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.

He’s been deliberately cutting it fine at best, or late since he started and did not have the initiative or willingness to travel earlier until told. Smacks of a somewhat casual attitude and I wonder if this was really his first warning.

“He was only informed of getting an earlier train from today”

What on earth? This can't possibly be used as a reason/excuse, surely it's obvious you get an earlier train in order to be there on time, your employer shouldn't have to tell you? Was he staying a few minutes late every day to make up for the late arrival?

Half the employees do it where I work every single shift and never get pulled up on it so.....

Massive, massive sense of entitlement on display here.

Hopefully this will give you and him the shock that you need, to recognise and acknowledge that he is not the one in the right.

Didn't you tell him that it is his responsibility to get to work on time? Are you late to work every day?

Any reason why you and or his dad didn't tell him to get the earlier train from the start? Perhaps you parents think being persistently late is ok too?

He told me that they were ok with him being a few minutes late as they were fully aware he gets the train, if they had a problem, they should've told him the first week and not say it was ok
What he told and what they told him are probably very different. He is 19yo. He probably tried his luck and it didn't go his way but he's not going to tell you that is he!

Why didn't he get the earlier train from the beginning?

I'm afraid this one is on him. They probably thought he was taking the earliest train possible and he got found out. Lessons learnt, time to move on.

Unless you work at the same place, I'm struggling to see how this is relevant. Different industry, different expectations, different managers...

If i had to tell a member of staff to get an earlier train in order to get to work on time, I'd have a very low opinion of them, their initiative and their work ethic.

This. Why would you need to be prompted to get the train that gets you to work on time? And I don’t believe for a minute his employer gave him the ok to be late every day. I imagine they’re very glad to be shot of him.

He shouldn’t need telling be late isn’t ok and he shouldn’t need telling to catch the earlier train.

Well your employer being lazy doesn’t mean other companies should be. Maybe get DS a job where you work

It’s common sense that he should have been catching the earlier train from day one - he shouldn’t have needed to be told this.

That just means your employer is slacker than they should be. Your son has hopefully learned a lesson.

I agree with the late thing. My ds had to get himself to work the other day. He had to arrive 30 minutes early as otherwise the bus was scheduled to be there 3 minutes before start time. He’s 16 and could understand this.

Are you sure he was telling you the truth?

Well it’s your fault you raised him to think this is okay, then.

It isn’t.

Ah ok

Well now he knows his time keeping is his responsibility. It’s not for them to tell him.

No point wasting time with ACAS, they can dismiss him because they don't like his trainers at this point.

It sucks op and theyve been a bit unfair saying it was ok, but perhaps it caused a bit of a stink and they decided on balance someone who couldnt be bothered to get there on time from the start was possibly going to be a bit of a pest going forward (ime new starters who start off employment with this attitude dont get better, not suggesting your lad is one of those but maybe theyve had this before and cba dealing with it).

This can’t be real

Acas wont be able to help as he hasn't worked there for 2+ years and continually being late is unacceptable.
Also at19 he shouldn't need to be told to get an earlier train he should have known himself after being late the 1st time.
@OneGreyBiscuit do your son a favour and tell him to make sure hes on time for his next job and don't try and sugar coat this sacking as its entirely his own fault

Which is your workplace…

In DH’s workplace being late, by even a couple of minutes, three times in less than a year is a disciplinary meeting.

In DDs workplace she has a formal agreement, negotiated and in writing, that she starts and finishes 15 minutes earlier than her original contract time.

Your DS assumed from day 1 he could be late with no consequence. He’s an adult. He should have been getting the earlier train from day one and later negotiated a later start, if it was possible in his role.

Did they actually say yes you can start at x time instead of x or did no one say anything to him so he’s assumed they’re okay with it.

Sorry but I agree with others he should’ve got the earlier train.

He should have got there on time, if he can't be bothered to look up train times and get there on time then I'm not surprised they aren't impressed. They might not have given him a verbal warning, but I doubt they were enthusiastically telling him not to bother showing up on time for this shift. His lack of ability to do the most basic time keeping is why he's sacked. Hopefully instead of excusing it and blaming others, he'll learn to show up.