AIBU about this? Work related

[ZeddyByeBye]

I need an outside perspective on this because I'm quite cross!

I work in a large store with a smallish car park. On a normal day, there's ample room for everyone. We had a few very busy days over the kid's holidays and people struggled to get parked.

We got a memo sent round today saying that all staff now have to park in an adjacent car park.

I tend to work lates, and often don't get finished until the small hours of the morning. (2am last night!) The car park is down an unlit street that is quite busy with cars. There's also a pub very close, so you get the odd drunk too! There has been more than one disturbance.

I'm really not happy about the situation for two reasons-

-I don't think it's safe for a lone woman to be walking down an unlit road in the middle of the night.
-My car is new and it's my pride and joy. I'd much rather it be where I can see it than out of sight.

Am I being unreasonable?

I am sometimes in a similar position. The main car park is rarely actually busy past 7pm ish. So, when I arrive lunchtime or mid afternoon, I park in the horrible far-away car park. Then when I have a break early evening, it's fine for me to move my car closer so that it's nearby when I finish at 10/12/2am. Could that work for you?

If not, then your company should have an official lone-worker policy - perhaps you could suggest amendments to it to assist the health and safety of the last person to leave.

Just addressing the safety issue as the concept of a tonne of metal being anyone's pride and joy is rather alien to me.

Nothing wrong in taking pride in something you've worked hard for, is there? :) Some people are house proud, I'm car proud. ;) :)

As far as I know, we're not allowed to park in the car park at all. I will double check though.

The store is open 24/7, so there is no last person to leave, but the shifts rarely run where there'd be a group of you going out together. I'd say that I'll be alone 99% of the time.

I think I'd be annoyed too, especially as you say parking is usually ok in non-holiday times - seems a knee jerk reaction to stop staff using it at all times. I'd probably just keep parking there and see how it played out, but I know that's easy for me to say!

When I worked in a dodgy area the staff were all given free rape alarms - not especially reassuring.

I think that as Fish says you should ask about the Health and Safety and lone worker policy.

When this happened to me, they told me to move my car into the main car park in the early evening.
At one point, they also arranged for a security guard to walk to my car with me (we had some travellers move in to the car park).

Be prepared for them to be sympathetic, but to refuse to make you an exception.

It would be completely reasonable for you to ask them to make exceptions for people (men and women) who are leaving work late at night, they should allow you to move your car back to being closer to the store on the evening if they want the spaces kept free during the day.

When you talk to your boss, I'd leave out the bit about being proud of your car and not wanting it parked somewhere that you can't see it, you don't have the right to be able to see your car while you work so that's really not their problem.

I would suggest a certain time period when the carpark is less busy that staff can park e.g after 9pm. I'd explain the safety fears. For now please get a personal alarm just for peace of mind and always have keys to hand to get into your car quickly if needed (hopefully not ever required but basic safety).