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AIBU?

Share your dilemmas and get honest opinions from other Mumsnetters.

Original poster

To think it was Wilkinson's own fault that one of their shops was set alight by a work experience girl.

130 replies

IamHelenaJustina · 10/10/2014 16:23

Daily Telegraph link here Basically bored 15 yr old was left alone to stack shelves and set fire to cardboard to get out of it. Causing HUGE blaze and thankfully no injuries or loss of life. Obviously she is entirely responsible for the stupid and dangerous action and has been prosecuted accordingly.

BUT a part of me wonders what the heck the store staff were playing at. Work experience is not free labour. She should have been with staff learning about different roles and not bored out of her mind alone in a stock room. Or AIBU? Is that what work experience is for?

OP posts:
periperisun · 10/10/2014 16:50

Worra, I know :)

But I'm just drawing a distinction between 'doing something idiotic trying to cause extensive damage to property and people' and 'doing something stupid hoping to cause a bit of minor damage to be sent home.'

It seems she nearly did the former but the latter were her intentions.

I'm not justifying it but I don't think she's a future arsonist. I did my WE at a nursery and it was incredibly dull. I did a couple of really daft things like hiding a child's bag so I could be dispersed to look for it Hmm I didn't mean any harm at all although I now realise how stupid that was. I was just bored and immature.

Mammanat222 · 10/10/2014 16:50

Even if she was dumped in the stock room / used as "slave" labour she still shouldn't have set fucking fire to the place.

I have had some God awful jobs and my WE wasn't great but I didn't turn to arson Shock

AGnu · 10/10/2014 16:51

I did work experience in a school. I did basically all the same things the TA did. Most of my time was spent with the children but I did spend a large proportion of one afternoon doing photocopying. It was mind-numbingly boring but I didn't mind - it was a job that needed to be done by someone. If I hadn't done it then the teacher or TA would've stayed late to do it. As far as I was concerned I was there to learn about being part of that team, not be shown just the fun side.

At least she was given something useful to do. DH is a civil engineer & often gets students dumped on him for a day or 2. He has to set them an arbitrary design task & then give them feedback. Granted it's slightly more entertaining than stocking shelves but it's completely pointless & doesn't really teach them anything about the industry!

periperisun · 10/10/2014 16:52

You were a much more mature teenager than I was, AGnu!Grin

WeirdCatLady · 10/10/2014 16:53

That poor child, precious little flower was bored :(

Of course it is the fault of the store, how DARE they not give her fun and exciting things to fill every minute of her time there. Don't they know who she is??

FFS

gordyslovesheep · 10/10/2014 16:54

there's no point having WE placements if you can't leave teens alone to stack shelves

well yes Hmm that's correct - don't think they are wrong for thinking that - work experience in a shop will mean stacking shelves, crushing boxes, cleaning etc etc - it's experience of work so I'm not sure what she was expecting ?

PercyHorse · 10/10/2014 16:55

I would love to see what they'd give a 15 year old from a sink estate who set a fire in a shop because they were bored. I'm sure it would be a long way from what they will give this girl.

ProudAS · 10/10/2014 16:55

Actions of the store could have prevented it but the girl is responsible.

Grunty · 10/10/2014 16:59

She could have walked out, she could have rung her parents to come and get her, she could have pretended to be sick and gone home, she could even have told her school she was leaving because she was being treated as unpaid labour. Absolutely no excuses - she endangered lives and damaged property.

IgnoreMeEveryOtherFuckerDoes · 10/10/2014 17:04

Some of my office jobs where standing by the photocopier or making everybody's tea I was bored fucking ridged.

My DD done work experience in a shop ended up being the teas maid, I would of throttled her if she started a fire.

YbVu

thereturnofshoesy · 10/10/2014 17:06

yabu

Perfectlypurple · 10/10/2014 17:07

Work experience should give you an idea of what working is like. Sometimes working involves doing something boring. Far better to be honest and show it can be boring than doing exciting stuff so when they go to work they haven't got a clue. I did work experience - some was exciting and some boring, it was a fairly true reflection of work really. At 15 she should realise the consequences of her actions. I am glad she is being prosecuted.

TortoiseUpATreeAgain · 10/10/2014 17:08

8 July was a Tuesday, too, and she started the fire at lunchtime, so there's a limit to how bored she could have got by then (not that it's fine and dandy to start fires on a Friday afternoon, obviously).

Gileswithachainsaw · 10/10/2014 17:11

I think. Everyone is in agreement that she was stupid. And that all jobs involve boredom at times.

I think Though that there is some indication on this thread that none of it should be enjoyable and expecting to do anything other than make tea and coffee or stack shelves is unreasonable.

All these jobs of course need to be done but they van be done while people recognise you exist and maybe even have a conversation or two with you. And that it's not the whole experience.

I've seen plenty of WE ignored and left standing around for hours. and been moaned at for daring to talk to them.

I always did my best to talk to them. Or explain what in was doing and why and even ask about themselves.

WorraLiberty · 10/10/2014 17:12

Their response to the whole situation has been to stop taking WE placements altogether

Really?

It says in the link you posted, that they're reviewing their policy.

landrover · 10/10/2014 17:15

In my experience, nobody wants the hassle of looking after WE,s. We should be grateful that any company takes them on, I always hated supervising them!

LizzyLizard · 10/10/2014 17:21

YABU. Good job we don't all commit arson when we are bored at work eh?

KeemaNaanAndCurryOn · 10/10/2014 17:23

Most teenagers can be trusted to do a job without setting fire to things.

Totally her own fault and absolutely not the store's fault for her committing arson.

Gileswithachainsaw · 10/10/2014 17:25

We should be grateful that any company takes them on, I always hated supervising them!

And hereby lies the problem. How hard is it to learn their name or offer to get them a drink every now and then.

There may he limits as to what they can do but you can help how they are treated.

And if there really is nothing beyond making tea that they can be witness to or involved in a conversation about then don't bother taking them

needyoumorethanwantyou · 10/10/2014 17:26

Most 15 year olds have enough sense not to set fire to things no matter how bored they are so YABU.

WorraLiberty · 10/10/2014 17:27

This thread is full of speculation.

All we know from that report is that she was stacking shelves at that time

She could have done all manner of things before that and been spoken to by everyone.

Smilesandpiles · 10/10/2014 17:30

I'd be reviewing my policy as well if I were them. Like hell would I be willing to have another WE in if that's what happened last time.

Shockers · 10/10/2014 17:31

The WE candidates used to shadow me when I worked for NEXT. I asked one girl to have a tidy up in the stockroom and when I came back she'd reorganised it so it was more efficient.

Rather than letting a boring job turn her to arson, she made the job interesting.

Last I heard, she had become a pilot.

londonrach · 10/10/2014 17:32

Yabvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvu. What normal 15 year old sets fire to a store. I did work experience at age 15 and was shocked and pleased to get £50 at end of week. However in that week i experienced alot more than money can give up (including two birthdays that week so thought offices was all about cake and seeing my teacher walk through door to check me whilst my mouth was full of cake is still one of favourite moments from school)

TortoiseUpATreeAgain · 10/10/2014 17:38

No, you're quite right, OP. If Wilkinsons hadn't worn such a short skirt, had stuck to soft drinks and got a licensed taxi home then this would never have happened, so its their own fault.

Oh, wait...