Are work responsible for a stolen bike?

[gabsdot45]

I recently started a new job and I share my office with the HR Person. During the week some bikes were stolen from the car park. We do have security who approached the thieves but the thieves were using hammers to smash open bike locks and they threatened the security guards with the hammers so security backed off, called the police. They came ages later of course, nothing can be done etc even though the event was recorded on CCV. It was mid morning.

Anyway yesterday a guy came into the chat to the HR person to see if the company could do anything for him as his very expensive bike was one of the ones stolen.

HR person totally dismissed him, bikes/cars parked at owners risk etc. She told him he should have insurance, not company's responsibility etc.

I felt really sorry for him. He was a young guy and he has no way to gt to work no except to walk through a pretty rough area in the very early morning.

So my question is, should the company take some responsibility. Security failed, although I don't blame them for backing off, being attacked with hammers is above their pay grade. But the company provide security to prevent theft.

I'm curious what others think because I really did feel sorry for the poor guy and it hasn't done much for employee moral.

Is it a works carpark. Are there signs up saying they are not responsible. Why cant the police use the CCTV.

Presumably he can get a crime number and claim? If he doesn't have insurance then more fool him tbh, especially with an expensive bike.

when mine got stolen from work, they didn't take any responsibility. Luckily I was insured.

Bikes etc are usually left at owners risk even in a private car park. DS had an expensive light stolen from his bike which he'd left in a private area at work and his employers didn't want to know.

I doubt your colleague will have a claim. He needs his own insurance.

They'd only be liable if they were negligent. In this case they were not, and security did not fail, they did the correct thing in backing away from violence and calling the police.

This is exactly what insurance is for.

Similar happened where I used to work. Bike racks on property in front of building but slight blind spot for security. Someone got bike nicked. All left there at own risk though. Worst part time as that he'd only just bought the bike through cycle to work scheme. He was stuck paying it off out of his salary for months after.

No, he needs to claim on his own insurance.
Bikes / cars are left at the owners risk in pretty much every car park.

It wouldn’t even occur to me to think my employers might bear some liability. Security didn’t fail. They did exactly what they should have done. I know our security guards aren’t there to prevent theft of anything outside. They’re there to ensure random people don’t just wander around the building and to act exactly as your security did if anything is going on outside.

It’s sad for your colleague but not down to your employer.

There's a police record so he should be able to claim on insurance. Might even be covered on household.

He needs to claim on his home contents insurance.

Expensive items should always be insured.

The company should not be liable for the theft of staff’s belongings.

A lot of home contents insurance won't cover expensive bikes even if they're kept inside the house... The value is too high as an individual item, and unless people made sure to get appropriate cover (or pay more for the bike as an add-on) they can be in for a nasty shock if they've assumed it's covered!

Perhaps the poor guy has discovered that his bike wasn't insured.
Not up to your employer to deal with though.

it looks like the company were reasonable, providing security and cctv.
hopefully with the evidence the scumming thieves get caught and maybe even the bikes recovered.

what work could do going forward is organise discounts with a bike chain and insurance so that in future the bike riders can easily replace their transport.