To refuse to give this person a lift

[blackcatpurring]

I am a home carer. It's shit.

I'm working with someone who doesn't drive tonight. They have messaged me with this:

Hi, I'm working wifh you tonight. I don't drive so can you pick me up please? I live at 123 London Roa

AIBU to reply "no, make your own way to the first call."

It would be very tricky if she didn’t turn up at all, especially if there’s lifting to be done it wouldn't be "tricky" at all. It would mean that the service user did not receive adequate care or would receive it late whilst the company found cover for the lady who didn't show up. The OP couldn't legally do manual handling requiring two people alone. The colleague will be well aware of that and would be a bad person for not showing up, effectively throwing her toys out the pram for not getting her way. It wouldn't inconvenience the OP, it would basically mean neglect of the service user. Not the OPs fault for (quite rightly) not wanting to spend time and money on picking up the colleague, it would be the colleagues fault.

Well done on saying no OP. I spent two years giving lifts to and from work to a colleague I really didn't like and who never paid me a penny in petrol money. It added 25 minutes a day onto my driving time.

I would agree, Redforfilth, except for the PP who said her contract specified that she had to collect the other carer if they needed a lift. Suppose the other carer was told she had to get in touch with the OP to ask for a lift? She wouldn’t want to be sacked because she said no, would she? Obviously I have no idea.

Well done!

I thought the OP said it isn't in her contract? Maybe I'm making it up, I've been known to do that

www.gov.uk/minimum-wage-different-types-work

Covers care workers, what they should be paid and the fact that travel between work assignments (not including petrol pay) should count as paid work time.

To the PP who said she was contracted to pick non-drivers up, if it's in your contract it would count as a work assignment and you should be getting paid for time travelling to and from non-drivers homes.

Simple. Pretend you never got the message as your phone was switched off/had no signal.

Gosh you are getting a hard time on here! My dad needed carers earlier this year and it was a hard job for little pay and no costs covered young girls walking on to their next call quite late in the dark. The NHS is a pyramid with a crumbling base. Careers should be paid properly.

God there are some truly bonkers folk on here tonight. OP I hope you haven't taken this to heart.
Being a carer doesn't mean you should be treated like dirt and taken for granted by your employers. Standing up for yourself does not mean you are a nasty piece of work as intimated by some upthread.
Wanting to put your own family above the needs of a sometime colleague does not mean you are the devil incarnate, again as intimated upthread.

You were venting, which is good and healthy!
And to all those who were so sanctimoniously glad that the OP isn't a carer for themselves - get a grip.

I hope your shift has gone smoothly - thank you to you and the other millions of good carers there are.

I think u need to be firm. These r adult workers who r perfectly able to get to first call and get home themselves.

Sorry I don't have the time. You will have to make your own way to first call.

Tell your bosses that you are not insured to give colleagues lifts for work purposes.
Then they have the option to either pay for it - which you politely decline with "that doesn't work for me", or they pay for colleagues taxis......or tell her to make her own arrangements.

Don't facilitate any of these cheeky fuckers!

I think having two cars travelling to the same houses in convoy all night would be really silly, wasteful and unnecessary.

Pairing a non driver with a driver could be a good way of non drivers being able to do the role properly which is important when there's a lack of carers out there.

But, for the system to work, a driving carer and a non driving carer would have to be classified as 2 different levels of the job and be on different pay brackets. Otherwise, it's just grossly unfair and will naturally breed resentment.

And I don't think the driver's role should extend to pick up and drop off unless those lifts are voluntarily offered by the driver.

What was the outcome op?

Maybe the care agency owner could pick her up for free in his merc at midnight.

You definitely need to check that you are covered adequately for insurance. Something similar happened to a friend of mine; new person started work, she had to pick her up/drop home. Friend had very minor car accident, both unhurt. Next thing friend knew was the the liftee had put in a claim against her for personal injury and there was a massive to-ing and fro-ing about whether the insurance company would pay out as friend had not declared 'business use'. Her premiums became very high and she vowed she would never give a lift again.

If you aren't insured for business use then you shouldn't be driving between assignments anyway.

Why put it in AIBU if you’ve already decided. If they give you some money wouldn’t that help. Perhaps they’re not in a situation to have saved up for a car?

That isn't the OP's fault though, is it?

I think it's in AIBU because most of her colleagues just suck it up. She's going against the grain and wondering if she's the one being unreasonable!

I am a home carer. It's shit.

As in you hate your job? You then go on to describe your colleague as a stupid piece of shit for asking for a lift?

You sound horrendous and I can only imagine with horror what you’re like as a carer with that attitude to your job and other people. Jesus Christ.

Ok.

Let me explain it this way.

Imagine you work in an office, nice 9-5 job, Monday to Friday.

Then your boss says to you 'someone new is starting tomorrow. You need to pick her up as otherwise she can't get here."
You say "erm, OK, as a favour, sure."

You have to set off at 8 rather than 845. Then when you get to the office, she amd you do the same work, but yours has to be done on your personal phone, not the office ones, while new person uses the office phone.

When you ask about it your boss says "but Sarah hasn't got her own phone. It's ok. I'll pay you 30p per phone call."

You say yes, I get that, but it doesn't cover the cost.

And he says "well, sorry. By the way you need to take Sarah home tonight. And pick her up tomorrow."

Now imagine that every day for three years with Sarahs and Lillians and Jackies and Lynns and Megans and Teresas.

Nlw do you understand where my outburst came from?

Most of us totally understand.

What did you reply to her?

Totally get it Black - but others on this thread are being either deliberately obtuse or are downright dense.

I wouldn't give their reaction another thought - you know you're right 💐