The company I work for has a search policy

[saltire]

It includes bag, locker and personal searches.
If you refuse, then it is classed as misconduct.
Anyway, the personal search involves taking shoes off, and lifting up soles of feet so searcher can see there is nothing there. Lifting trouser legs to show nothing hidden in socks, liftin top to show waistband of trousers, and flapping top to show nothing up there.
Anyway, every day this week I have had a personal search, and 2 locker searches. however, the personel searches are jsut doen in the office, which anyone can come or go into, and yesterday when i was there, one of my male colleagues walked past and was called in for his search, while I was still in there with the waistband of my trousers on show.
AIBU to think that the search shouldn't take place in an offcie where anyone can come or go, adn that female members of staff shouldn't have to be searched in front of males. I know I wasn't stripped down to my underwear or anything like that, but I still felt really uncomfortable. i was already annoyed that it was my 3rd search in a week

do you word at Baileys?

or the ben and jerrys factory? Cadburys?

work even

I used to get searched sometimes on the way out of work - I worked for a large music company and it was the royalties they were concerned about not the actual cd etc. Sometimes we would be called in on several nights after work and then nothing for 3-4 months it was done like this to keep you on your toes!!

One night they saw a man taking something so searched so sent allfemales home first and searched every man that left that night.

Big brother was watching you.

Sorry i was at work. I work for a high street retailer, and yes it does say on my profile that I'm a childminder. However becasue I'm Scottish I'm being discriminated against by OFSTED, so am having to work elsewhere until my training (which I ahve already done, yearly since 2000) comes through, my CRB check and my registration.
They do have a search policy, which is clearly stated everywhere. I just felt uncomfrtable, especially with that particular male member of staff. I also feel that I have been singled out

Good God, how can any of you work for companies like that, where they employ you but don't trust you as far as they can throw you?? Talk about innocent till proven guilty. What a horrible mean minded place. I can't even think of a reason why the likes of MI5 should search you unless they suspect you of something but a load of poxy shops?? I don't mean to imply that your jobs are poxy btw!

That's ridiculous - complain!

Saltire: if you think that this particular male member of staff is searching you repeatedly to get his jollies then you need to make sure you have the company's search policy in writing, and keep a record of how many times you have been searched. Take the record to HR and say that while you accept their requirement of doing random searches, this particular twunt is abusing his position and you are contemplating a charge of sexual harassment.

Sarahjct, it goes with the territory in a lot of jobs.

And it's a sad fact that theft can be rife in some areas.

its not odd i worked for a company that did the same and also required socks off/name badge off[incase we had money pinned to it]/hair taken out of bobbin and shaken[incase money was in hair!]/bags/wallets/pokets of own jackets awfull company!was reall embarressed with waist band search while heavily pregnant!

If a company routinely treats employees as theiving scumbags who just haven;t been caught yet then that company almost deserves to have employees come up with creative ways to nick stuff. If a company treats employees as valued and valuable team members, pays fair wages and makes an effort to ensure decent working conditions, employees are much more likely to show the company loyalty and to work well. Of course there will always be a small number of people who nick things and skive no matter how enlightened the employer, but most people do want to do their jobs well and take pride in them.

I worked for a major supermarket who had a very similar policy, and it was always humiliating regardless of whether the searcher was male or female. the most humiliating one was being taken off a checkout, behind customer service, and having to remove my shoes and socke, blah blah.

when I was transferred to their petrol station, the only camera in the kiosk was focused on the cashiers, not the shelves, which were frequently emptied by shoplifters.

I agree with madamez's post, the company I talk about would bring in strip searches if it thought it could get away with it, and people did come up with creative methods of helping themselves.

I wouold much rather work for an employer, large or small, who respected my intgerity as an employee, and showed a little trust. I would put more effort into my day, and give that bit more.

three times in a week without just cause is excessive imo.

I used to work as a HR manager for a supermarket chain and this was pretty standard. They had a policy of 110% of staff searched in a specific time period, this was checked by auditors, so it could be that they're making up numbers and you're unlucky to get singled out.
If you feel uncomfortable speak to your line manager/HR person - you should be searched in private and by someone of the same sex. Your searcher has pretty strict guidelines for what they can/cannot do but a lot of companies are pretty extensive in their searches - you wouldn't believe how many packets of fags you can hide about your person if you try.

And yes, it's crap and no one trusts anyone

I am totally shocked at people working in a shop being searched. Does this happen at Marks and Spencer and John Lewis et al? Do they all treat their staff as potential criminals? I am that anyone would work for somewhere that did this. Does senior management get the same treatment at these shops that do do searches? I can understand top secret establishments or the Royal Mint behaving like this but not shops.

I'm pretty shocked too.

I used to work for an extremely high security firm - similar to the Royal Mint - and we weren't expected to go through checks like this!!

Where I worked (Woolies) yes, managers etc got searched as well and I always made a point of doing the Area Manager if he was in store. Managers tended to get caught with car searches though rather than the staff search. The problem with working in retail is that money is so easy to take, and just too tempting for some people, and although it's only the minority who do it you've no way of knowing who that is. I hated it when we knew that we had a staff member thieving, I used to take that breech of trust very personally and hated the atmosphere it created.

However, it shouldn't be used as a way of victimising a member of staff, that's an even worse betrayal imo. saltire, I'd insist on privacy and a change of searcher, and if it's really obvious that they're picking on you over other staff then I'd ask for an interview with the Store manager or HR to sort it out. He sounds like he's being a bit of a bully.

I used to be a store manager for a high street retailer. Company policy was that everyone had their bags checked when leaving the premises at any time even if just on a break or lunch. We also did random locker searches. It was part of our terms and conditions and as it was done everyday to everyone then no one thought anything of it. We didn't do body searches though.

It does sound as if you are being unfairly picked on. What is their policy? You can't be singled out and discriminated against. I would check with your manager or HR dept or in your staff handbook if you have one to see what the policy is.

Just because this search is "standard policy" does not mean it is right.

It is standard policy in certain types of governments, to persecute certain types of people but that duznae make it right.

It is disgusting and I have only just learned that the company that has taken over my place of work have this policy. It states that if I do not comply then I am in breach of contract. This is bullpoo cos I never signed a contract knowing such a policy existed.

They tried slipping in a peice of paper with other bits an peices I had to sign to say "yes I had recieved staff handbook etc." but this one peice of paper said "sign if you have read and accept the terms and conditions of thier Loss Prevention Policy".

I did not sign it and left it out of the package I had to send back. Mainly because I had not read such a document. However, my colleagues did sign it without thinking. Which is a real sneaky way of getting around your basic human rights. They have basically signed thier right to protest at this peice of policy.

Its disgusting to be treated such a way and it does nothing for staff morale! I have not signed anything to say I agree and accept cos I damn well dont and they really have no legal right to sack me for it!

But they word it in such a way that you are made to think you have no rights to protest....well thats true if you sign something saying you are okay with that.

I had a big discussion about it with my new boss and he made the usual noises "Its standard policy across the retail industry" and "it is there to protect you". What?

Protect me from what? Myself? From temptation?
Surely good staff morale and feeling part of a team should prevent such sinful thought as to steal from the company. This is another way to keep us "little people" under the fat cats paw.

I am not little and nor are you! SO dont sign anything and seek your basic human rights and fight this crap!
Enough "little people" need to make a stand on such bullshit policy for it to stop. Its vile and barbaric what I have heard. They have no rights to subject you to this random, search without your consent. That peice of paper you sign allows them to thats all.

So dont sign it!
I will be leaving on maternity soon and I am sure I wont return. I am nobodys corporate puppet!