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 really shouldn't need to be told that it's not OK to turn up late every day. They aren't going to want an employee so lacking in common sense and initiative that they have to tell him to get an earlier train to be on time to work. At his age, he shouldn't need to be told these things.

Firstly, I’m sorry your DS has lost his job. I know it can be quite hard for his age group to get a job so I wish him all the best in getting a new one quickly.

A few minutes - is that like 2-3mins or 10-15? If I was an employer I think 2-3mins would be barely noticeable but anything more starts becoming an inconvenience for others, train or not. I don’t think it was great that they initially said it was OK and changed their minds after he’d started getting the earlier train, but it does make me wonder if someone more reliable was now available for the job and that’s why.

Thanks for getting your point across without being nasty about it. If an employers unhappy with the lateness they needed to tell him. I think I did say to him does he get there on time and that's when he said they were ok with him being a few minutes late.

Personally I would have told my dc to take the earlier train as to never be late. Or I don't think I will have to when they are adults- they should be able to think for themselves. So far they are on time every day for school (secondary) .

He said 1 - 5 minutes

There’s zero point in speaking to ACAS. He has less than two years service. They’ve concluded he’s unreliable and you can agree or disagree with that, but that’s what they’ve decided.

Personally I’d be bollocking him for being later every day.

Why?

Perhaps they thought there was no earlier train available when they agreed the start time. I don't understand why they would do that otherwise. A 40 minute commute really isn't such a big deal that you would make special arrangements normally

But it's possible he has just relied too much on one person's word. It's a shame if so and if he has anything in writing it could be worth letting them know

He should have been on time from the start and got an earlier train. There's a massive different between being late once or twice because of disruption on the line and being late every single day because you can't be bothered to get the earlier train. They shouldn't have to tell him to get an earlier train - he's 19, he should know to do that himself - they've obviously decided to cut their losses early because even after a month he's not seen to correct his tardiness himself. One of life's lessons. And it's irrelevant what happens in other workplaces - that is what happens in his place, being on time is a condition of employment.

But why should they have to tell him? Surely it's obvious that you need to be on time for your job?

Employers don’t need to tell employees to be on time.

That’s basic knowledge an adult should know.

Instead of being annoyed at an employer you should be taking the opportunity to speak to your DS about his utterly unrealistic expectations.

If a 19 year old needs to be told to get an earlier train to arrive at work on time, then I can see why they don't want him working for them.

How much earlier would the early train have got him there for? Was he making the time back each day?

If an employers unhappy with the lateness they needed to tell him

You can’t actually be serious with this comment?

Get him a job with you then

But why was he even on that train in the first place? Why wasn't he on the one that gets him there on time? Why did he think that was an option?

If work agreed to it, particularly at the interview stage then work are completely in the wrong.

Hopefully ds has it in writing.

that's when he said they were ok with him being a few minutes late.

That is emphatically NOT the same as his employer actually saying that it's ok to be late. That's him being a lazy 19 year old. I can guarantee they did not give him permission to be late every day.

What sort of job was it?

He should have gotten the earlier train everyday. As he was in his probation period there's nothing he can do

It seems that - They don't mind him being late - was actually he didn't get a telling off about it so he has assumed it was ok.

Employees, of any age, should be able to turn up to work on time without being late. Employers aren't there to hand-hold.

And he might have told you they were okay with it, but that doesn't make it true. The fact is, with the economy the way it is, any 19 year old who wants to keep a job needs to be putting in 100% - there's dozens, if not hundreds, of people willing to put in 100%.

So was my ds, what's your point? Oh the apple doesn't fall far from the tree? Fyi I start work at 4am and get there at 3.20am. When my ds used to work was a 10 minute walk away and was never late.

I really doubt this is the whole picture and I think you're naïve to blindly take your son's side.

I am flabbergasted that he thought it was acceptable to be late every single day, instead of getting an earlier train.

A 40 minute commute isn't even that bad!

Unless you're going to drip feed that he has to be on site at 5am and was getting the 4:15 train every day...

Well that's important for the context. If he's max 5 minutes late and he works 5 minutes extra every day and this has been agreed upon with the employer then they are unreasonable for letting him go. I suspect they are using his tardiness as a pretext tbh..