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AIBU?

Share your dilemmas and get honest opinions from other Mumsnetters.

Original poster

To find this a bit petty that I wasn't paid?

56 replies

Spinelli99 · 28/08/2023 09:19

It's in a job which I am thankfully leaving soon, in domiciliary care.
I had a call scheduled for yesterday morning at 6:15am which is ridiculous. This particular client doesn't even get up that early, he usually gets up for 8 he says.
The company will just squeeze calls in at random times wherever they will fit.
Anyway I arrived to his at 8:45. I wasn't aware until yesterday but if you arrive more than 2h after the designated start time you don't get paid for it. It was an hour call so I lost £11 or thereabouts.
Ultimately £11 isn't the end of the world.
However he's on my rota for tomorrow for 8:30am. So if I went tomorrow at 8:45 I'd have no problem.
I only found this out because I noticed the scanning option had disappeared when I got to his. I asked the manager who informed me that I was very late to his house therefore I wouldn't be paid.
Aibu to think this is daft? It's one of many reasons why I'm leaving the company.
The other night they sent me to someone's house for 22:15pm. Many people are in bed at that time and get frightened of people coming to their house that time of night.

OP posts:
Original poster
Spinelli99 · 28/08/2023 09:41

If I'd turned up at the crack of dawn I'd probably have scared him just as much as if I'd turned up for 10:15pm. But I should've challenged them and said sorry I think 6:15 is far too early.
I will next time but they probably won't care.

OP posts:
TennisWithDeborah · 28/08/2023 09:44

I agree with you. It’s sad to think of people being woken up at 6.15 when they’re not natural larks. Poor souls.

ILikeThem · 28/08/2023 09:45

I think you're being a bit of a pushover. It's a zero hours contract with a week's notice, but they've asked you for a month and you've given it to them? And you're still talking about something you'll do they're next time they do this??

Tell them today you'll be finishing Friday; then say no to any hours they give you, stating that you're not available at those times.

Newtt · 28/08/2023 10:04

mumda · 28/08/2023 09:40

0 hours works both ways. You're not available for shifts in your notice period. Job done.

This.

You 'work' you zero hour contract month notice - but are unavailable for the hours offered...

Original poster
Spinelli99 · 28/08/2023 10:04

No it states 1 month in the contract, it was HR who confirmed it.
I just don't want them to deduct wages, I'm not in a position to lose money. It may not be legal but I might not be able to get it back.

OP posts:
Winterscomingagain · 28/08/2023 10:12

My elderly neighbour has one visit a day from a carer.They visit at 4.00pm and that's his first meal of the day if I don't go in and sort his breakfast and lunch. Our care system is so broken.

Original poster
Spinelli99 · 28/08/2023 10:16

That's sad:( can the company not arrange morning calls for him?

OP posts:
HaudYerWheeshtYaWeeBellend · 28/08/2023 10:16

Your on a zero hrs contract, give your notice and advise your not available to work any hours.

Legally, with zero hours contract you don’t need to work while giving notice.

TotalOverhaul · 28/08/2023 10:19

Spinelli99 · 28/08/2023 09:24

I had 8 morning calls with the last one finishing for 11 so they'd just squeezed it in wherever.
I should've questioned it though you're right.
Like they put this lady's lunch visit for 12pm one day. I got there at 1:15 due to calls running over and I was told off for being late. On another day the lunch call was scheduled for 1pm.

I HATE that you are expected to arrive at a certain time when you are overbooked and can't control traffic. A friend of mine was a carer and used to live in her nerves trying to get through impossible schedules. She gave up to work in a shop. Not worth the stress.

Morph22010 · 28/08/2023 10:22

Spinelli99 · 28/08/2023 10:04

No it states 1 month in the contract, it was HR who confirmed it.
I just don't want them to deduct wages, I'm not in a position to lose money. It may not be legal but I might not be able to get it back.

They have to pay you at least minimum wage for the hours you’ve worked otherwise they are breaking the law. Refuse all hours from now on if they won’t pay you for all hours worked say you are going to report them to hmrc re nmw breach. If they end up with an investigation based on their practises they are likely to have nmw breaches on others so it’s the easier option for them just to pay you. Do they also deduct costs from your wages like dbs check, if they do and that means you are under nmw per actual hour worked it’s a breach as well

AnSolas · 28/08/2023 10:38

Winterscomingagain · 28/08/2023 10:12

My elderly neighbour has one visit a day from a carer.They visit at 4.00pm and that's his first meal of the day if I don't go in and sort his breakfast and lunch. Our care system is so broken.

First thank you for taking the time to care.🌻

May I suggest if he will give you the details that you contact his GP and the health care manager and point out that 1 visit is not enough to keep him fed and that they need to reassess his needs.

Original poster
Spinelli99 · 28/08/2023 10:47

I had to pay for my own DBS, I would've got it back after 6 months of employment. I also won't get paid for the mandatory onboarding training as you aren't if you leave within 3 months. Ah well. It's my fault for ever joining.

OP posts:
MadameCamembert · 28/08/2023 11:05

I’ve had a similar situation. On top of this, they removed the rest of my calls off my calendar and told me I had to come to an ‘induction’ within the hour at their head office a 45 minute drive away to explain myself and get my calls back.
I explained that I physically couldn’t afford the petrol (especially after months of having my mileage underpaid) and so I couldn’t get there.
Basically, I was then berated on what was obviously the manager on a power trip in front of the office as I was clearly on speakerphone as the sound had changed. Ultimately, I told them to shove it up their arses and got a job the next day elsewhere.

I think you need to to the same.

TotalOverhaul · 28/08/2023 11:08

OP, in future, can you call them and say there is no way you can make the scheduled appointment and if they want the job to be done, can they reschedule it at a time you can reliably be there. If they won't, don't do the work.

There will never be a shortage of jobs for carers. Ever. You will walk into a new one tomorrow, as @MadameCamembert says.

Fecksakereallygodreally · 28/08/2023 11:13

Didn't you post about the training a while ago op? I would definitely get it checked out sounds the company is shifty.

MadameCamembert · 28/08/2023 11:15

And just to add, a lot of care companies try all sorts to keep you ‘in place’. When I quit as above, they threatened to alert the police that I had neglected vulnerable people as I refused to go the following day, threatened to Sue me for £120.00 cleaning fee for my (what was already when I received it) a tatty old frayed uniform but they had demanded back the same day before I could wash it & threatened to call the police for theft of their phone as I couldn’t get it back to them the same day (as no fuel due to their underpayments). I sent a really well meaning email trying to be constructive for the sake of the service users a few days later and was threatened with libel 🤣
and then wonder why people won’t work in care.

Sorry, on a tangent a bit here OP, but my purpose is to say I get it and don’t be afraid to say ‘no’. You’ll be in a new job by the time the bank holiday is over.

Shopper727 · 28/08/2023 11:19

That’s shocking op, no wonder people don’t want to be carers if that is how they are treated. I hope your new job treats you much better

Soontobe60 · 28/08/2023 11:20

Spinelli99 · 28/08/2023 09:24

I had 8 morning calls with the last one finishing for 11 so they'd just squeezed it in wherever.
I should've questioned it though you're right.
Like they put this lady's lunch visit for 12pm one day. I got there at 1:15 due to calls running over and I was told off for being late. On another day the lunch call was scheduled for 1pm.

Whilst the whole care sector is a bit of a shambles, look at this from the clients point of view.
They expected you to arrive at noon for lunch and you arrived 75 minutes later. So the client is having to wait that length of time for their lunch. You were late, and quite rightly should have been reprimanded unless you had a valid reason for turning up late.

Genevieva · 28/08/2023 11:23

if you didn’t know about the 2 hour window and they hadn’t made it easy for you to find out, I would argue that they owe you the £11. You did the work at a time comparable to when he is ordinarily scheduled for a visit. A time that suits him better. It would be a very unusual contract term to deny you pay when you provided the care at a suitable time. Unusual contract terms if this sort gave to be highlighted for them to be valid. A mention in the small print isn’t good enough.

Genevieva · 28/08/2023 11:24

*of this sort have to be

maypoll · 28/08/2023 11:32

its not Home Instead is it? We used them for my mum and they were awful. Someone was supposed to come and give her lunch but the company just sent carers at any random time. One day someone came at 10am, made a sandwich and put it in the fridge! If my poor mum could have remembered to get a sandwich out of the fridge I would have left one for her! She had nothing to eat until I got there at 6.

Original poster
Spinelli99 · 28/08/2023 11:53

Not Home Instead no! That sounds awful though :( thanks for all your replies, I'll be looking into it.

OP posts:
WhatInFreshHell · 28/08/2023 12:08

@Soontobe60 The valid reason would be the sheer amount of calls to complete in a very short space of time, no time allocated for travel, you're expected to teleport from one side of town to the other! I think you should do some volunteer work as a community carer, before you make such ridiculous assumptions!

Original poster
Spinelli99 · 28/08/2023 12:09

Yes I do understand that, my point is that the next time the lunch call for that lady was scheduled for 1pm. It was scheduled at different times each day, so I didn't understand their logic.

OP posts:
Original poster
Spinelli99 · 28/08/2023 12:10

Sometimes we're given travel time, often we're not.

OP posts:
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