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

[Deathbydolla]

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.

YABU

Sounds like he expected you to call using the speaker when you were stationary in the traffic.

Did he say why he was so dissapointed? Was the training session short or very expensive?

Maybe pulling over would have delayed her another 5 minutes. However, there was a training course, a person running it, fellows colleagues attending and a manager - and none of them had any idea where the OP was or whether she’d be bursting through the door 5 minutes late or 65 minutes late. It would have allowed them to plan accordingly and proceed. As is, I’m sure there was an awkward 5-10 minute delay while they all sat around waiting for you, then your manager / hr / reception was called with enquiries if you’re coming in today/ are you delayed / have you rung in sick.... and no one knew.

You made others wait around for you.

And, I really disagree than no one sets off and not checks for traffic if your work journey involves a motorway

I am guessing your manager assumed that you had hands free and I can understand why they think you should have called. Realistically you should have called at the nearest safe legal place to park off the motorway, even if it was the carpark at work.

We live in an area where it is very common place to use the motorway daily to travel a couple of exits up or down. It honestly wouldn't occur to anyone I know to check it first, sure if its a one off to somewhere new but your daily commute, no. Things are slightly more efficient as social media tends to start to get the message out earlier but honestly I'm really struggling to understand why people think OP would have been able to pull in at first opportunity. Certainly in the town I used to work the first realistic opportunity would be the staff car park.

You made others wait around for you.

In my last workplace they would have just cracked on. We treated each other like adults. If an employee was not there, someone would assume that they were delayed in their journey and not able to call as it would be unlike them not to let others know of a delay.

Only you know what your manager is like but I wouldn't feel valued as an employee if the company thought that work was more important than my safety.

Where I work this would be a total non issue, the meeting would have started without me and someone would have filled me in later. If I could safely call in Inwould but I wouldn't fret about it and I certainly wouldn't pull over to the hard shoulder.

Different management styles I guess.

Oh and I travel on a road (A road/dual carriageway) that can be absolutely clear when setting off but one minor incident like a broken down car or even a very slow moving vehicle like a tractor creates huge tailbacks very quickly.

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

Don't be ridiculous, an accident could happen right in front of you. And not everyone has apps and a smartphone where they could check anyway.

This is not AIBU and the people saying the OP is being unreasonable are being sanctimonious. It is a CRIMINAL OFFENCE to use your phone while you are driving. The OP's manager is being an idiot. Your phone should actually be in the boot or at the very least, shut away in the glove compartment.

And if they want her to call in, THEY can buy her a handsfree kit.

In the days before handsfree kits I remember my boss's PA moaning because she couldn't get hold of me because I didn't answer my phone when I was driving. I soon gave her short shrift.

What do employers expect in London where people can be stuck in tube tunnels without mobile coverage. Once upon a time people managed without mobiles and accepted your explanation of why you were late when you arrived at work. 30 mins late doesn't sound that terrible but maybe I am used to London commutes where people are late on a regular basis due to rubbish public transport (and before someone says they should leave home earlier, they already do and are still late!)

I had this when i worked in london and the underground train i was on broke down/ signal failure caused me to be 2 hours late as thats how long i was stuck in the carriage for so no phone signal but apprently i should of rang ir left enough time to get to work.... a 15 min journey turned into a near 3 hour one and apprently i should give myself atleast 3 hours to get somewhere despite me being early every other time and staying late etc to cover them but get chewed out for the 1 time in 3 years i was late (worked to rule after that well and truly annoyed me)

YANBU
you can’t always know there will be an accident on a motorway and you always pull over on a motorway. I’d send an email with details of your route and of the crash with an ‘apology’ for being late and a request for some understanding considering the circumstances.

Yanbu - surprised no one else was late tbh. Where I work you can generally tell m25/m40 traffic by who's made it into the office and who hasn't.
As long as you weren't disruptive on arrival or demanding a recap I don't see an issue.
If you always arrive at 9:30 and still did today I can imagine an assumption that you didn't bother trying to get there earlier though

Manager is overreacting. In the real world these things happen. Clearly not on the planet that the higher escelons of MNetters on this thread inhabit.

What a lot of fuss your manager has made for an unavoidable 30 mins. Complete overreaction, as are some of the posts on this thread agreeing with them.

Where I work arriving on time is hugely important as ratios need to be maintained and being late can mean we are not compliant with them law

Research has shown that talking on a phone hands free is almost as dangerous as holding a phone and you can be prosecuted for it if you have an accident.

www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-lincolnshire-42251581

The effects are not just about touching the phone (although obviously that is dangerous too), but also about the thought that has to go into the conversation.

theconversation.com/car-firms-are-still-pushing-hands-free-phone-tech-despite-how-dangerous-it-is-75419

The effects can last up to 5 minutes afterwards too. Hard shoulders (as well as being illegal to stop on without due cause) are often used by emergency services in an accident.

Their request would only be reasonable if either there was a services that you could safely stop at or if you could have called once off the motorway.

If you are not going to be at work on time, you need to call.

I think that if your employment requires a motorway commute and involves any kind of function where other people are depending on you being there such that motorway incidents will have knock-on effects for others, then YABU to not have any hands-free / Bluetooth kit. You can get hands free Bluetooth earpieces for less than a tenner. A daily commute on motorways is going to be delayed by unpredictable incidents a few times a year. A competent professional should be prepared for such occasions by having the relevant equipment.

as a trainer i always started at the dot of when it was supposed to start and people caught up when they arrived. quick register 5 mins before but cracked on regardless..

Well let her be disappointed. You couldnt legally call. At the end of the motorway you could have stopped and call, although this would entail making you later trying to get back into the traffic.

The OP doesnt have core hours so isnt normally late, so bluetooth unnecessary

"What do employers expect in London where people can be stuck in tube tunnels without mobile coverage"

That you ring in when next you have signal with an ETA. Bit like this employer was expecting of OP - ie - to ring as soon as she safely and legally could, with an update.

In the days before mobile phones, you would use the first payphone you passed as soon as you realised there was a problem. There are so many fewer phoneboxes now (and payphones in shops/pubs seem to have vanished completely) that the older systems are no longer realistic,

I remember once being stuck in a tunnel for 45 minutes, on a mainland train. I skyped my boss as soon as we were out of there. I find it hard to believe there was nowhere you could park up to call, once you had left the motorway