Furious at ds work dismissal

Would it not have been common sense to get the earlier train after the first couple times of being late? Why should his employer have to tell him to do that?

Assuming of course, that he was ever told it was OK in the first place. I think the chances of him bringing told it was fine to be late every single day are vanishingly small. More likely the employer mistakenly thought he was late the first time asa one off because of a delay in the train service, not approving late arrivals ad infinitum.

So I appreciate some of the comments have been nasty but you have really got out back up with people who gave genuine advice.

When I was 19 I got taken into a room with 2 managers when I worked in retail because I didn’t turn up to shifts…I told them I had holidays at my interview, then again when I started and to my manager before I left….they then tried to discipline me because I didn’t turn up because nobody communicated to one another!! Pulled my application which luckily had the dates of my holidays on it.

Have they sacked him because of the lateness or because is missing shifts (even though he was on holiday)? Did they elaborate on what they meant about being unreliable?

I’m sorry your son lost the job, however, he had his chance to make an impression and frankly, blew it. Anyone starting a new job should be there early never mind on time! Bright eyed and bushy tailed.

Well I know they are inflexible based on this response to him arriving 1-5 mins late. But that’s why I asked if he is customer facing (face to face or online). If there is a specific negative impact from him being 1 minute late then they are not inflexible. If not they are being ridiculous.

It just shows attitudes to work. And it’s not his first job so he knew about timekeeping. He probably thought it’s my second job, I can cruise for a bit here re holiday and lateness and I’ll survive. Which he did but not his job.

Just wrote a v similar experience! Crazy to me but also crazy how the parent didn’t point this out!

When I was about that age I had a job where I caught the train. I spent hours each week waiting around because the train would have got there 'just' in time if I walked fast but I caught the earlier one so I wouldn't be late. It's one of those things - if there is an earlier train you catch it.

god at 19 I was getting the 6am train 1hr30 mins away to get there for 8.30. Would have been lovely to get the 7am train but I would have been a few mins late so didnt… I’m not surprised he got fired, CF new employee!

Revenge being a dish best served cold, I'd advise your son to keep a note of the names of the people involved. Who said it was ok, who was responsible for the decision to end his employment etc.

Industries are small, he may well come across these people again and now he knows a couple of people who cannot be trusted to provide truthful answers/ be consistent. Will be ever want to work with them again?

He can be dismissed for any reason under 2 years

unless it’s protecyed

so yeah….easily done if he’s late

I really cannot understand the work ethics nowadays......I was in a similar dilemma once: the train only ran once per hour, and a comfortable routine would have been to arrive a few minutes before my shift started but because of the times of the train. I had to get up at 4am, and get to work at 6am because of the trains times, instead of 7am start. I spent nearly ONE HOUR snoozing in the staff room, on a chair because I did not want to be One minute late. The ENTITLEMENT of balking about the TRAIN fair for this OP is farcical. A joke. B. T. W. When you start a New Job, it's not wise to start acting like the CEO on your first day. Or your first Week, or EVER!!!!!!

Did they go back on their word though? If they had said it was ok, he wouldn’t have got dismissed, as you haven’t because your employer did say it was ok.

It seems that many are of the opinion that the employer is at fault. We have no evidence of this.

He was dismissed because of his ‘unreliability’, that is a definite reason.

@Isthismykarma I take your word for it, it was said to you and you state it here. OP says her DS was told it was ok. We cannot in all honesty debate it solely on those terms because the messenger in this case is the mother of her dismissed DS.

At one point OP did say “From all who've suggested he's not telling me the truth, maybe maybe not, but I can only get his side of the story”.

We do not categorically know that the employer did say it was ok, and if so in what context was it said or meant.

Yes, choosing to be an hour early every day is an option. It's the preferable option for the probationary period.

Discussing it with your boss is another option. Employers are human, and some of them are actually quite reasonable. If they are fine with you arriving at that time, get it in writing.

Ideally an updated contract with an amended start time, but at the very least by email, and cc whoever needs cc'ing. I'll bet my well-covered backside that neither of these things happened.

This is a lesson in both punctuality and arse-covering.

At 19 he should have realised that he needed to get the earlier train so he stops being late! The employer had enough.

You can’t just sue an employer though, you have to apply to the tribunal service and they consider whether to allow the application on legal and other grounds. On the face of it he isn’t eligible to apply - he hasn’t been there long enough and doesn’t have protected characteristics giving him the necessary day one rights.

It won’t change though - I have seen so many posts from mothers like this who think their grown ass son can do no wrong and that everything is the fault of someone else.

I have a theory that many of these sons (and their mothers) end up being moaned about on MN

You choose to add an extra hour if it is your responsibility to get to work on time. The fact that people choose to be consistently late is baffling. I do see it a lot with late teens/early twenties people though - it’s as if they feel that they make enough of a contribution to their employer during the time they deign to attend.

But the OP’s DS is a grown man - whatever he’s telling mummy about his mean boss is irrelevant. He’s old enough to work so he’s old enough to be the adult he is.

Has your Son inherited your combative nature? Because if he reacted to his boss’ criticism the way you have reacted here I can very much understand why he’s been let go.

He can speak to Citizens Advice for free. I don’t think it’s going to get far though. Going to a tribunal for wrongful dismissal isn’t straight forward and most likely he wasn’t. If they feel there is a chance the claim won’t be found in his favour they will ask him to pay his court fees up front.

My advice would be to chalk this up as a lesson learned - he needs to get to work on time. Being late is in fact being unreliable.

It’s also time for you to stop holding his hand. He’s an adult and failure is normal. He’s learning the lessons school nor you could teach him. It’s nice he has you as a safety net right now - but you have to stop softening the blow by defending his behaviour. You know full well he’s in the wrong.

Pretty sure they have to be in school on time to prepare them for the working world! Should have some idea about timekeeping.

It's a bit shitty of them to say it's ok and then fire him anyway, so I went with YANBU.

I've had to commute via train before, and I've had situations where it was a case of "be an hour early or be a couple of minutes late". I absolutely get choosing the latter (who wants to add a whole extra hour to their day every day, unpaid??) BUT -

✨ ✨ ✨ get it in writing ✨ ✨ ✨

Three comments, where I am trying to help rather than criticize.

1. Would it help your DS to be told that as a young person, in a new job, he should be trying to wow his employers? Getting in early is a total PITA if, like me, you love sleeping in your bed. But it's worth it....
2. A warning (not sure if this point has already been made). He's been employed for 2 months, IIRC. He's taken holiday (a fortnight?). He will have overspent his holiday allowance - if he's been employed there for two months he will only have accrued 93% of one week's leave, and he may have taken more leave than his actual holiday if he was off for any bank holidays during this time. It is possible he may even end up owing them money..... This is harsh, I know, but it's true, and better that you should be prepared for this eventuality.

Every day for a month ? Because you were getting a train arriving too late to get you to work on time and didn’t think to get an earlier one until your employer told you to ?

Not RTFT but I think your DS approach to a new job is typical of this generation.

If I were due in at 9am and train arrived into the station at 9am with a 5 minute walk to work, and the aternative was the train arrives in at 8am and I have 55 mins to kill before work started, the choice would be a no brainer. Get the early train.

I wouldn't ever have entertained the idea of arriving at work late. These days alot of young folk look at the train times and think 'close enough' and seem to think it's acceptable behaviour to turn up late.

OP your DS travel option limitations are his issue to solve not his former employers.