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AIBU?

Share your dilemmas and get honest opinions from other Mumsnetters.

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Original poster

posting for traffic - re job at Tescos and resigning

26 replies

AndTheyFlyTheNest · 19/07/2021 15:11

Hi there,
I posted this in employment, but hoping for some quick responses....

My 18yo son has been working night shifts at Tescos. He thought he would try it and has been doing it a week - but really struggling with his sleep. He wants to give it up. His contracted hours are 1 night per week, but they can ask him to do more.
This week he is meant to work tonight, plus Thurs and Fri night.
He wrote his letter of resignation y'day (Sun), and his manager said he had to give a week's notice. He has found an (old) staff Handbook online which says that if you have worked for less than 30 days then there is no notice period. (He wasn't given a staff Handbook when he started, so doesn't know if this has changed) He has emailed his manager to ask whether this is correct, but has not had a reply.
So - Does anyone know whether he does have to work one week? And does anyone know what happens if he decides not to work this week? (He is worried about losing the pay for the nights he has already done... could this happen?)
Thanks!

OP posts:

Hopdathelf · 19/07/2021 15:14

What does his co tract say about notice period?

Twinkletwinklelittlecar · 19/07/2021 15:16

No they cannot refuse to pay him for what he's done, I don't think. It would take him under minimum wage and that's illegal.

warmfluffytowels · 19/07/2021 15:16

They have to pay him for the shifts he's work whether he breaks his notice period or not.

Personally I think he should stick it out for three nights and work the notice period. A week is nothing.

Bluntness100 · 19/07/2021 15:18

Personally I also think he should work and I think I’d be expressing this to him strongly if he was mine, it’s not ok to let people down, he’s made commitments and he’s hardly given it enough time to adjust.

bookh · 19/07/2021 15:20

Dear me. At the risk of my 39 year old self sounding like my late granny, the youth of today.......

TheLovleyChebbyMcGee · 19/07/2021 15:21

No they can't refuse to pay him, but its only fair to work his notice. See what the manager replies with. I did nightshift in my younger days and it does take some getting used to, so maybe he needs to give it more time?

Bargebill19 · 19/07/2021 15:22

Night shifts are tough and really really need a period of adjustment - longer than one week. I would encourage him to google night shift tips for sleeping and give it a bit longer.

ChainJane · 19/07/2021 15:25

He's only been doing it a week, it usually takes a lot longer for someone to get (more or less) used to night working.

They can't refuse to pay him for hours already worked, so he's fine there.

Personally I'd suggest he still works through the notice period. If he can't bring himself to do so then he can claim he's been told to self-isolate.

Freecuthbert · 19/07/2021 15:27

Of course it takes longer than a week for your body to adjust to working nights. It's normal that he is tired at this point, but if he sticks it out longer he will get used to it. I'd be disappointed if my child put very little effort into a new job like that and would advise him to keep at it for now. He cannot be refused pay for shifts he's already worked and if he doesn't work his notice that's up to him, but it really is best to work it out of common courtesy.

Bargebill19 · 19/07/2021 15:27

From the 2020 handbook for Tesco. Found on internet.

posting for traffic - re job at Tescos and resigning

Whyo · 19/07/2021 15:30

He absolutely cannot not be paid for work already done.

What does his contract say? That’s going to more important than an online staff handbook or anything his manager says.

If (pending what his contract says) he can stick it out for a week that would be courteous but they cannot force him to do it if he doesn’t want.

Aprilx · 19/07/2021 15:31

Tesco is not going to do anything about an 18 year old who has benne there a week not doing the necessary notice period (if any). But it might be useful to introduce him to a little resilience in the workplace, he is going to need it in due course.

Sycamoretrees · 19/07/2021 15:32

A weeks notice is nothing, surely the shifts aren't so bad he needs to leave immediately? He'll have far longer notice periods in future that will have to be adhered to, and I suspect jobs with worse aspects that have to be put up with! It's part of being employed.

Original poster

AndTheyFlyTheNest · 19/07/2021 15:33

Thanks all.

@Hopdathelf - he hasn't been given a copy of the contract, and his letter of employment doesn't mention notice period.

@Bargebill19 - thanks very much, very helpful

Main thing is that they can't refuse to pay him for the work he has already done - thanks for that!

To all those saying I should encourage him to stick it out longer... thanks, but I wasn't asking for advice about this. But suffice to say that there is lots more that I haven't said, and I support his decision.
Thanks again

OP posts:

Username91 · 19/07/2021 15:41

Why would they refuse to pay him for what he has already worked? It’s a bit shitty of you to be encouraging him not to work a weeks notice bearing in mind the fact he’s completely wasted their time employing him and will know have to go through the whole process again to replace him. What a time waster.

warmfluffytowels · 19/07/2021 15:44

Unless there's a really good reason such as sickness, he needs to work his notice. He's an adult and it's the decent thing to do.

Topseyt · 19/07/2021 15:49

Does he have any option to transfer to a day shift?

Some of us (myself included) just know we are not cut out to work nights.

Darbs76 · 19/07/2021 15:52

Well I think he needs to work his notice. Welcome to adult life

Bargebill19 · 19/07/2021 16:07

To those of you saying he needs to work his notice - the staff handbook which would form part of his contract states that you do not need to give notice, if employee less than one month.

Username91 · 19/07/2021 16:50

@Bargebill19

To those of you saying he needs to work his notice - the staff handbook which would form part of his contract states that you do not need to give notice, if employee less than one month.

I don’t think any of the posters saying he should work his notice are under the impression that he HAS to do it, it’s just a bit crap to leave them a staff member down especially in these times without giving them even a few days to get his shifts covered.

onceivepostedidontcomeback · 19/07/2021 16:54

ACAS : An employee's contract should say how much notice they must give to their employer.

If it does not, and an employee has worked for their employer for less than a month, legally they do not have to give notice.

If an employee has worked for their employer for at least 1 month, they should give at least 1 week's notice.

Bargebill19 · 19/07/2021 16:58

@Username91. They are literally typing “he needs to work his notice” - legally he doesn’t have to give notice. So no notice period to work.
Now it would be nice if he gave a weeks notice - but that’s down to consideration not a legal requirement.

Soontobe60 · 19/07/2021 17:04

If he packs his job in, he won’t be able to claim benefits for a while, and it will look very poor on a CV.

Smalldogbigdog · 19/07/2021 18:20

@Username91

It's also possible/probable that we don't have the full picture, so statements such as "What a time waster" are unkind and possibly untrue.

nokidshere · 19/07/2021 18:40

His contracted hours are 1 night per week, but they can ask him to do more.

But he doesn't have to say yes. They wouldn't look favourably on someone who always says no but he doesn't have to say yes regularly.

If he is contracted to work 1 night a week and he's been there a week how many nights has he done?

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