Four workplace horror stories to spook HR

Poltergeist

A bakery owner became concerned when their workers refused to come and work an early shift alone, claiming there was a poltergeist in the building.

To help put their staff at ease, the bakery owner made sure that all lone-working risk assessments were completed and even went as far as to bring in a priest to give the building a blessing.

Kate says…

It’s very difficult for an employer to be in this kind of situation. On the one hand, you want your staff to feel safe and comfortable in your workplace. On the other hand, you may be sceptical about your worker’s reason for not wanting to come in – especially if that reason concerns the “supernatural”.

Sometimes all it takes is for one employee’s word to spread fear across the entire workforce. And if you have a group of employees refusing to work, that is a very real problem.

The fact that the employer went to the lengths of checking lone working risk assessments and bringing in a priest is going above and beyond to help staff feel reassured. However, really, if an employee is refusing to come to work because of ghosts or spirits, this actually isn’t a reason the employer has to accept.

In general, employers can take disciplinary action against an employee who refuses to come to work unless they can prove a real, genuine risk to their safety by coming into work.

If the employee genuinely feels unsafe in the workplace, then that’s a different matter. And employers should always treat an employee’s fears seriously.

In this case, checking risk assessments and bringing in a priest does show that the employer has taken steps to reduce or remove any potential risks (no matter how controversial the reasoning for it may be).

Possession

An employee was investigated after a number of behavioural issues. When asked why they behaved in this way and if they felt their actions were appropriate, the employee said the spirit world was in touch and told them to behave this way.

The employee refused to attend an arranged company doctor visit as they said it would go against what the spirits wanted. The employee was only willing to attend workplace meetings if they could be accompanied by a Priest.

Company policy only allowed for colleagues or trade union reps to attend in a support capacity, and the company didn’t have any employees who were priests, so didn’t know how they could facilitate this request.

Kate says…

If an employee is making such claims, arranging for an occupational health assessment may be the most appropriate course of action.

There are certain mental health conditions that can lead an employee to experience what’s known as psychosis. If a person is experiencing psychosis, then they might see and hear things that others can’t and also believe things that aren’t necessarily true.

So it’s important for employers to tread carefully if an employee is claiming to hear voices or something is telling them to behave a certain way.

In some cases, there may be a need to contact emergency services.

If the employer has reason to believe their employee may be being deceitful however, as an excuse to behave badly, then they could take disciplinary action against the employee.

Practical joker

An employee had a fear of clowns. After learning this information, the employee’s colleagues decided to play a little practical joke.

When the employee went to the canteen, a colleague put on a clown mask and hid under the desk. When the employee sat down, they heard a grumble from under the desk. And when the employee looked under the desk to see what was making such a sound, they saw a masked figure.

After letting out a blood-curdling scream and running straight for the bathroom, the employee was signed off work for the rest of the day due to stress and anxiety. The employees who pulled the prank were then subject to a workplace investigation.

Kate says…

Employees should think twice about playing practical jokes on colleagues. While some might see it as all fun and games, others might not. And when it comes to playing on someone’s fears, it’s risky business.

An employee can easily take a prank the wrong way and if they feel offended, disrespected, triggered or hurt by the act, they may raise a grievance and accuse their colleagues of bullying. In some cases, it may even amount to discrimination.

It’s unfortunate that the employee had to take a day off work for stress after the event. Employees really do need to be mindful of how their actions can affect people. By setting clear expectations of behaviour in your policies, this can help prevent employees from crossing any lines – even when that was not the intention.

Pray

Staff members were astonished when they walked into their workplace to see a religious shrine.

When the employee who had set up the shrine was asked to remove it, they refused on religious grounds. They went on to preach throughout the workplace and invite colleagues to their prayer group. The other staff believed this was actually a front and the colleague was trying to recruit them into a cult.

Kate says…

The Equality Act 2010 protects employees from discrimination because of their religion or belief (or lack of).

The law considers religion and philosophical belief as a protected characteristic someone has. So, employees do have grounds to raise a claim for discrimination if they feel they’re being treated unfairly because they either do or don’t live by a certain religion or belief.

According to the EHRC, a belief must meet certain criteria to qualify for protection under law. For example, it needs to:

• Be genuinely held
• Be more than just an opinion
• Not be in conflict with the fundamental rights of others

When it comes to an employee’s right to expression, employers may find it difficult to navigate in some cases.

If an employee is expressing certain beliefs that are highly controversial or possibly offensive, the employer might be concerned about how this reflects the company brand and reputation. But also, they don’t want to take away the employee’s freedom and put the company at risk of facing a claim.

If the employee was expressing their beliefs in a way that was discriminatory of others or amounted to harassment, then the employer would have a right to take disciplinary action against the employee.

But if the employee is not being harmful to others in the way they express their belief or the belief doesn’t contradict human rights, then it may be discriminatory for the employer to ask them to remove any items of expression.

Having a policy on religion and belief can help to establish clear boundaries in the workplace and help foster a culture that is inclusive of all different religions and belief systems, with everyone able to express themselves freely without risk of conflict with others or company interests.

Do you have a workplace story you’d like to share with Peninsula? Don’t hesitate to book in for a free consultation below to get expert advice: