Some time has past now, occasionally torrid, however the good news is that I am no longer a National Trust spouse, the National Trust also so cocked up the the treatment of her that they handed us a rock solid "Constructive dismissal" case, In spite of two level one grievance notes they didn't initiate a grievance procedure but instead wrote and acknowledged the grievance and told us that they were going to let her put her side of the story at a "Level Two competency" hearing. This hearing was to decide whether she was competent on or not and the outcome could have been dismissal, this is a wholly inappropriate procedure in which to progress a grievance, she subsequently resigned and then they even messed that up, after giving three months notice they made her leave after one month but, having been at the NT for fifteen years she was entitled to three months notice, that is "automatic unfair dismissal", "unauthorised deductions from wages" and the subsequent correspondence between the NT and ourselves just dug them deeper and deeper into trouble. Although it is preferable to be settled without resorting to legal action we shall be submitting an ET1 next week.

Oh by the way

Well folks been out of the loop for a while, dodgy ticker and a spell in hospital, recovered now. The Saga continues at the National Trust, they are ignoring all the calls of bullying and ploughing on with the tearing apart of my dearest. They are so blinkered and she is exhausted with it all and wants it all to be over, last night she looked at me with the same eyes as the dog looked at me on the vets table, the very last "I'm knackered, just do it" eyes. The impact on us will be quite devastating as she is the main breadwinner but I suppose something will turn up. The trouble I am having with it is that nothing she does is scientifically quantifiable, there isn't a book of measured time to gauge on performance, so, it seems that the trick is pile up the work until the unfortunate person is unable to cope and then cry foul but this is only conjecture, where is their proof, it's all here say.

Thursday was a welcome day off even though I was feeling crook all day. Little A's birthday gave everyone a bit of a lift, even little A was in supreme form, euphemism for no tantrums. Friday and "back on 'eds" another stomach churning episode from "Nightmare on C****** House Street". Although, looking on the bright side, Medusa is on a day off so they won't have to wander about with mirrors in hand. We are wending our way back to the Holiday Park this evening with t'other granddaughter, M, in tow M and A are great pals so it should be a great night in the "club". M is a veteran of these "clubs" and on our first visit played "Mien Host" as we quickly, if reluctantly, picked up the ropes, we were not so much fish out of water as Martians on planet Earth! I really cannot be bothered to go to work today, my neck and back are aching and, inexorably, they will be worse come teatime if I attempt to work. Still, another bill arrived today and that incentivises one, so more Ibroprophen , Cocodemol, wheel myself out as high as a kite on pain killers and facxe the world, bugger.

the wee small hours

Well it was 10pm Tuesday night before my beloved finished working, she only gets paid until 5pm, any way she is now having a day off for our granddaughters birthday and the furrowed lines melted away as she was safely ensconced in the Caravan at a well known resort! Well that is, well known to us! I have been really ill with god knows what, my bet is that it is stress related, my hearts been in boogie rhythm today and that is really is knackering. I suppose my real Beef is that I cannot convince her that she is being bullied she is starting to believe what her supervisor is telling her, she has been brainwashed, she has no fight and it is frustrating to see her self esteem ebb away, the smiles and the laughing has been wrought out of her and all that seems to be left is the husk of the person she once was. Yes, sometimes I see the odd flashes but it was like Dad and Altzhiemers, they got fewer and further apart. I really don't know what I could possibly do next, I suppose it would be to get a job paying zillions and then give her the long retirement she deserves, although, given the status of my health, that is further away than winning the lottery! My fear is that if she doesn't have closure with a positive result for her then it will stay with her for the rest of her life and blight all our lives. I would give my eye tooth to have that confidant, smiley, exhuberant person back in my life. Stuff the National Trust they are wrecking our lives.

Another day dawns, and my cherub drove me to hospital at 4am to get some chest pains checked out, turns out to be spasms and I am fed painkillers and sent away, it's boring but since I have had one heart attack one is constantly aware that another may be just around the corner.. After a cup of tea and a couple of hours sleep I drive her to the dreaded National Trust sweat shop, I pull up a couple of hundred yards from the door to allow her to compose herself, throwing up and weeping as she leaves the car we exchange the usual harsh words " go for the bastard, get her for bullying" I say, "No, I can't take any more, I just want it all to end, I can't face any more" is the reply. Today she is to get her work scrutinised again, the last time being Friday. I am sure we have enough evidence now to sink her without trace but my precious has no stomach for a fight, that's how bullies get away with it. Well we shall have to see what transpires today

I would recommend to anyone who considers recruitment in the National Trust to take time to talk to as many members of staff as possible and also enquire as to the safe guards they have to combat bullying, I would also be pleased to hear from any national trust Staff or Spouses with regards to physical and psychological bullying.

The English National Trust, is there any cases of Bullying? I am am married to a member of staff of the English National Trust and eleven years of dutiful uncomplaining service have been followed by, what appears to be, a psychological campaign of bullying. Steady increases of workload year on year, inconsistent arguments, double standards,setting of unrealistic targets and then subjecting her to scrutiny for job efficacy not once but for a second time. Phrases quoted to her from her Line manager "This is not going to get better it is only going to get worse", setting a time limit of twenty minutes for a task that took a very able volunteer four hours to complete, when she takes holiday she is made to do work that would normally done whilst she was on holiday the week before she goes!
Her latest set of tasks she has been given, to be completed on deadline or get the sack, have had her working until 9pm every night for the past four months, that does not include the countless hours spent at home, to set unachievable objectives is surely a criminal offence?
If I were recruiting staff I would ensure that my managers could manage staff. This line manager lacks any sense of empathy, when I had a heart attack and in hospital and my wife asked for time of at short notice she said it was "inconvenient". When my wife first started in a career at The National Trust she had given up a better paid job as an IT trainer at a business college, since then she has received little or no IT training from the National Trust and has to upgrade the required skills without support.
For anyone joining the National Trust as a member of staff you would do well to bear in mind that in my experience they do not have a care for their staff and treat them like machines, it would have to be the last desperate resort.