Using car for work

atulipsin

I wonder if anyone can help me.
My daughter is a manager at a nursery and her boss is trying to force her to use her own car for transporting children to school and back. She has already done this in her old car, but the car got quite damaged from other parents banging into her car doors with theirs etc. Anyway, her clutch went and she had various other problems with it and had to get a new car (used). Her boss is pressuring her to use her new car for school runs and generally making life difficult for her. I see this as bullying. The boss also has another nursery about 2 miles away and they have two vehicles to be used for this purpose, but she is reluctant to let me daughter use them because they may get damaged by parents banging doors into it! She seems to think it will be okay for my daughters car to get damaged but not hers. Also she keeps extending the probationary period that my daughter has been manager and still hasnt paid her any extra for doing the job. She has not had a written contract since the nursery opened over a year ago and is getting very stressed about it all and it's making her ill. Can her boss make her do this? shouldn't she have had a contract before now and can she keep extending her probationary period and not pay her extra? Would appreciate any input thanks.

sofaspud1234

Someone will be along with more answers than me. Does she have the appropriate insurance to transport children? How long has she been with the company?

ohreally

As above, she needs to stipulate her insurance may not be vaild for this. If this type of use is necessary for the business, they need to consider getting a dedicated business vehicle.

As an aside, her own insurance may need to include class 3 if shes ferrying kids about to clients homes etc (someone more knowlegable can clarify).

Westie22

Why doesn't she have a contract? She should have got one when she started the job.

Her insurance won't cover her for this.



Is the nursery going to Supaguard the interior in case the children are sick over it?

atulipsin

She does have insurance for transporting the children. She had to sort out her own insurance. She has been with the company for over a year. They took over the previous owner and she had been with them for 6 years. The previous manager left at short notice and she was doing the managers job for a while then she was officially made manager about 7 months ago, but gets no support even though it was promised. The boss has two dedicated vehicles for transport of children, but is very reluctant to let her use it "in case it gets bumped by car doors etc". No she wont pay for the car to be Supaguarded, she wouldnt even cover the cost of having other members of staff insure their cars so my daughter sometimes has to go into work to do school runs on her day off because nobody else can do it. She was even suggesting my daughter gets finance for a new car when her other one was off the road! As for contracts, they have been going to give everyone a contract for the past few months but as yet it is to materialise.

Is her boss being unreasonable expecting her to use her own vehicle while she has the facility to use the nursery vehicles? I am really worried for my daughter as it is making her ill and her boss seems to have an argument for everything.

anamenottaken

You say that the school opened "over a year ago" (post #1) and "they took over the previous owner and she had been with them for 6 years" (post #5).

If this is covered by TUPE then her employment is continuous with the earlier 6 years and the conditions of her employment are as they were back then. It also means that she is protected in relation to any unfair dismissal (if she is concerned that her job would be at risk if she stood up for herself regarding the car usage).

Firefox1975

Just tell her the insurance has been renewed and unfortunately it does not now cover transportation of this nature.

Or get rid of the car for a few mths, tell her youre partner needs it so they will have to make alternative arrangements.

once these are in place then the vehicle can "reappaear!"

teabelly

If the boss won't pay for insurance or any repair she should be told to get lost. Expecting employees to use their own vehicles for company business is a liberty. Especially when it is transporting other people. What happens if there is an accident and one of these children is injured? Who pays any insurance increase/excess if there is a claim? An employee shouldn't have to pay a company's business expenses. If the boss wants children picked up then she should provide a fully insured and suitable vehicle for that purpose or pay the FULL costs of an employee providing a suitable vehicle including any repair costs, insurance costs, wear and tear, cleaning etc but only if that employee is willing.

Having it 'disappear' would be the best solution in the short term.