I m a line leader at a company and was just accussed of bullying and conversing in a sexual manner. What do I do?

Question

they told me to either step down and go back to being senior machine operator, resign, do a investigation which my manager said would be bad, they had no documentation, only and open door policy from this new manager to all production employees, my group of employees complained about the overtime, so  i was janked in his office about that he said to do a round robin which is a rotation of employees, i did this  and then in the following weeks  told us to mandate to work. lost  a employee, others want to leave , im tore up about this , stomach hurts, what are people going to think if i have to step down. this company has new management, no structure any more, no control or help with employees. i felt like i was being bullied in that office with head of hr and that manager who basically told me i was not a leader even though i was doing it for many years, this company has high turn over rate. i have been there for 25 + years through many different management teams.help?

Derek John Soltis · Answer

It sounds like you are in a tough spot. You really need to speak with an attorney before making any choice that has a long term impact on your career.  
 
If you were actually bullying people and talking in a sexual manner you would most likely be terminated rather than demoted.  Keeping someone employed in the same work area as the person that complained can create a chance for a hostile work environment.   
 
Unless you have a contract or in a union you are most likey an at will employee where you can be terminated for any reason, so no matter what you do, talk to an attorney before risking your career.

V. Jonas Urba · Answer

Mr. Soltis gives good advice. 
 
Assuming you are "at will" which the overwhelming majority of workers are today you are on shaky ground. 
 
When your manager or HR has to deal with an issue you may have created you could be demoted or lose the job. Start looking for a new one confidentially. 
 
If you retain one of us we will likely help you (maybe coach you) about how to hang in there. We can never guarantee you will stay employed but we will suggest actions by you to give you the very best shot at doing so. 
 
Some of us give free initial phone conferences and find that more and more employees retain us without ever meeting us in person because a stressed employee can tell by phone when a lawyer really cares. 
 
Last week I helped a client I will probably never personally meet. When this stressed client and I discussed a range of fees the client, not me, suggested I charge the higher rate. That's what we like to hear. Advice like Mr. Soltis gave you which clients recognize to be worth more.

Q: I m a line leader at a company and was just accussed of bullying and conversing in a sexual manner. What do I do?