Working Late and Taxi's
Author
Discussion

surveyor

Original Poster:

18,689 posts

213 months

Friday 16th December 2016
quotequote all
Back when I was a student I had a part time job working for BT. If we finished work after a certain time (10pm I think) they would provide a Taxi home.

I always's presumed this was due to a duty of care and not unheard of goodwill from the firm.

Fast forward 20 years and the step-lad has work for the local racecourse, which at this time of years means endless Christmas parties and finishing very late...

Taxi's are not provided - staff are left to get home however they feel like. He's walked the 5 miles in the past...

Now as a young bloke he's not particularly vulnerable, but this treatment also extends to the young ladies, who probably are.

They can't really sort this out themselves, not knowing what time they will be finishing and having no pull with a cab firm....

Views?

edc

9,620 posts

280 months

Friday 16th December 2016
quotequote all
There's no obligation for an employer to cover or arrange travel costs to or from the place of work. It might not seem very fair or chivalrous but where would you draw the line? There are hundreds of job scenarios where travel might be early, late or simply awkward.

I used to work for a security company. On bank holidays and Xmas we used to pick up the security guards by mini bus and drop them and collect them for shift as we knew many didn't have their own cars/relied on public transport/plus we wanted to look out for the company commercially. There was no contractual or statutory right for those workers to enforce this.

kiethton

14,635 posts

209 months

Friday 16th December 2016
quotequote all
Totally dependent on the generosity of the firm in question, get them now (if I can get the expenses passed but not before working in the city)

Hate unions but the BT example was likely a result of union pressure to ensure safety.

It is totally up to the staff to make their own way to and from work - can't they offer a little petrol money to somebody else that works there that also drives/moped?

AyBee

11,309 posts

231 months

Friday 16th December 2016
quotequote all
What are his contracted hours? Finishing at 10pm if your contracted hours are until 5pm is different to finishing at 10pm if your contracted hours are until 9pm. It also depends on the business, the company I work for provide cabs (although I cycle so never use them), but I wouldn't have ever expected the supermarket I worked at in my youth to provide cabs. Also, how are the employees getting to work if they can't get home?

surveyor

Original Poster:

18,689 posts

213 months

Friday 16th December 2016
quotequote all
It's evening work... Getting there is relatively simple. Bus etc. It's getting home when there are loads of pissed up people around, no busses and few alternatives in the early hours of the next day.

He always finds a way of getting home... I'm not worried about it.

But I'm surprised he has to... Were it our daughter working there I'd probably be more concerned.
The cost need not be huge - and I suspect those needing it would actually be happy to contribute...

Terminator X

20,458 posts

233 months

Friday 16th December 2016
quotequote all
Get taxi and put it on expenses. If they kick off then stop working late^

TX.

^unless working late is in T's & C's wink

Munter

31,331 posts

270 months

Friday 16th December 2016
quotequote all
If he doesn't like walking, this'll cut his journey time by 3/4.


edc

9,620 posts

280 months

Friday 16th December 2016
quotequote all
surveyor said:
It's evening work... Getting there is relatively simple. Bus etc. It's getting home when there are loads of pissed up people around, no busses and few alternatives in the early hours of the next day.

He always finds a way of getting home... I'm not worried about it.

But I'm surprised he has to... Were it our daughter working there I'd probably be more concerned.
The cost need not be huge - and I suspect those needing it would actually be happy to contribute...
I think you are making a few assumptions based on the current circumstances.

The reality is nobody has flagged an issue. You are thinking of a situation that doesn't exist yet. That doesn't necessarily mean the company does or doesn't have a response as such, but the assumption seems to be that the company will not be reasonable to listen if an employee has an issue. I suspect if people can be grown ups then perhaps the theoretical vulnerable girl could speak to the line manager about her difficulty in getting home or perhaps she will make some arrangements with her co-workers to share a lift home etc. Funnily enough lift sharing was something plenty of people did when I worked in a pub restaurant whilst at school. The older workers would often give the non drivers a lift home.



MitchT

17,114 posts

238 months

Friday 16th December 2016
quotequote all
Young female relative of mine works at a hotel. Works late and then has to fund her own taxi home out of her minimum wage income. The only answer is to change career.

bitchstewie

67,267 posts

239 months

Friday 16th December 2016
quotequote all
surveyor said:
and I suspect those needing it would actually be happy to contribute...
At the risk of sounding like an ahole, surely all he/she has to do is call a cab?

Evanivitch

26,300 posts

151 months

Friday 16th December 2016
quotequote all
Is no-one there able to offer him a lift at least most the way home?

surveyor

Original Poster:

18,689 posts

213 months

Friday 16th December 2016
quotequote all
bhstewie said:
surveyor said:
and I suspect those needing it would actually be happy to contribute...
At the risk of sounding like an ahole, surely all he/she has to do is call a cab?
The thing is they don't know what time they will finish. Then when they do know they are competing with everyone leaving town.... As a non-contract customer they get waits of a couple of hours.

I'm not excited about it. At his age he has various options, including walking. But I do think when they are employing young staff working till early hours they should at least make a basic attempt at making sure they can get home safely - again in particular with the young women...

edc

9,620 posts

280 months

Friday 16th December 2016
quotequote all
Don't you think that employees and adults should take some of their own responsibility. They know the job, the hours, the season and potential unpredictability. They know their own transport capabilities better than the company.

surveyor

Original Poster:

18,689 posts

213 months

Friday 16th December 2016
quotequote all
edc said:
Don't you think that employees and adults should take some of their own responsibility. They know the job, the hours, the season and potential unpredictability. They know their own transport capabilities better than the company.
On general terms yes. If it was 5pm finish etc. then no problem. However firms that are specifically targeting young workers on a minimum wage knowing that the work finishes at a time when it is impossible to get public transport home, I do think they should at least consider ways of making it safer.

bitchstewie

67,267 posts

239 months

Friday 16th December 2016
quotequote all
How old are we talking about?

surveyor

Original Poster:

18,689 posts

213 months

Friday 16th December 2016
quotequote all
bhstewie said:
How old are we talking about?
It's waiter/waitress/bar work. Think 18 - whatever... Mostly at the younger range.

bitchstewie

67,267 posts

239 months

Friday 16th December 2016
quotequote all
I have mixed opinions on it tbh.

Playing devil's advocate you could presumably buy him a car, a bike, a moped, or pay for a taxi rather than put the onus on the business.

Where I do agree is that if the hotel has some sort of business tab with the taxi company I'd struggle to see why they couldn't sort some kind of arrangement out where they don't pick up the cost, but could use any leverage they had to get cars quicker as a customer of a particular cab firm etc.

Countdown

49,249 posts

225 months

Friday 16th December 2016
quotequote all
surveyor said:
Back when I was a student I had a part time job working for BT. If we finished work after a certain time (10pm I think) they would provide a Taxi home.

I always's presumed this was due to a duty of care and not unheard of goodwill from the firm.

Fast forward 20 years and the step-lad has work for the local racecourse, which at this time of years means endless Christmas parties and finishing very late...

Taxi's are not provided - staff are left to get home however they feel like. He's walked the 5 miles in the past...

Now as a young bloke he's not particularly vulnerable, but this treatment also extends to the young ladies, who probably are.

They can't really sort this out themselves, not knowing what time they will be finishing and having no pull with a cab firm....

Views?
It's a case of supply and demand. If the company can get staff who are prepared to put up with the ball aches for the amount of wages they offer, they won't offer a penny more. If they can't the staff then they'll pay more, simple as that.

Perks/benefits/Spanish practices such as free taxis tend to appear in larger organisations where the distance between "owner" and "perk recipient" is the greatest.

Beetnik

575 posts

213 months

Saturday 17th December 2016
quotequote all
Munter said:
If he doesn't like walking, this'll cut his journey time by 3/4.

Why the extra lights?

Ms R.Saucy

284 posts

119 months

Sunday 18th December 2016
quotequote all
kiethton said:
Totally dependent on the generosity of the firm in question, get them now (if I can get the expenses passed but not before working in the city)

Hate unions but the BT example was likely a result of union pressure to ensure safety.

It is totally up to the staff to make their own way to and from work - can't they offer a little petrol money to somebody else that works there that also drives/moped?
I wonder if the BT thing was rather thanduty of care / safety a hangover from the deep dark past, same as the 'postmen' grades at Parcelforce's national hub get full uniform issued but no other workers in the Hub do ... ( the local depot workers and drivers get uniform becasue they are (literally) customer facing )