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.

As well as the offer of a taxi I'd get them good quality torches, whistle or alarm and some high vis vests. I used to work in a dimly lit industrial estate and the walk from the main road bus stop to to the work site, in the dark on the edge of a slighly rough bit of London did feel a bit dodgy.

Re the "banter" I would offer a word of caution. Make sure it's not overstepping and gettingvsexual, racist or ageist etc. It's all fun and laughter until one person takes offence or you sack someone or they fall out with a work colleague and then suddenly that becomes a massive issue (even if they were going along with an participating in said banter up until then)

I'v e worked in blue collar environments for many years and seen that happen. "Everyone does it" isn't a defence in an emplyment tribunal and as the emplyer it's your responsiblity to create a safe, inclusive work environment. Just keep an ear and eye on it and discourage it from going too far. I'd suggest having a formal policy (ACAS can have templates) on respect at work. All it takes it one person to raise a complaint and you haven't got a leg to stand on.

The 'banter' between older males and young women in my workplace has within the last few months resulted in one dismisal for gross misconduct and another being in the process of being investigated and heading for sacking too.
You might want to review the language and behaviour in your workplace and realise that whilst on the surface younger vulnerable members of staff my seem okay with it that the reality can be very different.

Please call your employees men and women and respect them as adults.

I see the vipers are out in force.

You sound like lovely employers and you’re correct that you do have a duty of care - I work in adults SC - if I’m going into a residents home for work purposes that dust of care still exists and my safety comes first - they have to risk assess, we havd safeguards to call for help.

Id insist on taxis as an employer - if you know it’s dodgy then their safety needs to be risk assessed.

Well you can certainly pass on the link I posted to the Suzy Lamplugh Trust. You/they might find the information on personal safety and lone working useful.

You have clearly never worked in a trade environment or read the previous comments of multiple people who work in trade environments who do exactly the same.

Speak to your accountant before proceeding with the Taxi option, as I believe there are some circumstances where it's considered a BIK.

Haven’t read the whole thread but if they can arrange to arrive together and leave together then I think it’s fine and I wouldn’t be too worried.

Offering some pre paid taxi money is a nice thing to do.

Op can't force people to take a taxi just to alleviate their own anxiety. It playing on their mind isn't their employees' responsibilities.

I work in an environment where there's lots of 'banter' related to what we do - none of it directed at individuals but more off-colour jokes or comments - and we still had training regarding what is and isn't classed as sexual harrassment. Probably because of things like this.

The person who told a classist joke in the office (which was personally offensive to me and probably those he works with directly, who nervously laughed along because he's their boss - which is why it was me who, in not so many words, told him to fuck off with that shit) didn't attend the training, btw.

Just tell them the offer is there and if they decide later that they will take an Uber, you will reimburse.

Christ! What is it with this place? If it was my 20 year old daughter I would be so pleased that she had such a caring employer that was concerned for her welfare. As for the girls/boys thing, I am in my 50s and colleague is in 40’s and we get referred to as the ‘girls’ in the office, and they are ‘the lads’ all grown men. Nobody is offended.

Why do you all need to get offended on other people’s behalf? The ‘girls’ and ‘boys’ don’t care, so why do you? 🤷‍♀️

Offer access to company account for Ubers if needed?

3 week car hire if parking no issue for them - arrange for one to pick the other up?

Trust them to make it work - they can meet each other a few mins away from work somewhere well lit, and walk in together.

You sound a nice employer but I’m sure at 20 and 22 they are used to figuring out how to get themselves home late at night from nights out etc - they will probably be quite streetwise.

Your workplace sounds fab OP.

I think it’s great that you care so much about their safety. If they’re travelling in together, they should be as safe as when they’re with you though. I’d probably feel safer that way, than I would with an unknown taxi driver to be honest. Unless, I’ve misunderstood and they intend to walk or get public transport, but if that was the case, I think they’d have accepted the generous taxi offer. I would remind them that they must always have at least two people on site and advise them to keep the car door locked (maybe also the site door depending on your business) and be wary of their surroundings. Enjoy your holiday! Hopefully, it will all go well and you’ll feel confident that you can have more holidays in the future.

I think you sound like you have a great work environment. I think your offer of and uber should they wish and maybe get them whistle/pepper spray for their bags..

on the boy/girl thing. I work in a male dominated industry at my previous employer I was the women on the team. I was always called girlie or treated like one of the lads - ie boy Banter!! Some people just like to offended

Jesus christ all the angst about calling young women girls. I'm retired now and I always called everybody boys and girls mostly because I was at least 25 years older than them all.
Op is not trying to be patronising that much is obvious.
I would tell them the option to get a taxi is there if they feel the need when you are away.

OP, you've fallen into an absolutely classic MN covered pit.

Thoughtfulness is controlling. Kindness is patronising. Affection is belittling. Common decency is over-reacting.

Even now there are people scanning MN to find other threads in which you've demonstrated your sociopathic inhumanity.

I think the helpful suggestion here is to tell them they can change their mind at any time and use your account / claim expenses. And if either of them end up coming in on their own because someone is sick etc then to please use a taxi as lone working is more complicated to risk assess.

Does the door lock behind them on arrival so no one could follow them in?

Don’t you have neighbours in adjoining units who you know who also start that early? I live in south London and this whole “sketchy” thing annoys me. Things can happen any time of day. Do you keep valuables, tools or cash on site?
they are refusing your offer of an uber. You either enforce it as the boss or you don’t. Why are you posting on here? We can’t enforce it!

Just thinking are you on good terms with any of the other businesses on the industrial estate, and are they open at a similar time? If so, bribe someone with bacons rolls and ask them to be on hand when your employees arrive to open up.

Use of the term "girls" and also "boys" in the op is a bit cringy.

one of my daughters calls her boobies 'the girls'......

And look after the safety of two women who work for them. Most employers wouldn’t give a rats arse

Absolutely this!
The OP sounds like a lovely boss but hey, that’s not allowed on MN it would seem!

You might refer to them as "girls" but they are, in fact, grown adults.

It was kind of you to be concerned and offer help, but that kindness does become patronising if you push it. Ultimately you don't own these people so if they are happy to make their own arrangements to get to work without their employee micromanaging them, leave them to it.