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AIBU?

Share your dilemmas and get honest opinions from other Mumsnetters.

Original poster

Aibu to tell her that she needs to do a full shift.

296 replies

DawnFawn · 02/07/2019 18:29

Hi,

Posting here for traffic to see I'd any managers/HR gurus knocking about.

I am a fairly new manager, I have been managing a department for about 2 months and all is running pretty well, however, I have an issue with a member off staff that I cant get my head around.

Let's call her Linda, she started under a previous manager who was a friend of hers. She doesn't drive and lives about 15 miles away with not great/not horrendous public transport links.

For about 18 months she got a lift to and from work with manager friend. But since manager friend left she was able to finish work earlier than the rest of the team, to get a lift home with another member of staff who finishes earlier. The stand in manager allowed this for an easy ride.

So......(thankyou if you are still reading)
In I come as a department manager, there is a festering resentment with team members that colleague is going home early, and it shouldn't be allowed. I totally agree but how do I stop this? She doesn't have any children, and doesn't require flexible working as such.

Would I be a bitch to say that she needs to be making her own way home? I'll allow a degree of flexibilty in the mornings, she can start 15 minutes later as this is when her lift arrives at the office, but she needs to finish with the rest of the team? Does she have any rights to say that she has been doing this for a while and should be allowed to continue?

OP posts:
Original poster
DawnFawn · 02/07/2019 18:51

She is hourly paid, her husband is a good earner apparently so she can afford to work part-ish time. It actually benefits me to get her out of the door as I save on my wage bills, but then the other team members pick up the slack and are there longer than they need to be. (Swings and roundabouts 🙄)

Her sickness and absence levels are also an issue, it's not the worst but it could be better. I have a return to work interview with her tomorrow and I was wondering if I should bring it up whilst I'm there. I dont want to be seen as stamping my authority, but I also want to stamp my authority.

Her lift home works in a different department with slightly different working hours.

OP posts:
RebootYourEngine · 02/07/2019 18:52

As long as she is working the same amount of hours ie. taking less time for breaks or is getting paid less to cover only time worked then that would be fine but if she is getting paid the same as everyone else for doing less then I would be pissed off too.

RebootYourEngine · 02/07/2019 18:53

I would bring it up during her return to work.

HollowTalk · 02/07/2019 18:55

You might as well deal with this all in one go, OP. If you deal with time keeping you don't want another meeting about attendance the week after. "I want to talk to you about two things..." should be the way to go.

SunshineCake · 02/07/2019 18:56

Ask her if she wants to make these new hours her official ones and when she says yes say that's fine and we'll start your new pay amount from August…

nicecuppaforme · 02/07/2019 18:56

@DawnFawn so she only works what she gets paid for basically? What does her contract state?
If she's been working these hours (and getting paid for them) for a while you couldn't really ask her to work more.

Teachermaths · 02/07/2019 18:56

If she is paid for the time she is there, and only the time she is there, then you have nothing to sya to her. How much time is she "missing"?

If other staff moan, tell them they are welcome to the same deal for the same money.

BBBear · 02/07/2019 18:56

I dont want to be seen as stamping my authority

Why? You're her manager - it's your job to stamp your authority on the situations.

EleanorReally · 02/07/2019 18:56

I don't think you need to rush the talk

SnuggyBuggy · 02/07/2019 18:58

If she gets paid for the hours she does and the other members of the team are working late to finish that suggests you ideally need to employ someone else to cover the work. I know it's obviously not as simple as jut hiring an additional person.

Passthecherrycoke · 02/07/2019 18:58

I’ve had this. Tell her she can put in a formal flexible working request to change her hours AND take the subsequent drop in salary.

She doesn’t want to drop salary

herculepoirot2 · 02/07/2019 18:58

Her sickness and absence levels are also an issue, it's not the worst but it could be better. I have a return to work interview with her tomorrow and I was wondering if I should bring it up whilst I'm there. I dont want to be seen as stamping my authority, but I also want to stamp my authority.

Absolutely not. Keep the issues of hours and sickness separate, until you have taken advice from HR and agreed a way to proceed.

NoBaggyPants · 02/07/2019 18:58

If she has been doing the reduced hours for some time then it may be that her contract has been amended through custom and practice. Contractual changes don't have to be in writing, they can be by both parties accepting an arrangement through their actions. The problem is that the relevant time is not defined in law, it is open to interpretation.

How long has she worked there? How long has she been doing reduced hours?

Original poster
DawnFawn · 02/07/2019 18:59

She doesn't work through her lunch..... it's so bad that the previous managers have allowed this to become a precedent.

OP posts:
Passthecherrycoke · 02/07/2019 18:59

Whoops that took ages to load and I see she’s not salaried. Still, you can’t really leave a set shift early, I would still ask her to submit a flexible
Working request via you and HR

InMyOwnParticularIdiom · 02/07/2019 19:01

Read that as 'she needs to do a full shit.' Thought it was a constipation issue.

TheRedBarrows · 02/07/2019 19:01

So her pay is already reduced to take account of leaving early?

You need to talk with HR.

Cherrysoup · 02/07/2019 19:01

Yup, talk to her about both things. Offer her slightly reduced hours and slightly reduced wages if necessary. I’d mention the resentment from others without using those words, so maybe something along the lines of you’ve left early since (insert date) and its been remarked upon. You’re paid to work til (insert time) so the early finishes can’t continue, you need to work your contracted hours like everyone else.

bridgetreilly · 02/07/2019 19:02

Arriving late AND leaving early is ridiculous. If she arrives early and leaves early, that's a different matter. Frankly, her travel issues are not your concern and I would be making that clear. If it makes sense within the company for her to do the reduced hours, she needs to take the appropriate paycut. Or if you actually need someone to do the full job, she either steps up or gets replaced. She's not doing her job right now, and her co-workers are right to be seriously pissed off.

RuggerHug · 02/07/2019 19:04

She's taking the absolute piss. How long away she lives is no concern of yours. She's paid to work between x and y, she needs to work between x and y.

pinotnoirismyjam · 02/07/2019 19:05

I agree with Passthecherrycoke. She's employed to work a full shift, and her failure to do so is having a negative impact on the rest of the team. If she doesn't want to work her shift pattern then she has to submit a formal flexible working request (and work a full shift in the meantime). You can then decide if her propsed flexi working works for the business and the team. If not, you can refuse it. Tbh it sounds like it doesn't work if the rest of the team are doing overtime to make up for her arbitrarily choosing her own shift pattern.

adaline · 02/07/2019 19:05

Is she only being paid for the time she's there - so effectively having her pay docked for starting late/coming early?

It's difficult - if she's been doing those hours for what sounds like a couple of years, you may struggle getting her to change. This hasn't been tackled (through no fault of your own) but it puts you in a difficult situation.

SheDancesOnTheSand · 02/07/2019 19:05

I would advise against discussing her working hours during her RTW. 2 separate issues = 2 seperate meetings.

I think you need to ask her a few questions about the arrangement to be able to work out what to so next.

  • Was it a verbal or written agreement?
  • Short term/long term? (Any end date?)
  • Has her timecard been altered to reflect her working less hours? (She is legally entitled to a break during her working day, she cannot take it at the end of the day as it no longer a literal break in her day.)
  • To change someone's contract you need to give 4 weeks so this may be a good timeframe to expect her to change her finish time.
  • You say she can start 15 mins later, this could set a precedent - could you manage if more of your staff requested this later starting time?
SheDancesOnTheSand · 02/07/2019 19:06

(There were paragraphs!)

Snog · 02/07/2019 19:07

Just speak to your own HR dept and follow their advice.

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