Active discussions

Meet the Other Phone. Child-safe in minutes.

Meet the Other Phone.
Child-safe in minutes.

Buy now

Please or to access all these features

Talk
AIBU?

Share your dilemmas and get honest opinions from other Mumsnetters.

Original poster

In trouble at work

273 replies

Dottiemay · 01/02/2025 18:15

There's been Teams interviews for a junior role at work. The interviews include an on the day task for the first half an hour of the interview. I'm not on the panel but my manager asked me to join the call at the start of the interview alone to introduce the task and say the panel will join the call in half an hour and will ask you to introduce the task. All fine. I did six interviews this week and I was on the call for max two minutes to introduce the task then left. The last interviewee had been scheduled at school pick up time. I'd asked around to see if someone could pick up my kid from school but couldn't. So I asked the school - where I've been a governor for many years - if I could come early to use the meeting room to jump on this call for a couple of minutes. That way I'd be at the school for pick up. The head said yes, no issues. When I got to the school, the head was away at a meeting and hadn't told the deputy, and the meeting room was being used for a safeguarding meeting. They offered me the school reception area but it was full of parents wanting to speak to staff. As I didnt have time to drive back home, I jumped in the car and blurred the background. Introduced the task and then left - took a minute or two. The candidate then sent my manager a screenshot of me on the call clearly in the car. My manager has now raised it with me and said we'll have to chat on Monday about it. I'm shitting myself. They know I'm a single parent. I start work at 7.00 and work through my lunch break to get an earlier finish so I don't think I've done anything wrong and who cares if the background was a car. But I feel like I'm in a lot of trouble. Do you think I've done something terrible?

OP posts:
rwalker · 01/02/2025 18:19

Just explain as you have done hear

do they know you do the school run normally

Barrenfieldoffucks · 01/02/2025 18:20

Are you normally allowed to go and collect your child during the working day? If so, then no, you haven't done anything wrong. The candidate sounds a bit...🤔 It isn't ideal necessarily to not be in a formal setting, but if they know you normally collect a child at around that time then it is to be expected. If the candidate felt it negatively impacted their interview, for example there were lots of distractions, or poor reception or whatever then that would lead to a valid complaint.

If you're not supposed to be out collecting your child, then maybe.

MumChp · 01/02/2025 18:22

Are you working and doing school runs at the same time without your manager knowing?

Or did you do your work a favour after your hours?

SarcasticIntrovert · 01/02/2025 18:23

It's not terrible but not ideal. My advice is to read up your companies policies about conduct, social media, teams calls, working hours etc. Also if you've previously been authorised to start and finish early get confirmation. Go in with apologies, recognition of where you've gone wrong, and assurances for the future. If they start going down the formal route get Union etc guidance. It's not particularly professional but if you can give assurances it was private and a last minute option then hopefully they'll understand. It wouldn't amount to gross misconduct or even probably misconduct where I work so hopefully it'll just be words of advice. Apologise and say you didn't want to cause any difficulties for anyone and did not realise the candidate would be able to identify that you were in a car. Hopefully if you've got a previously good track record and a decent Manager it'll be a quick chat and then done with. Easy to say but try not to panic.

TheBoysAndTheBallet · 01/02/2025 18:24

Well I hope that candidate isn't going to get the job!

Moonnstars · 01/02/2025 18:24

I think it would have been better if you had informed your work beforehand about the difficulty in being present for the last interview. Maybe it came across as unprofessional.

As others have said, if you are usually allowed to go and do the school run in work time then I don't think it's a big issue, maybe they might just ask you to ensure any meetings are not affected by this in the future. If you are supposed to be at work however then I imagine the consequences could be greater and maybe a disciplinary

DemonicCaveMaggot · 01/02/2025 18:24

The candidate sounds a real peach.

Did you have enough time to let your manager know that the last interview was going to be when you had to collect your child from school? That probably would have been advisable in case exactly this situation occurred.

Original poster
Dottiemay · 01/02/2025 18:24

They know I do the school run. Not every day as his dad and childminders do it on other days, but every other Friday I do it and it takes ten minutes.

OP posts:
Bobbybobbins · 01/02/2025 18:26

Given they know you do it, it shouldn't be a problem. But I maybe would have raised that the final one clashed with the school run beforehand. The candidate looks a bit of a knob for raising it, imo.

ExtraOnions · 01/02/2025 18:26

Honestly … if I was interviewing that candidate would be right at the bottom of the pile.

Poppyseeds79 · 01/02/2025 18:27

I'd say you did nothing wrong. You were in a private space with the background blurred. Nobody could overhear you and it's not a big deal. The interviewee sounds like a prat.

Hazeby · 01/02/2025 18:28

Yep. If they know you do the school run, then I don’t think you’re in trouble. And you can explain about how you tried to arrange a meeting room.

Candidate sounds like a right dick.

InfoSecInTheCity · 01/02/2025 18:28

TheBoysAndTheBallet · 01/02/2025 18:24

Well I hope that candidate isn't going to get the job!

Right!

I conduct interviews regularly for all kinds of roles and this would really put me off a candidate, it feels like a snide and petty thing to do. Not a good first impression.

MumChp · 01/02/2025 18:28

Dottiemay · 01/02/2025 18:24

They know I do the school run. Not every day as his dad and childminders do it on other days, but every other Friday I do it and it takes ten minutes.

But you were asked (and paid for) to do an online interview at work.
You left work for school.
I wouldn't be happy as your manager.

1AngelicFruitCake · 01/02/2025 18:29

I think the candidate could have thought you were unprofessional but there was no need for that!
I don't think it's that bad.
I don't think it was fair of you to ask the school. This is where childcare is good to have for odd occasions like this. There's only really me and their Dad to pick up and I know it's important for me to be flexible with work so I use childcare for situations like yours.

Hazeby · 01/02/2025 18:29

MumChp · 01/02/2025 18:28

But you were asked (and paid for) to do an online interview at work.
You left work for school.
I wouldn't be happy as your manager.

Edited
Show quote history

She has their permission though.

LookItsMeAgain · 01/02/2025 18:30

You live and learn - better to have an actual background than to blur your background.

Also, that candidate - what a snitch!

At your meeting you could say that you thought you had an actual background on your teams call but it appears that it was only to blur the background. When you think about it, a good 50% of the videos that appear on your FYP on Tiktok seem to be recorded in cars.

loropianalover · 01/02/2025 18:30

I wouldn’t worry OP - has your manager actually said you’re in trouble? Couldn’t the message be more of an eye roll ‘oh we will have to square this off next week’ kind of thing.

You were on the call for two minutes to introduce something, work knows you do the school run, and this is a junior candidate, not a client or stakeholder. The candidate also sounds quite snide, and I’d be expecting they won’t get the job.

steff13 · 01/02/2025 18:31

I would be really worried because I'm an overthinker but as someone who's not in this position I doubt that it's going to be that big of a deal. They might ask you to make other arrangements or you might even get written up but I don't think you're going to get fired for this.

The cajones on that candidate, though! I hope management doesn't consider them for the job.

Moonnstars · 01/02/2025 18:32

Dottiemay · 01/02/2025 18:24

They know I do the school run. Not every day as his dad and childminders do it on other days, but every other Friday I do it and it takes ten minutes.

Did you explain to work that it was you doing the pick up when this meeting was arranged? I am not sure why you didn't tell them you couldn't get childcare. I understand you tried sorting it yourself, but could you not have spoken to work about amending the time of the interview to slightly earlier so you could do your bit before leaving?

MumChp · 01/02/2025 18:32

Hazeby · 01/02/2025 18:29

She has their permission though.

Show quote history

Does she? They know she does it but I would expect her to carry out an online assignment if asked to in her paid time.

She didn't ask her manager to leave home and her work to sit in the school or the car.
It's a minor offense but I wouldn't be happy as a manager.

MumChp · 01/02/2025 18:34

steff13 · 01/02/2025 18:31

I would be really worried because I'm an overthinker but as someone who's not in this position I doubt that it's going to be that big of a deal. They might ask you to make other arrangements or you might even get written up but I don't think you're going to get fired for this.

The cajones on that candidate, though! I hope management doesn't consider them for the job.

As a candidate I would think that the company took the piss if they conducted an online interview in a car without an explanation. The candidate isn't wrong here.

ThatsNotMyTeen · 01/02/2025 18:34

Why do I only ever seem to read on here about companies and managers who are total dickheads?

Fuck the candidate as well, hope they don’t get the job.

Maaate · 01/02/2025 18:35

Why would she need to ask if it was something that had already been agreed for her to do?

Why are they scheduling assignments in her non-working time?

Jellycatspyjamas · 01/02/2025 18:37

It wouldn’t be an issue in my workplace, your background was blurred, you were in a private space and presumably gave this candidate the same instructions as the other. I’m assuming your child wasn’t in the car with you, if they were that would be different.