To think even if it's your car it's rude to light up

[markhammax]

Grr.

I have to car share (work.)

Im fed up of people lighting up. It isn't fair as I don't smoke and I don't want my uniform smelling like smoke, and breathe in other people's fumes.

Oh and loud music and driving like loons as well not fun.

I know Im not bu. Just ranting lol.

But it's not to get to work - we have to car share

But it's not to get to work - we have to car share

As a smoker I'm telling you I would never do this

It's very unfair to someone sharing the enclosed car space with me to do that!

If I was on my own and the car smelled of smoke and someone complained then tough!

I would never light up if a non smoker was in the car with me though! Even on a 200 hundred mile journey!

I get that you have to car share, but do you have a car and do the driving fir work, and do you always work with the same person?

WooWoo, basically in theory you take it in turns but in practice the person who has been there longest tends to drive as they get petrol money. We don't get paid travel time you see.

So sometimes I do drive but I'd say usually the other person does as I've only done this job 5 months. Plus people say I drive too slowly (to the speed limit in other words!)

Good grief, what sort of batshit crazy set up do you work for? Tell your manager that if the smoking doesn't stop, you'll take it up with your union/whoever you escalate these things with.

Regarding the driving, why should the person who's worked there the longest get to drive/claim petrol money? Surely it should be shared evenly? The way carers are paid absolutely stinks. I have no vested interest in this, but I was appalled to read (on MN, a couple of years ago) that you don't get paid for travelling time. Once you've clocked in, you should be paid until you clock off. And not have to travel in smelly cars.

You shouldn't have to put up with any of that in your line of work, and I am really sorry that you have to.

It's sickening how little care workers are valued by the system they work in.

There is no way out of this given how quickly you need to get there and the fact you have no choice but to do it in pairs.

Your choices are:

Insist on driving and being late because you drive legally

Asking to get paired up with a non smoker - if you bitch enough at the smoker they're going to want you transferred too

When I got a ride home from a friend that smokes, he rolled down the window and didn't breath it in the car.

Can you make a formal complaint? That way its at least in writing, and if your boss does nothing about it a higher up might.

Well in theory I could complain to the office, but what would happen would be that we'd get a text sent out reminding us not to smoke in our uniforms (this is company policy) but everyone would ignore it!

I couldn't really be paired with non smokers all the time as to be honest I can only think of maybe 3 women who don't smoke! There's only about 18 of us working for the company just now, I do actually feel sorry for the ladies in the office as they are working a full day then going out on evening calls as we've just no staff.

The pay is crazy, we don't get paid travelling time and many of our calls are 15 minutes. So 4 15 minute calls a night gives you £8. But you've actually worked more like an hour and a half as you've been driving around between people so we're on less than minimum wage which is very annoying.

It really is horrible dealing with smoky cars, loud music and unsafe driving though.

Sounds like you need to look for a different job. If this is a major part of your role and you hate being driven around by people who smoke, listens to music more loudly than you would prefer, drives faster than you would like... then it would make sense to move to a different role.

Well unfortunately looking for and finding another job isn't that straightforward! I reserve the right to think it's annoying and rude though.

Are you in a union? If not, I'd try to join one ASAP and get them to take this up on your behalf. These sort of exploitative practises (forcing you to work in a smoke-filled environment, the shit pay) are endemic in the care sector, as far as I can see, but as you point out, there's nothing you as the individual at the bottom of the heap can do to change it. So you need someone with more clout to fight for you - which is the whole point of a trade union.

From the look of it either Unison or the GMB would be the obvious choices. And ask about sliding scales for subs/reduced subs for people like you who are in effect being paid below minimum wage.

Oh it's awful I know! Disgusting really but I don't know anybody who is in a union in our sector

Next time it's your turn to drive, make sure you eat a curry the night before and spend all day making your colleague enjoy your potent, spicy farts (it helps if you can child-lock the electric windows).

YANBU in a way, like, I would light up in my own car, but not in someone elses if they don't smoke. If you don't smoke, the other person waits until you're outside, however my whole family smokes in the car and has done since before even I was born. I smoke so i'm not bothered, your car, your house, etc etc do what you want in it
but I wouldn't light up if the person next to me didn't smoke.