Regarding disabled parking

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I work for a small company. We have office space in a small building which houses a number of other companies. There is just about enough adequate parking for all employees in terms of number of spaces.
Here is where I think I've messed up. I'm operations manager. The company is too small to have HR (we outsource things like payroll) so often HR adjacent queries end up with me.

We have 2 disabled employees. One (Sue) has significantly mobility limitations and uses a big motorised wheelchair. The other (Lynda) has less significant mobility issues (ie doesn't need a wheelchair, can walk small distances.) Both are have blue badges.

There are 3 disabled spaces in the carpark. One can be discounted as it's always in use by an employee of another company in the building who starts work very early. Out of the remaining 2 only one is big enough to accommodate Sue's needs (electric ramp for a big wheelchair etc). The issue we have is that Lynda insists on parking in it. She gets to work earlier than Sue who has childcare limitations and always parks there. It's causing a lot of frustration and ill will, especially as the other non wheelchair sized space is actually closer to the entrance, so it seems a perverse choice.

There has been a lot of grumbling among staff about this. It was especially bad a few days ago when Sue had to call for assistance - she had to get out of her car at the entrance and a colleague had to park her vehicle for her. Lynda sits watching this. Other staff members have spoken to her and asked if she could park in the other, closer space but she refuses.

Note- Sue and Lynda have clashed a bit over the years- there's only one disabled loo on our floor and yet they seem to always need it at the same time etc. I've been reliably informed that Lynda won't park close to the entrance because then her start and leave times will be visible to everyone- the other larger space is around a bend and can be accessed via a side door so her in and outs are not visible.

Anyway, we have spoken multiple times to the people who own the offices. They give no shits. The car park is apparently compliant in terms of spaces and they're not prepared to do anything more.

Our company owner has now said that whichever employee gets in first needs to park next to her reserved space and let reception know. When Sue arrives the person in the space next to the reserved one nips out, moves their car and Sue parks across both spaces. Owner then just parks where she can find a space.

It's not ideal especially in the rain. It's caused massive ill will towards Lynda who has just come to me and said she feels she's being bullied due to her disability. (She's not being included in lunch orders or social stuff organised by staff themselves, although she is fully included in terms of her job.) Honestly the company owner doesn't feel particularly warm towards her.

I'm not a HR person. I felt that as she wasn't being excluded in terms of work etc there's not a lot I can do about people liking her and I pretty much told her that. I was talking to a friend about it though and they said we could actually be in trouble for not including her in lunches/ social things, especially as it's because of issues caused by a disability. (She's invited to all work organised events, just not informal staff drinks / lunches/ chats/ coffee rounds organised by the staff)

I'm going to suggest getting some HR advice but was I wrong?

If you don't think that then you'd understand it doesn't matter if its the only toilet than can accommodate a wheelchair if Lynda also requires the disabled loo facilities

I do wonder if she doesn't like Sue stealing her disability spotlight by being more disabled. I spent a lot of time on disability forums when I first became a wheelchair user and discovered that some people are genuinely very competitive about disability.

Being as Lynda only just recieved a blue badge compared to Sue having one before, and Sue being somewhat unpopular with rather discriminatory views, it could easily be said that Sue doesn't like Lynda now "sharing" her disabled spotlight and is making it so people shame Lynda because Sue is claiming requirements she didn't fuss about before as the only blue badge holder

What I don’t understand is why she always needs to toilet when Sue heads towards it. Lynda does actually have the option to use the other toilets, albeit not ideal. Sue’s other option is to piss in her wheelchair and have someone in the office help clean it up for her.

What type of company is it where the staff can devote so much time to.
-watch Lynda arrive
-watch Lynda leave
-watch where Lynda parks
-watch how often and for how long she goes to the loo
-the whole company feels fully informed on her needs and ability?
It's just quite tiny bit odd all this 'reliable' informant isn't it! Can't imagine how much work must be getting down with all this surveillance. Unless like the film it's LyndaTV?

Fear and anxiety that she won’t be able to use it when she needs to if the other toilet user takes a long time in there.

or the single key lock thing. You know where people suddenly need the toilet because they have reached the front door and their mind goes yes you must go now.

Lynda explains that she knows Sue will take time in there are prefers to make sure she has been

If she has toileting needs of her own and anxiety about not being able to use the loo then that is why

Or she could wait and suddenly have to go and shit everywhere/her bag needs changing and leaks etc... if we are playing extremes. And shit or a leaking stoma bag is much worse than piss tbh

Yes exactly.

I think you are judging disability and what a disabled person does or doesn't need based on your own prejudices as to what disability looks/ should look like.

Blue badges are not just awarded to full time wheelchair users. They are awarded to part time wheelchair users and even to those who can't use a wheelchair at all.

Im sure you would find it shoking to know that as its on private property actually the blue badge has no inate legality. A company may decide to enforce blue badge only parking, it doesn't have too.

Both individuals are entitled to park in whatever space they so chose. I could, with DS, who currently isn't using his wheelchair, rock up with his blue badge and park in either of those two spaces.

(Although you might be quite glad if it does all go wrong we can get him quickly.)

You don't have a right to judge one disability more entitled than the other. Disability does not just mean wheelchair

A welcoming and supportive one apparently 😒

You can victimise them on the basis of them being a bit of a cunt though, disabled or not.

But if you decide they are a bit of a cunt on the basis that they don't look disabled or aren't the right type of disabled it's still disability discrimination

One for those with any hr knowledge..
If any of the chats discussing Lynda and their dislike for her and their belief she shouldn't be using the bb space or accessible loo because she's 'not disabled enough' are on email, if Lynda did put in a bullying claim, could she ask for emails in which she's been mentioned to be provided?

There are some strong feeling here and some posters have been very helpful. I'm just out of a call with the owner where I expressed I'm not the right person for this. I also said we need someone with lots of experience in disability accommodation to come and help us. She's reaching out to a consultancy who provides ad hoc HR support.

Sadly she's also going to instigate people signing in and out officially. This is going to really annoy everyone- whilst it's positioned as "just to keep an eye on where everyone is" it will be also be used to look at hours worked. I did say we couldn't only look at Lynda's hours, hence the blanket approach. I worry this will stir up more ill feeling. It's very contrary to previous ways of working.

Anxiety, like others have said.

I have a bladder condition. Sometimes it flairs up, other times it's stable. But at all times it makes me anxious. Can't go anywhere without knowing there is a toilet nearby just in case. At home, my DH takes his sweet time on the toilet (scrolling FB probably) so when he announces he's going to the loo, I say "Wait. Let me go first. I'll only be a minute." I don't always need to go, but I'm always worried in case the urge hits and I won't be able to last until he gets out.

If you don't understand what that's like, you're very lucky.

Well it serves everyone right for complaining about Lynda's hours really

Just because someone can park anywhere doesn't mean that they should.

Irrespective of disability, a decent person would recognise that it is the only parking spot that Sue can use independently and leave it free (assuming that they are actually able to use the other space)

I suffer from IBD, which means I suffer from urgency and involuntary leaking. I plan my entire life around toilets. I am legally allowed to use disabled toilets and have been issued with a radar key from
the NHS. I also have a ‘Can’t wait to go’
card to enable me to use private facilities. Having this illness makes me all the more aware of others’ need for accessible toilets. Unless I need to change and clean myself up, I will use the other available toilets first.

Sadly she's also going to instigate people signing in and out officially. This is going to really annoy everyone- whilst it's positioned as "just to keep an eye on where everyone is" it will be also be used to look at hours worked.

Why will it annoy them? I assumed by everyone else's righteous indignation at Lynda that it was only her being shady with her comings and goings.

Anyway, for health and safety reasons, it's a good idea to know who is in the building at all times. If there is a fire, for example, it's useful to know if a colleague might still be in the building.

That's not what is going on here though is it. Linda took against Sue and decided to make her life harder, so everyone else has decided they don't want to be friends with Linda.

That's fair enough in my opinion.

Absolutely! I would have thought all the 'reliant' watchers would be ecstatic and welcome this?

Well then I don't understand why you couldn't understand why Lynda might want to use the toilet ahead of Sue.

We don't know where the normal toilet is in relation to Lynda's desk. We don't know how busy this other toilet is. If Lynda has mobility issues and continence issues, then surely it's understandable that she will use the toilet closest to her, with better accessibility, and fewer people queuing to use it.

Have the larger disabled bay relabelled as reserved for….reg plate.

They can’t they down own the carpark.

That’s the whole crux of the matter and this thread really.

We just don’t know. No one (apart from Lynda) knows. And no one else has the right to know.

How do you know this exactly?

We really know nothing about Lynda’s disability (which of course we shouldn’t) therefore can’t make assumptions.

Did she tho. I know someone who’s very very recently been fitted with a stoma. She’s terrified. And that’s showing it self or what should might call selfishness or being irrational but she’s scared. Her whole life just changed. She thought and the doctors to start with that she had an appendicitis till it turns out her bowel had ruptured. A women who a month before was hiking, gardening an 1A of land and looking after her disabled daughter. Her life changed in one day and she’s scared and getting used to it.

we don’t know and op doesn’t know what’s actually changed.