bank holidays....and searchs at work?

[Saracen]

Following on from my last post ... just because you can take a matter to an employment tribunal doesn't mean you should. For a start, I know of employers that will dismiss any chance of considering you for a job should they find out you've done this. Their attitude, fairly or unfairly, is "why hire a trouble-maker?"

Clearly, there are outrageous abuses of employees that can and should end up with the employer being punished. The safeguard has to be there. But think hard before using it.

Also, think hard about creating a stink about something like searches, and for much the same "troublemaker" reasoning. First, you damage your future prospects, if any, with that employer if you are a "troublemaker". Secondly, your name will be at the top of the list if it comes to "downsizing".

Consider the issues the employer faces, for a start. Many face problems what employee pilfering, and often, not small problems. While searching all staff, or random searches, has its problems, so does singling out individuals because if anyone sees it, the old "no smoke without fire" grapevine will start working.

And they do sometimes have problems. One aspect of many retail stores is that if they sell produce by weight, they must comply with metrology (weights and measures) legislation. Scales have to be calibrated and verified as performing within EU-wide tolerances, to be sure customers aren't getting a lot less than they are paying for. This is overseen by Trading Standards, and I'm one of the people that goes into supermarkets and checks their scales for compliance. On one such jib, a friend and myself were checking all of 30 or so scales in a supermarket branch, and we were doing it late at night. Staff will not have known we were going to be there. On one scale, in a small gap if you moved the scale slightly, several hundred pounds in £50 and £20 notes had been hidden. Needless to say, we notified the night manager, who notified the branch manager, and arrangements were made for visual surveillance and the reorienting of overhead CCTV cameras onto that till lane. Someone, no doubt, got a shock then they retrieved their "gains". Retailers do often have reasons for doing things like searches, and the overall issue is :-

- do they act reasonably and proportionately
- do they have agreed processes in pace for things like searches,
- are those processes legal?
- are they followed?

If they are, then the employer will be within their rights. But if not, then a tribunal is an option.

[Blitzen]

also.....can they force me to be serached when i leave the building?

'fraid so. As long as someone else is present.

[razer121]

ok, i just about deal with the searchs, but i dont have a bag so why should i have to go out of my way in my own time to empty my pockets which also puts my belongings at risk of being stolen?

to top this why should i have to wait for them to be ready to do a search? its very anoying.

[Saracen]

ok, i just about deal with the searchs, but i dont have a bag so why should i have to go out of my way in my own time to empty my pockets which also puts my belongings at risk of being stolen?

to top this why should i have to wait for them to be ready to do a search? its very anoying.

Well, they probably require you to empty your pockets because if they searched your pockets, they'd be open to allegations of either damaging stuff or planting stuff. If it's done, in the presence of a witness, and it comes out of your pocket by your hand, you cant say the security guy put it there or broke it.

As for doing it in your own time, I agree. To a point. If it takes 25 minutes every time, then I'd say you have grounds for a complaint, and a reasonable one. If it usually takes a few minutes, and occasionally runs over, well, I'd say "welcome to the adult world", and "how told you life would be fair?"

That might be putting it a bit harshly, and I hope you don't take it that way, but I'm sure there'll be a lot of people thinking that if that is the extent of what you have to put up with at work, you're getting off very lightly.

[razer121]

man if only it was a few mins every time! its normaly between 10 - 30 mins i end up waiting

[finlay666]

<pedant>
and pointing out that infringement are a criminal offence.
</pedant>

At least you didn't use the <grammar pedant> tag

[peterb]

At least you didn't use the <grammar pedant> tag

Whoops - not sure if I was going to say "infringement is a" or infringements are criminal offences" Corrected now to the third person singular