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Furious at ds work dismissal

990 replies

OneGreyBiscuit · 03/08/2026 14:29

This is more has my 19 year old ds employers been unreasonable. He's just been sacked for being unreliable. For context - he accepted a new job about a month ago. He informed them of where he lives which is about a forty minute train journey away. He is a few minutes late everyday because of the trains and they said they were ok with it. He's just come off holiday (which he informed them of) and went back today. He was sent an email before today telling him to get an earlier train so he's on time. Fair enough, so he did and would've continued doing. At 9 he was called into a meeting to tell him his contracts been terminated for unreliability. He was only informed of getting an earlier train from today, so how can they dismiss him like this? If he continued to get the later train and continued being late then I'd understand but they've not even given him a chance. I'm absolutely furious. And to add insult to injury he still had to pay for his waste of time and money train fare this morning.

OP posts:
Imaginingdragonsagain · 03/08/2026 14:40

I agree with the late thing. My ds had to get himself to work the other day. He had to arrive 30 minutes early as otherwise the bus was scheduled to be there 3 minutes before start time. He’s 16 and could understand this.

fluffiphlox · 03/08/2026 14:40

OneGreyBiscuit · 03/08/2026 14:38

Half the employees do it where I work every single shift and never get pulled up on it so.....

That just means your employer is slacker than they should be. Your son has hopefully learned a lesson.

OnlyMabelInTheBuilding · 03/08/2026 14:39

It’s common sense that he should have been catching the earlier train from day one - he shouldn’t have needed to be told this.

ToKittyornottoKitty · 03/08/2026 14:39

OneGreyBiscuit · 03/08/2026 14:38

Half the employees do it where I work every single shift and never get pulled up on it so.....

Well your employer being lazy doesn’t mean other companies should be. Maybe get DS a job where you work

Tableforjoan · 03/08/2026 14:39

He shouldn’t need telling be late isn’t ok and he shouldn’t need telling to catch the earlier train.

Ipollita · 03/08/2026 14:39

AlisonPi · 03/08/2026 14:34

How dim is he, Exactly? If he can’t figure out he needs to get an earlier train, I guess he wasn’t much good at his job either, so they let him go.

This. Why would you need to be prompted to get the train that gets you to work on time? And I don’t believe for a minute his employer gave him the ok to be late every day. I imagine they’re very glad to be shot of him.

Melsy88 · 03/08/2026 14:39

OneGreyBiscuit · 03/08/2026 14:38

Half the employees do it where I work every single shift and never get pulled up on it so.....

Unless you work at the same place, I'm struggling to see how this is relevant. Different industry, different expectations, different managers...

If i had to tell a member of staff to get an earlier train in order to get to work on time, I'd have a very low opinion of them, their initiative and their work ethic.

RubyPowderPuff · 03/08/2026 14:39

Why didn't he get the earlier train from the beginning?

I'm afraid this one is on him. They probably thought he was taking the earliest train possible and he got found out. Lessons learnt, time to move on.

Passaggressfedup · 03/08/2026 14:39

He told me that they were ok with him being a few minutes late as they were fully aware he gets the train, if they had a problem, they should've told him the first week and not say it was ok
What he told and what they told him are probably very different. He is 19yo. He probably tried his luck and it didn't go his way but he's not going to tell you that is he!

Potooooooooes · 03/08/2026 14:39

OneGreyBiscuit · 03/08/2026 14:35

He told me that they were ok with him being a few minutes late as they were fully aware he gets the train, if they had a problem, they should've told him the first week and not say it was ok.

Any reason why you and or his dad didn't tell him to get the earlier train from the start? Perhaps you parents think being persistently late is ok too?

WerewolfOfLoudon · 03/08/2026 14:39

OneGreyBiscuit · 03/08/2026 14:35

He told me that they were ok with him being a few minutes late as they were fully aware he gets the train, if they had a problem, they should've told him the first week and not say it was ok.

Didn't you tell him that it is his responsibility to get to work on time? Are you late to work every day?

BIWI · 03/08/2026 14:39

Massive, massive sense of entitlement on display here.

Hopefully this will give you and him the shock that you need, to recognise and acknowledge that he is not the one in the right.

OneGreyBiscuit · 03/08/2026 14:38

TheOctopus · 03/08/2026 14:36

You can't rock up to work late every day. It's really not the employers responsibility to be concerned about how a member of staff travels to work.

Half the employees do it where I work every single shift and never get pulled up on it so.....

OP posts:
TokyoSushi · 03/08/2026 14:38

“He was only informed of getting an earlier train from today”

What on earth? This can't possibly be used as a reason/excuse, surely it's obvious you get an earlier train in order to be there on time, your employer shouldn't have to tell you? Was he staying a few minutes late every day to make up for the late arrival?

LIZS · 03/08/2026 14:37

He’s been deliberately cutting it fine at best, or late since he started and did not have the initiative or willingness to travel earlier until told. Smacks of a somewhat casual attitude and I wonder if this was really his first warning.

mrsneville · 03/08/2026 14:37

This is just a life lesson surely

ToKittyornottoKitty · 03/08/2026 14:37

Was he staying a few minutes late every day to make up for being late? If there’s an earlier train why didn’t he just get that anyway rather than declaring from the start that he’d be late?

Ponderingwindow · 03/08/2026 14:37

I am highly skeptical that your son’s employer told him that he could arrive late intentionally every single shift. It is more likely they said they would be understanding if the train schedule was running behind occasionally.

JustAnotherWhinger · 03/08/2026 14:36

OneGreyBiscuit · 03/08/2026 14:35

He told me that they were ok with him being a few minutes late as they were fully aware he gets the train, if they had a problem, they should've told him the first week and not say it was ok.

There is no chance they told him it was ok to be late every single day. None at all.

He is an adult going to work, he shouldn’t have needed to be told to get the train that gets him there on time.

ColdAsAWitches · 03/08/2026 14:36

OneGreyBiscuit · 03/08/2026 14:35

He told me that they were ok with him being a few minutes late as they were fully aware he gets the train, if they had a problem, they should've told him the first week and not say it was ok.

I suspect his version of them saying they were ok with it us very different to their version. Either way, he's only a month into the job, he's pretty much got no rights.

TheOctopus · 03/08/2026 14:36

You can't rock up to work late every day. It's really not the employers responsibility to be concerned about how a member of staff travels to work.

CountBinfaceForPM · 03/08/2026 14:36

Did they really tell him it was OK? Or is that what he is telling you?

ilovesooty · 03/08/2026 14:36

After such short length of service they can dismiss him for any reason as long as it doesn't involve a protected characteristic. Not having the initiative to employ strategies to get there on time was evidently something they didn't want to accommodate.

Bearbookagainandagain · 03/08/2026 14:35

I thought getting to work on time was a given...

Why did he need to be told to take an earlier train?
Why didn't you tell him to take an earlier train?

OneGreyBiscuit · 03/08/2026 14:35

He told me that they were ok with him being a few minutes late as they were fully aware he gets the train, if they had a problem, they should've told him the first week and not say it was ok.

OP posts: