Having to wait for everyone's lifts after work

[Tired75643]

I'm a team leader in a pub, I regularly work the evening shifts and have to set the alarm and lock up once everyone has finished and left. Generally it'll be me and one other member of staff at the end of the night finishing, some drive home, some (like me) get taxis and wait at the back of the pub.
Recently we've had a couple of new staff start who rely on lifts from parents when they finish, the problem is they are waiting about 20-30 minutes for them once we're finished. Both are younger girls who don't feel safe waiting outside alone, which is understandable. I obviously can't lock the door until they're outside so I have to wait with them but this is adding half an hour onto my shift when I just want to get home and go to bed, my taxi only usually takes 5 minutes to get there.
I talked to the manager about it and his answer was just tell them to wait outside and go....but I really don't want to leave 19 year old girls on their own late at night when they don't feel safe. I also don't want to be waiting at work longer than I need to, unpaid, after a long shift.
I've tried telling them when it looks like they're half an hour away from finishing so they can call their lifts but there always seems to be a delay, and there's no guarantee what time we will finish so they can't set a specific time.
AIBU to ask my manager to either sort
something out with the staff members
or let me stay clocked in until I can actually lock up and find some extra tasks so I'm at least being paid to be there?

Just give them a set finish time so they and their lift knows exactly what time to pick them up.

You are just enabling them. You have been told by your manager to just lock up. You have given the girls plenty of notice to make arrangements for lifts to be there on time. You have done everything you can to ensure they leave on time.

Seems like a them problem if their lifts arent on time. Anyhow, its two 19 year old women, not a couple of 15 yr old girls. They need to grow up

If they can’t be given a fixed end time (seems a bit unreasonable to me) then you should tell them you are locking up in 30 minutes, that gives them time to sort their lift, and tell them you can’t hang around but once you’ve locked up you are leaving.

Lots of people saying that knowing their close time should be easy - unfortunately that's just not how hospitality jobs work a lot of the time.

Compare a busy night, with a number of takers for last orders, big restock & tidy for the morning, maybe a till discrepancy to be sorted - with a quiet night, no last orders and bar already stocked & clean by close.

Depending on the licence, it may not be possible to leave one person on the premises to cash & lock up.

These employers are adults - lock up and go. No need to have a word with their parents (you're not a teacher!)

In situations like this when I worked this sort of role anything finishing after 12 was a paid taxi from work. WOuld this work? There is a duty even though they are over 18 to ensure their safety as a reputable employer

If they were 15 I'd get you being nervous to leave them, but they are 19 year old adults. They need to be more organised or change how they get home.

I love you're being nice about this, but you can't expect to be paid for something you don't actually have to do. They can literally wait at the door to the pub, with a mobile phone. There's so little risk here.

Just message them and say going forward you will no longer be able to keep the bar open until their lift arrives. They won’t think you unreasonable

OP, at 19 I was walking around late at night in a relatively dodgy area of north London and taking the night bus on my own when it was too late for the tube. You learn to look after yourself in those situations by looking after yourself.

You sound wonderfully concerned and protective, but you're clocking up hours of unpaid time each week because these young women aren't taking personal responsibility for themselves. They shouldn't be doing this sort of work if they can't get themselves safely home each night.

I think giving them the 30 minute notice like you've been doing is enough.

It's nice of you to wait but you don't need to. Especially if you have told them enough times. Next time you are on shift just said "Sarah I need to leave once shift is over so will be locking up. I'll give you 30 minutes notice to call your mam/ dad to collect you" and do it.

I know 'back in my day' yada yada but circa 2010 as a young woman working in clubs I usually walked home at 4/5am from the night club I worked at in uni

No pay, no stay.

It’s either you or the parents hanging around. Why should it be you. Tell them as from tomorrow you won’t be waiting, so if they don’t want to be waiting on their own they need to arrange that with their parents.

Unless the area is incredibly rough, (doesn’t sound like it) give them 10 mins each time, then make sure they have charged mobile phones and ask them to wait outside and that they wait until both lifts come. I bet they’ll get a bit more efficient about calling their parents then!

They are 19- bet they are probably wandering around far worse places when they aren’t at work!

Dress as creepily as you can and then thank their parents for allowing you to have so much alone time with their daughters late at night.

(This is a joke - probably a highly inappropriate one - please do not do this).

These workers are adults. Stop treating them as children.

If they don't want to stand outside by themselves, then they can also pay for a taxi home, or arrange for their lifts to pick them up earlier.

It's really not your problem.

Finish times are hard to predict in hospitality because of the nature of the business, you never know how many people are going to come through the door or how long they're going to hang around finishing their drinks and getting coats on, chatting, going to the loo etc, stocking up and clear down obviously takes longer if it's been busy and you've been serving right up until time and then being argued with about getting just one more . There isn't a 'drink up time' any more legally so it's not as it used to be as last orders at 10.50pm and everyone out at 11.20, last few bits to finish and out by 11.30, 12 if it's a busy one.

OP I'd prompt them a few times when you reckon you've got 30 minutes left and drop in that you will only be around for the time it takes your taxi to arrive tonight as you need to be away, and after that "Have you rang your mum? We'll be finished soon and I need to be away" unfortunately you've created an expectation now and you need to reverse that and make them realise that arrangements for their lifts are something they need to work out for themselves or they'll be waiting for their parents to arrive without you.

I do think that when we work with young staff that have never had a job before, we don't just teach them to do the job itself but also how to be an employee, and arranging their transport themselves without others having to wait around is part of that learning curve.

There is no "duty" to pay for your employees taxis home!!

Are you living in cloud cuckoo land?!

The pub and hospitality industries are suffering enough, without this kind of financial drain.

If the employees want/need a taxi, then the employee pays!

Crikey! These are adults and there’s 2 of them. At 19 I was living alone and causing all sorts of mayhem out and about at nighttime 😂 time for them to grow up a bit I think!

The clue is in what you said: "there's no guarantee what time we will finish".
IMHO that is the reason why parents are on time to pock them up.
Why can't you have a guaranteed/agreed on time for them to finish?

This. ‘Sorry, but I really can’t do this again - please make sure you’re on time in future.’

They’re not children, OP. They clearly aren’t arsed about you waiting with them because they keep doing it despite knowing the inconvenience to you. I’m sure they can wait outside together. Just tell them it’s closing time and you’re going now. It’s up to them and their parents to sort out their lift. Or they could learn to drive if they’re 19. However they choose to do it, it isn’t your issue. You’ve been very kind but they’re taking you for granted and won’t change unless you change what you’re doing for them

They are not phoning their parents because there's nothing motivating them to do it because you're there. Don't do this. There parents should come and wait for them in their cars until the shift is over. The parents can sort this problem, not you.

This. Next time it happens, just pop over to the car and speak to the parents.

Let them know that you can't wait outside with them again and they will have to wait alone if there are delays in future.

It's not your responsibility. They need to sort their own transport.

Your manager won't pay you extra to wait with them, I wouldn't bother asking.

They are adults, not children. I agree with your manager, tell them to wait outside and lock up. Nothing will happen to them, they'll be absolutely fine.

Also this. Why isn't there a set finish time? Surely it's last orders at X time, and you must know how long it takes to clean and pack up.

Tell your boss to stop being a dick and just give them a finish time. Dd works in hospitality and this non finish time is a PITA. Just give them a finish time and make everyone life easier.

Dds shifts normally say 6-F so we never know when she will be home. It’s companies ways of saving money but it’s so inconvenient.