Husband's employer is getting cheeky

hcb42

You can see the employer's side if hubby is telling them he is going home, rather than asking them, I would not be happy with the former either.

If there is another one on the way, and you have no family, you might need to think about who you can rely on a bit more then, as while there are obvious rights for emergency leave etc, you need to think about hubby's career as well.

I would expect them to be paid for drinking up time however.

scooby088

In all fairness if my OH went sick and rang work for me I would drop everything to be there. I would expect some sort of meeting with my manager. I had the circumstance a few years ago when my father was taken seriously ill which eventually ended with him passing away, the company i worked for at the time were very good and gave me the time off as sick as i had to arrange funeral and just general grieving.

Tiddlywinks

DeeMarie89 wrote: »

And I haven't got a problem with him working late at all, my issue here is him not getting paid for the overtime he does. Surely, he should be paid for any time he is physically working?

I also don't think it's fair that he is being discriminated against for having a few hours off when it was necessary. Any time I have called him home, I have always called friends and family first. Unfortunately? The majority of our friends and family are spread out across the UK, so there are very few people I can ask.

You still don't get it though, do you? Your husband (for whatever reasons) can now not be counted on to turn up and stay at work... why would an employer reward that kind of employee with training opportunities? How would that appear to the rest of the team who have had to cover for him?

A few hours off? Come off it, it's been weeks and then days!

You say your dad couldn't help because he was working - well, that same logic surely applies to your OH as well.

You need to rethink your childcare arrangements as it is not the employer's responsibility to facilitate these absences - particularly as you are about to have another baby. You chose your location, again, you must live with that decision.

As to the staying late for drinking time, how do other employees feel about it? What is the company policy? Do you really think it is the right time for your OH to raise this issue? Really? He has already proved less that reliable (unfairly or otherwise) and so raising this now may place him in an even more unfavourable position.

You need to start supporting your OH and not raising these issues unless he wants to talk them through - how hard do you think it is for him having to go to work in a potentially difficult situation (created by these recent events) and having you at home saying you feel ill? Give him a break.

soupdragon10

When my OH was rushed into hospital having had a serious accident I ASKED my line manager for the time off, didn't just tell him I was going. I also let him know of any work that might need covering if I wasn't able to get in the following day.

No one is disputing your need for your OH to come home, however the way he TOLD his boss he was taking the time was in my view way out of line.

Could you not look into some emergency childcare cover for situations such as this? Are there other mothers of small children at nursery/toddler group who might step into the breach to have your child for example for your emergency hospital appointment.

It sounds as though your husbands career prospects have been dented by not being put forward for the training course, it would be a shame for him to miss out further for want of emergency backup childcare.

DeeMarie89

Tiddlywinks wrote: »

You still don't get it though, do you? Your husband (for whatever reasons) can now not be counted on to turn up and stay at work... why would an employer reward that kind of employee with training opportunities? How would that appear to the rest of the team who have had to cover for him? The staff that have covered for him did not mind. The bar was quiet on those nights, and his workmates fully understand, as a lot of them have been in the same position at some point

A few hours off? Come off it, it's been weeks and then days! After the appendicitis (through which he kept in regular contact to keep them informed of any changes) it has literally been hours. He came home 3 hours early in March, and 4 hours early on Monday.

You say your dad couldn't help because he was working - well, that same logic surely applies to your OH as well. I am not classed as a dependant of my father anymore, nor is my son, but we are dependant on my husband.

You need to rethink your childcare arrangements as it is not the employer's responsibility to facilitate these absences - particularly as you are about to have another baby. You chose your location, again, you must live with that decision. I've had a child for 11 months. Apart from being admitted to hospital for appendicitis (I had cramp, went to doctors, was taken away from there in an ambulance) when my husban phoned up hours before his shift started to inform them, he has only had to come home early twice, once when I had to go to hospital and be cannulated and prepared for possible theatre so that if the scan showed what they thought, I could be operated on immediately, and once when I was too ill to look after my son.

As to the staying late for drinking time, how do other employees feel about it? They don't like it and want to be paid for it too What is the company policy? Do you really think it is the right time for your OH to raise this issue? Really? He has already proved less that reliable (unfairly or otherwise) and so raising this now may place him in an even more unfavourable position. And yet he has a right to be paid for time he works. If they want to frown upon him for asking for what he's entitled to, it's their issue for not doing things correctly in the first place

You need to start supporting your OH I do. I'd rather he got a more stable 9 to 5 job, but as he enjoys his work, I support him and not raising these issues unless he wants to talk them through - how hard do you think it is for him having to go to work in a potentially difficult situation (created by these recent events) and having you at home saying you feel ill? Give him a break. It's my husband that keeps complaining to me that he thinks he is being treated like crap

I think that you're not quite understanding what I'm saying here. I don't want your uninformed opinions on these evens, I want to know where we stand legally should my husband decide to take things up with his boss

GothicStirling

DeeMarie89 wrote: »

I think that you're not quite understanding what I'm saying here. I don't want your uninformed opinions on these evens, I want to know where we stand legally should my husband decide to take things up with his boss

Sorry, I've worked in the licensed trade since I was 18 and managed licensed bars too. There has been no uninformed opinions here.

He definitely hasn't been discriminated against.

DeeMarie89

Having read the websites that OhReally I found the following,

It's unfair to refuse you reasonable time off to deal with an unexpected event involving a dependant. It's also unfair to dismiss or penalise you, eg not giving you promotion or training.

So it seems that I am right, and the employer is in the wrong for denying him licensing training because he came home to look after our son...

Tiddlywinks

DeeMarie89 wrote: »

I think that you're not quite understanding what I'm saying here. I don't want your uninformed opinions on these evens, I want to know where we stand legally should my husband decide to take things up with his boss

I understand fully but doubt you do - your husband will be a lone voice if he raises this in a meeting with his boss - the employer is following the 'industry standard'. I'm not saying it is right BUT it would be better to raise the drinking time issue as a collective team concern rather than an individual one.

It would also be better to wait until the dust settles from recent events.

I know you don't want my opinion but you're getting it anyway as this is an open forum and you invited comment.

Your OH works in the service sector and if he does not attend or leaves early then others have to pick up the slack - it will cause bad feeling if it continues, how can you not see that?

You need to get together a support network and a plan to support your family life - one working parent, one stay at home parent and two children (including the bump) - you cannot continue to expect short unplanned absences to be tolerated (regardless of who employs your OH). They are running a business and not a branch of social services.

Horace

There is no discrimination here. Your husband has been reprimanded for walking out regardless of whether or not it was to attend to your needs, he walked out of work and was thus absent without permission. He shouldn't expect to get paid for being absent and he shouldn't expect his colleagues to cover for him whilst he is away because it is putting them in an awkward position.

Working in the licensed trade means that you don't work 9-5 and you can expect to do overtime - usually in any job the first half hour of overtime is unpaid anyway so if you OH has to wait for drinkers to drink up then that's what has to happen - I am thinking that maybe the licensed trade is not right for him or for you at this moment in time.

Look at it from his employer's point of view - all of a sudden they found themselves without a key member of staff because he absented himself from work and has done so on a regular basis, how are they supposed to react? He could politely have asked for some compassionate leave because his wife had been rushed into hospital and this may well have been granted. It would have given sufficient time to make childcare arrangements - even if it meant taking the child to stay with grandma or an aunt or uncle.

I think that the employer has acted fairly.

liney

http://www.direct.gov.uk/en/parents/moneyandworkentitlements/workandfamilies/dg_10026555

Your husband is entitled to take time off work in the case of an emergency, but it is to arrange care, not care for you or your child himself, and it is regonised that two days is the maximum time expected to be taken.

Personnel Today http://www.personneltoday.com/articles/2008/01/21/43979/emergency-time-off-to-care-for-dependants.html give an example of a case where a ET ruled that Emergency Dependant Leave is not for extended use as childcare and that other leave should be arranged if the need is past two days.


In 4 months you have had rather alot of 'emergencies'. How long has your DH worked for this company?