Who is responsible for getting keys?

[fourplusfour]

There are 4 people in my team who all do the same job over different shifts to cover the working day. However there are only 3 sets of keys (essential for the job). On any given day there will usually be 2 people working opposite shifts. So if you're due in early following a day off who is responsible for getting keys? Is it reasonable to expect someone to come in on a day off (unpaid) to collect keys? It is against company policy for keys to be left on site overnight.

Employer gets a fourth set of keys cut? Sounds like a resolveable issue.

Of course you shouldn’t need to attend work in your day off to be able to attend work on your working days.

It’s not reasonable to expect someone to come in unpaid. There are several solutions and it’s the manager’s job to find one.

I’ve got extra keys cut myself in the past to get around employers’ bizarrely difficult attitude to keys.

Or there handing over keys at the end of a shift should be part of handover before someone goes on leave.

I agree that simply getting more keys cut is the obvious solution but unfortunately not something my employer is prepared to do. We sometimes manage to swap keys on handover but due the rota doesn't always allow for that. Good to know that I am not being unreasonable in refusing to come in on a day off though.

I agree that simply getting more keys cut is the obvious solution but unfortunately not something my employer is prepared to do.

What’s their solution, then?

This is where in the interests of harmony within the team and quality of life and not stressing about this. Someone quietly pays the £7 and gets an illegal extra key cut without telling the boss.

At this would include safe keys I'm not sure I'd be comfortable doing that. Otherwise I'd agree.

@nosquirrels in the past they have said Jane (not her real name) will have to meet you to open up at 6am (this would be on her day off after finishing at 10pm the night before).

Is this in a retail chain - if so what do other branches do?

Some kind of super secure storage for the keys?

It seems crazy that there is one too few sets of keys.

Key safe?

[quote fourplusfour]@nosquirrels in the past they have said Jane (not her real name) will have to meet you to open up at 6am (this would be on her day off after finishing at 10pm the night before).[/quote]
You need a coordinated effort between you all, then. If you’re in Jane’s position and refuse, what then?

What’s their reasoning for not providing one more set?

Thanks for all the replies. I will go back to management tomorrow and say we either need another set of keys or they need to review the policy about not having keys left on premises overnight.

In my workplace:

Everyone has keys to open up the building.

Safe/controlled keys used during work live in a key safe in the building, code for which is changed monthly and immediately any staff members leave etc (this is actually part of our professional standards code of practice).

Another site has key code entry to the building again codes changed regularly.

On the rare occasion we have temp staff eg. from another site needing keys to open up in the morning, employer has paid for a cab to deliver them between staff members.

If there are three sets of keys, and 4 people, then there will always be at least one person on shift with keys- why would anyone need to come in early, or am I missing something?