New driver - can employer force me to use my car if it’s snowing

Lum

Ok I must have gotten you mixed up with someone in another thread. We had a similar one from a 19 year old. I also misread your username as Gaz, not Caz, sorry. If it's any consolation most folk on this forum mistake me for male as well :P

The points I made still apply though. They can probably afford the insurance hike that a bump in the snow may result in as they're probably only paying £170 a year, not £170 a month!

Loganfire

Blackbeard_of_Perranporth wrote: »

You can return your licence to the DVLA.

I think that's a good idea for this person

caz_cardiff87

Lum wrote: »

Ok I must have gotten you mixed up with someone in another thread. We had a similar one from a 19 year old. I also misread your username as Gaz, not Caz, sorry. If it's any consolation most folk on this forum mistake me for male as well :P

The points I made still apply though. They can probably afford the insurance hike that a bump in the snow may result in as they're probably only paying £170 a year, not £170 a month!

Well precisely! i would have prepped sooner but have spent the last 3 months sorting out a 600 quid electric bill from swalec (i posted about that also), managed to pay it, but then they hadnt billed us from october so am now splitting another 370 into a payment plan and my monthly payments are now 110! Also i renew insurance in march - 1 year no claims (woop!) so if i can avoid getting into a situation then i will!

I’m on 17500 a year before tax and NI, add that swalec bill, insurance, other utilities, petrol, rent etc.... i had sod all room in my budget to do anything other than feed myself. Despite that, my car now has new tyres and my mechanic friend is doing a free pre-mot check on saturday and ‘friends-rate’ repairs if needs be.

Gotta admit, the majority of you guys on here are fab and offer great advice and were really understanding but there are some right trolls (i.e the person who posted after you)...who seem to revel in being obnoxious, makes you wonder what else they have going on in their lives?

Lum

I'm not entirely convinced that that person is trolling. I've worked for bosses with exactly that sort of attitude. There could be an army of zombies marching down the M4 and they'd still insist you stay in the office until exactly 5PM, then sod off home themselves at lunchtime before ringing up at 4:58 to make sure you're still at your desk.

Good job it's just your co-workers bragging and your boss is a bit more understanding, if that's any consolation.

caz_cardiff87

Lum wrote: »

I'm not entirely convinced that that person is trolling. I've worked for bosses with exactly that sort of attitude. There could be an army of zombies marching down the M4 and they'd still insist you stay in the office until exactly 5PM, then sod off home themselves at lunchtime before ringing up at 4:58 to make sure you're still at your desk.

Good job it's just your co-workers bragging and your boss is a bit more understanding, if that's any consolation.

it’s happened in the past - i worked in a pub across the road when i was at uni and remember being one of two that turned up for a shift, no customers for 8 hours, the boss was pulling her hair out cos she wasn’t allowed to close unless the area manager agreed it, which he didn’t but promptly turned up in his 4x4 (which got stuck in our car park for the night) to make sure we were all present and correct. No biggie to us as the boss lived upstairs and the two ofus were a 5 min walk away... but still boring as hell, i think we ate more food than we sold lol

davids3511

Lum wrote: »

So for the sake of getting an extra two days* work out of them, you'd risk the lives of your staff.

What a short-termist view, even if you were a sociopath, surely the risk of a financial cost of having to train up replacement staff or pay a couple of weeks sick pay while their bones mend makes this approach a bad idea.

If it was a higher paying job then perhaps it would be reasonable to expect your staff to spend the money on winter tyres and similar preparations, but at 19 yrs old I doubt Caz** is in the 40% tax bracket just yet.

* Today is the second snow day in south wales. My boss has told me to work from home even though I do have winter tyres, my GF's boss insisted that everyone come in and do their full hours even though he sodded off home at lunchtime
** I misread the username as Cardiff_Gaz the other day, apologies for using "he" in my previous posts.

It's not about getting an extra 2 days out of them. It's more about attitude, and doing all you can to get to work. If they tried and couldn't I'd be ok with that but if they didn't try at all I'd be peeved. If there was a police 'only drive if you absolutely have to' I'd understand that too but the country can't come to a standstill because of a bit of snow. You have to think 'if everybody did that, what would happen'.

It's not really about driving in the snow it's about having a can do attitude which Caz obviously does as she got herself to work even though she was struggling with the snow and she is very much to be commended for that.

I think her co workers are idiots, she didn't want to drive BUT GOT HERSELF TO WORK, how she did that is no concern of theirs.

Lum

There was a met office red warning in this area when Caz was having these concerns. The advice being given was do not drive unless absolutely essential.

Quinny_2

Sgt_Pepper wrote: »

OP the simple answer to your question is. If you're not contracted to use your car and have one at work as part of your contract.

I would have thought the same.

As the OP states that they need to be at other premises, would that not mean that their car is being used for business purposes?

If their employer needs them to be elsewhere as part of the job, surely alternative transport, as opposed to the OP's own personal car, should be provided.

davids3511

Lum wrote: »

There was a met office red warning in this area when Caz was having these concerns. The advice being given was do not drive unless absolutely essential.

Ok, does that mean nobody need go to work? A free pass for the day. Surely getting into work is essential. Going to the gym/hairdressers/pub/footie isn't. What is the definition of essential? Doesn't Caz work for a Hospital or am I way off the mark. Maybe the Firemen don't have to go in either

Seriously though, what is essential?

davids3511

Quinny wrote: »

I would have thought the same.

As the OP states that they need to be at other premises, would that not mean that their car is being used for business purposes?

If their employer needs them to be elsewhere as part of the job, surely alternative transport, as opposed to the OP's own personal car, should be provided.

Doesn't that depend on what their contract says or what was discussed at interview. If it is agreed at interview that the lady in question should use her own car then it's a bit rich to decide you need transport providing for you (not that Caz did).