Unable to work shifts due to transport issues

Sharon87

Really? I thought it was. Well any decent employer should have a duty of care for their employees getting home safely. It's in the employers interest after all, if something happens they may lose their employee for a while if they get attacked or run down in the dark!

I know you've already asked your employer, but ask if you can change your availability permanently at work. Not just leave half an hour earlier on those shifts.

mjm3346

Sharon87 wrote: »

Really? I thought it was. Well any decent employer should have a duty of care for their employees getting home safely.

A good employer might if there was an unexpected need to be working very late, not where it is simply part of a shift pattern.

urbanlegend11

Sharon87 wrote: »

Have you tried asking work if they would subsidise a taxi? The cinema I worked at ages ago paid the first fiver, and other jobs I've had got me taxis and paid for them.

Not sure how many late shifts you do, but if it's 1 a week. The employer has a duty to care for their employees in them getting home safely.

Also could you and a few others ask for a pay rise as you haven't had one in 5 years, may be worthwhile. Most jobs (low paid jobs) put their wages up when the minimum wage goes up whether it's minimum wage or not. If you get a pay rise maybe you could afford a cheap to run car.

Paying for your taxis. Ive never heard anything like it. You will want fag money next......lol

Googlewhacker

Sharon87 wrote: »

Really? I thought it was. Well any decent employer should have a duty of care for their employees getting home safely. It's in the employers interest after all, if something happens they may lose their employee for a while if they get attacked or run down in the dark!

Its not the employers responsibility how you get to or from work as long as you get there. Yes employers might raise some concern on their employees but are we going to molly coddle them all the way home, how about hiring minders to make sure the employees get home ok....but wait what about the minders, how do employers make sure they get home ok?

Arrrgghh a minefield

Indie_Kid

Sharon87 wrote: »

Have you tried asking work if they would subsidise a taxi? The cinema I worked at ages ago paid the first fiver, and other jobs I've had got me taxis and paid for them.

Very unlikely. Unless travelling is part of the job or the person has a disability which means they can't use public transport. (not sure who pays there though)

Also could you and a few others ask for a pay rise as you haven't had one in 5 years, may be worthwhile. Most jobs (low paid jobs) put their wages up when the minimum wage goes up whether it's minimum wage or not. If you get a pay rise maybe you could afford a cheap to run car.

Sorry; but this is very cheeky, imo.

liney

sh1305 wrote: »

Very unlikely. Unless travelling is part of the job or the person has a disability which means they can't use public transport. (not sure who pays there though)



Sorry; but this is very cheeky, imo.

It simply isn't the employers problem. This is the reason employers will often look carefully at where people live, and how they get to work before employing them.

OP can request his shift be changed, but even if he had dependents, the employer can refuse. Not all jobs can be done as and when suit the employee and sometimes it's a case of actually having a body on site from x to y time.

I think the suggestion of a scooter is a good one. To cut costs you could use it only during the winter months and revert to the pushbike when nights are lighter and less chilly.

pjcox2005

sh1305 wrote: »

Very unlikely. Unless travelling is part of the job or the person has a disability which means they can't use public transport. (not sure who pays there though)



Sorry; but this is very cheeky, imo.

I agree with other peoples comments re taxis, leaving early etc. as not the company's issue but the OP who has effectively changed their circumstances. So i can clearly see that these are unlikely to happen.

The bit that I do disagree with is the comment that it would be 'very cheeky' to ask for a pay rise. Personally, I would do it as an individual rather than a group but would raise with a manager of lack of pay rise in the last 5 years, point to the impact of inflation basically makes that a pay deduction in real terms, state that you appreciate the difficulty some companies are facing in the current climate but that the current position is making it very hard to maintain a previous standard of life. No harm in seeing if they can do something when pushed.

If they can't then up to you to accept the position and continue, or start job hunting in your spare time for a better paying job.

Rikki

I know the OP said he couldn't afford to run his car but he was already working shifts. I think he should have sat down and gone through his finances carefully, looked where he could save money and keep the car.
The implication now are it could cost him more to get backwards and forwards to work than running a car.

You could have put your job in jeopardy.

dickydonkin

Sharon87 wrote: »

Really? I thought it was. Well any decent employer should have a duty of care for their employees getting home safely. It's in the employers interest after all, if something happens they may lose their employee for a while if they get attacked or run down in the dark!

I know you've already asked your employer, but ask if you can change your availability permanently at work. Not just leave half an hour earlier on those shifts.

Health and safety law does not apply to commuting, unless the employee is travelling from their home to a location which is not their usual place of work so this potentially does not apply to the OP's situation here.

What may be relevant however, if the driver (or others) were affected due to his employment - such as fatigue which resulted in an accident.

Potentially, if an employer knowingly allowed a fatigued driver to drive a vehicle (his own), or excessive hours resulted in fatigue, then arguably those could breach an employers duty of care should that result in an accident.

Where a company vehicle is involved however, driving would be covered under UK H&S legislation.

Googlewhacker

dpassmore wrote: »

Potentially, if an employer knowingly allowed a fatigued driver to drive a vehicle (his own), or excessive hours resulted in fatigue, then arguably those could breach an employers duty of care should that result in an accident.

This though surely all depends on why the person is fatigued, if the person was fatigued due to 16 hour days then I can see the point, if the person is fatigued due to staying up late and getting up early and only have 3 hours sleep due to their own behaviour then this is not the companies responsibility if the person is fatigued.

As the OP has changed their own circumstances then I would say this is not the employers responsibility if the employee becomes fatigued from travelling and if the employee is then they can always get a taxi.