Active discussions

Meet the Other Phone. Flexible and made to last.

Meet the Other Phone.
Flexible and made to last.

Buy now

Please or to access all these features

Talk
AIBU?

Share your dilemmas and get honest opinions from other Mumsnetters.

Original poster

To think the employer should be insured for employees mistakes?

44 replies

RaptorWhiskers · 22/05/2019 09:02

My neighbour has recently started a new part time job with a big retailer. On her first week a customer has scammed her with a fake £50. Apparently it’s shop policy not to accept £50s but nobody had told her that. The manager says she should have noticed it wasn’t real and it’s her fault the till is down by that amount, so she has to pay it back out of her own pocket.

AIBU to think this is why the shop has insurance?! I’m fairly certain it’s illegal to take that money from her. What annoys me even more is that she’s just resigned to being ripped off and doesn’t dare challenge it because she doesn’t want to get on the wrong side of the boss. So the business gets away with disgusting illegal behaviour and the thieving customer has basically taken £50 out of the pocket of a single mum who’s working to feed her kids. I’ve given her a tenner to help her out but she’s still out of pocket. Utterly furious at the injustice 😡

OP posts:
Passthecherrycoke · 22/05/2019 09:04

It’s not an insurance situation but it is part and parcel of being an employer that employees make mistakes and that these things happen and I would be fuming beyond anything if that were me. I’m
Surprised it’s not illegal to dock wages for this sort of thing actually. I’d probably just resign and get a shop job elsewhere

Cariadne · 22/05/2019 09:05

That’s outrageous and maybe not even legal?? She should speak to CAB, I don’t think they can do that!

BarbarianMum · 22/05/2019 09:09

I doubt it's legal to dockher pay, esp as she wasn't told not to accept 50s and (I'm betting) was not given any training in how to detect false currency.

Original poster
RaptorWhiskers · 22/05/2019 09:09

I said it’s not legal. She said yeah I know but I can’t afford to turn my manager against me by kicking up a fuss.

OP posts:
Passthecherrycoke · 22/05/2019 09:10

They can’t be that big an employer then? If it were ie Tesco you’d go to HR, not the manager

mumwon · 22/05/2019 09:18

Uh would this come under HMRC as they may be making her salary below min wage?

notapizzaeater · 22/05/2019 09:20

They can't deduct it if it takes her below NMW

duebaby2 · 22/05/2019 09:22

To those saying it’s not a big employer..., doesn’t have to be food retail. I’ve worked for a very large card company (that is a retailer) and even though they have HR, you’d always deal with the manager because that’s who ran the place. HR was in a completely different place in the country at their head office, usually only managers deal with them. So you couldn’t report anything without the manager knowing

AnchorDownDeepBreath · 22/05/2019 09:27

Is it a big shop!m? Did she have the equipment to test for fake notes?

It does seem unfair. It is definitely part of mandatory training at Tesco and Sainsbury's, and all tills have the equipment to test. The Co-Op used to, as well.

Has she talked to HR/her manager about how this training was missed, in case there's any other things she hasn't been taught?

Original poster
RaptorWhiskers · 22/05/2019 09:30

Apparently they’re not deducting it. They’re paying her in full to keep the books right. But they expect her to hand back the £50 in cash after she gets paid.

She agrees that they can’t and shouldn’t make her pay it. But she’s too afraid of losing her job or annoying her boss to refuse. I’m just furious that a working single mum is being put in this situation. Perhaps it’s more common than I realise.

OP posts:
TixieLix · 22/05/2019 09:33

My daughter got a role at a large fashion retailer just before Christmas (think models/"angels") and was told that if anything went missing from the section she was looking after then she would be responsible for the lost revenue. She stayed for two shifts and left!

PennyMordauntsLadyBrain · 22/05/2019 09:34

She needs to join a union or leave- this won’t be the first time they’ll try and exploit her.

The business will have insurance to cover this- the manager will just be covering their own arse by not wanting to report the loss higher up the chain.

Missingstreetlife · 22/05/2019 09:34

Does anybody remember trade unions? Consult acas.

Blackcountrychik83 · 22/05/2019 09:36

When I worked in a fast food place they would cash up the tills before you finished your shift and any mistakes would be deducted from you. I wasn't a till op luckily. I work on tills with my job now and we had some fake love 2 shop vouchers over Xmas which were investigated and the cashier had to go in for a talk with management. But I don't think they made her pay back the money. They just put notes on the tills to be vigilant. I hate taking 50 pound notes!

WitsEnding · 22/05/2019 09:39

I'd be wondering if that £50 was going straight to the boss, and even whether it was a fake note.

NotANewUser2 · 22/05/2019 09:39

Insurance technically may cover the claim, but there would be an excess (likely hundreds of pounds) which would make it not worth it - there’s a term but I can’t remember what it’s called!

Your friend should absolutely not pay it back though, that’s beyond unfair! And it sounds like her manager knows it (and is trying to pocket the £50 for themselves?)

MsWarrensProfession · 22/05/2019 09:41

They definitely won’t be insured for taking a dodgy fifty pound note though. Even if it’s a covered loss, their excess will be much higher.

imamum21 · 22/05/2019 09:42

if my till is short in work it gets taken from my wages, if i dont notice a fake note again taken from wages, the law states they can take it as long as its in your contract

DarlingNikita · 22/05/2019 09:42

She should talk to ACAS.

PennyMordauntsLadyBrain · 22/05/2019 09:46

And it sounds like her manager knows it (and is trying to pocket the £50 for themselves?)

Maybe, but it’s more likely there’s sanctions for managers whose stores lose money through staffing errors. When I was managing a team in a bank call centre, any errors from my team would affect my end of year grading. The store manager here might be losing a bonus or something, so has decided to take money (probably illegally if it’s taking the employee under NMW) to put back in the till.

Passthecherrycoke · 22/05/2019 09:47

No way would a big organisation claim on their insurance for this sort of thing, even if it was covered (very unlikely) as above, the excess is huge, it makes no economic sense to claim for £50 (for example, in my company the excess is £40,000) anything below that is financially worthwhile paying for from our own pocket

codenameduchess · 22/05/2019 09:52

It's not uncommon as long as it's in the employment contract. Sadly, I've seen many people in this type of job just sign contracts without reading them then are shocked when something they don't like is enforced.

I'd suggest your friend checks her contract of employment first, if it does say that they will deduct from her wages then it should be taken direct from her pay not handed over in cash, this also means NMW comes into consideration. Acas will be able to offer advice on how to handle the situation.

Passthecherrycoke · 22/05/2019 09:53

Just because it’s in the contract doesn’t mean it’s legally enforceable.

TheFastandCurious · 22/05/2019 09:56

It is legal but can only be taken at 10% per week. Doesn’t make it fair though.