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AIBU?

Share your dilemmas and get honest opinions from other Mumsnetters.

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Original poster

Boss pushing me to break lockdown rules

95 replies

VapeVamp12 · 08/01/2021 18:45

I’m in a sales role and prior to lockdown a lot of this would have been on the road visiting customers etc.

Since March I’ve been mainly doing phone calls and also video meetings with customers and my sales have stayed quite steady, hitting my target 9 times in 10 months.

Today I customer called my office (we are all working from home and the phone is on divert to the boss).

A customer I have been trying to get hold of since about September complained they had not seen me in months. (I would usually pop in once a month prior to Covid). I record all my call attempts and have tried calling this customer 9 times in the last 8 weeks.

My boss called me very angry and said to get down there today. It’s 55 miles from where I live. I told him we shouldn’t be leaving our local areas etc. He sort of scoffed and laughed like I was being a wimp or something.

I phoned the customer and someone else answered and once I said who I was they said “oh yeah, john (customer, not his real name) is pretty pissed off with you - we haven’t seen you for months. I was quite taken aback and had to stop my self saying “do you not watch the news?”

I didn’t go today because I’m just not taking the risk but my boss and the customer have made me feel like I’m just being stupid. I’m not sure what to do because I think my boss will ask me again on Monday.

AIBU to really put my foot down and say I’m 100% not going any time soon.

To be clear what I sell are definitely not essential items! Also I feel like I’ve actually lost a lot of respect for my boss and the customer but I need my job

OP posts:

Viviennemary · 09/01/2021 08:44

It isn't breaking Covid rules to travel for work AFAIK. You need to go of risk losing your job.

RecipeStealingBitch · 09/01/2021 08:50

@VapeVamp12

I just went on to my work email and second in command has emailed me saying I am not to travel to any clients premises at this time and he will be contacting the customer on Monday to explain. He must have spoken to my boss last night boss must have told him what happened yesterday.

Excellent! Some of the responses on here

can you actually be fired for expressing concern about travelling during a pandemic to sell a non-essential product?

TooStressyTooMessy · 09/01/2021 08:51

I’ve just read this thread with horror and am so pleased to see your update that you don’t have to go. Absolutely ridiculous. This is why the guidance needs tightening in terms of working from home so that unscrupulous employers cannot force people to travel. Travelling around the country to spread the virus . People should have been told by the government that this sort of nonsense is not acceptable. Not some vague ‘you can work if you can’t work from home’.

LakieLady · 09/01/2021 08:55

@VapeVamp12

Good! At least there's one person with some sense in a management role at your company.

People are asked to stay home and only travel for essential reasons partly to reduce non-Covid pressures on the NHS at a time when it's dangerously overstretched. More people out and about will mean more RTCs, falls etc as well as more Covid transmission.

vanillandhoney · 09/01/2021 09:00

@BBCONEANDTWO

I thought tradespeople could only work for essential purposes - e..g. boiler repair, emergency plumbing - have I got that wrong I'd be very happy if that was the case. In Scotland the law does seem to be that it's only essential trades - due to no mixing in houses.

If you're there for work purposes it doesn't count as mixing households

MiniCooperLover · 09/01/2021 09:10

Good to know second in command has your back 👍

Elsielouise13 · 09/01/2021 09:13

You have to go to work if you can’t work from home.This is clearly part of your job you can’t do from home. Go and do your job or use the bit of employment law ( Section 44?) that says I’m not putting myself in danger for work.

But good luck with that cos it hasn’t worked for the teachers.

SpongeBobJudgeyPants · 09/01/2021 09:17

Good result! Sounds like some willy-waving going on from the customer and the manager. And there are some customers you can afford to lose. For £100 quid a year, he seems to expect an awful lot of your time.

WitchesBritchesPumpkinPants · 09/01/2021 09:23

@VapeVamp12

Excellent.

You're right to refuse. Whether it's technically legal or not, it's irrelevant. We should ALL be minimising contact with other people and not doing unnecessary journeys.

Dinosaur needs to sort himself out if he needs to see something & stop ignoring phone calls.

If your boss feels he needs to have his hand held, he can bloody well go.

But hopefully 2nd in command will sort your stupid boss out.

Stay strong - it's not always easy, but it is right 💐

WitchesBritchesPumpkinPants · 09/01/2021 09:25

@Elsielouise13

But good luck with that cos it hasn’t worked for the teachers.

She CAN work from home, just two Willy waving men want her to massage their egos

Mrsemcgregor · 09/01/2021 09:25

Sorry I’m going to be nosey! Why is the client so eager for you to visit?

PuppyMonkey · 09/01/2021 09:31

I’m also fascinated to know what this non essential product that you sell is and why the client is so desperate to have a sales person come and do their spiel in person.

Moneypenny007 · 09/01/2021 09:32

Would a visit to the customer be essential to the service u provide or is it just a quick pop in to keep in touch with the customer?
We have sales reps that pop into our office every now and again. It doesn't mean they get sales from it. Doesn't stop them popping in either.

OldBean2 · 09/01/2021 09:33

I have read the whole thread and am pleased you have been given appropriate advice. I was about to tell you to ask your boss and the client for their risk assessments for visitors.

VintageStitchers · 09/01/2021 09:33

Good for you OP.

Yes, you could lose your job but it’s better than being dead or spreading this virus to other people who could die.

People who are willing to take unnecessary risks by travelling and visiting other people for no sensible reason, can fuck right off as far as I’m concerned.

Original poster

VapeVamp12 · 09/01/2021 09:34

To be honest I really don’t know! I think he’s just a bit old school and face to face is how he’s always dealt with us.

If it were a new customer there would be a need to physically see them to show them the products etc but this customer knows the products inside out, there isn’t anything to show him.

OP posts:

FairyontopofthetreeBatman · 09/01/2021 09:40

Excellent, strike now and ask second in command to move the account to someone else as the customer lied to the boss about you not contacting him when you have phone records to prove you did.

Get rid of grumpy old bugger client for good! 😊

BarbaraofSeville · 09/01/2021 09:43

He could be one of those people who just likes having a nice chat and has sufficient autonomy over his own role to be able to get away with it. I have a few of those. I'm a safety consultant in a very niche area but I sometimes describe my job as 'meeting mostly men, usually just to talk, sometimes I have to dress up and look at their equipment' because that's how it seems a lot of the time.

But we're now under instructions to do all this by Zoom and email until the restrictions ease and most of them are happy with this. I also agree with not worrying too much about losing this client and if your bosses have any sense, they won't either. Most businesses make most of their money from a minority of their customers and some of their customers actually lose them money due to the value of the sales being lower than the cost of servicing the account, which would almost certainly apply if you costed in making in person visits.

LonnyVonnyWilsonFrickett · 09/01/2021 11:54

@Mrsemcgregor

Sorry I’m going to be nosey! Why is the client so eager for you to visit?

There are an awful lot of clients out there who like their sales people to work hard for their business. So you have to go and see them every month, you have to drop them the odd incentive, you have to make them feel like they are the centre of your world. Always men. Always worth approximately 1% of your client base. Always the first to 'go to the boss' if they're unhappy. And if the boss is also a sexist willy-waver, you get told to do what's necessary to keep them happy... It's a subordinate relationship instead of a partnership.

Anyhoo. Don't want to put words in OP's mouth but I can spot them a mile off

Good result from the bigger boss OP.

notanothertakeaway · 09/01/2021 12:05

In Scotland (and I expect it may be the same elsewhere in UK) you can travel for work, if you cannot do the job from home. I would argue that it may not be essential to see your customers face to face, but if it's essential, then you can go to their office / factory etc

However, if the job involves going into people's homes, you can only do that in very limited circumstances. Here is the link
www.gov.scot/publications/coronavirus-covid-19-general-guidance-for-safer-workplaces/pages/work-in-other-peoples-homes-faq/

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