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AIBU?

Share your dilemmas and get honest opinions from other Mumsnetters.

Original poster

to think my employer is being unfair

175 replies

nuggies · 21/03/2018 12:29

Last Friday I fell down the stairs and broke my ankle. Following a trip to A&E I am now on crutches and having to wear a moon boot. I can't drive and the doctor said I'm looking at a healing time of six weeks.

My job is office based but my particular role means I would usually be out and about carrying out appointments. I live 20 miles away from the office and there is no train station near me, or any buses that run to the city that I work in.

My husband works in the town next to our village and in this town is another branch of my company. Although it is not the same 'brand' as my company, and in fact their counterpart in the city I work in is a competitor, we are all owned by the same company and use the same systems.

If my husband was to take me to work every day, I would need to be dropped off 45 minutes - an hour before work starts in order for my husband to then drive back to his office and be on time for work. I finish work at 5.30pm and my husband finishes at 6pm (and 7pm on Thursdays), it is at least a half an hour drive between our two offices meaning I would have to wait an hour and a half between finishing work and being picked up.

I have explained all of the above to my regional director and have requested for the next six weeks I work out of the 'competitor' office in the same town as my husband (although because they are not in our city, they aren't even competitors to my office). I have been informed that they do not want me to do this because they don't want me working for the competition and they want me to be in my office as part of that team. I have asked if I can be set up and connected to my offices system from the other office and this is possible, but they don't want me to do it.

Now I am massively upset and feel my employers are being incredibly unreasonable. Not to mention the fact I will be spending time before and after closing hours in the office, alone and on crutches, is this not a health and safety risk? Thursdays for example, I will be in the office alone from 5.30 - 7.30pm.

My employers have offered no other solution and I am only entitled to SSP which is not enough for me to live in. It wouldnt even cover my half of the rent.

Help

OP posts:
Spudlet · 21/03/2018 14:00

Does your DH have any flexibility? Could he maybe work compressed hours a couple of days a week so the other days he could do slightly shorter hours and drop off and pick you up at a more reasonable time - then you just have to find lifts / a carpool / stump up for a taxi on the days he works longer hours?

ItchyKondera · 21/03/2018 14:01

when you say competitor and you are usually out and about, I am imagining Estate Agent covering different areas or markets, so the competitor doesn't cover the same patch? So you are not in competition for the same area?

ItchyKondera · 21/03/2018 14:01

But yes, is there anyone that would offer you lifts back to your husbands office, or home in exchange for some petrol money?

Bluntness100 · 21/03/2018 14:04

I don't think it's unreasonable for them to not set you up in an office they do not work from.

I think as much as they can make your life easier in terms of office access , breaks etc they should do, but your commute is not their problem, nor is the fact you need to hang around waiting for your husband and they probably don't want to tell you you can't.

So on this, I do think there are things they should do, but not change offices to one they don't use or babysit you for two hours as you wait for your husband.

ikeepaforkinmypurse · 21/03/2018 14:08

Is your office in the middle of nowhere ? If it is, you could also ask a colleague to give you a lift to the nearest cafe or safe place and wait for your husband there if you don't want to be waiting for your DH 1 hour at the door, understandably.

It does suck, but many people have long waits before and after work when they rely on public transport. It's not that unusual.

Trinity66 · 21/03/2018 14:10

YABU go there early :/

StormTreader · 21/03/2018 14:11

Why cant you work from home?
Could you get some kind of temporary flex-time? If you were doing admin things from 8-9 and 5.30 - 7.00 or 7.30 4 days a week that would probably be enough flex to have one day off.

RB68 · 21/03/2018 14:13

How about hubby gives you lift to bus stop and either colleague collects other end or short taxi ride to office (ie shorter than home all the way there.)

I would take sick leave the first week or so whilst you get used to it and they may then come up with a solution when they realise the option is all or nothing.

For future ref I would get some loss of income insurance so you are covered if it happens again

Winosaurus · 21/03/2018 14:19

My guess is you’re an estate agent...
So if you can’t go out to appointments your job is limited anyway? Why won’t let they let you work from home a couple of days a week until you’ve healed? That seems nuts to me... surely it’s a better option for them than you going on sick leave for 6 weeks?

Grobagsforever · 21/03/2018 14:22

Seriously, what has become of us when a grown adult is stressing about sitting in a perfectly safe office for two hours alone. In the vanishingly unlikely event there was a fire I assume you get yourself out the same way you went in? Travelling a car is about 100 times more dangerous than sitting in an office alone with a bust ankle but you're not about to stop doing that.

You have a DH willing and able to drive you. Take a book to read and deal with is simply a temporary inconvenience.

Pseudousername · 21/03/2018 14:34

my particular role means I would usually be out and about carrying out appointments

If your employer has said you can sit in the office all day then they are already being extremely accommodating given that you can't actually fulfill your role properly?!

You have a solution, you can get lifts from your husband. The inconvenience to you of not wanting to wait around for him to come and get you is not your employers problem.

CaffeineAndCrochet · 21/03/2018 14:35

Bring a book or some crafty stuff, make yourself a cup of tea or coffee and just try to enjoy the time spent waiting.

Original poster
nuggies · 21/03/2018 14:42

yes im an estate agent.

i have an appointment at the fracture clinic tomorrow morning, i will see what the doctor says. i dont know if i'd be insured to be in the building but my regional director didnt even mention this when he phoned me so im guessing from their point of view its fine.

OP posts:
Bombardier25966 · 21/03/2018 14:47

The thing that makes me so cross... Why is SSP so low for someone who is hard working and just had an accident? Why are benefits so generous for some and then so tight for hard working people who need time off work to recover?

SSP is more than JSA and the basic rate of ESA. Eligibility for top ups above that would depend on household income, and the OP would be equally entitled as anyone else.

A Daily Mail reader by any chance?

Viviennemary · 21/03/2018 14:47

I think your employers are within their rights not to agree to your request. You will have to stay signed off sick unless you can get to work or they agree to let you work from home. And this doesn't seem likely. Even if it's sounds harsh it isn't your employer's responsibility to either worry about you not managing on sick pay or to provide a safe place for you to wait for two hours after everyone has gone home. I sympathise because this isn't your fault but I don't think your requests are reasonable.

BritInUS1 · 21/03/2018 14:51

YABU you have options you just don’t like any of them.

If they don’t work for you then you need to get signed off while you can’t drive in

Astrabees · 21/03/2018 14:56

Could your husband alter his working hours to make taking you and collecting you easier?

TomRavenscroft · 21/03/2018 15:04

I'd ask HR direct, and bring in Occupational Health too.

From what you say, it doesn't sound as though the other office are actually competitors to yours. Maybe ask them to put in writing, spelled out totally clearly, what the problem is?

Butterymuffin · 21/03/2018 15:07

Have you asked any of your colleagues whether they could give you even a partial lift into work, for petrol money? So that your husband could drop you at a halfway point, and they get you from there?

Hobnobsarenotfordunking · 21/03/2018 15:15

The first thing I would take from this is you need to address your finances. Do you not have income protection insurance? What would happen if god forbid you were diagnosed with something serious meaning Months off work?

There have been loads of suggestions here. I assume if it’s an estate agents it’s not in the middle of no-where and is in a town. I would hobble down to the nearest supermarket/cafe at 5:30 and have my dinner with a book while I waited for DH to collect me at 7:30. Check your local library too, some are open evenings.

manicinsomniac · 21/03/2018 15:31

Personally, I don't see a problem with what you wanted to do. But I don't know the field and assume your employers wouldn't be difficult just for the sake of it. It's in their best interests for you to be working rather than off sick so they would probably have accommodated your request if they could.

I think either the cafe option or the asking around for someone who drives your direction suggestions are probably the best ones.

One other possibility is, depending on how your work is set up and how close you are to your colleagues - could you stay with one for a bit? I had a colleague living with me for 6 weeks after a knee op once because he lived too far away to get to work under his own steam and I'm in walking distance. It wasn't my choice, I was told to do it by my employer. But I can see that it was a good solution all around.

TheHodgeoftheHedge · 21/03/2018 15:47

I had a colleague living with me for 6 weeks after a knee op once because he lived too far away to get to work under his own steam and I'm in walking distance. It wasn't my choice, I was told to do it by my employer. But I can see that it was a good solution

Seriously?! I would not be amused at my boss/company telling me I had to house a colleague for 6 weeks. They have no right do so!
Not saying I might not make the offer (depending on if I like the colleague or not LOL) but to be made to do it? Hell no.

ikeepaforkinmypurse · 21/03/2018 15:53

I had a colleague living with me for 6 weeks
no way in hell can anyone even ask you for that!

Nikephorus · 21/03/2018 15:57

Maybe ask them to put in writing, spelled out totally clearly, what the problem is?
Or maybe accept that they're being very generous saying that you can come into work and be paid to do an entirely-office-based role instead of insisting that you stay home on SSP because you're not capable of doing your regular job..... It's not their fault OP broke her ankle so why should they have to go above & beyond when she's not willing to be remotely flexible?

manicinsomniac · 21/03/2018 16:05

They do have the right where I am - that's why I said, depending on how it's set up. I have housing subsidised by my by employer on the understanding that we can be asked to do all sorts of crazy things.