stress of this situation well enough? Do you need any form of support at this time to help you through?
Now onto resolving the situation...your employer is probably behaving in what fair work would call an "unreasonable" manner and it is this that gives you leverage. The other guys have provided you with some solid advice - document, report, discuss, personal integrity. These are what will see you through the next couple of weeks.
If you aren't hard up for cash and can endure the shit, just sail through and then move on. If the cash doesn't come you can pursue it through the fair work ombudsmen at a later stage, and it should be a fairly swift process. But if you're low on bank get on the phone/web now. Dont delay!
I would:
- Lay it all out (the debt, your efforts, his behaviour, the bullying) verbally in a non-volatile way in a neutral environment. Back that up with an email that documents your conversation. You may even wish to take notes during your conversation and ask him to agree that the notes represent the conversation. Have a support person with you. Someone who won't aggregate the situation or bring their own agenda (you know...don't have his ex wife or last employee to leave in there).
- if the conversation doesn't yield results send a second email. Keep it to the point and advise that you're going to take action if the situation isn't resolved by a specific date (a short but achievable date).
- If he fails that, contact the ombudsmen. They will get a result, unless he goes out of business.
This should see you paid up and on the road. He may even stop being a bully!
If you want to take on the bullying, make diary notes of everything. Every time he attacks/harasses/excludes/etc you. Time, date, his action, your feelings, efforts you made...build a case and show a pattern. Bullying is about a pattern or system of behaviour and is ongoing. The more you have recorded to show this pattern the stronger your case. Confronting and overcoming a bully is a daunting thing, in my experiences working with or representing the victims of bullies, most of the time they are just happy to escape. That is ok for the individual, but it doesn't help the next victim. It's tricky though, as I understand it you need to be employed at a workplace to make a complaint to Fair Work about being bullied...and your leaving sooner than they can shuffle their papers. Still it doesn't take long to punch out and email and their replies are reasonably fast.