Can my employer send ‘sundry debtors’ to my door? England
I have worked for my employer for just under 4 years. It’s a council in the north west of England.
I handed my notice in five weeks ago, and set my end date as 10th July. My immediate manager doesn’t fully understand how to work the systems and asked me to let her know of any booked leave etc before a certain date, which I did.
I then was told of an induction at my new employer on 02/07, and let my manager know via message. She didn’t pick this message up on time and processed my leave without it.
When she realised her mistake, she essentially reversed my resignation, issued the leave date, and then reinstated it. This was fine.
During the conversation where she did this, she told me that if I had any leave after this date, she and the council would send ‘sundry debtors’ to my door to recoup the lost money because they wouldn’t be able to take it out of my final salary. She repeated this several times to me over the phone call, and then told me she would have to also inform me of this via email. When she did email me, with HR cc’d in, she didn’t mention the debtors.
She has a history of bullying and threats to all staff.
On Friday 03/07, my father was taken seriously ill and blue lighted to hospital. We thought he would pass away on Friday, but he is still currently alive but obviously in hospital.
I am due in work this week, and I am willing to go in and do my final week at work. I am however worried that my boss will be threatening as per the days I took off (Friday and Saturday half day).
I also therefore am choosing not to spend time with my dying father because I’m concerned about what my boss will do to me. I am also worried that if he deteriorates again, and the reality sadly is that he almost certainly will, that she will start some kind of debt/CCJ process against me. She is quite vindictive and is in no way above treating me this way despite my family circumstances and the fact that I only have three days (over the course of the week) left in work.
I am leaving my job to begin work as a secondary school teacher, and I do not want debtors or legal proceedings being brought against me because my father became ill at a time inconvenient to her. I don’t have debt, I don’t break the law and this is very much adding to an upsetting and stressful situation.
Would my employer be likely to pursue me for the week ish if I choose not to work this week? Would this process immediately start with debtors?