SUMMARY MEETING 28/11/06
Sarah Rushby, HR, Arvato Services.
Chris Baines, Team-leader, Bon Prix, Arvato Services.
Aidan Tippins, Senior Team-leader, Arvato Services.
Erik Ribsskog, Contact Center Representative, MSPA, Arvato Services.
When the meeting started, I asked Mr. Tippins if it was me that should lead the meeting
since it was me who wanted to have a meeting regarding this.
Mr. Tippins said that it wasnt. Then I asked if I could make a presentation, and Mr.
Tippins said that this was ok.
I started with handing out an agenda for the presentation, and also copies of the
summary from my meeting with Line Sletvold on Sunday 26/11/06.
I suggested that everybody started with reading the summary from that meeting,
because then everybody would have the details fresh in their head.
Rushby and Baines read the summary. Tippins said that he had got the summary
from before.
When they were finished reading, Rushby asked if she could ask a question, and
I answered that it was ok.
Rushby asked me to confirm that the person who had been harassing me in the
episode surrounding the extra headphones, was wearing a white hooded sweater.
Rushby and Tippins said that Mr. Baines had told them that he didnt have a
sweater like this.
Mr. Tippins said that Mr. Baines most often was wearing black t-shirts, Mr. Tippins
had himself noticed this, so he didnt think it could have been Mr. Baines.
I confirmed that I had seen Mr. Baines sit down by a workstation situated on a row
two rows from the workstation I was sitting with.
Mr. Tippins said that Mr. Baines was working on the Bon Prix campaign, who were
situated furter away from our campaign, by the exit-door, so it couldnt have been
Mr. Baines.
They said that I must have been mistaken Mr. Baines with another team-leader, a
team-leader who was working on a campaign closer to our campaign.
I said that I was sorry if I had made a mistake, but that I would still like to use my
own judgement regarding this. By that I mean waiting til I had seen what this other
team-leader looked like, before I would decide if I thought I could have made a
mistake.
[After this first episode, I started noticing Mr. Baines, and recognized him on several
occations every week, so I meant that I had been keeping good track of who he
was, and before this I hadnt been in any doubt about that it really was him that
was involved in this episode.
(From Mr. Tippins unsheduled meeting, earlier on the same day as this meeting, I
could remember that I got a bit uncertain, but really more confused, because I
didnt understand what the purpose of this unsheduled meeting really was.)
This other team-leader must have recembeled Mr. Baines very much. I was 100%
certain that the person had been wearing a white hooded sweater, with a Nike
logo on it, so when they told me that Mr. Baines didnt own a sweater like this,
then this made me a bit uncertain, but I still wanted to trust my own judgement,
and see with my own eyes how this other team-leader looked, before I said
anything more about this].
Mr. Tippins said that he had been showing me the other team-leader earlier this
day.
I answered yes, but he was standing quite far away and was wearing office-clothes.
The persons Mr. Tippins were showing me, one a quite heavily built person, and
another much less heavily built, was standing with their backs towards us, and
was about 10-12 meters away.
I was tired on this meeting, but I could see that they both had short hair, and their
body-types/(Norwegian ‘holdning’) didnt match eighter.
I didnt want to acuse the people on this meeting of lying. I thought that the only
possibilty that it wasnt Mr. Baines, was if it was a person looking almost excactly
like him that was working there. A relative of Mr. Baines or something like that.
When Mr. Tippins said that they were thinking of [I asumed] the least heavily built
of the persons he had been showing me, then I at once was certain that it couldnt
have been this person, but I wouldnt acuse the people on the meeting of lying.
So I was feeling a bit uncomfertable, and wanted to speak about something else.
But when I understood that it was one of the two persons (and then probably the
less heavily built person) that they were thinking about, then I got suspicious
that something could be wrong.
At once when they said that Mr. Baines didnt own a sweater like that, then I got
suspicious.
I noticed that Rushby and Tippins was looking “tellingly” at eachother, after they
saw that I got uncertain when they told me that Mr. Baines didnt own a white
hooded sweater.
Like they were having a ‘battleplan’, and that they now had reached a ‘milestone’,
and that they after this would continue to follow a certain pattern.
From the beginning of the meeting:
Rushby: ‘You said that he was wearing a white hooded sweater’.
Ribsskog: ‘Yes’.
Tippins: ‘Chris says that he has never owned a sweater like that’. ‘Have you ever
owned a sweater like that Chris?’.
Baines: ‘No’.
Tippins: ‘Chris is usually wearing black t-shirts, so it couldnt have been him’.
At this point in the meeting, several things hade made me suspicious:
– The other three persons seemed like they were co-operating, and like they had
planned a strategy on how they were going to go through with the meeting.
– Baines almost didnt say anything at all. It seemed clear that he let Tippins
and Rushby control the meeting. It was like they were defending him.
– They were saying that Mr. Baines didnt have a white hooded sweater.
– Mr. Tippins said that Mr. Baines mostly was wearing black t-shirts, so he
couldnt have been wearing a white hooded sweater (Mr. Tippins meant
that wearing a white hooded sweater wouldnt be Mr. Baines style).
But it could have been that Mr. Baines owned a white hooded sweater, but that
he only had used it one or two times at work, eg. when Mr. Tippins had been having
a rest-day etc.
On the meeting earlier this day, the one Mr. Tippins asked for, I was tired. I almost
never had any conversations with Mr. Tippins. I had been having 3 or 4 conversations
with Mr. Tippins during a years time.
1. When Mr. Tippins complained about me reading the newspaper.
2. When Mr. Tippins asked me if I knew a particular computer-programme, and later
on the same day when Mr. Tippins didnt say hi when I walked past him.
3. The meeting when I asked Mr. Tippins about the reasons for why I didnt get to get
a job-interview etc. [regarding the team-leader position I applied for].
4. The episode when I got back from my rest-days, and Mr. Tippins had stolen the
place I used to sit at by the campaign-table.
He didnt use to say hi when we met [I thought that this could maybe be because of
some English tradition, because it was a quite big step in status between our positions
in the company].
One day, the day of the second episode, I walked past Mr. Tippins on the sidewalk
outside of the Cunard building. (I was on my way back from my lunch-break). I went
passed him on the sidewalk, maybe a meter away, turned my head to say hi, but
he only looked away/down. He didnt want to say hi.
Recently there had been an episode (episode 4), where Mr. Tippins stole my place
by the campaign-table while I had some rest-days, about a week before this meeting
[28/11/06].
[When I got back after my rest-days, I sat down at my usual place, and when Mr.
Tippins got to work a couple of hours later.]
He gave me an ultimatum. He said I had to move within five minutes, or else. (He
didnt say what would happen, but I feared that I could get fired, so I thought it best
to move to another workstation).
And it also was an episode with the newspaper.
And also a meeting regarding why I hadnt got any feedback on my application for
the team-leader job.
I was tired on the unsheduled meeting. But even I was tired, I still was focused and
aware, because of the episodes earlier [involving Mr. Tippins,. I wasnt used to speak
much with Mr. Tippins, so the fact that Mr. Tippins asked for an unsheduled meeting
woke me up]. So I still remember every word from this meeting.
When Mr. Tippins said that we didnt have a team-leader with the name of Chris
Baines, then I at first thought that he meant that it must have been a typo
surrounding a letter in the name, or something like that. That he was picking on
a detail.
That his name was Christopher, and only was called Chris, or something like that.
I didnt ask any questions on this meeting, to make things more clear, because I
had things like the problems surrounding episode three and four in the back of
my mind.
I thought that I had better watch out so that I didnt get even more on bad terms
with Mr. Tippins, because I didnt want to loose my job or anything like that.
I thought that the reasons for these questions would seem clearer to me after we
had been having the sheduled meeting at 11.30.
So then, when he in the meeting at 11.30 says that the team-leader in the episode
with the extra headphones, was the same guy (I asumed the one that was least
heavily built), then I understood that this couldnt be right.
I thought back on the uncheduled meeting with Mr. Tippins at around 10 am, and
remember what Mr. Tippins had been saying then, that we didnt have a team-leader
with the name of Chris Baines.
I hadnt taken what he said to be very important earlier, because I reconed that the
reason of why he brought up this with the name, was because there was a problem
regarding a technicality with the name. And I asumed that the reason for why he
asked me if it was the small guy standing next to the big guy, would be made
clear later.
Now I suddently understood that this wasnt at all about a technicality with the name.
I now understood that Mr. Tippins wanted me to think that there wasnt any team-
leader with the name of Chris Baines employed in the company.
And when I told Mr. Tippins, that [my team-leader] Line Sletvold had told me that his
name was Chris Baines, then Mr. Tippins must have changed strategy, it seemed,
and wanted me then to belive that the team-leader was one of the two guys he was
showing me.
This was how it seemed to me.
It was clear to me that something was wrong, but I was still uncertain because of
the fact that they were saying that Mr. Baines didnt own a white hooded sweater.
So later, when we were discussing the next incident, and they claimed that Mr.
Baines behaviour when he didnt say bye, was acceptable and usual, then I
accepted the appology from Mr. Baines regarding this, even if I thought that
this behaviour wasnt acceptable for a team-leader.
Tippins said that in a hectic work environment, it was often that these things
happened. (That one ignored people and didnt say hi or bye).
I was a bit afraid that I would end up loosing my job the way the meeting was
going, so I therefore accepted the appology and we went on.
Baines said that he had said bye to me once.
I couldnt remeber this at the meeting, [but I later remembered that it must have
been probably the Sunday, the first day after the first incident, when I sayd
load and clear: ‘Bye’, and Baines answered: ‘See you’].
Baines said that he could remeber having said bye to Osman and me.
[Baines, by the way, mixed up all the incidents all the time. For instance he
mixed up the situation when he didnt say bye to me [when I was alone], with the
incident when Osman and I finished work, and went out at the same time.
Baines seemed unfocused and disinterested. He let Tippins and Rushby take
charge in sorting the situation.
Mr. Tippins and me had to all the time help Mr. Baines, and explain which
incidents we were discussing.
Line Sletvold had told me that Mr. Baines was working at the Bon Prix campaign.
I noticed that he was working with the mail-bags on Sunday [26/11]. On Monday
[27/11] he had the day off. On Tuesday[28/11], I tryed to notice if he was working,
when I passed the Bon Prix campaign area, on the way to the toilet.
And I also tryed to look around and see if I could see him (inbetween the phone-
calls), butI didnt see him untill about 5 or 10 minutes before the meeting was
starting, when he was standing [together with Tippins I think] not far from our
campaign area.
(Im writing this because Mr. Tippins was asking me in the unsheduled meeting
if I had been seeing Mr. Baines at work that day.)]
Then we started talking about the episode surrounding Mr. Baines following me
on my way home after work.
Baines said that he hadnt seen me turn around, even if I turned around a lot of
times, and looked straight at him each time.
Mr. Tippins said that Mr. Baines probably was wearing his headphones.
–
How Rushby acted in the meeting:
– Was jumping from point to point.
– Was talking fast.
– Was interupting.
– Was having long, fast-speaking summaries, where she mixed together several
things (Norwegian word: ‘Vas’), to then sneak in a conclusion that was meant
to be a conclusion that we both agreed on.
It seemed like she wanted to overload my brain with information/unimportant talk.
To tire me out, to then sneak in a conclusion, that she meant that we both were
agreeing on.
Time after time, I had to ask her to let me finish, to not interupt, to talk clearly
[so that I could understand what she was saying even if Im Norwegian], and ask
her to talk about one subject at a time.
She was trying to confuse me, to get me out of track. All the time I had to try
to backtrack the discusion, to try to find out what I was really trying to say,
since she all the interupted me, and tryed to get me out of track.
Rushby didnt take any consideration to the fact that English is only my second
language, but was talking fast and tryed to get me out of track.
I think it would be difficult for someone to follow her, even if they had been living
in England all their life.
All the time I had to ask her to let me finish and not interupt me.
–
And none of them brought up the point surrounding me been having problems with
organised criminals in Oslo and Liverpool.
Noone mentioned this.
They seemed like they were in balance and acted naturally.
Mr. Baines seemed dozy and disinterested. Mr. Tippins seemed to act like usual.
And also Rushby seemed to act natural, even if she got tears in her eyes a couple
of times, when she didnt sucseed in confusing me/getting me out of track.
–
They said that Mr. Baines hadnt seen me, and was only walking the usual way
he used to walk to the bus.
I said that I was looking straight at him several times [he looked back at me].
I was turning around so many times that he must have noticed it.
I noticed that he wasnt looking straight down, and wasnt looking straight ahead.
Mr. Tippins said that Mr. Baines probably was walking in his own world listening
to his walkman.
[But at the bus-stop, Mr. Baines wasnt wearing any headphones.
He didnt need to remove any headphones. He put up a ‘stone-face’, he was looking
unshaven, with long ‘fjones’/hair in his face, and looked a bit unrested.
He didnt look like he recongnized me at all.
But I recongnized him. And when I asked him if it was him that was working at
Arvato, then he said yes.
I again recognized, like I did when he was passing Leather Lane [the Lane where
my flat is], that he was wearing a dark coloured parkas with a many-coloured
(Norwegian: ‘Spraglete’) fur-colar.
He was also wearing this jacket to work the day after, on Sunday, when he showed
up at work at Arvato a bit before 12 oclock.]
Mr. Tippins asked Mr. Baines if he had noticed that it was me [walking in front of him].
Mr. Baines answered that he hadnt noticed me at all.
I continued to explain another reason why I found it not likely that Mr. Baines hadnt
noticed me, people skills.
When I was working as a store manager in Norway, and was closing the store, then
I always tryed to remember whom I had said bye to, which way people used to
walk home etc.
This to avoid ’embarrasing’ situations, like saying bye to the same person twice etc.
Because when you are working with people, then you should have a certain amount
of social intelligence.
[better: one would asume that to have at least a certain amount of people skills/
sosial inteligence would be a prerequisite to get a job as a manager.]
[And its clear that Mr. Baines have got social inteligence/people skills. He smiles,
has got charm/charisma, it seems to me when his speaking with other people.
Its seems to me that other people treats him with respect, that hes seem smart,
that hes aware. And it seems like hes got inteligence from how the look in his
eyes look.
It seems clear to me that he doesnt lack eighter regular or social intelligence,
in other words, he would know how to act if he wants to [it isnt like hes challenged
when it comes to social or regular inteligence].
When Mr. Baines is ignoring people, and when hes not acting polite, then his
doing this on purpose. [he isnt doing this because his challenged when it
comes to social intelligence].
So that Mr. Baines shouldnt be aware of the fact that it is me that is walking in
front of him on the other side of the street, when he a minute or two earlier have
turned off the lights at Arvato. (Been responsible for ending the shift).
(To end the shift he needs to know things like that everybody has left the Arvato
company area, he probably have to check that everyone has written them self
out on the timesheet, and things like managers have to do when they close
the Arvato work area.)
So at this time, he has got the overview of the company-area, and knows that
Osman and me are the last employees to leave the company-area.
He refered to Osman in the meeting, so he knew who Osman is, and its no
doubt that he also knows who I am.
[Since I have been worked there much longer than Osman, and because of
the several incidents surrounding him and me earlier, and because he from
time to time, like this day, is the shift-leader for our campaign, when our
campaign havent got any team-leader working on a particular shift.]
So I dont find it probable at all that he doesnt know that its me that is walking
in front of him.
Its clear to me that he must know that its me that walks a bit infront of him
when he walks out of the Cunard builidng.
Hes walking on the other side of the street. He sees that it is me that turns
around several times. Hes ignoring me as usual. He puts up a stone-face.
On purpose he continues to follow me into Dale St, even it must be obvious
to him, that I dont like that he is following me.]
–
The reason that I start to turn around to see if he was walking the same way
as me, is that I had the previous incidents with him in the back of my head.
[I think he acted so cold in the incident when he didnt say bye, and from
the other incident on the same day as he followed me (25/11), when Mr.
Baines kept starring at me, without any reason, and for a long time, while
I was working on translating to English the summary from the meeting with
Line Sletvold 31/10/06 and 11/11/06 on the computer at my workstation by
our campaign-table.]
–
Mr. Tippins says that Mr. Baines have appologised for not saying bye, so I
didnt have any reason to worry about this incident.
I understand that Mr. Tippins wants us to shake hands and square it up.
I answer that Mr. Baines had appologized now in the meeting.
What Mr. Baines says in the meeting today, didnt have any influence on how
threatened I felt by the situation on Saturday, three days earlier.
[Mr. Tippins is trying to bring things out of context].
–
I also explain that even if I personaly acepted Mr. Baines’ appology [for not
saying bye] in the beginning of the meeting, I [looking at the incident in a
stricly professional way] thinks that Mr. Baines behaviour [in this incident]
was unaceptable [for a team-leader].
I explained that the manager (who works with people), is the person who is
responsible for the communication, who is the professional in this interaction.
So for a manager, in this very inpolite way, ignoring an employee, and dont
want to say bye, I find unaceptable.
Mr. Baines was also my shift-leader on this shift (since our campaign didnt
have a team-leader on this shift) [and this makes it even less aceptable].
Noone gives any answer to this.
–
We agree that well find out if its probable that the person Mr. Tippins noded
towards [in the unsheduled meeting 28/11/06], could be the team-leader
in the first incident.
The shift-plans would be studied to find out who was working on this
specific day (the day that incident with the extra headphones happened).
Then we were going to have a new meeting.
Rushby asked me what I would do regarding this case in the mean-time.
I answered that I would continue to seek advice from indipendent
organisations/institutions regarding how to deal with this matter.
–
The meeting is over, Im writing down what we were agreeing. The other
participants at the meeting is leaving the room while Im writing.
Rushby enters the room again for some reason.
She walks out after me, I hold the door to be polite.
Then we enter the hall in the 2nd floor.
I waited to see if she would head for the stairs or the elevator. She head
for the stairs, so I chose to take the elevator.
Because it became a bit akward when she entered the meeting-room
again, and I held open one or two doors for her.
So I found it best to take the elevator, since I thought the situation
became a bit to social-like, and I thought the situation lacked a bit of
the distance you’d expect situations at work to have.
I didnt quite understand the reason for why Rushby went back into the
meeting-room again.
She didnt say anything. She didnt explain the reason. And I couldnt see
that she picked up anything, like something she had forgotten, eighter.
She also used very long time, and walked very slowly in front of me,
before it was possible for me to see if she headed for the stairs or
the elevator.
So I remember I found the way she behaved a bit peculiar. [thats why
I chose to include it in the summary].
