Employment law advice urgently required

elsien

If the house is secure, I don't see much difference in this and being a lone worker doing a sleep in when the residents have moved in. Which as a female support worker, I did for years. As previous people have said, if she hears something and is worried, call the police.

nataliehunter

Hi all, thanks for your replies. The building in question is not comparable in size to a domestic property, and apparently contains a great deal of expensive, specialised equipment. As previously mentioned, there has been no risk assessment carried out on the premises. Rooms are sound proof so it's unlikely she would hear any intruder until it were too late.

She will never be a lone worker during the night shifts due to the nature of the care being provided- there will always be at least three members of staff pressent.

As for finding 'friend of a friend' posts hilarious, I don't really see the humour in being concerned for a friend and seeking advice to clarify the situation.

steampowered

Personally I don't see the problem. I don't understand why being in a building overnight with 3 members of the staff is any more dangerous/scary/concerning than sleeping in your own bed at home.

nataliehunter

Hey, no she would be on her own on this occasion.

discat11

Female lone worker= lone worker btw.
It's no use pulling the female=vulnerable card as both sexes have to be treated equally.

My previous career had female workers not wanting to do night/early shifts quoting 'vulnerability due to sex' but still happy to take the job -that didn't work either.

As previously advised- best advice is to ask for their lone worker policy and accept this is a job that is reasonable for the employer to ask her to do.

nataliehunter

I didn't mean the term 'female' to suggest that she should be treated differently that any male member of staff, now I read it back I can see it looks that way- apologies!

I'll let her know to ask for the lone worker policy anyway, thanks.

Undervalued

discat11 wrote: »

Female lone worker= lone worker btw.
It's no use pulling the female=vulnerable card as both sexes have to be treated equally.

My previous career had female workers not wanting to do night/early shifts quoting 'vulnerability due to sex' but still happy to take the job -that didn't work either.

As previously advised- best advice is to ask for their lone worker policy and accept this is a job that is reasonable for the employer to ask her to do.

True but even amongst male employees there could be vast differences between how vulnerable someone might feel in that situation.

An ex Royal Marine might well not be bothered by the possibility of an intruder but a former, say, librarian who weighs eight stone in his overcoat may feel differently!

fairy_lights

Surely the building has alarms though so if someone tried to break in they would go off, regardless of the sound proofing?

Malthusian

Undervalued wrote: »

An ex Royal Marine might well not be bothered by the possibility of an intruder but a former, say, librarian who weighs eight stone in his overcoat may feel differently!

A librarian would probably jump at the chance to be paid to sit and read or doze in an empty building for ten hours and it probably wouldn't even occur to him that someone would try to break in to steal some medical equipment. The Royal Marine roaming the grounds, considering points of entry and checking the corner of each room he walks into would likely be the one with the more paranoid state of mind.

The OP's friend isn't being asked to resist a zombie invasion, just sit in an empty house for a night. It's not about whether they are physically capable but purely about whether they feel mentally able to do the job required of them. It is exceptionally unlikely that someone will try to break in and if there is a burglar it is another order of unlikeliness that they will be a danger to the OP's friend. Burglars are rarely the violent type of criminal - they break into houses in the dead of night because they prefer to avoid confrontation.

She is probably at more risk of a break-in if she refuses the job and spends that night in her own home. Breaking and entering is far more likely to involve a known person ("friend" or ex) trying to enter your home without permission, or people having a party in the same block of flats getting drunk and entering the wrong flat, or opportunist burglars combing the block or the street looking for unlocked doors, than burglars breaking into empty care homes trying to steal medical equipment.