Crying and shaking re leaving work tonight... who is to blame? Car left behind

[alltoomuchrightnow]

I'm several weeks into a new job, famous large retailer (please don't ask me to name) and so far they have been pretty good to work for.
Mon-Fri we can use the store's regular car park (ie the customers one)
Weekends are too busy so we park at the store's depot, 20 minutes walk away. A shuttle service is laid on from store to here, although if traffic is bad , staff will often end up walking in ; not an issue in daylight. HR say they'd rather we use the shuttle than walk (it's not a great area, dodgy underpass, badly lit at night etc..they know a few eves ago I was approached for money in the regular car park)
I always finish at night (as work late afternoon to late eve shifts) and my hours have been extended slightly, however, I've always made the last shuttle back to the depot. I've had chats with the drivers and they always say they have a good idea of who is left in the store and can't go (home) until the last day/eve staff are out. Also a tannoy announcement is made to remind us re the last bus.
I can't leave until my department is tidy for the next morning and all the stock recovery is finished. Particularly busy tonight and I worked alone as they are short staffed. As often happens but tonight was busier. (I'm the only dept that doesn't have a team..it's just me and now a new part timer who won't be doing lates)
I stayed half an hour late, as I often do, as I say, I can't leave until things are done, I don't have an issue with this, I've been in retail for a decades and I know the score. (This isn't a martyr thing and I have missed the last bus back before, )
Anyway I finished and clocked out and asked at reception, had I just missed a bus. It finished for the night, half an hour ago, they said.
I was knackered after being on feet all night but went off to walk back to my car. The depot is on an industrial estate and poorly lit. No one was around at all. Nothing happened but I realise anything could have (also the depot is at the very back of the ind estate, tucked away) but I knew I could get into my car at the end. I felt vulnerable but didn't even see another person.
And then I got to the gates of the depot and they were locked.
At this point, standing out there in the dark, I did feel really vulnerable and burst into tears. I live 12 miles away and DP is away working most of the time.
Luckily DP got back last night. He came to get me but I don't think it's acceptable. If he'd not been around I'd have been stuck as no public transport to where we live (remote) and I don't have the money for a taxi. My car is obviously still there and as I'm back working tomorrow I won't be able to collect it until tomorrow evening.
I was standing out there in the dark for 45 minutes waiting for him. I'd had a gruelling shift, am not feeling well and had no energy at all to walk back to work, where no one would be able to help anyway as just the night workers and one security guy.
I will speak to HR tomorrow.
Would you be mad?
At no point since started work have I ever been told/warned that the depot's car park closed at a certain time. I assumed it was open 24/7 like the stores (where people work 24/7)
My issue isn't so much missing the bus as that was just something I'd suck up, I knew I'd have to work late. But not being able to get to my car is crazy!

That’s a terrible situation

If I was in that position from now on I would park in the customer car park.

Complain complain complain. The bus shouldn't have stopped running and whoever locked your car in needs a proper talking to.

Not slept for a second so have given up
Don't know how I can do a day's work on no sleep when it's so physical ie palettes, truck unloading, shelf stacking etc and demanding customers. so what to do.. can't afford to lose a day's pay. Or this job full stop. And I'm new, they could get rid of me just like that
And to get into work DP will have to cancel his work today as there's no bus or trains, I'm v rural . I need to get my car back, whatever happens. I feel too fucked to drive it.
I know I've got myself into a right old state and that's mainly because of my past as it's set off panic attacks.. as I said, they dont know my past, I don't want them to.
But i should never be put in this position

Things were going so well. I just had a great first month review.
I'm not good at complaining. I fear HR would twist it round and say I should have checked re that car park. But I was never told. And was reassured when I started that my car would be safe there at weekends and the car park remained open when depot was shut.

I guess missing the bus had a knock on effect as my 20 min walk then meant I got to depot later. But really there's no way those gates should have been shut before 11pm when they know people work late and through the night

But I will complain. I want this logged.

Also I used to leave at 930 pm but they changed it to 10 due to being so busy and short staffed. And at weekends you have to add on half hour to an hour unpaid overtime on top of that as it's so chaotic. So extending my hours they should have warned me re car park. But then if it shuts that early , staying later is very concerning!

You missed your bus and the car park was locked. Tiresome indeed but I think your reaction has been a little disproportionate and going in all guns blazing won't help.

You need to turn it and make some constructive suggestions. Why is one person working late alone to tidy. Surely this shoukd be an all staff effort to get all staff out as quickly as possible to avoid mix ups over the bus/locked gates, etc.

You should have got a cab and you should have called this morning to rationally explain and ask them if they could help you get to work as they locked your car in.

You have been up all night because you have totally overreacted. You need to swig some coffe, get some red bull and get yourself to work where you sort this out calmly and rationally.

If it's a hortid place to work and you hate it, tell them to stuff their job and get a better one.

They don't know your history and you don't want them to so the fact that this has been so traumatic for you couldn't have been considered.

Is the depot coping early because it's a Saturday night and the shop itself is not in fact open 24 hours? You said that you had been told not to walk and use the underpass at night, so whoever locked up the carpark wasn't necessarily being unreasonable if everyone has been told not to walk at night and the last shuttle had been and gone.

it must have been scarey for you (or anyone) but realistically for most people this would be at worst an inconvenience. The company isn't responsible for the fact that you were traumatised. I'm so sorry this has happened OP but if they are a reasonable company in all other respects you may need to make sure that you know when the carpark will close (if this was the standard for a Saturday night of which you were unaware) and on Saturdays sometimes you may need to leave before everything is done to your satisfaction to ensure you catch that shuttle. Or as you are managing a department alone make an arrangement with HR to park in the customer carpark on those days.

Don't give up on a job you like and are good at because of this one event: it may be a simple miscommunication all round.

Dont let it go

Tbh op I would seek advice from the union and also alert them to the fact this has happened. They are really useful on stuff like this. Hopefully it then won’t happen to others

Given that you work alone in your department so therefore are likely to be late on a regular basis I think you should persuade them to allocate a parking space at the store for your particular job title.

Would you be mad?

I bit cross
I’d raise with HR
And then move on

If they are asking/telling staff to park away from the store then there needs to be a risk assessment in place. This risk assessment should detail all control measures that they have put in place to ensure staff safety. That risk assessment will now need updated to include the risk of a) staff missing the last bus and b) the depot being locked leaving staff stranded.
You're well within your rights to raise this with HR as a safety concern and to ask what measures they now propose to put in place. It might be worth speaking to the store union rep (if you have one) as they have a legal standing when it comes to H&S matters.

in future park in the customer car park.

For people working during the day the other car park may be okay, but definitely if finishing late ie when it’s dark or there’s even a remote chance the shuttle bus service won’t be operating you should be able to park in the normal one. Please do complain about this, not only is it dangerous and stressful; but you now have to find a way to collect your car.

You have to prioritise your own safety.
Your main problem is being ex management and too conscientious. If, when you were a manager, an employee was in this position what would you do?
You need to pick your red lines and stick to them.
Say to HR and your supervisor
" I am hard working and cocientious as per my recent review. I was left to walk, against your advice, then left with access to my car. I cannot be put in this situation again. I will be on the last bus, please can you make arrangements for enough staff to cover?

It’s really bad and potentially a dangerous situation, but I wouldn’t go in all guns blazing.

The system needs to change and you can help with this. If staff miss the last bus through no fault of their own, like in this situation, then they should pay for a taxi to the car park or home. But it sounds like staff on a late shift need better consideration.

Good luck OP.

it must have been scarey for you (or anyone) but realistically for most people this would be at worst an inconvenience

That makes no sense. It would be scary because walking there at 11pm, then standing in a dark deserted area waiting for someone, means that they could have been attacked. So it would be at best an inconvenience - at worst, it could have been a lot worse...

Employers have a duty of care not to put their employees into dangerous situations that could be foreseen and prevented. This is an example of that. The inconvenience alone would not be acceptable, I am surprised that anyone would think it was.

I’d tell them that in future I will be parking in the store car park , no matter how busy it is.
Perhaps the person locking up the depot thought you were working even later and they had finished their shift. It’s not ideal but they can’t be expected to wait on indefinitely, esp as you were already half an late.

@OhTheRoses is correct

Yes I'd be bloody annoyed and yes from now on I'd be parking in the customer car park. I'd raise it and say it won't be happening again

You are however completely overreacting and just winding yourself up into a frenzy now which won't be helpful to you

Deep breaths op. I am so sorry this happened to you; it shouldn't have done, it is totally unacceptable and the company need to change the arrangements to make sure this can never happen again but do not go in all guns blazing as you have said that this is a new start for you. So, ask calmly who you need to raise the matter with and how you should do it for an immediate response to the problem. Do not discuss your past but use this horrible event to show how you can move on from it. As much as it will kill you inside use it to show the company how you care for the other staff and the company's reputation and how you are certain they do not want to put their staff at risk. Only if they ignore you or the problem should you ramp it up.

Whilst the tannoy alerts you of the last bus leaving. There doesn’t seem to be a way of you alerting the bus driver that you are still in the building

As you have said the bus driver can’t go home till everyone is out of the building. But there doesn’t seem to be any system to show who is in and who isn’t.

Your car you could have left because you were staying out that night with friends and left the car in the car park overnight.

The system relies on you getting to the last bus or on the bus drivers memory.

Both can fail

You would be justified in not going into work today. I would be absolutely terrified
in your situation. You dont have your car and its your employers fault.

This needs to be addressed so it can never happen to anyone again.

In the meantime I would be parking in customer car park.

Frame it as a health and safety issue and formally log it on your works health and safety reporting system that way they have to take it seriously. It sounds like they do but the system where the bus driver ' knows who's in the building' and knock off based on this is a weak link and they need a better system.

I don't think you can complain to HR about things that might/could have happened but actually didn't. Whole thing is a pain in the arse but all you can do is register your annoyance and then move on, nothing to be gained from the 'I could have been attacked' anxiety.