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AIBU?

Share your dilemmas and get honest opinions from other Mumsnetters.

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Original poster

To have left him stuck in the cellar?

534 replies

FreddysTash · 02/05/2019 14:13

We have a new starter at work who is a pain in the arse. He’s shadowing me and constantly disappears and is always off exploring rather than doing what he should be doing. This morning we were in the office and he asked me where he should put clinical waste. I told him we put it in the cellar but that we didn’t have time to do it now as we had to go out of office. He said he’d be quick. I said no because it takes ages to get down there, he’d need codes for the lift down there, and two different doors. He grabbed a pen and paper and asked me for the codes. Getting frustrated I wrote down the codes and told him to be really quick and off he goes.

15 minutes later he’s still not back so I check time and decide if he isn’t back by half past I’d do without him. Half past came so I packed up and headed to my car. I’d just set off when I got a frantic phone saying he was stuck in one of the rooms in the cellar. I told him to repeat the code he had and it was right so I said he’d just have to keep trying. I drove off. 5 minutes later he started ringing again. I ignored it. All in all 4 missed calls. I rang him back and he admitted he was in a different room and that’s why the code wasn’t working. I told him I’d be back at lunch. It was 9.45 at the time. He started getting irate saying it stunk down there, it was freezing, pitch black and the wind was hammering on the fire doors. I left him until 11. AIBU as he got stuck because he went where he wasn’t supposed to go?

OP posts:
number1wang · 02/05/2019 14:37

This reply has been deleted

Message withdrawn at poster's request.

floraloctopus · 02/05/2019 14:38

YABU because what if there was a fire?

RedSuitcase · 02/05/2019 14:39

Ahhh the "he may have MH issues", "he may have an extreme phobia of cellars because his parents died in a tragic cellar incident" crew are out in force.

He's presumably an adult, who had the means to get himself out the cellar as he had the appropriate door codes.

It's not like you dragged him down there and locked him in

HillRunner · 02/05/2019 14:39

If there was a fire the doors will have released

This is not the case in many older buildings.

MrMeSeeks · 02/05/2019 14:40

Yes you are. I’d report you for bullying.

DishingOutDone · 02/05/2019 14:40

How is this funny? Blatant bullying. I can't believe people are supporting the OP. Just because he is a nuisance?

And "new starter"? Please don't tell me this is a young or inexperienced person. What if the poster was male and the annoying new starter was female?

Pretty disgusted by you OP.

Witchofzog · 02/05/2019 14:40

He sounds over enthusiastic. But you have behaved despicably. Shame on you. By your post it sounds as though you might be a health care professional and I sincerely hope to be reading about you in the disciplinary section of the hcpc/ Nmc website in the not too immediate future. You cannot treat people this way. If you were unable to come back you should have contacted a colleague to assist him instead

BananasAreTheSourceOfEvil · 02/05/2019 14:40

I wonder what the reactions would be if this were the other way round:

I'm at a new job, shadowing someone and trying to go out my way to be efficient, but that person left me locked in a dark cellar without the codes to get out and went off site. I called her but she didnt come back for nearly two hours. AIBU to complain?

StrongTea · 02/05/2019 14:41

Bet he was glad to see you.

DogInATent · 02/05/2019 14:44

You're an idiot. You've left yourself open for disciplinary action for irresponsible heath and safety actions. If the new employee has the confidence to raise it you should be in serious trouble.

It's very rare for the HSE to prosecute individuals (if they are ever made aware), but you've committed a breach of Section 7 of the Health and Safety at Work Act 1974 which is a criminal (not civil) offence.

It shall be the duty of every employee while at work to take reasonable care for the health and safety of himself and of other persons who may be affected by his acts or omissions at work

If there had been an incident, you'd have picked up the larger share of responsibility for it.

Oh, and you gave him three codes to access secure areas unescorted. Is he authorised for those areas yet?

MysweetAudrina · 02/05/2019 14:44

Wow, I find my children very fucking annoying but I would never leave them trapped somewhere. I can't think of anyone I would do that to. I hope you get fired. I'd take any annoying colleague over a vindictive one any day.

NorthernRunner · 02/05/2019 14:44

It’s really shitty of you, and you could find that he complains to HR about you. He isn’t exactly going to want to work with you now is he? Hmm

Tinkobell · 02/05/2019 14:44

Err...a human being (even if they are a pain in the arse) needs water and a loo. Hope he doesn't take the matter further - for your sake. I'd be a bit worried in your shoes op!

floraloctopus · 02/05/2019 14:45

Imagine if this was the other way round and a man had done it to a woman. OP you deserve to get sacked for this.

LindsayDentonsWineBottle · 02/05/2019 14:46

What a nasty thing to do to a person. Even after he told you he was locked in the room you just decided to leave him? You didn’t make any effort to get someone else to help him? That’s a bully move.

Why did you ignore his phone calls? You knew he was trapped! Awful behaviour!

And what’s all this ‘admire your balls’ crap? It’s not ballsy to keep someone trapped in a cellar because you find them annoying! It’s bullying and horrible.

couchparsnip · 02/05/2019 14:46

So how did he get in the wrong room without the codes? Had he made a mistake or was he trespassing where he shouldn't have been.

You were a bit unreasonable to give him the codes in the first place when you had to be somewhere. But how were you to know he would wander off and get stuck. Presumable he's an adult who should know better.

Sparklingbrook · 02/05/2019 14:47

A new starter as well. Blimey. I hope he complains, and finds a job where he gets treated a bit better.

Thw hole point of door codes is that they aren't written down on bits of paper. Confused

wombat1a · 02/05/2019 14:47

Seriously U, I'm afraid to say that our our place if he made a complaint you would be in big trouble. Knowingly leaving the site when he has gone somewhere with a few scribbled codes on a piece of paper? No way is that professional.

FooFighter99 · 02/05/2019 14:47

If this idiot did that in my buidling, he'd come into contact with Asbestos!!

Fucking moron - let's hope he's learned his lesson

tellmewhenthespaceshiplandscoz · 02/05/2019 14:47

Bananas I wondered the same thing but as in a male member of staff had left a new female member of staff down there.

OP whilst I can see how tempting it may have been to let him stew for say, 15 minutes, you left him for a really long time. I think you were BU and agree this could come back to bite you on the bum.

MrsSB99 · 02/05/2019 14:48

In my job I have people shadow me and sometimes they are very keen, very slow on the up take and in fact all different kinds of people who learn at the different paces, people who I have worked for a long time can often irritate the life out of me I’d happily lock them in a cupboard however I wouldn’t as it’s a bloody awful thing to do to someone as clearly you’re in a position of trust when you showing people the ropes you are seen by senior members as trust worthy and someone who represents the company well, certainly in my job that’s how it works.

Some people are nervous and want to make a good impression and may be over keen, I don’t think anyone deserves to be locked up in what sounds like a horrid place by the way, sounds like he was surrounded by rotting clinical waste.

If I was him I’d be complaining

Disfordarkchocolate · 02/05/2019 14:48

So you were planning on leaving clinical waste around instead of putting it in the correct designated area?

You are supposed to be training a new member of staff?

You left him when you knew he needed help?

Frankly I'm surprised you're not being disciplined.

tellmewhenthespaceshiplandscoz · 02/05/2019 14:48

Sorry x post flora

NeedAUsernameGenerator · 02/05/2019 14:48

Was there no one else in the building he could have called to let him out? Or a fire exit? Seems like a weird scenario although as you had work to do I would say he made his bed and YANBU. I probably wouldn't have given him the codes though if there genuinely wasn't time, he needs to show you a bit more respect.

GraceMarks · 02/05/2019 14:49

He was doing your head in and you left him there because you wanted to get a couple of hours to yourself. If things had been otherwise, you would have gone back to let him out!

I understand how frustrating it is when you're trying to train someone and they don't listen to you, but that's a management issue that you should have dealt with formally. Did you get "lumbered" with this guy and are his line management aware he's constantly pissing about when he's meant to be learning? It would be better to sort it out through the correct channels than by locking him in a cellar, as tempting an option as that might be sometimes.