AIBU to be pissed off with my employee?

[Fueledwithfairydustandgin]

I have very recently employed a new girl to help with my horses. She wasn't quite what I was looking for in the level of her experience but I liked her and maybe saw a bit of myself in her and decided to hire her and train her on the job. This isn't totally ideal in that I'm busy and this is another drain on my time. It's being going ok but on Tuesday she contacted me to let me know she wouldn't make it in due to the snow. I was a bit annoyed because it wasn't that bad and I could have picked her up from the village as I've done before to save her mum (who drops her off as she doesn't drive). It meant I was left with a yard full of animals in the snow and a toddler on my own. She has just contacted me to say she won't be in this weekend because she went to her granny's to help her out with her horses (45mins away, we live 10 tops) and is now snowed in there. My PILs have just driven home via that way no trouble. I am worried because she needs lots of training which I'm loathe to do if she's going to be unreliable. She wants to bring a horse here which I'm happy with except I would have had yet another animal to look after. I'm worried I will seem like an unreasonable bitch if I sack someone for not turning in when the weather has been so horrific but I feel the whole thing has been a bit unprofessional.

So she couldn't get to the next village to see to your horses but somehow got to granny's 45 minutes away to see to hers?

Surely it depends on what the roads are like? I live semi-rurally and I can't get to villages 10 minutes' drive away because the lanes are full of 3-5 foot drifts, but I could get to the major towns because our small town is just off a main A road. Saying that, yesterday I could have driven 40 minutes TO the major town but wouldn't have been able to get home because a lorry jack-knifed and then a snow plough got stuck, after a gritter went into a ditch, blocking the road for hours.

I don't know if I've missed this on the thread, but where in the country are you OP? If you are in the red/amber zone you are being VVU - the police have specifically requested that employers be flexible with their staff under these circumstances. People putting pressure on staff to come in are causing car crashes and blocking up the roads which make it harder for the emergency services.

If the police are telling you something, maybe listen?

I don't think she's the right fit for your particular business needs. It's not your fault or hers, it's just the way it is. She's reliant on her parents for transport, and her role with you is (rightly or wrongly) not a priority for them. What happens next time she can't get a lift because they have pressing issues elsewhere? What happens if it coincides with your LO being unwell, or your having to travel somewhere yourself? Your business requires a reliable person who can drive and who understands what's what. This young woman may be suitable 2 years from now, but she's of limited use currently. Continue your search, OP.

But OP would have picked her up from her village!! The employee doesn't need a 4x4, just enough sense to arrange a lift with OP from a mutually agreeable pick up point.

OP, how long would this girl have had to walk to be picked up by you?

I don't think the girl lives in the village. I think what the OP means is that she would have picked the girl up from the village (a couple of minutes' drive) if the parents had driven her to the village from their home. The OP wasn't offering to pick her up from home.

I don't think we know that Pengwn. It could be the girl's village, as OP says it would have saved the girl's mum the drive.

We need OP to clarify I think.

All the advice to give it another week or two is disregarding the fact that this will all be training time. So the question is should OP continue to invest her time away from toddler (which is clearly tricky or she'd be doing her own horses anyway) or cut her losses and find someone else. I say cut your losses. I recall being in a similar position myself and I wish I'd listened to my gut. I was a coward because I didn't want to be assertive with my employee. Find somebody more reliable perhaps somebody who can drive and therefore can travel more independently.

They do have a 4 wheel drive. I didn't offer but she said she didn't think they'd get to the village.

Cherry: that's the post I read from the OP and I though it was fairly clear - she offered a partial lift.

Ah ok, I was just looking at the OP.

I think the crux of the matter is that the OP needs someone to help look after the horses. She needs that person to do the job in rain, hail and shine. There's always a point where it's not possible to go to work, but it's about where you dràw the line. The girl knew that her boss had given her lifts in the past, but she didn't try to find out if that was available on Tuesday. Instead she said she wasn't coming and left her boss in the lurch.
Then she did something similar a few days later.
It doesn't sound like the girl wants an all-weather job. To me, it sounds like she decided the money wasn't worth it on tuesday. The OP was looking for commitment and it seems that she's the one with commitment whereas the employee thinks her t&c are those of casual labour. I suspect the girl looked at the Cold weather and thought that she'd do without the £30 (or whatever) this time.
Her GCSEs will be coming up in 11 weeks time. Have you spoken to her about whether she wants time off around the exams? It would be reasonable for her to want it, but unreasonable to just let you know that she's taking it without any chance for you to make alternative arrangements.

Set your boundaries now. She and her family are probably viewing it as a cushy well paid short term job. I would go in with a mentoring type approach - I chose you, against the odds because I saw potential, it is up to you how you approach this opportunity, but what I want to see from you now is committment and initiative - which I didn't see this week - the job fell down your list of priorities. Consider yourself on probation, and I hope you ace it.

How long has she been working for you? You said it has been going okay until this week. There have been warnings out telling people not to travel unless it’s an emergency. Her parents clearly chose to travel to their parent some time between Tuesday and Friday , do you know anything about her? Is it possible she urgently needed help or supplies?

This snow is a very unusual occurrence indeed - a friend of mine went to pick up her twins from her MIL and got stuck there for two days, the roads were far too dangerous. People were abandoning cars all over the place. I’m not sure if it’s like that where you are but I think it’s pretty unreasonable to fire an employee for failing to get to work during such extreme weather.

I’d see how it goes in more normal conditions if it has been fine up to this point.

You want someone to do a job who will be reliable in all weathers, but you have chosen to employ a 16 year old without her own transport, so you can save money and avoid paying the minimum wage. You have two choices:
-Employ an adult with a 4x4 and pay a proper wage.
-Continue to pay peanuts and get a monkey, and know that YOU will have to look after the horses YOU chose to have when the teenager doesn't feel like coming in
Neither of you seem to want to look after horses in all weathers, so maybe horses aren't suitable for either of you.

Just sack her.

Has the girl left school or is this a part time job fitting around other study. Is this classed as training which all 16-18 year olds seem to have to do now if they are not at college or studying for A levels. Has she done here GCSEs yet as mmzz said

I'd speak to her formally once she's back in, explain your expectations (which seem reasonable to me, frankly) and let her know that if she's absent again when she's reasonably expected to be in, that will be that. I work with school leavers and some of them make terrible mistakes on the job, just from a lack of experience, guidance and sometimes common sense.

Staff need managing. She sounds young so needs to learn responsibility (like we all did). Unless you were exceptionally well behaved she's probably no worse than you were at her age, possibly better. Talk to her. Tell her you're giving her the benefit of the doubt because of the weather, and really like her and want her to succeed but really need someone you can rely because of your child etc. and set out your expectations about when you expect her to call and how much notice she needs to give if she can't come in. Who knows, if you're firm but reasonable it might work. If not, then you don't have to feel bad about letting her know because you're given her a fair shot.

I don't agree with other posters to just sack her. You have an opportunity here to teach a young person a valuable lesson in a way that'll teach her to do the same to others when she gets older - that can only be a good thing.

What harshbuttrue said.

I just want to clarify a few points. I didn't go out looking for a young person, I wanted to give her a chance because she seemed really passionate. It wasn't to save money clearly as I've already explained. I would have loved a chance like this at her age and was trying to give her a shot.
I had no issues and wouldn't have spoken to her about the weather had she not traveled further to look after someone else's horses. This has meant she's said she can't work this weekend when all the roads are totally clear between her home and ours.
She doesn't have exams as she dropped out of school. It's just a part time job.

Agree with @rOsie80

The circs are exceptional (although I think still representative of the type of challenges to be overcome for this specific kind of work) it does depend a bit on how bad the snow really is - no use to anyone if she gets stuck in snow for two days trying to get to the yard (as I have done a few years ago!) and not safe either. Do think a short walk (if it is short) to village is probably reasonable to be picked up though.

A talk might be the making of this employee, for both of you

You can leave school on the last Friday in June if you’ll be 16 by the end of the summer holidays.

You must then do one of the following until you’re 18:

stay in full-time education, for example at a college

start an apprenticeship or traineeship

spend 20 hours or more a week working or volunteering, while in part-time education or training

Some just drop out at 16 though, a friends DS did and done a few odd bits of part time work, no training. I don’t think the authorities bother chasing them up if they are over 16.

Going on a journey to work with someone else's horses is the big issue,
because it means she's now unavailable for this weekend, when you say the roads are totally clear

This girl and her parents clearly don't regard this as a proper job, just a bit of fun experience
so it's well down on their priorities
She might be a good employee in a few years when she's matured, but not now

You and your horses need someone who can take this as a proper job for the hours agreed
Many young employers won't have a car, but you need someone who'll only be absent on those days when ill, or if conditions are unsafe,
not also on unnecessary extra days.

No employer need accept that.
If you had other suitable candidates, I suggest you contact the best and ask if they are still available to start soon.

I wonder if what persuaded you to take her on was the fees for having another horse on your yard ?
Not worth it, if so.
Don't mix the role of employee with customer.

On the days she or her parents have something more interesting, you'll be looking after that horse too
You'll be checking up on it at night when it's ill - because her parents probably won't drive her over at 3 am
Very awkward to sack someone, even during the 2 years period, if their horse is in your yard

Typo: Many young employEES won't have a car