Active discussions

Meet the Other Phone. A phone that grows with your child.

Meet the Other Phone.
A phone that grows with your child.

Buy now

Please or to access all these features

Talk
Work

Chat with other users about all things related to working life on our Work forum.

Original poster

Manager 'dissapointed' I didn't call to let them know I was going to be late

48 replies

Deathbydolla · 27/03/2018 12:23

This basically. Was due to attend a training session at 09:30. Left the house in time to make it for work in that time, but got stuck in accident related traffic. Got to work half an hour late and was told to by my manager that they were really dissapointed in me and that I should have let them know that I was going to be late.

I said that I was stuck on the motorway, to which they replied that I should have pulled over and called. I think that's a bit OTT and I'm quite upset with how the situation was handled. I don't have Bluetooth/hands-free capability and so couldn't have called whilst driving. Traffic was stop-start.

AIBU? The atmosphere between me and my manager is really off now.

OP posts:
WheresTheEvidence · 27/03/2018 12:24

Yabu

ShiftyMcGifty · 27/03/2018 12:25

They’re right. And if you check your contract, it most likely does say who and how you need to notify them if you’re late. Not IF.

cloudtree · 27/03/2018 12:25

I agree. You should have stopped at the nearest service station and called.

afrikat · 27/03/2018 12:28

I agree in principle that you should always let them know but you can't just 'pull over' on a motorway. If you passed a services then yes you should have pulled in. If there was no services then I would ask them exactly what it is they are asking you to do in future?

billybagpuss · 27/03/2018 12:30

It’s illegal to use the phone whilst driving, illegal to pull onto the hard shoulder if there is nothing wrong with the car so I think your manager maybe has something else on his/her mind and this just added to the stress.

I think yanbu

billybagpuss · 27/03/2018 12:31

And as africat said ask at what point you were supposed to let them know given the circumstances

AChickenCalledKorma · 27/03/2018 12:31

I totally disagree. You can't safely make a call from the motorway and these things happen. Potentially you should have called as soon as you were off the motorway, to keep them informed. But it depends whether you were still a long way away at that point.

NapQueen · 27/03/2018 12:33

Unless it was safe for you to stop and make the call then yanbu. Once you left the motorway was there a place between there you could have stopped

greendale17 · 27/03/2018 12:35

YANBU

The hard shoulder of a motorway is very dangerous and there is no way I would way I would stop on it to make any phone call.

Thistlebelle · 27/03/2018 12:36

Buy a handsfree kit.

ThroughThickAndThin01 · 27/03/2018 12:38

It’s your responsibility to let them know. Yes get a hands free kit of driving to work is your way of getting there.

LiitleAce · 27/03/2018 12:38

YANBU

I'd understand if you were more than half an hour late but circumstances were beyond your control. I think your boss should take that into account.

SleepFreeZone · 27/03/2018 12:39

You are not allowed to touch your phone while the car engine is running. So you couldn’t do anything in your situation. I would get a hands free kit pronto.

MyBrilliantDisguise · 27/03/2018 12:41

It's illegal to touch your phone if the engine's running.

It's illegal to pull onto the hard shoulder to make a call. (Can't believe he said that - it's ridiculous!)

Once you were off the motorway, you should have called asap.

Sparkletastic · 27/03/2018 13:00

Manager's response seems disproportionate unless the course couldn't start without you. Can you raise the subject again? Perhaps work can buy the handsfree kit if it is deemed essential for you to have one.

Original poster
Deathbydolla · 27/03/2018 13:08

It did start without me. I can't normally be late as I don't have core hours. This was therefore a special situation. I would normally have called if I knew I was going to be late. Ky problem is that, by the time I 'knew' I could not have made the call.

OP posts:
myotherpantsareagstring · 27/03/2018 13:36

I think they are being unreasonable to be honest. You would have been breaking the law by calling/ texting if you don't have hands free. By pulling over & parking up to call you would have made yourself even later.

PersianCatLady · 27/03/2018 14:42

YABU

ShiftyMcGifty · 27/03/2018 18:41

If you drive to work, it’s still your responsibility to check traffic issues well before starting off and give yourself more time. Especially if you are attending a course. You said there was accident related traffic, which doesn’t sound like the accident occurred moments before. DH takes the train in. 90% of time it runs on time. He still checks the train schedule app every single morning before stepping into the shower to make sure the trains are running on time.

insancerre · 27/03/2018 19:27

Yabu
Is your work actually on the motorway?
Are you saying there was no way you could have stopped after you came off the motorway?

PuppyMonkey · 27/03/2018 19:35

I see the problem OP, but I do think you should have stopped at some point after you’d got off the motorway and called the office before you walked in.

“Sorry couldn’t call earlier as I couldn’t pull over, been a terrible accident will be in the office in five minutes.”

It’s the “just walking in” that doesn’t go down well in this scenario, daft and pointless as it may seem. You need to be seen to make some attempt to let them know ASAP.

WeAllHaveWings · 27/03/2018 19:48

If you drive to work, it’s still your responsibility to check traffic issues well before starting off and give yourself more time.

Realistically most people do not do this, getting stuck in traffic as a one off due to an unexpected accident is unavoidable.

op, if you are regularly (once a month or so) late due to issues on this road you should have left earlier if you knew you had training. If the road is usually 99% reliable and you are never late due to traffic, wait for your boss to calm down and then apologise with confidence.

Rainboho · 27/03/2018 19:52

YABU - unless as a previous poster said, you literally pull off the motorway into your work car park.

What is your work policy? Don’t paint your manager as an arse if she is simply following the procedure she is paid to. Ten mins, fifteen minutes - I might let that go, but 30 mins is taking the piss a bit without any contact.

Oweeeee · 27/03/2018 19:52

I work for the civil service and we often have bulletins asking us not to call if stuck in traffic. They get that it’s illegal and finding a safe place to pull over to call may delay you even further.

Obviously if someone takes the piss and is repeatedly late they’d take action but as a one off my management would be absolutely fine.

IMBU · 27/03/2018 19:54

YANBU. Your manager was heavy handed in this situation and didn't need to be so patronising. I don't think I could work for someone like that. Surely pulling over would have delayed you even more??!

Swipe left for the next trending thread