Friend having to pay taxi fares to/from work as broken ankle. Employer not helping

jumpycheese1

I know that this doesn't apply to me, but is happening to a friend. She broke her ankle at the inhouse gym. She used the gym at least 4 times a week for 40 mins or so for a good 18 months. The accident was caused by a faulty gym machine. Her work is always done at desks, hers or at meeting room tables. As there are no buses or other public transport links to her work, she is having to pay for taxis to/from work. Her taxis to/from work are costing her about 55% of what she earns per day. She is unable to drive for 8 weeks, which includes the first two weeks of her foot not being in a cast.

She is getting to the point of finding to pay over half she has earned that day on taxis pretty stressful and is affecting her bills at home. What she is spending on taxi fares per day, its the same as her fuel consumption for 7 working days of fuel driving to and from work. She cannot find anyone who lives near her willing to pick her up and drive her to/from work.

Her employer isn't helping out on paying out on taxi fees. Does she have the right to ask for financial help from her employer? Or can she have time off sick as the financial strain is getting to her? As she has been with the company for 2 years this spring, she will get full pay for 6 weeks then SSP as already been in a cast for under 2 weeks now.

fengirl_2

The first thing I would have done is to get my doctor to sign me off! How can she possibly be safe, limping round a place of work full of other people. I am surprised the employer has not insisted she stays off - would she be covered by their insurance if anything happens?
No right to ask for a contribution to taxi fares - and they would be taxable if they were paid anyway.

Felicity

I wouldnt have thought her employer would be obliged to pay for her travel costs to and from work.

If the machine at the gym was indeed faulty then that is another case altogether and should be persued as such!

It is a real pain, I once broke my arm and had to pay an absolute fortune in cabs getting to work, keeping appointments etc. I also had to pay to go via a hairdressers (as one armed I couldnt wash / style my hair myself) before important client meetings.

I wouldnt have expected my employer to have paid for that. Its just life!

SomeBozo

Unless an agreement is in place, the employee is responsible for getting to and from work and on time.

If the machine was faulty then thats separate and needs to be persued separatly.

I would try to keep the issue and troubles of getting to work separate to any action regarding the faulty machine.

Bozo

marri_lou

employers are not obliged to pay for transport. Some employers will do so to attract staff i.e. bar club work, but these are very few and far between. Offices will not pay for transport.

The faulty gym machine is something to take up directly with th gym.

I personally would have been signed off for the 6 weeks, as I don't see the financial benefit in shelling out half of my pay in taxis.

I would also ask the taxi firm to have the hires on account/provide receipts when pursuing the gym for liability (if she is doing so)

McKneff

She really should be on the sick, the extra pressure on the broken ankle will prolong the healing and if she sues the gym this will be taken into account.

apart from the fact she would be fully paid why is she putting herself through all this trauma and losing out financially, she must be very loyal or frightened of losing her job
Like Marr-lou says keep all receipts from taxis/buses

SomeBozo

Taking time off (if needed) is to get better not based on financial circumstances.

There are plenty of jobs you can do without risking the condition getting worse and no effect on the actual job.

Its a broken ankle!

Bozo

sdooley

I think the point is the ankle was broken by works own machine being faulty, so they should have at least a moral obligation to help out with transport (if not a legal one). Going off sick doesn't sound like the best option if they haven't offered to help - what if they cut her down to statutory sick pay?

I think the best option would be to get work to ask round by email for volunteers to drive your friend in - and work will pay their mileage at HMRC rates (still cheaper than taxis though). And they should fix their gym machine!

tanith

Should definately be signed off sick, go to your GP and ask for a certificate... its gonna take longer to heal if you overuse it, it needs to be rested

Felicity

Why would you be signed off sick for a broken ankle?

Surely if you have a desk job you can still do the job with a broken ankle.

Got2change

There are probably Health & Safety (yawn) implications to being in the workplace with a broken ankle - and I'm assuming on crutches - even if the job is sedentary. It would certainly need to be assessed and OK'd by the Occupational Health department.

Although the financial side of things shouldn't be a factor - it's only human nature to have a bit of a problem with shelling out the equivalent of half a day's pay on transport to and from work; but I'm not sure of the limits of the employer's input on this - probably none I would think.

(On the other hand, I worked for a large (huuuge in the US) food manufacturer and a colleague of mine slipped and fell down the stairs (no-one's fault and certainly no liability), breaking her ankle. She came to work on crutches for weeks (and probably shouldn't have) - her taxis cost £30 each way; the company paid (I know because I booked our tame taxi co and we paid on account), I doubt very much that she would have come to work had the onus been on her (and the company also had very generous sick pay and BUPA schemes) - but that was very very unusual - and over three years ago. Times have changed have they not.)

Not really sure what a satisfactory compromise could be - but Occ Health should certainly be involved.