Advice wanted

[Kez100]

My 18 year old daughter has just started a summer job. She is paid per unit. The advertisement said training given.

On day one she did the allocated six units - the first had a helper/trainer. Her feedback for the day was that she had done brilliantly and there were two small improvements (which she understood). Day two she was given five units but asked if she wanted six but she didn't because the five took a long time to do and took her up to the allocated finish time. No feedback. Day three she was given four units but was told to redo two completely, which she did although was a bit at sea as to what was wrong with them as only two things were pointed out but she did as she was told. Day four she was given three units and told to redo them all! She asked for the errors to be pointed out to her so she could understand them and improve but was told they were too busy to show her - just redo them.

She wants to simply quit. It's only a summer job before Uni and she feels they are being unreasonable in not giving proper training and feedback so she can actually try and achieve.

On the assumption she is likely to be given two units next time, I am inclined to say she should ask for feedback after those two and if they do not give any but ask for them to be redone then hand in notice with an explanation as to why.

I fully understand this is probably not the right job or place for her so continuing is a waste of time but I sort if feel she should give it her best shot and not quit without reasonable explanation.

All comments welcome!

3 bedroom holiday lodge unit

Is she being paid?

Recleaning is fairly normal but obviously the training is shit

Do you think they are trying to mess her about and pay her less on the days they don't need so many units doing? It sounds a bit suspicious.

I thought it sounded strange after she did well at first. She is more upset at them not being prepared to tell her why. Like she says she is redoing these places and they are - in her mind - already clean! She openly admits maybe she is missing something but, I she is, what? That's all she wants to know. I am reluctant to get involved because she is 18!

Yes, she is being paid £8 a unit. She was told just under one hour each. I thought that sounded a bit shirt to be honest but her two 'good' days did take her that amount of time - she said she didn't watch the time but had four relatively clean ones and two really messy so, on average, they took just under the hour.

You say re learning is fairly normal - is that right? She sees it as a failure and I have never done this sort of job so don't know. I sort of imagined you might get told that the oven needed redoing or a shower or something - not the whole unit. Maybe she is so busy she can't be bothered to look and check so just says do it all - so my daughter is taking her literally.

Cleaning, not learning!

It is quite possibly a way of saving money. She has just got her pay for the first day she did - which was one shared van which was training and five full vans described as brilliantly done (with two errors only - curtains not all tied back in one and a wet surface left in another) and for that day they have deducted £5 paying £37 not £42. She will pick up her payslip and find out what is going on tomorrow.

Doesn't sound like they are treating her well whether it is money saving or not. Deducting her pay for two minor things on her first day and not providing feedback when telling her to redo all her work is pretty mean and does make you wonder if it is about taking advantage of her moneywise. But she is new to it and perhaps not experienced at cleaning?

I guess she has to decide where to draw the line: if she is asked to redo any more without feedback and genuinely thinks they were cleaned properly then perhaps she should tell them that she will have to resign as she is not able to improve without specific feedback. If they still say they dont have time then I would support her in handing her notice in asap. How much notice would she have to give (if any)?

Has she signed anything saying they can make deductions from her pay?

They sound utterly dodgy and I think she should leave

She has decided that on her next day of work, if asked to re-do the work, she will ensure they show her what it is that is not good enough. If they say they are too busy she will offer her own time to wait until they do have time. If all that fails she has decided to give notice - which is one week.

She isn't experienced - that is why she applied for a job which specifically said "experience not required full training given" - although she has always washed up and cleaned bathrooms here at home. She is also quite accepting that she isn't obviously doing them to their requirements but she simply wants to know why so she can either do them better or accept she isn't good enough and hand in her notice.

At least she isn't upset any more and is quite stoic about the whole situation.

I worked in housekeeping in a hotel over the summers whilst at uni. They always promised training but it never materialised though they did provide a checklist of things to be done in each room. It was pretty foolproof but of course you mightn't remember/think of everything if you hadn't been given this to prompt.
She should ask for feedback, if none given ask for a list or to shadow someone for a shift and create her own. She would then have proof of everything she'd done.

It does sound like they are messing her about a bit though.

If each unit takes longer than an hour and she has to re-so them their may be national minimum wage implications.

I'd recommend that she gets in touch with hmrc for advice.

Just to say thank you to you all.

This week went much better . A new supervisor came and has been very much more helpful and no recleaning requested at all. The deduction from pay was a locker key deposit - she has an allocated locker with her cleaning gear in it. It will be repaid on return of the key at the end of the season.