Invited for a disciplinary meeting due to WhatsApp status...

This is why you should be careful putting stuff on social media sites what doesn’t offend you may offend other people

Sounds like you’re due a nice long period of sickness due to “work related stress”

Just decline the invitation, problem solved.

Your employer doesn't own you (despite what many think)
Read your contract, see if you've fallen foul to any clause, and if not - fight it ferociously.
Explain how this was on YOUR private time, and they have no right to police you when off duty.
Of course you may be in a sensitive job, and have security written into the contract... In which case, was you provided with training as to how to behave off the clock.... If not, it's back on them.

You're going to jail, have a supply of soap bars ready.

I would get some legal advice before you attended .

This is why you pay your union dues. Free representation and the ability to make management sweat in these meetings. You are entitled to representation from a colleague even if you aren't a union member.

If you talk to colleagues on it, if you are in anyway identifiable as an employee of said company... It's not good for you. If the lyrics are as bad as I suspect they are, you should prepare for the worst.

Keep a note of every stage of the entire process. Things said to you, any double standards etc. there's always the possibility of going through to ACAS (especially if the chat was private, you weren't identifiable and it wasn't between co-workers). Remember, they can only sack you for a first offence if it's GROSS misconduct, which is a high burden, lesser forms of misconduct must only result in warnings or some sort of performance plan (these are also a a popular method of illegal constructive dismissal)

So let me get this right.

You were at a party no way affiliated with the company?
You put up a whatsapp status that no way implicated or named the company?
Your whatsapp is your own private whatsapp on your own private phone and nothing to do with the company?

If all of the above is true, then as the Americans say, tell them to pound sand.

Life is too short, find another job. Or better yet, set up your own business and do wtf you like, within reason.

should you be worried? that's for you to decide. the fact you post about it on here suggests you take the issue seriously enough to be worried. the employer inviting you to a disciplinary meeting is a good reason to be worried. if you worry about it you are likely to take it more seriously than if you didn't worry, and if you take it seriously you are more likely to do the right thing and avoid your employment being terminated

the employer could terminate your employment, rightly or wrongly, as any employer could do to anyone at any time for any reason or not even give a reason. employment law is there to protect employees and most employers follow good practice to avoid disputes and tribunals, but not all employers do this, at least not all the time, thus why we have tribunals. sounds like the employer is following some good practice at least. if it's a big employer, which if it's transport and involves a uniform and there's a whatsapp group, it suggests to me it is, then they are more likely to follow good practice and have qualified trained and experience staff to deal with HR to avoid tribunals. you are only providing part of the story so without providing a lot more detail, i would suggest contact ACAS first, as you have qualified, trained and experience professionals who deal with HR issues every day, it's free, relatively anonymous, and you can provide all the info to them to answer their questions so they can give advice. after you've done that, if you are in a union, speak to your union for a second opinion

does the letter inviting you to the disciplinary hearing not outline the details of the complaint so you know exactly what they take issue in, and does it not state what the potential outcome of the hearing could be, such as termination of employment, or a formal warning? something doesn't need to be specified in the contract explicitly as gross misconduct for it to be treated as such, but i'd usually suggest that if it was considered gross misconduct then the letter would mention it. if something is considered gross misconduct and you are found to have done it (whether you actually did it or not is another thing - it's the process being followed that counts) then gross misconduct issues are usually those found serious enough to result in termination of employment

the other person/employee at the party, are they not being called as a witness or anything? if the issue is the whatsapp post and they didn't do a similar thing, then just being at the party isn't the problem, it's the communication. you don't say what role you have or what grade, but if it involves comms to the public and the public or other staff could see what you've posted without having to be in your personal whatsapp list then that may be a concern to the employer. less so perhaps if it's only staff internally that can see it and not the public, but if you have a diverse range of staff that can see the post and the wording may be considered innapropriate such as sexist or racist for example, then the business may consider allowing staff to make comms that way without action being taken as bringing the company into disrepute as they allow staff to make inappropriate comments viewed by other staff without any consequences

why would you post such a thing that your employers or colleagues would see/hear in the first place?

take this as a good lesson and remember in future, what happens in vegas stays in vegas

Tell them you will record your meeting, if it gets that far. If they refuse you doing it then tell them you want an audio / video recording.
First offences are usually verbal warnings, but no matter,get the Union involved.
Asking strangers on social media how to tidy up a mess created on social media is not your best solution.
However, watch your back now because the person who brought this up obviously has a grudge, and having "lost" this round, will be out for revenge. Also the firm will have you marked as a troublemaker, especially if the reporter is anonymous and so they can't mark them up.

Unfortunately everyone wants to film everything and then post it everywhere for everyone to see.

And it's an addiction.

When I have used social media it's been in a fake name and I don't use a phone number or e mail address known to anyone connected to those accounts so it so I can't be looked up as I believe you can look up FB profiles with a phone number or email address

Tell them if they want a dedicated work whatsapp group then they need to get you a separate works phone for that reason.
Don't be using our private phone / laptop or anything else for work related stuff, or even for an informal work discussion group with people you don't know very well. (edited)

Say someone else who doesn't work for the company, recorded the footage without your consent. And buy that friend a drink. Case closed.

If your going to go out, go out with a bang. Video call the whole thing and if they sack you I'm sure they would get their fair of hate if not justified. You could get cash when it goes viral to. If no sack, don't post. Don't show your face or edit it out.