It’s a parking one at work!!

[Bargebill19]

So, I work part time as a cleaner. I drive a new car. I do 4 hours. Everyone else works 7-7 shifts. I’m out by 11am.

I have been told by the managing director that I must park my car at the front of double bays, not at the rear and always facing forward to avoid doors clashing and using reverse gear.
There are 200 spaces and only 20 cars on site at anyone time.
There is no signage to say forward parking only.
Nothing in my contract to say there are parking rules.
Not site specific rules anywhere.
I parked in space A facing forward to drive straight out - in front of me was a night shift car which would be leaving 15 mins after I arrive. I admit I like to park in the first space with a gap either side of me.
Apparently I can only park in spaces BCDEFG etc. Or I can reverse park into a space up at the fence. I do not like these as 1) they are disability spaces 2) they have overhanging trees which loose branches in the wind onto cars parked there.
I could have parked in space E this morning - but cars in D and F have made the space tight and I didn’t want to ding their doors or have them ding mine when there was zero need.
The manager director couldn’t give me a reason as to why I had to park like this other than to avoid using reverse gear - which I would have had to use to get into a fence space - or to get out of one. But apparently that was fine........
When I said he was bonkers - he said the gatehouse will report my car in the morning- I said fine nice to know security will keep an eye on my car! (Security have said they really couldn’t care less!)
There is no reason that is covid related that I can think of, as it is better for cars to be spread out to avoid people accidentally touching each other’s cars rather than parked like sardines. Especially when the majority of people arrive and leave together.
I’m so tempted to park across two spaces tomorrow facing the right way on the right side just to see him get even more annoyed.
FWIW - there are only two female drivers on site the rest are all men - if that makes any difference! Plus my car is the only bright yellow one in a sea of black or white cars.
Anyone have any ideas as to his reasoning before I do park it large???

He's pissed off because you are "only" the cleaner and you have a better car than him. No other explanation.

I don't think your bosses instructions are unreasonable. Just park where he asks ?

[quote Bargebill19]@mumofmany81

I was told we are allowed to use reverse gear , that this is a reverse parking car park, that all cars have to be on the front row of the double spaces facing outward. So no,
I couldn’t have faces the other way in the space I was in as no one should be in that row at all. But I can reverse into a fence space despite being told that we are not allowed to use reverse gear.

So yes I was very confused and came on here to ask for ideas. Some lovely posters have explains nicely as to why health and safety ask for people to be able to drive straight out of a parking space. But as there is no signage etc I was unaware of the rule
and the explanation I asked for made no sense whatsoever. How do I reverse into a
Fence space when I’m not allowed to use reverse gear at all? How come even my line manager doesn’t know this rule and parks all over the place?![/quote]
I think you are being deliberately obtuse.

I do know the current state of the economy and am really surprised they can’t get cleaners - but that’s the way it is around here. Either people don’t want to clean for a living or there are enough other jobs around that people do have a choice.

@OlaEliza

No, I genuinely wanted to Know why my car parking wasn’t ok when it has been perfectly acceptable, daily, for the past month. I asked simply with “why” when I got a nonsensical response I replied.

Can't you just park as you are asked to? This is the sort of thing I have to deal with at work - everyone wants to park at their own convenience but that rarely adds up to the car parking working well for the workforce as a whole.

@Yesyoudoknowme
That was my second thought!!
I originally thought it was going to be a complaint about the colour or the registration as I’ve had both of those complaints before!

I don’t get this. You are allowed to reverse or you aren’t allowed to reverse? Does he just mean that your car has to be facing outwards when parked in a bay, rather than nose to nose with another car on the next row as you did? I know the person in the other car was leaving shortly after, but your car wasn’t moving for a few hours so must have stuck out like a sore thumb as incorrectly parked.

Sounds like a right load of bollocks in general though tbh.

You drove in and you knew that the owner of the vehicle parked in "D" would be gone by the time you got out.
You however didn't know that someone else wouldn't have decided that today was the day that when they rocked up (a guest for example) that they weren't told to park in "D" for the duration of their stay, which would have resulted in you having to reverse out of the space where you parked and into the flow of traffic around the car park.
You know that, due to the owner of the vehicle in front of yours when you parked, was going to be gone, thereby leaving a vacant space that you could drive through to exit the car park.
No biggie but in future, I'd recommend simply reversing in to ANY parking space, including the one you parked in, so that you park boot of car to boot of car, and you're able to drive out of the space and exit the car park.
The manager is explaining it badly but all he is trying to say is if you're parking in a space, reverse into it so you drive out of it.

@Figgyroles

Yes I will park at the far end of the car park well away from anyone else and the trees. In the front row perfectly aligned with the white lines. Well out of sight of anyone I may offend.

@LookItsMeAgain

I’m not allowed to reverse park into the space I was apparently. The MD made that perfectly clear - if I park in the middle I have to be in the front row facing the exit, not facing the other way in the back row despite still being able to just drive off with no reversing.
As I said bonkers.

@PuppyMonkey

Exactly what I thought - I’m not allowed to use reverse yet am allowed to reverse into a fence spot.
Even if he meant what other posters have said about h and s .... a few signs up and the conversation would have been avoided.
And people think I’m the one being difficult.

@LookItsMeAgain

No boot to boot parking allowed.

Even if he meant what other posters have said about h and s .... a few signs up and the conversation would have been avoided.

It is annoying when you feel you've been told off for breaking a rule that no-one bothered to tell you existed. But surely the only possible adult response is to say " Sorry, no-one told me about that rule, I'll certainly do that I'll certainly do that in future"

Paper warehouse - is he David Brent?

@SeaState3

Ha ha - no but thank you for making me smile!!

Sounds to me that in his view you are 'only' the cleaner and 'only' a woman so he thinks he can dictate to you. Have the male staff members been told the same thing? I bet they haven't.

the last one walked off the job mid shift.

Sounds like they were told how to park too.

I'm surprised it's 50-50.
Those parking "rules" are ridiculous.

@Bishybarnybee

I don’t do forelock tugging especially when someone is initially rude to me. My initial response was “why”. When I didn’t get a response that made send I did say “bonkers”. Because that was politer than what I could have said.
Had there been a logical reply I would have gone with “sorry I didn’t realise will do better tomorrow”. His reply didn’t make sense. Still
doesn’t. But some lovely posters replies
have given insight into his reasoning if not his response.
Rest assured I will park far away from anyone tomorrow and the right way around.

@VioletGrace

The male persons I’ve spoken to didn’t know either. But it was a small group as I was leaving the gate house.
My line managers (x2 both male) are not aware either judging by their parking. - wring way around and in the wrong spaces.

[quote Bargebill19]@VioletGrace

The male persons I’ve spoken to didn’t know either. But it was a small group as I was leaving the gate house.
My line managers (x2 both male) are not aware either judging by their parking. - wring way around and in the wrong spaces.[/quote]
And I would bet any money that the managing director won't be pulling any of them up on their parking....

@Lweji
😂

@VioletGrace

I doubt he will. But I suspect people will think I’m awkward for writing that!!!

[quote Bargebill19]@VioletGrace

I doubt he will. But I suspect people will think I’m awkward for writing that!!![/quote]
No matter how much the law says that sex discrimination is illegal, it is still alive and well in lots of workplaces, right down to women being treated unfavourably about something minor such as parking. In my last workplace the men were allowed to do as they pleased, including having cigarette breaks as often as they wanted, going out for a break to the shop across the road whenever they wanted, and going to the loo whenever they wanted. Women were allowed to do none of these things unless as specified times. Male managers and directors are usually too much of a wet sap to dare tell men what to do, so they try to dictate to female employees and then it makes them feel powerful.

It's irrelevant whether it makes sense or not. He's the managing director. You are the cleaner. Figure it out. The employer had every right to ban you from parking in THEIR car park. They also have the right you discipline you for refusing a reasonable instruction - to park as you are told in their car park. So yes, feel free to deliberately put two fingers up at them. Don't bother with starting the thread "i got sacked for disobeying my employers instructions". Seriously, he may be being ridiculous, but so are you!