| Table of Contents Being Cabin Crew | The Ugly Truth Part 3 Page 1 – Fighting Hatred in the Workplace Page 2 – Employing a Sociopath Page 3 – The Day that Changed My Life Page 3 – When It All Becomes Too Much Page 4 – Shalom Tel Aviv Page 5 – Post Flight Customer Feedback Page 6 – Cue Second Disciplinary Page 7 – Outcome of the Grievance Page 8 – Yee Haw The Last Page! Being Cabin Crew | The Ugly Truth Part 5 |
Employing a Sociopath
In this chapter I want to cover something else that took place. Lower down are some screenshots from Bart’s complaint and Anna’s witness statement.
Regarding the video I showed on the bus taking us to the airport in Atlanta, it was an adult naughty gay-themed cartoon that was sent to me by the First Officer shortly after we boarded the bus at the hotel.
After receiving the video I watched it for a second time on my Phone. was sitting alone at the front of the bus minding my own business. Lottie was behind me. Bart and Anna and Ven and T were sat either side of the aisle in the row behind her.
Whilst I was watching the video crew member T asked me what I was laughing at. He was sitting next to Ven. With them both being gay I turned around and showed them the video. Not wanting Lottie to see it I stretched my arm out beyond her line of sight. She confirms in her witness statement she was unaware of a video being shown.
I angled my ‘phone away from Bart’s side of the bus because with the cartoon being naughty and having a gay theme, I didn’t want anyone else to see it.
Bart claims whilst it was playing I was commenting on it. There really wasn’t much to say, it was pretty self explanatory and the music made it even funnier so no commentary was necessary.
Furthermore with the screen facing away from me it wasn’t possible for me to see the video whilst it was playing.
The cartoon including introduction and credits at the end ran for fifty one seconds.
You can see how devious Bart is because he even says “Laurence was showing the video to one side of the bus”. With him being on the opposite side he would not have been able to see it.
The following comes from Bart’s complaint;
Anna states in her witness statement she saw the video and found it offensive.
Here’s what actually happened. After playing the video for T and Ven they both asked me to send it to them. T confirms that in his witness statement.
Having received it T replayed it on his iPad. By this time I had turned around. I could hear several of the crew behind me laughing as the video played. I knew what they were watching because I could hear the music.
Due to the angle of my phone when I played it to T and Ven, Anna and Bart could not have seen it. Anna was across the aisle from T in the aisle seat. Bart was next to her in the window seat. They would only have been able to see the video when T replayed it on his iPad.
The following screenshot comes from Anna’s statement;
Bear in mind our outbound flight to Atlanta was half empty. I had given the crew a two hour break in the bunks despite it being a day flight and there being no requirement for rest breaks.
The flight was quiet and uneventful. When we landed with it being Christmas Eve everyone was in high spirits and looking forward to the evening ahead.
On the return journey to the airport the flight crew (pilots) do not deliver “a brief” to the crew on the bus. The Captain simply wished everyone Merry Christmas.
Note how Anna and Bart both claim I gave the video a name. It had only been sent to me a few minutes earlier.
Here’s some screenshots of the video. The last scene is a bit naughty so I’ve not included it.
Here’s more from Anna’s witness statement. You may recall in an earlier chapter I said her and Ven repeatedly use the phrase “it made me feel (very) uncomfortable”;
I provided evidence to the company which showed I chatted with my partner on WhatsApp for the remainder of the bus journey to the airport. During our conversation I also sent him the video. Each message is timed. I therefore didn’t as Anna states, turn my phone off and throw it hard into my bag. My carry-on bag was with my suitcase in the back of the bus.
The next screenshot is from evidence submitted as part of my defence. I’m referring to the meeting Bart had with Crew Manager Lana in relation to his complaint.
The minutes of this meeting were included in the outcome of her investigation;
In T’s witness statement he gets mixed up which is not surprising considering witness statements were requested almost four months after the flight.
I want to mention this because it shows how manipulative Bart and Anna are. The following comes from T’s witness statement;
The video I sent him and Ven was the naughty gay-themed cartoon. A few minutes later the First Officer showed me another video. It was of a Christmas-clad reindeer talking about how he hates Christmas. The C word was used extensively. It was pretty offensive.
The First Officer was playing it to me but it could be seen by anyone who cared to look. I was aware others behind me were watching it because they were laughing as it played.
Neither Anna or Bart make any reference to this video at all. Mia makes a vague reference to it but says she didn’t see it. T makes a direct reference to it.
I have to admit I did tell a white lie when asked about this video. I said I knew nothing about it. Unlike Bart, Anna and Ven I’m a decent person and didn’t want to get someone into trouble who was just having some fun.
Here’s another extract from Anna’s witness statement. For point of reference I’m two inches taller than her.
Not a word this sociopath says in her witness statement is supported by the three crew members who worked alongside Bart and I in First. Very little of what she says is supported by T who worked up as Purser. Anna and T worked out of the same galley in Economy on two long sectors and are friends outside of work.
I proved throughout my defence that Anna was a liar and was fabricating evidence but it fell on deaf ears.
As someone who was already struggling with confidence since returning to work after being off for almost two years with anxiety and depression, you can’t imagine how her hateful disgusting lies made me feel.
During my darkest moments suicide was never far from my mind.
Anna is a perfect example of a sociopath. In her Facebook posts she comes across as a warm, friendly, likeable person with a big heart.
The following screenshot comes from her page.
Her statement will be published in full in due course.
The reason Anna mentions my alleged touching not being “sexually motivated” is because she knows that I’m gay.
The inappropriate touching allegation was upheld because of ‘evidence’ submitted by Anna, Bart, Ven and Mia.
In this next excerpt the blue text comes from Bart’s complaint. The second paragraph comes from Anna’s witness statement. The remaining text is from Ven’s statement.
According to the eight other witness statements nobody noticed any unusual behaviour between myself and Bart at any time.
The company’s “anti harassment and bullying policy” states;
“All colleagues and others should be treated with dignity and respect and you should always consider whether your words or conduct could be offensive. Even unintentional harassment or bullying is unacceptable”.
The “Our Standards” Policy states;
It’s clear these policies are selectively enforced and didn’t apply to me.
This next screenshot also comes from Anna’s complaint. The matter of entering inflight working positions into my company iPad has already been explained previously.
The fact Ven, Bart and Anna all mention this demonstrates collusion definitely took place. None of them had access to my iPad to know whether working positions had been entered or not.
In the outcome to my appeal the Head of Department states she could find no evidence of collusion.
It was Ven who told Bart and Anna that I didn’t enter working positions. He had no idea how the system worked. Bart was told by Crew Manager Lana this complaint had to be removed because it was unjustified.
It wasn’t only “unjustified” it was vindictive and malicious. Despite Bart being told during his meeting with Crew Manager Lana this complaint had to be removed, six weeks later when his fiancée submitted her witness statement she makes the same allegation.
“Everyone should be treated with dignity and respect and you should always consider whether your words or conduct could be considered to be offensive to others”.
From the airline’s Our Standards policy. The policy I was repeatedly accused of being in breach of particularly through my use of the words “quite why” in Bart’s performance review.
T who was working up as Purser in Economy didn’t complete any performance reviews on his crew despite it being mandatory. He was required to complete a review on Anna, Mia, Peter and do upward feedback on me.
Katrina who was working up as the Purser at the front of the aircraft completed Bart’s review. She also did upward feedback on me. I also received upward feedback from Claire who also worked in First.
Bart states he was given 10/10 by Katrina for both sectors. Had working positions not been entered into my iPad it would not have been possible for anyone to complete any feedback.
If employee mental health was taken seriously Bart, Anna and Ven would have been dismissed immediately. Instead Ven was promoted not long after returning to work after Covid and Bart kept his job. Anna was made redundant at the same time as me.
As a consistently high performing employee during my thirty years with the airline I received a final written warning for bullying, harassment, overbearing supervision and inappropriate touching. There’s wasn’t a shred of evidence to support any such behaviour.
After ruining my career Bart left the company after six years. He now works on the ground for an airline in Ireland.
I knew from early on in this investigation something strange was going on but didn’t know what it was.
I believed the Head of Department was pursuing me because I’d been off for almost two years on long term sick. I’d also been off again since returning to work because of having to deal with Bart’s grievance. I could see no other reason for what was clearly a witch hunt.
As part of her role she was responsible for implementing performance improvement plans with a focus on enhancing employee productivity.
It wasn’t until I started writing my story that I remembered something that had happened between us some years earlier. It was a eureka moment and everything suddenly fell into place.
This had nothing to do with employee productivity, it was an opportunity to get back at me for reporting her for breach of confidentiality in 2014.
Being Cabin Crew | The Ugly Truth 