Is my new boss out of order?

[maddybee]

Is my new boss out of order?

To put it simply, she keeps giving me a few hours notice of when I have to work. I work as a housekeeper/waitress at her hotel, I'm the only helper plus her and her husband and one other guy,
She tells me what time to come for the next day at the end of my shift which gives me no notice at all.
Today, I went in the morning housekeeping shift, and she didn't mention she needed me in on the night time until the end of my housekeeping shift giving me three hours notice when I already had family commitments. When I said I couldn't she gave me a huge guilt trip about how she'd have to do the waitressing herself and it was a lot of people and walking around, and that she thought I was flexible (this is the first time I haven't complied to her short notice), I received an email of her which was pretty sh*tty.
I asked nicely for my hours of work for the week so we both knew where we stood and she replied saying that I am being inflexible and that there is so such thing as short notice in hospitality and I was told they where random hours. (I'm happy to work flexible/random hours I'd just like to know in advance!)
It's like she expects me to be on call 24/7 and when i say no she gives me a guilt trip and gets mad.

What do I do?


Also, this isn't related but she keeps arranging rides home for me with the chef and painter etc without my knowledge,(my mam normally picks me up without hassle) this puts me in an uncomfortable positon, I'm 17 and it means I have an 25 minute drive home with a strange man I protest but she is very pushy as it seems to suit her better.

Yes your boss is well out of order and she must be aware of your legal rights but is choosing to exploit you. Also you are old enough to make your own travel arrangements home. See link below regarding your employment rights as a young worker.
www.adviceguide.org.uk/england/work_e/work_young_people_e/young_people_and_employment.htm

Is she a new boss as in it's a new job, or as in you've been there a while and she is new?

Why would it suit her better for your mum not to take you home, that's bizarre, what difference does it make to her?

Apologise to the chef or whoever and say that you are sorry to inconvenience them but your mum is coming to get you and your boss got in wrong when she assumed you needed a lift home. Don't get in the car with anyone you are not comfortable with.

If I were your mother I would call her and give her a piece of my mind. She's taking advantage of you and putting you in a vulnerable position with rides home.

Failing that, you have to be a grown up yourself and tell her it's not acceptable to make up your shifts as you go along or to arrange for your travel home.

I don't know about employment law - are you in the UK maddybee? - but some employers do have the knack of making it seem like they're doing you a huge favour taking you on then make increasingly unreasonable demands. I suspect your boss knows how much work is involved she just chooses not to take on extra staff and exploits your keenness to get on.

Regarding lifts home, ^^ what the others said, you make your own arrangements. Never put yourself in a difficult situation through anxiety about appearing rude or ungrateful.

Maddybee, are you not still in school/education? Is this a part-time job?

I am on the UK.
I moved to scotland recently, and I missed the enrollment date for college so I am starting college in August, this is a full time job until then and hopefully carry it on with part time hours. Thankyou all for your input x

woops in* the uk

Re the lifts home, just refuse. She can't make you take them.

Re everything else, you either have to accept the hassle, or find another job. If your role is not for fixed hours then you cannot insist in fixed hours and it would only be if you had been working to a pattern that you could rely on that as being standard. As it is you can be dismissed at any time In first 24 months, even for refusing to work unsocial hours.

It's not fun, but to be fair on your boss, its quite standard to have bizarre hours and short notice of those hours. But if you have to get lifts there and back each time that's going to be difficult for you. If I were you I would look for something more predictable.