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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:
purplelila2 · 22/03/2018 18:54

Tbh if you have injured yourself you should be off sick and recooperating not at work.

If you're sick then you're sick ,it's not your employers fault. If you worked for me I would probably insist youre off sick as that's the best thing for your own sake taking into account your inability to drive at the moment.

limon · 22/03/2018 18:58

Go sick?

If they want you in they will have to do a risk assessment to cover your immobility.

treaclesoda · 22/03/2018 19:02

This is why I never understand why people live in the middle of nowhere without transport links....

Cost probably. I'd love to live somewhere with transport links. Unfortunately it's too expensive.

jayne1976 · 22/03/2018 19:02

Their argument you’re working for the competition doesn’t hold weight - surely you will still be working and having to show the work you’ve produced for your home base.

Jamhandprints · 22/03/2018 19:02

Take the time off sick. I know it;s a loss of money but you are injured and can't get safely to work.
If it's only for 6 weeks it's only 2 months rent that will be affected. Do you have an overdraft or credit card you could use, just temporarily? At least the £89 will help a bit.
You need to look after yourself, and hanging around for hours is not doing that. But it isn't your employers responsibiilty. They are being unkind though.
It's a setback OP and you have already been through a lot but these things happen and you'll be back on track in a couple of months.

stardust18 · 22/03/2018 19:03

What if you work for the extra hours your there. If you have to be almost an hr early and stay later but then could you do a 4 day week of a half day at least?

PuppyMonkey · 22/03/2018 19:16

I don’t understand why you’re not able to work from home OP, can you explain? Doing admin, making appointments, responding to emails, following up leads, liaising with clients - surely there’s loads you can do?Confused

GirlsBlouse17 · 22/03/2018 19:29

Could you work 4 long days per week and not work on the Thursday when your husband finishes late?

TheChiefBMS · 22/03/2018 19:40

Have you contacted any taxi firms and asked about a block booking contract? This may be a lot cheaper than the standard fare if they know you're going to use them the same time every day for weeks? You could then be dropped off by DP and collected by taxi every day?

Some firms do offer this.

Zeldaaa · 22/03/2018 19:44

They’re not being unreasonable. Your transport to work (specifically your office) is not their concern. They should assess the role you can do when you’re in the office, e.g. travelling to client meetings may not be possible unless you can use a taxi.

If you can’t afford to be off work then you’ll have to work out the logistics of getting into the office. It may be inconvenient but it’s nit long term. Is there somewhere you can go before/after work? A cafe, coffee shop etc?

Sharon1983 · 22/03/2018 19:45

Hi sorry to hear of your broken ankle.
First of all you have told your employer of your circumstances and gone out of your way to give them a solution so you are not off work. Your employer should be contacting the HR department and refer you to occupational health.
OH and the HR business partner for your department would look at your offer as acceptable. Are you not able to work from home?

Ssarah39 · 22/03/2018 19:50

Can you get yourself signed off by your doctor? Would you not be entitled to full pay for x months and then half pay for x months? Speak to HR and seek their advice on your situation.

Dorsetdays · 22/03/2018 19:53

Sorry to hear of your accident.

However I don't agree that your employer is being unreasonable. As you said your job usually involves you being out and about driving it sounds as though they have already made adjustments to enable you to be office based for six weeks.

It's not reasonable to expect your employer to allow you to work from what is essentially a competitors office just because it is more convenient for you.

You say you work in a city yet there are no buses at all? Sounds a little odd! Appreciate there might not be a bus directly from your home but surely there must be some form of public transport en route or near to your husbands workplace or closer to your workplace that he could drop you off at?

Ultimately getting to and from work is your responsibility and whilst I appreciate it might be costing you more for the 6 weeks to have to pay for transport surely that's a better option than trying to get signed off work and only receiving SSP?

jarhead123 · 22/03/2018 19:53

Sounds like you have no option but to take SSP for 6 weeks. Find a good boxset & enjoy :)

Chrys2017 · 22/03/2018 19:55

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

Surely this is the crux of the issue. Can you do this (your job) when on crutches? If not, you should be off sick.

LadyLapsang · 22/03/2018 20:12

I haven't read the whole thread so forgive me if someone has already mentioned this - look at Access to Work for help with taxi fares, athough they may challenge your employer on why you cannot work temporarily from the other office.

www.gov.uk/access-to-work

Whoknows1980 · 22/03/2018 20:13

Yabu it is not up to your employer to allow you to work somewhere else regardless of being able to log in to your systems. You either work or you are off sick. SSP is crap but unfortunately that is what it is. Do you not get any sick pay at all or have you used it all up for the year? The part about lone working between half five and half seven being a health and safety risk. If it’s not your work hours then why would you stay in the office- your company could make you finish at half five and go. Sorry that you have hurt yourself but employers want us to work. Very much worth contacting HR though

Youaremysunshine2017 · 22/03/2018 20:14

Speak to ACAS. They may be able to help.

Roselind · 22/03/2018 20:16

for what it is worth (and you will have had the appointment now) DH broke ankle and was told off for 6 weeks come back to hospital then - for reasons too long to explain that was not possible so we agreed come back after 4 weeks and hospital will reevaluate then - in the event they took the boot off after 5 weeks and he could drive automatic then - so do not just take it that it has to be 6 weeks - this is just the default. If you are seriously unable to manage financially keep going back to the hospital and getting it checked each week until they agree you can manage.

MumsGoneToYonderLand · 22/03/2018 22:25

see occ health. they may have ideas, such as your employer paying for the taxis. you may also be able to get something like a hardship grant to cover the cost of taxis. not sure that these exist anymore, but they used to.
i think your employer is being awful. if this was a permanent issue with your ankle they would be in breach of the DDA. you should still check the Disability Discrimination Act. It may have some clauses about temporary disability. For example, i certainly covers the discrimination faced by people with cancer who require a long time off work. they cannot be fired. good luck.

snash12 · 22/03/2018 22:32

I can’t believe the posters making nothing of “just waiting 2 hours each night” like it’s nothing. 6 weeks, in a support boot, waiting at work after hours is just crap, the employer has a duty of care to the employee and should make adjustments to suit her temporary injury. I guess some are lucky with employers and they offer more than SSP / support to their staff.

Good luck OP

FaveNumberIs2 · 22/03/2018 22:47

Why should they be happy about you working in what is essentially, a competitors’ office? That’s just a bit of a daft idea.

If travelling to work and back is going to be that difficult, then you should go on the sick and suffer the loss. Accidents happen, it’s not always up to the company to be the ones bending over backwards to accommodate their employees.

Mynewnameforabit · 22/03/2018 22:53

i think your employer is being awful. if this was a permanent issue with your ankle they would be in breach of the DDA.
In what way? There is no specific problem once she's at work - do you think employers are responsible for transporting anyone with a disability to their place of work?

purplelila2 · 22/03/2018 23:04

@snash12
"the employer has a duty of care to the employee and should make adjustments to suit her temporary injury"

yes that's true but doesn't extend to outside of work and how the OP travels to and from work. By the sounds of it they have made reasonable adjustments by letting the OP carry out office based duties my particular role means I would usually be out and about carrying out appointments.

Ok is BU

purplelila2 · 22/03/2018 23:06

Typo! should read OP* is BU