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AIBU?

Share your dilemmas and get honest opinions from other Mumsnetters.

Original poster

Colleague can’t drive I’m doing all the driving!!

238 replies

Gisele12 · 08/02/2018 18:00

This may be quite long. I work for a company where we travel for work. The arrangement was that I’d be the one being driven until my old partner left and the only other person who was trained in the role of my old partner cannot drive.

This girl is however taking lessons, I understand they are expensive and she is genuinely doing her best however I am just getting a little of sick of doing all the driving. I get paid probably 5x more per day than what this girl gets paid (my role is higher) so not sure if I am being unreasonable.

I am self employed and my partner is PAYE so I do sometimes feel I have no obgliations to cart this girl around. There is no one else who could replace this girl and in all honesty I love my job and our working days are always fun but I just can’t be sure if I should speak to our boss and see what he thinks?

What does everyone else think?

OP posts:
craigglen · 10/02/2018 10:00

I'm not sure what you hope to achieve? It's not like your colleague is refusing to drive; she doesn't have a licence. She's not deliberately being difficult.

And I can't understand how you meet the criteria of being self employed if you're working for one employer....

InspMorse · 10/02/2018 10:06

I couldn’t do the job without her though. She is an essential part of our job so I do feel massively stuck

So you depend on her. Without her you couldn't do your job properly.

You need to stop whining and just get on & drive the car.
She can't can she?

LoniceraJaponica · 10/02/2018 10:08

It isn't fair - stamps foot
You sound like a 6 year old Hmm

SellMySoulForSomeSleep · 10/02/2018 10:08

I think OP is getting a bit of a beating here.

I'm pretty convinced I know what the jobs are and it is standard procedure that the assistant drives. The people I know who have done this job (in the assistant role) drive as they can claim a little bit more for the driving expenses on top of their not great wage.

The OP will get paid much more as they have the qualifications.
However without the assistant the OP couldn't see as many clients in a session so the assistant is very much required.

But the way OP has worded it has got peoples backs up and I'm hoping it wasn't intended.

InspMorse · 10/02/2018 10:11

Big Pharma sales rep.

I'm thinking this. OP needs her/his minion to drive her/him around, sort out the paperwork, set us presentations, carry the bags.
Am I right?

LunchBoxPolice · 10/02/2018 10:12

I really hope we don't work for the same company, but worryingly it sounds like we might as I speak to someone a lot like you....

DrRanjsRightEyebrow · 10/02/2018 10:13

I think if you are being paid 5x more than this 'girl' you should be doing approx 5x more work. Doing all the driving goes a tiny way towards redressing the gross imbalance, but only a little bit so I'd be looking for other ways to take some of her load off if I were you.

HoneyDragon · 10/02/2018 10:18

sellmysoul is there a reason you can say the job role? It’s not like you’d out the op as it may well not be her job role and doesn’t have to admit to it being so.

I’m genuinely interested because as I said up thread I’ve only ever worked in industries as usually the senior members happily drive more junior colleagues to locations they are required to assist with.

HoneyDragon · 10/02/2018 10:19

Where senior members not as (needs more coffee this morning)

Pearlsaringer · 10/02/2018 10:22

Are you a safe cracker OP and she is your getaway driver?

madamy · 10/02/2018 10:27

If the OP was a little more open about her role, it might make more sense. For example, she might be an OOH GP doing home visits with an HCA. In which case she might have point - her travelling time could be spent more productively.
However, as it stands, she comes across as somewhat entitled.

BakedBeans47 · 10/02/2018 10:31

Agree madamy

LaurieMarlow · 10/02/2018 10:36

OP, is being able to drive a required aspect of her role? If so, I'm struggling to understand why she would have been hired.

If not, I don't see what more can be done tbh. She isn't legally allowed to, she's doing what she can to rectify that, she seems suitable for the job in all other aspects. You can do the driving instead.

Life's not always perfect, either put up or find yourself a different job.

MyDcAreMarvel · 10/02/2018 10:38

Don't be so lazy op.

SellMySoulForSomeSleep · 10/02/2018 10:41

The job role I think it is is domicillary eye testing. So the OP is the optician and the "girl" is the optical assistant.

The optician tests the eyes
Passes over to the assistant to help choose and measure glasses while the optician gets on with the next test.

They normally go to Care homes where they will test a lot of the residents in one session.

Didn't want to "out" the OP but I suppose I could be very wrong.

UserSnoozer · 10/02/2018 10:42

She's learning. Your boss can't do anything about you driving so why bother complaining. And she's not your taxi driver. You get paid more so do your fucking job and stop being so entitled

BakedBeans47 · 10/02/2018 10:42

Ah could be sellmysoul

lostpigeon · 10/02/2018 10:42

This reply has been deleted

Message deleted by MNHQ. Here's a link to our Talk Guidelines.

LoniceraJaponica · 10/02/2018 10:44

If that is the case I still don't see why the driving can't be shared. I would also ask why this other woman was taken on for the role if driving was part of the job description.

HoneyDragon · 10/02/2018 10:54

Thank you Sell, that does make more sense.

I have to say I only passed my test last week and it would be a bloody brave person to volunteer being a passenger with me for a six hour day five days a week Grin

alotalotalot · 10/02/2018 10:58

You say you have fun during the day with the "girl".
Then it's a straight choice of changing job or sticking with this one that you actually like except for the driving . Just a choice you need to make, the same choice that everyone else has to make if there are unpleasant aspects to a job.

Pearlsaringer · 10/02/2018 11:18

I don’t think opticians earn the sort of figures OP is talking about ie at least 5 x minimum wage. Back to the drawing board.

BakedBeans47 · 10/02/2018 11:23

I don’t think opticians earn the sort of figures OP is talking about ie at least 5 x minimum wage.

Hmm I wouldn’t be so sure they’re pretty well paid and maybe even more so if they locum/self employed as OP says she is

SellMySoulForSomeSleep · 10/02/2018 11:31

Minimum £300 per day for an optom locum based in a store. So I would assume a bit more for the travelling.

Skittlesss · 10/02/2018 11:36

Do you sell carpet cleaners? Two people once came to my house selling them. I made them a cup of tea.