Furious at ds work dismissal

[OneGreyBiscuit]

This is more has my 19 year old ds employers been unreasonable. He's just been sacked for being unreliable. For context - he accepted a new job about a month ago. He informed them of where he lives which is about a forty minute train journey away. He is a few minutes late everyday because of the trains and they said they were ok with it. He's just come off holiday (which he informed them of) and went back today. He was sent an email before today telling him to get an earlier train so he's on time. Fair enough, so he did and would've continued doing. At 9 he was called into a meeting to tell him his contracts been terminated for unreliability. He was only informed of getting an earlier train from today, so how can they dismiss him like this? If he continued to get the later train and continued being late then I'd understand but they've not even given him a chance. I'm absolutely furious. And to add insult to injury he still had to pay for his waste of time and money train fare this morning.

Getting to work on time is basic. So why would you be furious?

While people are mentioning how lots of companies are flexible, we have no idea if this is true in this case. The son didn't request flexible working or even say could he start at 9.15 instead of 9, he just said about being late. Most people would therefore assume that if you are late it's because of transport delays or some kind of emergency that has happened that morning. By the sounds of it the son didn't want to get an earlier train. Maybe this would have got him in far too early, which again he could have explained and asked about a later start and finish.
As pointed out, while some jobs do allow flexibility there is still a lot that don't and also plenty that impact others if one person is frequently late.

Of course plenty places require a specific start time but it doesn’t mean to say that this young man’s workplace did.

just because a random swimming teacher needs to be at their work at an exact time doesn’t mean all sectors all across the world should be strictly the same for goodness sake people.

if there is no OPERATIONAL need to be exact time then the workplace is being unreasonable.

However, I think the reason is very likely more than just what was told to him as that on its own doesn’t seem enough to let someone go - in my opinion.

The thing to also bear in mind is that when you start a new job, it’s all about first impressions. You have to prove yourself and be on your very best behaviour and show that you take it 100% seriously and being late every day really doesn’t convey that to anyone.

I used to catch 2 trains to one job and it took an hour and half, i had to leave earlier so that I was never late. Your son shouldn’t have been late every day! Maybe this will teach him better time management for the next job.

Good advice, in this economic environment you need to be 15 minutes early every day and able to work out how to do that for yourself, valuable learning experience though.

What is it then? Plenty of places or Very few places? I'm confused?

Not sure why you're getting a pile-on @OneGreyBiscuit . Your son asked - which is reasonable if the scenario is arrive 55m early or 5m late sort of thing. He was told it was OK so sacking him for this is unreasonable.

If he hadn't asked, I'd understand it, but he checked.

Your punctuality is poor 🙄

Depends on the workplace and their own policies. I’ve sat in a meeting with my boss today to discuss someone’s lateness that’s been going on for probably 7 months and we are only just discussing whether to give them a verbal warning or not! Some places won’t tolerate lateness at all, my MIL work expects them to be in 15 mins early and she actually got pulled into a meeting because she wasn’t turning up early!

@ToKittyornottoKittyhilarious you think my view of the working world is limited. I’m very well off in my career and worked in various sectors.
on the opposite my view is less limited because I don’t believe in being so strict with timings when you can get extremely good work out of people when you put the trust in them.

I have a high functioning team who are all trusted to be flexible and provide more than required outputs. Because as a business we trust each other and value the work life balance.

the same workplaces firing for being 5 minutes late will be the same ones banging on about employee mental health and doing absolutely nothing to counter it

Who cares? How has that changed your little life?

It’s not being “behind the times” to think that you have to get to work on time unless you have a proper discussion with your workplace.

Clearly his workplace wasn’t ok with repetitive lateness given they’ve sacked him for it.

Id bet any money you didn’t start rocking up 4 minutes late and finishing 10 minutes early every day in your first few weeks without a full discussion with your bosses about doing that…

Who was OK with him being late, as generally late on probation period means even later when the job is confirmed. He should have always got the earlier train and been early. Life lesson. I used to place young people into work roles, biggest reasons for firing, lateness and absence!

Well he clearly wasn’t telling the truth. They weren’t OK with it at all, and he needs to take responsibility for losing himself his job, not be told by his mother that he’s been unfairly treated because her employer doesn’t mind people being late ??? 🤷‍♀️

It's possible the lateness is just an excuse to get rid of him?
Plenty of jobs where a few minutes wouldn't matter much.

It was the holiday that pushed things over, too much of a piss take to be on holiday in the first month, get the probation done, get a proper contract then work out holidays.

Btw I work in retail and have to be on time to open the tills so we can actually sell stock. If I’m not we open late or someone else has to do that instead of their own job. If people are late starting when I’m about to finish I have to wait for them because I can’t leave the shop floor unattended. If someone is routinely late I am going to be pissed off because I will then be late for school pick up.

Are you triggered by the notion that you may have poor punctuality, too?

Does the person who told him it was "Ok" have a young relative or son/daughter who needs a job?

I’m afraid I echo everyone else OP, it’s a life lesson for him. My daughter (17) works in our next village, literally 7 minutes by car. But she can’t drive yet and therefore has to get the bus. There is no direct busses between the villages, so she has to bus to town, and then bus to the next village. It takes just over an hour and she arrives exactly 23 minutes early for her shift every time. She gets inside, ties her hair up, washes her hands etc. The later bus would see her arrive 15 minutes late, so is never an option. Even at 17, she worked this out for herself. Being late every single shift would have seen her laid off a long time ago.

Why wasn't he always getting the earlier train?

And there is a possibility that someone else in the workplace lived near to the OP, caught the train on the same route, but critically always got in on time.

"I have a high functioning team who are all trusted to be flexible and provide more than required outputs"

Yes, all probably many years experience and happy to pick up extra work and maybe WFH/come in at short notice when required? Completely different to a brand new entry level trainee who is late every day and makes their holiday a priority in the first month!

I suspect, OP, that as he had just started no one actually addressed his lateness every day and he interpreted that as them being okay with it. He informed them of his holiday at what point? If it was once he'd started rather than beforehand then you can perhaps see how things start stacking up. If he also wasn't picking up the work as expected then it may have made sense for them to dismiss him.