Ideas to tell work....

[KatyKite]

Posting on AIBU for traffic - sorry!

I would like to ask if anyone has any ingenius ideas for brothers predicament.

He has two jobs both 0 hour.
Job 1 - worked for 9 months or so 1-2 days a week
Job 2 - new job working variable hours

Job 2 have offered a lifetime opportunity to work abroad for 6 weeks all expenses paid which he would take in a heart beat and has wanted to do for years.

However Job 1 desperately needs him for those 6 weeks as other staff members have already booked annual leave and they've already told him this. Job 1 needs staff members to train up months in advance so short notice or quitting would be unfair. The possibility of telling the truth could put him in a difficult position on shift for the next so many months too

He would also like to leave the door open where possible to return to job 1 after the six weeks. However with new staff members this is a big risk.

We need to think of a great way to play this. I also work for Job 1 at the moment, so I had thought to either say I've booked holiday/ our parents have booked a holiday as a surprise for him or something or that I have entered into something for him

Any great ideas anyone?

I think you need to stay out of it tbh. He needs to tell job 1 the truth and see what happens. They can't stop him in one sense but he might lose the job too.

If staff need to be trained months in advance, then it's not really suitable for zero hours contracted staff. I'd not say anything to job 1 and just not be available for those 6 weeks. Zero hours cuts both ways, he owes them nothing in the way of notice, it wouldn't be unfair at all to give very short notice or quit. If you want guaranteed staff, you need to employ them properly! Not very practical advice, I guess, but this makes me so angry!

He has been getting regular work from Job 1 - sorry but in his situation I'd stick with Job 1. A short 6-week stint with Job 2 might seem tempting , but Job 1 has given him work all this time, and will continue to do so into the future . Leaving them in the lurch for 6 weeks ( and then expecting to go back ) seems pretty cheeky to me.

Stories about "surprise holidays" always sound lame to employers - I wouldn't believe it if I was his boss.

It's not cheeky AT ALL to leave them in the lurch, that's the risk they have chosen to take by employing people on zero hours contracts!

Zero hours works both ways, as much as they can say ‘sorry we have no hours for you this week’ an employee can say ‘sorry I’m not free this week’. So he tells them he isn’t free.

A surprise holiday for 6 whole weeks? Don be ridiculous

He'll have to choose one job or the other. And why are you even getting involved?

The employers at Job 1 have absolutely no right to expect any loyalty from your brother. If they want staff loyalty they can bloody well employ people properly instead if all this disgusting zero-hours contract shit! I think your brother should just tell them he's not available for 6 weeks. They certainly wouldn't give a shit if the roles were reversed and they didn't have any work for him for 6 weeks!

That's the risk an employer takes when they use zero hour contracts.

DB needs to do whatever works for him and feel no guilt.

He should take the opportunity he’s excited about. Unfortunately job 1 wouldn’t give a damn if they had to let him go. He’ll regret being loyal if he gives the other chance up.

A zero hours contract works both ways - he can just say he isn't available during that time, and there is very little they can do about it. He's not leaving anyone in the lurch - they put themselves in this position by employing people under that type of contract.
If either of you lie, however, you could reasonably get into trouble (plus, your brother would have to be cagey about where he's been)
Sounds like an amazing opportunity - too good to hide/lie about.

The employers at Job 1 have absolutely no right to expect any loyalty from your brother. If they want staff loyalty they can bloody well employ people properly instead if all this disgusting zero-hours contract shit!

100%. If job one gave a shit then they'd give him a real contact.

Zero hours goes both ways. If anything, maybe he can play this one and tell them he'll stay if they give him an employment contract!!! That's assuming he's willing to take the risk.

Cheeky fucking fuckers. Zero hours on a job that needs training in advance?? Fuck that.

If you want guaranteed staff, you need to employ them properly!

^^ this a thousand times over.

I am so glad to hear the responses from posters saying you owe employers who hire people on zero hours, nothing. I was getting unreasonably angry that the OPs DB was even continplating making excuses for not being available to these chancers. And for what, a couple of of shifts a week? Behave! These jobs are everywhere and so I'm sure they will be able to pick up work somewhere else.

It's not cheeky AT ALL to leave them in the lurch, that's the risk they have chosen to take by employing people on zero hours contracts!

This ^

Agree totally with @TheSmallAssassin 👍👍

Has he already agreed to do the 6 weeks for Job 1?

Job 1 needs staff members to train up months in advance so short notice or quitting would be unfair

Nope, that would be a reason not to have a zero hours contract, the employers cocked up, it may be a reason for him to negotiate a decent return for not going, but there's absolutely no reason not to simply take the "opportunity of a lifetime".

In the very unlikely situation that the actual 1-2 day a week job is something like Editor of the Evening Standard and it actually pays enough that it's not easily replaceable if he doesn't get it back, take the opportunity.

If he likes job 1, I'd be tempted to try to leverage it into a permanent job. E.g. say, "I've been offered 6 weeks solid work elsewhere. I'd rather work here but you are not guaranteeing me anything", and see if they offer anything to try to keep him.

Agree that job 1 have shot themselves in the foot by employing people on zero hours contracts.

What's the pay for job 2? Assuming it's at a similar level per hour as job 1, 6 weeks solid work should pay him the same as 3-4 months in job 1, and will be worth even more considering it's all expenses paid so he won't have to buy food for all that time, and will save a little on utilities, so even if job 1 suddenly find they have no hours for him when he comes back, it's not the end of the world as he still might have other hours for job 2 and by then we'll be in the autumn and shops, warehouses, post office etc will start to be advertising for extra seasonal staff, so there's a chance of more work there if he needs it.

He should almost certainly take job 2 and the overseas opportunity.

Why is the first response of so many people to any given situation think up a lie?

A surprise holiday? Really? That's just going to sound ridiculous and be obvious bullshit.

As others have said, he doesn't owe job 1 any more than they owe him, which is pretty much nothing.

@supersara

I hear you. It was my idea. I don't want to give away too much but its healthcare. So the people that would be let down wouldn't be the employers, it would be the patient.

He enjoys working there and would love to when he comes back.

As it's working abroad there would be certainly some holiday involved.

It's a case of yes being completely cheeky letting them down over those 6 weeks when already very short staffed but also not wanting to miss a amazing opportunity.

He's not being cheeky. They are being cheeky with the zero hour contract and expecting him to always be available.
He should let them know he will be unavailable and go for the 6 weeks. You never know, the 6 weeks may lead to bigger and better things.

An employer using zero hours contracts will fully expect this sort of unavailability to happen. It's the payoff they get for avoiding the responsibility and costs associated with employing people properly.

What sort of jobs is he doing, out of interest? Those that demand extensive training and foreign travel shouldn't be treated as casual labour, surely. I really feel for people having to accept this crap.