To call my daughter’s manager

[Bunnyfuller]

DD is 16 and is doing her first part time job, working as a Barista at a chain coffee shop. She was given her contracts to sign a few weeks ago, and given an employee handbook. In it it says pay should go up once ‘customer trained’ and again when barista trained. She’s definitely completed the assessments for both of these, and when she asked the shop manager about the rise as laid out in the handbook, the manager said ‘oh, I think that’s wrong, that book is from last year’.

Nothing since. I’ve said to DD to ask for the most current handbook, but immediately got bellowed at for hassling. She just says she’ll quit if her pay doesn’t go up.

I’d like to get to the bottom of it. Would it be very bad of me to call the manager and ask for clarification? There seems to be quite widespread exploitation of these kids starting out, her friend got similarly underpaid by a chain garden centre, and she just quit.

YABU - don’t call, if your daughter accepts it, or quits, it’s her choice

YANBU - a quiet request for the current handbook will let the manager know you’re onto her

TheSmallAssassin put it much better than me

I suppose you shouldn’t sort it out because DD will be embarrassed but I completely disagree that parents shouldn’t intervene once a child is sixteen or so. They’re still children after all.

No one would have a problem with a vulnerable adult having someone advocating for them would they?

Has it occurred to you op that your daughter hasn’t passed the assessment.

Hence the “bellowing” at you when you suggested contacting them.

YABU she needs to learn to do this stuff herself without mummy getting involved.

As an employer I wouldn't deal with you.

Phone the manager and ask for clarification about your daughter's pay scale. There is a reason why teens are being exploited in many work places, they are too young, inexperienced and fearful to talk to their managers. This is why parents need to be good advocates until they are mature to do it themselves.

Your daughter will learn that speaking up is in her best interest and the employer will be reminded that her employment condition contract is being monitored.

Please don’t approach your daughter’s manager unless she has actually asked you to. I would have been absolutely mortified if my parents had done that.

She needs to sort it. As a mum of a 16 yr old girl I do sympathise but you can’t do it for them. It’s a learning experience.

If the employer is acting within the law, then they wouldn't be able to speak to you without your dc's consent.

She's only just started there, her employment rights are as good as zero. Doesn't matter who makes a fuss, you or her, they will pretty much do as they please and dismiss her for some trumped up resson if they think she's a 'troublemaker'. Your DD is right here, as she's being the pragmatic one. If they don't pay her properly she leaves. Right is on her side, but its very difficult to enforce and she probably doesn't want the hassle if there are other jobs out there.

Phone / email Costa head office HR to test out the pay policy. Keep it anonymous - don’t even mention what region it is. Pretend to be someone else and perhaps even pretend to be an employee yourself

Unfortunately I think there are employees who exploit young people and assume they won’t know better. My DD’s first contract was littered with contradictory clauses that I doubt any 16 year would understand and looked to deduct accrued holiday because she “only worked weekends”. I helped her construct an email to ask for clarification but they tried to fob her off and so I later emailed her employer with my daughter on cc to share that she had given me permission to ask for further clarification on her behalf. They backed down very quickly.

I also think a life lesson is to ask for help when you need it and don’t assume your employer is always right!

I know mum just wants to help her daughter but this is a really good opportunity for her to try sorting this kind of issues out herself (which she will no doubt face again many times) in a fairly safe, low-risk environment. By all means help, advise etc but if you just sort it out for her then a good learning opportunity is missed, plus as others have said she may well end up being embarrassed/annoyed with you.

This.

Considering her 16 y.o. daughter has already asked for the raise, and she's prepared to leave the job, giving consent to her mother won't be a problem.

Let your daughter decide. Even the fact you have told her she can trying doing something about it is a good lesson. She needs to learn how to do things for herself though. And she’s 16, deffo not an age you want your mum getting involved in your independent life

We don't know that.

My dd would be very embarrassed to involve me in something like this. She's quite assertive, so I'm pretty sure she would just raise it herself, but if she wasn't willing to do that, I think she'd rather leave than have mummy wade in to help.

That's the OP call after talking to her daughter. I'm simply answering her initial post.

I'm sick and tired of employers exploiting young teens, and will always advise parents to advocate for them until they are mature enough to do it themselves.

Honestly, don’t ever get involved with your daughters employer, that would be so embarrassing for her. She needs to learn to speak up for herself, and she will.

At 16 she’s still a child so I’d be asking specially if the manager is making it seem like she’s hassling for it.

Let’s be honest this isn’t going to be her long term life goal job and she can easily quit.

I get ya OP; my DDs having problems with her manager and it's taking every fibre of my being not to kick his arse

Don't though, your DD will be mortified - let her do this herself.

She’s only 16 yrs old.

Of course you need to contact HO on her behalf. Some dreadful employers get away with treating staff like shit because no-one ever stands up to them.

Leaving doesn’t actually solve the problem.

I certainly wouldn’t expect most 16yr olds to have the experience to pursue this issue thoroughly but a parent should have.

She needs to sort this herself. But I've worked for chain coffee shops and hotels many times and yes they do use the young for cheaper staff. If it's a chain, they'll have a area manager, tell her to contact them if the store manager isn't helping.

A parent should not be interferring with a grown child's employment. Your daughter would be mortified if you did interfere.

Check the details and call them infront of your daughter. She's only 16 and obviously being taken for a ride! A big part of teaching her what to do in these situations is showing her what to do!
if she is too embarrassed to go back then, she was going to quitanyway so no problem