Staff Searches at work

Mar.cresham

Hi All

Wondering could anyone maybe help with some info here has me and may work mates where talking about this today and are not sure about it.

When a Staff Search is being done on you at work where sould it be done?

We have them done on us every day anytime we leave the store which is 100% fine apart from where they do it.

When they are searching us it is done next to the till area in full view of members of the public am i right in saying this is wrong?

I know it makes us feel like we have done wrong when the public is stiring as you are being mead turn out your bags and being scaned. Also sould members of management not have to be searched also?

Any help would be great

Horace

It would have thought they would search you in a private area not where you are on public view next to the tills. Don't they have a separate doorway for staff to use so that they don't have to wander through the shop to get in or out?

Mar.cresham

No the only way staff have of getting in is via the sales floor next to the c.s till and thats next the pick up point so when they do them all public thats standing get to see everything and i feel this is wrong

HO87

It shouldn't be done in a public area but to a degree this may be determined by the extent of the search and who is conducting it e.g. Is it being carried out by a store security officer who also has to cover the shopfloor and is it just of your bags? If it involves a "pat down" then I would be arguing that it is a personal search and should be conducted out of public view.

ceridwen

Crikey - this Board is sometimes an eye-opener about the working conditions some people have...:eek: I dont think I'd even heard of the idea of staff searches before now...

Since this is something your employer does - then I can quite see why you feel upset about the location of those searches - ie right in public view. That is certainly adding humiliation to it. As a member of the public - I would certainly wonder what was going on and assume "something was up" if I spotted this going on (particularly as I'm probably far from being the only one who had never realised that some employers do this.....).

I would have thought at the least that they could put a screen up round this area - so that others couldnt inadvertently witness this and wonder if I had done something wrong.

Mar.cresham

Its done by a member of management as we dont have a security officer. Its pouring out your bags pulling out your pockets and then a scan down with one of them hand held scan things like they use in airports

bumblebee23

I used to work in a store where we had to do staff searches. The rulebook says to search staff in private, not in front of members of the public or other staff members and the staff member has to empty their bag and pockets themselves... and then you were supposed to escort the member of staff out of the shop - I guess to make sure they didn't fill their pockets after being searched!

Not sure if those are the same rules for your company, but I'm pretty certain any staff searches are supposed to be a private thing - imagine if you did steal something, is your manager going to discuss this in the middle of a shop?!

I would personally speak to some of your colleagues and if you all feel the same way, that it is humiliating to be searched at the front of store, speak to your manager about this and ask to see a copy of the guide/rules regarding staff searches. It may be that your manager is just doing this out of habit and doesn't even realise that it can be embarrassing....

Oh and for the record, staff searches are applicable to everyone, managers included... in my experience, the managers are the worst for stealing - they were always getting caught in my old job!

Cazza

Just being nosey but what type of shop do you work in??? I've not heard of people being seached like this before - I'm not expecting you to name your employer obviously!!!

Mar.cresham

That what i was thinking if there doing it on us and its not being done on them whats to say there not helping them self and then when something goes missing trying to make out someone in the staff is doing it.

ALL IL SAY ABOUT WHO IT IS THAT YOU

Dont shop for it _ _ _ _ _ it

Cazza

Thank you!

Debt_Free_Chick

What kind of search are we talking about?

Bag search and/or empty your pockets?