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.

Until now right. Only on MN 😂

They are

I work in the same industry and we joke the girls are taking over here. I have worked for 3 offices in this region and the girls in management roles out number the boys. Hopefully that will spread over all regions as more and more of us pave the way and normalise it as a career choice.

Trades on site still have a low uptake though. And that isn't down to not wanting to employ them, they just don't consider it as a career choice. We have had the odd 1 or 2.

All the very large offices I have worked in say girls and boys. We would say what time will the boys be here for meetings and those 3 boys were 40 odd, 50 odd and 60 odd. My office is very mixed now, around 40/60 but we still refer to eachother as the girls or boys. All of us are over 30. We say it and take it in an endearing sense. Not everything in life has to be so serious and stuffy. We all have great banter too. Makes the day go by and teams are closer and not feeling the need to sensor and guard themselves all the time. We all know the boundaries too.

OP in terms of your original question. Could you just say doors locked until x time? You say there is a ring doorbell so trades can just knock when they arrive

Employers really can't do anything right, can they?
Yet if these employees were eg attacked because they are arriving at an industrial estate in the dark, people would be jumping up and down about greedy business owners putting their staff at risk.
Employers just can't win.

No where has that been implied

You sound like a lovely employer, very caring. Employers like you are hard to find. You got any vacancies, I love banter 😂 enjoy your trip.

You sound very considerate employers, and If it was one of my daughters working for you I would be quietly relived. I guess you can't insist they take you up on your offer, but maybe say they can call a cab if they feel differently at any time, and you will reimburse them. I don't think you are treating them like children or being controlling at all.

I've actually just shown 'my girls' this thread and they have said can everyone stop telling them what they want to be known as on their behalf as it is very patronising. We have had a good chat and they're adding the card to their ubers in the event THEY WANT (not forced) to use it.

I also asked one of the boys if he was offended about being called that and he asked me if I'd been smoking something so I hope that clears up the boy/ girl debate.

Thanks everyone for your sensible suggestions.

Well, for one, if you're all the same age then it's not "I'm an older person who knows better than you and is treating you as a child"
And two, I would find it a bit patronising to be told to use my torch whilst walking home like i don't know how to walk home in the dark

I would. I am adult and I don't need people to tell me walk home with flashlight...
But I never had to because my friends and I know that we are all adults and don't need to parent ourselves.

You are getting slack here not because you care or offered taxi, but because you didn't seem to accept them telling you they will be ok.

Good decision. It sounds like a great place to work.

Where I live the men would be called 'lads' even when they were in their 60s.

I work in a very male dominated environment.

We’re always called the girls or ladies (or lassies from the Scottish guys).

And the men are called the boys, guys or lads.

Its only been in the past 12 months where some of the guys have identified as non-binary or transgender has it become more of an issue so I tend to say guys.

Then you should respect what they've said and let them get on with it.

And you should read the rest of the thread 😓

OP, you sound lovely. And it's perfectly normal for people to refer to 'girls' and 'boys' as you do!

The prissy, nit-picky, tightly wound nature of Mumsnet does my head in sometimes. Out in the real world, no one gets het up about this stuff.

OP you sound lovely and a very caring boss. I'd happily be one of 'the girls' in your workforce.

Do you think they're saying no to taxis because they don't want to put you to the expense / be any bother? Pretty sure I'd have done exactly the same thing at 20 out of misplaced politeness. If you think it's that, rather than a genuine dislike of the idea of being taxied to and from work, I'd go ahead and book cabs to collect and return them both for each day you're away, if you can stretch to the ££.

For what it's worth I think you are being kind and rightly protective @OneCheeryGoldMoose

Years ago I worked in a building in a dodgy part of Bristol and our employers (several directors of both sexes, all 50 plus in age) would not 'let' any female employee walk to the car park alone.

I look back now and realise I for one was full of false confidence in my 20s, and had no proper idea of how vulnerable I really was in the dark, in a district full of kerb crawlers and pimps.

Thankfully my employers cared more about our safety than about not being seen to 'patronise' younger women. (Or girls!)

Sounds a great idea👍🏻

And you are being a dick. 🙄

The professionally offended are out in force on this thread aren’t they? Pathetic.

You sound like Eleanor Oliphant :)

100% this

Op you sound like a lovely caring employer. Could you let them work shorter hours so they come in and home when its light? Sorry not read the full thread - too many comments about you using the term boys and girls 🙄😂 Could you hire a security firm to cover the time? Set up an uber account in case they change their minds?

OP I’ve never been so wound up by MN sanctimonious rubbish - as I have on your thread.

You sound like a great boss and I hope you have a wonderful trip.

They're finishing at 3 and I've out our card on their ubers. x

Well it is because they've said no. The original offer was still kind and thoughtful