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?

Yes you should be sharing the load. Yes you should get a note from your doctor.

Also too and besides the problem is the boss, I think, rather than the coworker.

I have left, my boss didn’t even ask why x

I am so sorry. I hope your next job is better for you.

A bunch of strangers on the internet cannot judge the practicalities for you. If you are seriously annoyed about this, or if you think it is giving you a bad back, then just get another job.

There are lots of legal remedies - as others have said you should have had training etc. You are probably also entitled to be signed off sick. But really the best thing to do is just get another job.

And I do think that as a fit 23-year old you should not expect a colleague of 60 to do the same amount of physical work as you. Not going to happen.

Well, that was my initial idea, halving the amount of glasses, then I was told to “fill the fuckers up”

20:20 hindsight, that's when you should have turned around and told your manager they're too fucking heavy and you'd be half-filling the crates so you didn't put your back out.

Too late for that now, you have put your back out. You're doing the right thing handing in your notice and your pig-headed ex-manager gets to deal with finding a new employee.

As for your ex-colleague, I don't think it's unreasonable for a 60-year-old to not be lifting, but she is unreasonable for standing around gossiping when there's work to be done, and for deliberately trying to scoop up all the tasks she'll get tips for while ignoring everything else.

I have left, my boss didn’t even ask why x

this just proves he never cared about your health or your safety Sweetheart.. you did the right thing

Thanks for all your advice. This is my last weekend unemployed as I start my new job on Sunday! Yay! X

Congratulations!

It's probably been said already (haven't rtft) but of course OP will be paid substantially less that the 60yo for doing all the hard graft while the older woman watches her do it.

You've been assertive to seek advice here - that's a start.
You should be taught how to lift properly, but also if you can't manage the weight even with a correct lift, you're not obliged to.

Of course, in the real world, that will just create a lousy atmosphere at work, and she'll doubtlessly just assume you are exaggerating etc.

The signs are already there - it's not a good workplace, and your wellbeing isn't important to them. Move on as soon as you can, and take care of your back. You don't always feel the damage until years later, so even the slightest twinge now is something to be extremely cautious about.

I know it's not always easy to just leave a job due to the financial implications, but the health implications are costly too.

Jennifer and Mistake if you can’t be bothered to RTFT, just read Ops updates. If you had, you would know that she has left the old job and starts a new one at the weekend.

Well done se7en, good luck Sunday

Apologies, on phone and didn't see the two updates. Good luck in a better job!

Myfavouritechild I'm so dreadfully sorry

What a load of shit, whether she's 60 or 20 she is employed to do her job, why would you fuck your back up because she's lazy?

Well done on the new job
Clara - my dad is 67 and runs a pub/restaurant/hotel full time by himself (no deputy manager etc). He does all the cellar work and lifting and works 7am - 11pm
He wouldn't ever ask me to lift something because my back is bad, and he is better than me in that way
So it's not age/respect, it is him being fit to do the job and me not being able to

Unbelievable amount of negativity to the OP here on this thread. She's a young lady trying to work her way up in the world and just asking for a fair deal. Unless the older generations (and yes I count myself in that) give our young people a chance in life how can she have any hope? She's not sat demanding benefits, doing nothing to help herself and expecting the world to work around her because she cant be bothered. She's proven to all the naysayers on here that she can and will get on with things. Good luck with the new job and the further studies OP. Those that get on and help themselves will do well in the world - just take it step by step.

My only advice OP is not to look at what happens with others around you in difficult situations but instead focus on you. Your senior staff will take any discussions much more seriously if they are about you alone - whether or not you are right or wrong about other people. Obviously there may be more serious situations that you can not ignore the actions of others such as bullying or gross negligence, but in general try not to compare.

Yay congrats on the new job!

@CheapSausagesAndSpam If the 60 yr old can't do the job then she shouldn't be in the job! They should hire someone who can do the work. As for the assumption that a 60 yr old can't lift crates - that's you're daft assumption that all 60 yr old must be weak and frail.

OP, leave the job and find another. If I've learnt anything in my working life, it's that it there are bad practices that are seem as the 'norm' and your are new/junior worker - you're never going to change it unless without a fight. It's easier to leave. Also - you only get one spine!! Take care of it, it's really really NOT work a 10 hour a week pub job to injure your back and have to live with that for the rest of you life. The 60 yr old is a cheeky fucker - she should either help you or help find someone who can.

I disagree that if the 60's person can't do the job they should be in the job.
The problem is that people are being asked to do stuff they really shouldn't be doing... just because someone is more physically able to do it, and willing, doesn't make it right.

If an employer said 'I need you to lift half a tonne of office furniture from office to the next' then they can rapidly end up with an all male staff (quite possibly by design!). Or you will end up with the old 'if you won't do it, I'll fire you and get somebody who will' line.

It all comes down to reasonable behaviour. If the weight can be lifted safely by the average person, and the employer takes measure to help those who are a little each side of average, then that's fine.

If the employer is asking for an excessive amount to be lifted (and can only be lifted by a weightlifter) then it's not reasonable.

If you have a severe condition that prevents you lifting anything but a feather pillow and you apply for a job as a hod carrier on a building site then the employer would not be unreasonable in turning you down.