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AIBU?

Share your dilemmas and get honest opinions from other Mumsnetters.

Original poster

to think that "my car won't start" is not a reason for not coming to work

104 replies

OhDearNigel · 02/01/2013 09:29

When you live on a bus route that will get you to your office ? Colleague phoned in with "car problems" which apparently mean she can't come in for the rest of the week Shock. She lives round the corner from my parents so I know full well that there is a bus route that goes pretty much from outside her house and goes past our office so it's not as if she can't get there

OP posts:
shesariver · 02/01/2013 14:40

Stonefield where I live in the West of Scotland we do get snow that causes major transport problems. Even a bit of snow causes me difficulties in getting out of my scheme, thankfully only the once this winter so far unlike previous years.

Is this public sector by any chance?
In my job I would never go on mn whilst at work, and would get discplinary warning if caught doing so

Is this directed at the OP? You do realise that people get breaks and you dont need a works computer to mn? Going on the internet on your phone - hardly a disciplinary offence.

mummytime · 02/01/2013 15:12

Stone field that may normally be true for the SOUTH, but in the last couple of years we have been getting a foot or more of snow at least twice a winter. Although actually its been the ice that was the real problem, this year they have reinstated more thorough gritting, so hopefully we don't get the 5+ car crashes on my road as soon as it snows. They have also planned for more vehicles to be used as snow ploughs (which they didn't invest in because we used to rarely get snow).
Also having lived somewhere which gets a lot of snow (Chicago) our snow is different.

maddening · 02/01/2013 16:23

For the first day fair enough to be late once got car to garage but after that no she should arrange alternative transport - wheher that's bus or lift.

Stonefield · 02/01/2013 16:24

Actually I live in Northumberland, and I do know what proper snow looks like and how it can disrupt travel, but you know what I mean, most people don't have to contend with really serious conditions but panic at the sight of a few flakes.

mummytime · 02/01/2013 16:42

Well the difference is when I lived in Chicago we could get 18 inches of snow and everyone still went to work the next day. Why? Because they had snow routes, which enabled ploughs to work over night, they had a lot of snow ploughs including for pavements, also the snow was far more powdery than in the UK.

However I still got to work in the UK when my car was wrecked, even though there was no public transport and it was 8 miles away.

zipzap · 02/01/2013 16:49

If I'd been asked to cover her shift when I'd already got things planned for that time that I had already been allocated off, I would have no qualms in pointing out to the manager that you couldn't understand why skiving conniving other lady couldn't just get the bus that she is so close to or see if other chap could give lifts given they are so convenient for her if her only problem is the car.

She might have conveniently forgotten to mention other options when talking to the manager or deliberately not investigated them. If I was her manager I would be furious if she did this at a time when we were already short staffed and she knew that if she requested leave normally it would have been turned down. If that was the case I would have no compunction in ringing her up and telling her to get into work when she was supposed to be there, and revoking use of annual leave. As others have said - an hour or two late would have been fine; a whole week is taking the piss.

Alisvolatpropiis · 02/01/2013 17:14

YANBU - could be a reason for being late or not being able to make it in on that particular day (my engine once seized halfway between Cardiff and Swansea when I was en route to work for my evening shift. I didn't make it in,took two hours for the AA to turn up!)

It isn't an excuse for not coming in for the rest of the week!

Alisvolatpropiis · 02/01/2013 17:16

*evening shift was only four hours.

**i worked the time back

EndoplasmicReticulum · 02/01/2013 17:17

There was a similar thread a couple of months back - skiving colleague trapped in a hotel as their car wasn't working, had about a week off work. Does anyone else remember?

GobTheGoblin · 02/01/2013 18:44

Endo, I remember that thread. Is it the same OP I wonder?

pointedlynoresolutions · 02/01/2013 19:18

YANBU - I've been in this situation, no public transport options where I am - when it happened to me and was going to take about a week, I rented a car.

When it comes to snow, our boss expects us to monitor the forecast and be prepared to work from home rather than risk coming into the office when the roads are potentially dangerous. We have a secure shared portal we can use and some of us have VPN access to our network - we are expected to be contactable and to have a clear work plan for however long it takes, with work delivered at the end of it.

Skiving is not tolerated.

McNewPants2013 · 02/01/2013 19:35

The only time I have lied to my boss was when I had a suspected miscarriage. I know how sickness in my work spreads like wildfire ( thank god it wasn't) I played the D&V card.

Perhaps this women car is ok and just wants a private matter to stay private.

Your boss sound very unprofessional to be discussing this.

scurryfunge · 02/01/2013 19:37

Gob and Endo, don't think it's anything to do with any previous threads-OP posts regularly. OP is in a profession where you are required to make the effort to get in. I agree it's a supervisory issue if a/l has been granted but there are usually agreements in place where you go to your nearest workplace rather than your usual workplace if you can't make it in (op will know what I mean).

EndoplasmicReticulum · 02/01/2013 21:03

I didn't think this thread was anything to do with the other, I just remembered it and wondered how it panned out.

Obviously there are chancers in various different offices! My husband has someone at his work who takes days off "because the dogs can't be left on their own all day".

Hulababy · 02/01/2013 21:09

One day to get it sorted out at the most.

Meglet · 02/01/2013 21:14

You don't need a week off to sort out a car.

I'd have taken a day as annual leave to get it repaired.

Hulababy · 02/01/2013 21:15

Stonefield - no snow? Really? I have photos of DD (8 at time, so not tiny) up to her waist in snow - taken on our road. We get snow! I'm not even in some remote location - I'm in Sheffield, high up yes, but only 5-6 miles out of city centre. And a few inches is definitely not uncommon here.

cardibach · 02/01/2013 21:35

Can I ask if those posters (more than one) asking whether this is public sector have ever worked in the public sector or if they just read the Daily Mail a lot? Load of fucking nonsense that public sector workers would be allowed to do this. I am public sector (teaching) and can not take time to take my DD to hospital appointments - bloody inconvenient when you think I can;t take annual leave or flexi time either.
I have never worked anywhere wher this would not BU. Lateness for car trouble, yes, even one day if the geography was against you. All week? Nah. ANd I don't think this is genuine either. The OP may think it is, but she doesn't have the full information.

Permanentlyexhausted · 02/01/2013 21:47

YANBU if she lives on a bus route and has alternative means of getting there.

In my case, although I could get to work on the bus, it would take so long as to make it unworthwhile (hourly bus from my village into nearest town, and then another bus into the next town where I work, except they only go once every 90 minutes and the journey then takes 90 minutes). If it ever happened to me I think I'd be more productive just working from home.

NaturalBaby · 02/01/2013 22:13

The person in question gets free bus travel to work, lives near a bus stop and at least one person who could give her a lift to work. She deserves a very stern word from her manager at the very least.

I don't know what all the talk of snow is about as it's about 11 degrees at the moment.

blondiedollface · 02/01/2013 22:29

DH wouldn't be able to get to work if the car went tits up. In fact he had to take a day off just before Christmas as some wanker HGV reversed into him in his car and shunted him into another car, so he used my old clapped out heap to drive the 70 odd mile round trip for a week and my clutch went the day before his car was ready. His boss was v understanding as there is no public transport route from here to there.

However YANBU as if he could have viably gotten a lift/public transport he would have. As it was he only had to take one day off.

OhlimpPricks · 02/01/2013 22:32

The OP doesn't even know for sure that it is the reason for the member of staff being absent. She 'heard' a manager talking about car engines. She has not been told explicitly that it is the reason for absence. She is just surmising.

skratta · 02/01/2013 22:53

I don't live in the UK now, but lived in England a while and everything seemed to grind to a halt in snow. Now, it still seems a bit odd that transport can just grind down- although I haven't seen Scotland or North England's snow, I count myself a fairly good judge on weather seeing as I lived in a place called Kiruna, in the very northernmost part of Sweden practically, and was past the Arctic Circle, for quite a while, and transport managed, just about, to continue working, and most people managed to turn up to work unelss they lived more than about forty five minutes away and there were no ways of getting to work at all. Mind you, now I live in Connecticut and when it snows, everyone just takes the day off- never mind if they can come in or not, the bosses don't seem to care much and the office closes for the day.

I think a lot of people are too car dependent, but in this case, either there's another unknown reason for her to be absent, or she's just getting holiday time.

IABUofcourse · 03/01/2013 01:14

Sparkling - I used to work for a bank years ago and had the same rule for snow - good job my nearest was down the road and closer than my normal branch and I knew how to use the cheque sorter machine, plus I made good tea. My mother works for the ambulance service and they have the same rule (get to the nearest depot even though thats just an ambulance garage for her and a 5 mile walk) luckily they also have 4x4's to pick them up when the weathers particularly bad and drop them back now so they don't have to worry about it so much

MollyMurphy · 03/01/2013 02:11

The day off I can see....time to get it to a enhancing etc....but a whole week wouldn't fly in a city with decent public transport. I need my car to do my job so wouldn't hesitate to take a day to sort it out though if necessary.