According to HR Grapevine a reporter was threatened with a disciplinary after he took time off to go to hospital with his ill grandmother – the reporter has since resigned.
John Toner, the reporter from Newsquest, published his resignation letter onto his Twitter account, stating it was with great sadness.
Within his letter it read “Rather than attempt to manage a situation with one of your reporters, who is going through a very difficult family scenario, you have aggressively and unnecessarily pursued a bureaucratic, counterproductive and nonsensical approach.
You have taken absolutely no notice of what I have been saying. On several occasions, I made it explicitly clear to you that I was, and am, the only person in a position to accompany my terminally ill grandmother to these appointments and that it was vital she had someone with her, given her age and condition. In short, I have no choice.
You have wilfully ignored this and pursued me as if I were someone lolling about on company time when I have been doing what I can to help my grandmother live out the remainder of her life in as much comfort as possible.
It is with a huge amount of sadness that I leave this role as I have loved it. I dreamed of doing this job whilst I was training to be a journalist and it is a great shame I have had to leave it because of your inhuman and uncaring approach.”
The firm, Newsquest, denied the claims stating that John has painted a “clear misrepreprestation” of the issue and the facts which surround it.
Newsquest Group Editor, Tim Jones, was accused of telling John he was required to work the following Monday and would have to find alternative arrangements for his Grandmothers hospital appointment.
Tim Jones has claimed that “the resignation letter, from John Toner, reporter, displays clear misrepresentation of the facts and is only one side of the story.
Newsquest is a fair and reasonable employer and we are fully aware of our responsibilities to our employees.
It is a shame that John that resigned in this way and has not spoken to the Company constructively about the situation.”
This is a clear example of another company who haven’t given enough compassion to their employee, which has resulted in an unhappy workforce and resignation of a valid employee.
It is vital that the right balance of compassion if given to employees within a workforce, as this is what helps encourage them to be productive and happy within their roles.
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