Situation at work....AIBU?

[se7enthings]

Hello!
I work in a pub 10 hours a week whilst at university, the pay is crap but the hours fit in.

I am the youngest behind the bar age 23 and I feel as though I’m getting mugged off. I work with a 60 year old lady who knows everyone and constantly looks for conspiracy in the workplace, aka, someone’s stealing etc.

I am the only person out of both of us to clear up the glasses and lifting a heavy crate 70+ times a night has started taking its toll and I am suffering with what feels like an injury to my spine. I have asked several times for my colleague to help me and she does it once or twice then stops. She’ll stand next to me talking about how someone pissed her off and watch me clean up everyone’s glasses. She tells me to “hurry up as she wants to leave at 12:30” but stands talking to customers whilst I clean the bar, she moans she has a bad back and is under impression she does everything. Landlady not much use as only cares about profit not staff wellbeing.

Anyway, I don’t get sick pay, at all, and I’ve checked the rota and I won’t be able to take one of my holidays as others are off. I can’t cope with the pain, I’ve missed a day of uni and I’ve been up all night with it, AIBU to get a sick note for 2 weeks?

That is all I’m doing! I do that until 12, I clean the bar and the stools then leave around 1

Yeah. I think you’ve got to leave.

I don’t know your area, but I suspect there’s probably better pub jobs available.

I think I'll take OP's word over yours, claralaraloo, unless you're the owner of the pub or the older colleague.

So you work a 5 hour shift and every 4 minutes there is another heavy crate of glasses, bottles etc to be lifted.

Jesus, Mrs behind the bar must be working like Trojan serving all those customers.

OP you've had lots of good advice from lots of us who have worked in bars.

At this stage you have 3 choices.

1. Get a sick note from the dr. Obviously this only works if you're on the payroll and have a contract with sick pay entitlement.

2. Get bolshie. I can't imagine that the landlady is happy for the bar to be left in a state at the end of each shift. Take photos of what you come in to and keep a tally of how many crates you've lifted. Keep a note of each time you ask your colleague for help and she doesn't help. Take a photo of the bar at the end of your shift. Ask for a proper job description detailing everything you're supposed to do. You'll probably get let go as a result (not saying this is right btw, just speaking from experience).

3. Just quit. What are you getting from it - £100 a week? I pay my babysitter £8 an hour for evenings, £10 after midnight. You could probably get at least 2 babysitting jobs (Friday/Saturday) a week.

If you've got hours where you could help before and after school runs, you could be snapped up. Offer ad hoc babysitting services for the hours you can do - advertise in local shops. There are parents like me who could really do with 2 hours to ferry kids to classes by foot, or supervise homework.

Also, look at helping elderly people. Again, lots of people would love someone to read to them, clean for them, help them with odd jobs that they can't manage.

My 97 yr old grandmother has a carer who works hours that suit her, she sits and reads to her, takes her on the bus to the supermarket and back, cleans her house and sorts out any admin or household jobs she needs help with.

In short, lots of ideas if you get a bit creative. Far better to spend your time finding something else that suits. Leave this, you're never going to get supported - it's endemic in the hospitality business. If you've got a good manager, it's great, if you have a bad one, it's shit. No employment rights as people are taken on on zero hours contracts and no-one ever makes it to 2 years!

Good luck, if you're a hard worker you'll find something better.

OP, I think people are being unfair to you here. Why should you be expected to do more than your fair share if the older employee was only employed a month before you and isn't pulling her weight? She's not your supervisor.

I'd be looking for a new job - and tell your boss why you're leaving. You can't put a price on health and you don't want back problems at your age.

I wish I got £100 a week lol I only earn £70!

There are glasses left over, a lot of them

se7enthings. You're health is more important than any job. Lots of good advice here, but if you have a bad back due to this job you need to bite the bullet and leave. There is lots of help available at Uni. You are clearly a hard worker aand have been putting up with this since 2015. and its not whiney to complain about what ought to be called an industrial injury. Your employer is at fault here. You've had some good advice about seeing GP, and getting this documented. Your uni might be able to find you a less "back heavy" job while you recover.. they might be able to get you some financial help if you have to quit to tide you over whilst you look for new job. In any case you should let them know that this is affecting your studies, now, and not when there's a big deadline due so that you can get some help. Why are you putting up with this. It's time consuming to fix but you owe it to your future health. Good luck x

So what you’re saying is that you’re the only staff member over the entire day to take on this task?

Do you have a supervisor?

Actually it doesn’t matter. This doesn’t have to be your problem. I wouldn’t lightly advise someone to leave their job but their really is better out there.

If there are 70crates it must be an extremely busy pub, so I guess your colleague is busy serving the customers?....
Id just quit and look for another job ( maybe not bar work) it's unlikely things are going to change in your current job...

There

Narnia is right and how is it helpful to speculate about the amount of glasses? I really doubt from what you've said that the colleague is ever going to change if you stand up to her - probably just resent it and start working to rule if she isn't already. The boss doesn't seem much help either. Waste of effort to try to change them. Change the job. Good luck x

Imo if the 60yo isn't capable of doing the job then she shouldn't be employed. You can't employ two employees at the same level on the same salary and then expect one to compensate for the other's lack of capacity.

OP, as it's only a casual part-time job I'd look for another one.

I wish we got the same salary lol! She is on more than me due to the age payment and tips

OP ignore the cunty posters here.

This woman has the same job and pay as you, if she cant do any heavy lifting, she's not fit for her job role.
Of course a young person would be expected to do more heavy lifting than say a 60 year old woman, but not the point where its affecting your health. Also if she's not pulling her weight with cleaning and just chatting, again shes not the one whos doing her job.

I would look for another bar job while going to the doctors and get a note about heavy lifting. Show it to your boss and explain why.
The penny might drop with your boss. If they're not willing to do anything about this woman, they'll find a lot of doctors sick notes and resignations.

I think you should say that she needs to get somebody in who will pull their weight otherwise you will be leaving. There must be other similar jobs. You are being put upon. You shouldn't have to pick up the slack for another person who isn't up to the job.

I’ve sent my old cleaner boss a text asking her to call me so hopefully Ill be in there

You should definitely leave OP. I had a temp job which involved carrying archives up 3 flights of stairs, because of that I developed Cauda Equina (Spinal cord injury). No job is ever worth your health EVER. Quit and find a better paid job.

Leave and find something else!

Don't mess with your back OP, I have had a "bad back" for years as a result of strain when I was in my 20s, I only keep it at bay with regular osteopathy visits every few months @ £30 a pop.

Look for a new job, you are very employable.

Find something else. I'm 33 and had surgery for a massive disc herniation and cauda equina

I actually work as a care support worker now, the single calls don't involve lifting except for maybe a washing up bowl of water, and the doubles mean both people share the load plus use hoists etc so I find it ok. Easy to pick up extra hours, a lot of students do it

PS you should look at local corner shops etc they’re always looking for staff and offer short hours

You need to talk to your boss. If the bar is set out in a way that leads to staff injuring themselves she will get in trouble.

You need to talk to her about any ways the bar can be changed, i.e. is the glass washer very low down, or in an awkward position to lift the tray out? Instead of lifting the whole tray full of glasses out, you will have to empty them from the where you've pulled it out onto the door.

Does the previous shift leave all the glasses unwashed?

Are you bottling up from the cellar? Does the previous shift not do so? When carrying bottles up from the cellar, only bring up what you can carry. It's tempting to fill a crate and then keep adding more bottles upside down o the top, but if that's too much for you, carry less.

Are you taking a crate to collect glasses from tables? Just bring a tables worth to the bar carrying by hand.

If your boss won't allow this, leave and find somewhere else.

Do you exercise? The surest way of looking after your back is to have a good strong core.

I think the lazy colleague is a red herring, the landlady is an idiot for letting her do nothing but that's up to her. Maybe her skills lie with chatting and hosting etc. I wouldn't except two people to be lift together in a pub.

Certainly posters who've never worked in a bar or not for a very long time or not a busy one!

I have (admitted very long ago but well remember), mum worked in bars most of her life and dd works in one now - glass collecting!

Employer should have given training on lifting AND provided appropriate equipment and enough staff! Given how busy it sounds. There are trolleys, glass washers designed for busy bars where the racks rotate up so you don't have to bend right down to lift them out and so on. Even trays for collecting in less busy places which have across the back straps that distribute the weight.

But sounds like boss a tight arse too and wouldn't get this stuff.

Also other employee shouldn't have been given the job if not up to it. Age is irrelevant I know 60 year olds who are/would be fine doing this kind of work, others that couldn't even cope just with the constant standing. If she has a back issue she's not fit for the role. At the very LEAST she should be doing the other work needed, keeping tables and bar/counters clean, changing optics, drying glasses (I would not be surprised if your glass cleaner is cheap shit that doesn't dry them), keeping snacks, stirrers etc topped up. There's PLENTY to do in a bar no time for standing Blethering!

It's 10 hours, you have the bar experience AND other work experience on your cv - I say get another job - and tell the boss why. People are reluctant to do this because of refs but I've done it when I've left rotten jobs and it's never been a problem. I actually took great delight once in telling an AWFUL woman boss (to the point of abusive and sexually harassing the male staff) of EXACTLY why I was leaving in her office in front of the regional manager (I wasn't planning to but she made a snide comment as I handed over my resignation letter - bad move)

As pps have said you MUST take care of your back. Mine is done in due to a couple of daft accidents (resulting in slipped discs, sciatica which is inoperable. Then a car accident which caused another condition - which I was more vulnerable to due to slipped discs) I'm in pain EVERY day, can't stay in one position for more than about 20 mins even lying and if it's really bad can't trust my legs to work). I'm only 45.

My mum has mainly done bar or retail work and done the heavy lifting but always did it correctly and refused if too heavy or wrong equipment. She's retired now (late 60's) but because she looked after her back she doesn't have a problem there.

Bloody hell! And the tips should be getting shared too! You're contributing to the customers good experience in your graft, not on if you're too busy elsewhere doing stuff she won't so she can serve.

Not AT ALL surprised they can't keep staff.