Girls arriving and leaving work early morning late evening

[OneCheeryGoldMoose]

I know I'll probably be told off but just for traffic posting on here.

My husband and I run a company and we have two younger girls who run the office with us.

Husband and I are going away for three weeks for a wedding and making a family holiday of it as it's over the other side of the world.

We have an office that's on an industrial estate and is very dark and not well lit in the mornings and evenings- and we start early due to the nature of the business 5.30/6am to get all the boys in and out with job pack if they are required on the day.

Normally we pick the girls up on the way in and drop them home during the winter for safety as they are local.

I know it's probably over the top of me but we are worried about them feeling safe getting in and out on their own in the mornings and evenings (it is a sketchy South London Industrial estate)- does anyone have any suggestions to make them feel a bit safer. We have a ring camera set up on the door of the office.

None of the boys can bring them in as they have material to pick up.

The other question is when are you going? Sun rise will be earlier later!

You sound like a great employer. Before you go I’d just reiterate you’re happy to pay for taxis (or have one of the boys collect them if that could be arranged?!)
Id be very happy knowing my adult child was being cared for in this way by their workplace. This is how you retain good staff!

I think it’s a kind offer but as young people living and working in London, I think they can make their own decisions. If you want to offer them information on personal safety there is a stack of free stuff on:
https://www.suzylamplugh.org

And I would also counsel you to ditch the ‘boys and girls’ and other worse stuff as you wouldn’t want it quoted back to you out of context in an Employment Tribunal.

I was going to say this. Would taxis make you and them feel easier? You sound great employers.

I know what you mean.i work in engineering and the engineers are always 'the boys' and we're 'the girls in the office'! Nobody is offended in the slightest.

That is what they call each other.....that's what we all call each other and every other person I know in the same trade calls each other. The girls in the office and the boys out on the road. Not once since my husband was 15 and worked in the trade and is now 40 has anyone every been taken to court for it.

I will let my staff know to stop swearing at my husband and I in a banterish manner in case we want to take them to court....

I wouldn't want to be alone in a taxi, I'd feel vulnerable.

They've said they can travel together, so I don't see a problem.

Worked in this trade for 20 years and never heard a single person offended either!

i missed the bit where you thanked me for the source of help on personal safety.
And yes this sort of ‘banter’ has come up at tribunals. But you do you.
https://www.peoplemanagement.co.uk/article/1907317/workplace-banter-remains-legal-minefield-employers-study-shows-%E2%80%93-hr-prevent-jokes-crossing-line

I think you need to trust they will be fine. Assuming they are actual adults, they will find a solution, or can ask family for help.

That said, and I say this as someone who runs a business in an industrial unit with young adult employees. If your premises are so dodgy that you need to escort staff in every morning to keep them safe, you need to either change your working hours or you need to move. From a health and safety and lone worker perspective, shuttling people in and out in the dark with a chaperone isn’t a sustainable solution to safety.

That said, and I say this as someone who runs a business in an industrial unit with young adult employees. If your premises are so dodgy that you need to escort staff in every morning to keep them safe, you need to either change your working hours or you need to move. From a health and safety and lobe worker perspective, shuttling people in and out in the dark with a chaperone isn’t a sustainable solution to safety.

I agree with this.

Well, I definitely won't be taking my employees to court for jokingly swearing at me when I ask them to change something last minute so...

you sound lovely.

I would take them at their word, but ask them to let you know if they change their minds? and then either arrange Ubers/taxis for them or set up an account so they can do that themselves?

Do you recruit by sex too? What if one of your office staff was a man, and one of your plasterers a woman? This stuff is insidious in employment.

Got to laugh at the woke "boys and girls" critical comments instead of their safety 🤣🤣🤣

You sound a lovely employer and very caring ❤️

If one of the office staff was a man like my husband? Who also refers to himself as one of the boys?

If one of employees out on the tools was a woman she would probably be referred to by her name as there wouldn't be a plural to use. If there was multiple we would refer to them as the girls....

And people wonder why more young women aren't going into STEM.

I’ve offered some advice (I do this for a living) and the poster is doubling down.

Please stop calling them “the girls” it’s so bloody patronising. They are adult women.

I voted YABU without reading the rest, as either you go in for child labour or infantalising women, neither of which is okay!

Well I can always pass your details to the employees if you'd like?

No one in any trade I know is offended by the terminology.

Well they are as I have two of them.

It matters if they are actual children, which is why I asked - the onus would then be on the employer to ensure they are safe. Adults can reasonably be expected to make safe choices about how they commute to work. Lots of information is available for female lone workers, eg the Suzy Lamplugh Trust advice linked to above. I’m a lone worker, I get training annually through work but I am trusted as an adult to make my own risk assessments.

It’s not ‘woke’ to allow people the dignity of an adult title and credit them with adult abilities.

Sorry for the critical comments you’ve had. I agree 20 & 22 is young and you are lovely to be so mindful of the safety of your staff. I’m sure you run a very happy team.