Do you have the right to ask a manager to give you a reason for calling you in to have a private meeting?

An assistant manager told me to be in my manager's office on a certain day and time. This individual also told me that the workday I picked up from someone else will be covered by another person. I have asked whether there is a reason my days have been cut and why the day I picked up from someone was taken away, but the only thing I was told is to meet with the manger on the set day and time. Human resources told me the same thing. Am I in the right for requesting an answer before the meeting, since my day of work was taken away from me?

Penny Morey answered October 22, 2008|

Comment

You can always ask why; but the real question I think is whether management is required to respond to your query in order to require your cooperation. And unless you are covered under a union contract that specifies differently, the answer to that question is: No, it is not.

That is, management has a right to demand your cooperation regarding a meeting at any time for any reason during hours for which you are being paid your normal rate. Management is not required to provide you with a reason for taking away your hours or for your attendance at a meeting.

Good management practices might indicate that it SHOULD tell you why your hours were given to someone else and the reason you are being told to report to a private meeting. But your question pertained to rights, and management is not required to do either of these things.

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Penny Morey

Penny is a seasoned human resources executive and consultant with over 25 years of diverse business experience in advising enterprise leaders on employment-related matters.