To think this is mean

[lizzlebizzle33]

Where I work (very big well known coffee shop) if you are Ill unexpectedly you are required to cover your shift yourself or you have to come in.

This morning a young girl I work with has messages on our group chat to say she is being sick and in a lot of pain, all our store manager has to say is she needs to call everyone to ask if they can do her shift today.

She has been very short and rude with her the poor girl, so now in between going to the toilet to be sick she is having to ring around other staff and other stores to try and get her shift covered.

AIBU to think this is just mean? Why is this not the job of the manager? I've never worked somewhere before that would make you feel this bad about being ill. Nobody wants to be ill, I really don't think it's fair.

YANBU - that's ridiculous. What does the manager actually do if they don't help to manage the staff, ffs?
They'd have to do it if the staff member died or was in hospital, so they should bloody well do it if the staff member is throwing up or incapacitated!

Mind you, I'd be jolly tempted to come in with a bucket and vomit copiously throughout the day...

Why is everyone saying she shouldn’t be preparing food??
OP said she’s trying to get her shift covered, she didn’t say she was already on said shift?

I would also contact environmental health too.this is wholey irresponsible. Many people cod be infected. What if somebody who has a compromised immune system bought something prepared by this person and got I'll, it could be fatal. Poor woman, tell her to turn off her phone and go back to bed. Manager has to sort it out or come in to cover that shift.

That's ridiculous, I would take this higher up in the company.

Regardless of company policy, part of being a Manager is being good with people, sounds like someone's in the wrong job.

@fuckyduzz because OP has said if she can't get the shift covered she's expected to turn up!

so now in between going to the toilet to be sick she is having to ring around other staff and other stores to try and get her shift covered

Please tell us where, so we can let your manager know that no-one wants to be served by someone with a sickness bug!

I thought it was against the law for people to prepare food if they were vomiting. They have to wait 24hrs since the last bout.

That was on some program when people were competing to open a restaurant with

Where have people's comprehension skills gone? Shes AT HOME, not in the store serving customers.

That is terrible, as PP have pointed out it is a public health hazard for one, but also incredibly poor management.

Is there an HR dept/Head Office you can contact to ask for clarification on the policy and advise of the situation?

This is the same as any retail or hospitality I’ve ever worked in. They make you too scared to phone in sick and I’ve lost 2 jobs as a teen for being ill. It’s very common.

The clue is in the job's name - manager - their responsibilities include managing the staffing rosters. Presumably they get paid more for this extra responsibility, not dumping it on the humble bar staff.
I also second raising the H&S issue, both with the Head Office and the local council. They are in a competitive business where reputation is vital, and a twitter storm is the last thing they need.

if you are Ill unexpectedly you are required to cover your shift yourself or you have to come in. Regardless of this particular employee being at home or not, the problem is still the same. Ill employees are expected to cover their shift, or if that's not possible, go in, working with food, ill. That's not right .

thats awful - and surely cant be actually legal? whether its policy of not!

I think the reason people are concerned about the possibility of the young woman serving food is because the SECOND half of the management directive is that "if she can't find someone else to cover for her, then she has to come in"

Are you sure this is company policy or just a very bad manager? It didn't seem like a large, well known company would be advocating this as standard practice. Sounds like it's down to the individual manager which is extremely bad practice and unacceptable.

Speaking as a manager it is absolutely not the responsibility of the employee to find cover for a shift if they are sick. That is the manager's job and it is what they are paid to do.

I think this individual should probably be reported to HR or your area manager.

That's a ridiculous policy particularly as she is handling food, it should be up to the manager to find cover.

Tweet it

Hmmmm. Having worked in various restaurants, cafes, pubs, tea rooms, I will say this: a number of (usually) young workers did have form for ringing in sick -often on nice days when their mates would be off to the beach, or the cricket, or when hungover- and what is the one thing that guarantees you two days off and can’t be disproved? D&V. Some of them were lucky enough to recover very quickly, judging by social media photos . . . It may not be the case on this occasion, but it may be. She may have form. I feel a bit for the beleaguered shift manager who probably deals with this crap all this time. If anyone on here saying how dreadful it is, visits a coffee shop today, and the service is slower than usual, I hope you’ll consider that it may be because people have rung in sick, and it hasn’t been possible to cover the shift at short notice.

If you’re ill, you have to find cover yourself or come in regardless?!

I don’t know the ins and outs of employment law but is that legal??

So...if this girl is vomiting say, and fails to find cover, she could be serving food while dashing to the toilet/nearest sink to throw up?

I can’t believe that. If that’s true I am appalled.

will the daily fail pic this up soon I wonder?

I'd tell the manager where to go. They can't expect somebody to seek cover themselves when they're ill. What if you had a migraine and couldn't use your phone? What if you were hospitalised? There are clearly instances when management wouldn't expect people to find their own cover, and they cannot determine themselves where the line is.

Based on the above there is no way anybody could actually be disciplined for not arranging their own cover - you could have an absolute field day with the company!

For once I hope that DM /BBC consumer programmes do pick this up and ask all coffee chains what their policy is? If it is that people have to work, preparing food or serving drinks if they can't sort out a replacement then they can accept the very poor publicity that will get them.
I think that this is very poor management or rather bullying

Highly illegal. She needs to call ACAS

"if she can't find someone else to cover for her, then she has to come in"

Yes exactly. (I think our reading comp skills are doing ok ) I'm pretty sure it would be against the law for her to come in and serve food.

Besides, I agree it's the Manager's job to sort out rotas/cover for sickness. Terrible for a company to put that burden on a sick employee. I'm surprised to read it's so common in the hospitality industry.

PLEASE DAILY MAIL - PRINT THIS STORY!!!!!!!!