Could I be let go over missing one day of work?

LegacyUser

I work in dunnes and they have a mandatory stock take. In the rule book it states that every employee must work the stock take day and there are no exceptions.

The stock take this year is july 11th , which is also the day of my brothers wedding. The stock take hours are long shifts (Sometimes 12 or more hours) so I will be missing the whole wedding day. The general knowledge around is that if you miss stocktake you will get loose your job straight away but this has not been confirmed. I can't ask a manager about this rule as they would know I wanted it off. I understand the enforcement of the rule as everyone would use any excuse to miss the stocktake but I have somewhat of a legitimate reason to miss it

I am definitely going to miss the stocktake as the wedding is more important than a part time job that I wont need forever but I would like to keep my job and still go to the wedding as I would find it hard to get another job and I need it now more than ever if college fee's do come in

Would they have grounds to sack me for missing one day? or just give me a serious disciplinary action which I could live with

I am working there part time for almost two years, I have a perfect record (No disciplinary warnings) and have never called in sick or missed a shift so this would be a first offence but now is not the time to be breaking serious rules

My options would be to

(1) Tell the truth and explain to my manager (Other staff have had to cancel holidays and other important events in the past so this option will probably not work)

(2) Tell the truth and just not show up and deal with the consequences

(3) Call in sick on that day but would need definitely need a doctors note

(4) Go to the doctor and get a doctors note, which can easily be done and then call in sick

My best option would be to fake a illness to a doctor for a doctors note and then try and get dunnes to believe it but I would like to be as truthful as possible

Any advice on what to do would be appreciated

TweetyPie1

Just be honest with them and explain about your brother's wedding, anyone with half a heart will understand that you are not going to miss an important family occasion just to work a stocktake.
Just on another note surely your brother has had his wedding planned for many months possibly over a yr could you have not foreseen this by telling them in advance about the wedding as you knew you would not be able to work this date. Then they would have known you had a reasonable reason for not attending the stocktake.
However you seem like a loyal worker, been working there nearly 2 years without a sick day so I think any employer will take that into consideration and realise that you are not trying to avoid the stocktake.
Tell them as soon as possible in order to give them enough time to get cover for you.
Hope all goes well for you....

wmpdd3

You see it's the half a heart you can't depend on!

This isn't a normal job, this is retail, you're not supposed to have a life outside of work.

I'd say ask the union. You can't really ask another member of staff or even a manager because they are all in the same boat.

Yes they will probably make your life hell if you tell them you won't be available that day. They will probably change your shifts and you get more of the shifts you don't like.

Depending on the type of store you have they may demand you come in at 5am and leave about lunch time, so be ready for that.

Do they pay you or give you time owed? What type of retail operation in this day and age used masses of payroll and counts their stock manually. The stock loss would be as much as the wage bill!

If others have had to cancel their holidays because of it and you don't come in and nothing happens you won't be too popular.

But as for firing you... I don't think they can.

Firetrap

Do you have any sort of contract with them or is it easy for them to let you go if there's "no work"? I've a friend who used to work for them years ago and let's just say they weren't exactly candidates for Employer of the Year. Hopefully that has changed. If they're still like that, I'd be inclined to go for the doctor's cert.

gerrycollins

i worked both ends of the stick for dunnes so i know where you are coming from.

Is the stock take the general half yearly or is it an extra because of bad results?

if its the extra one you might have a case for asking for it off.

even though im not condoning it your best bet is to stay quiet and ring in sick.

afterwards you will face(because your over a year) the displinary process so just take it on the chin and behave yourself for 6 months. Considering your record you should have no probs there.

however you might not be popular with your work mates if they know you have a weedding and skip out on them.

if your honest why not ask for an early shift to do the stockroom?

Keano

If you are going to get the sick note it might be best get it for more than 1 day as it would be more believable...

dade

if others know of the wedding pulling a sickie may not be the way to go.

Corruptedmorals

Are you grocery or drapery? The first stocktake (I'm drapery), they had an outside company so they didn't roster more staff than normal. The last one however, every single staff member was rostered and even people who finished college at 5/half 5 had to come in, they had staff and managers from other branches too. They write this into the contract though, and since you're part-time you're not in the union.

You're over probation, I think it'd be highly unlikley they'd sack you, even though they stress how important it is. They actually black out the week of grocery stocktake in the holiday sheets. I think you'll get a warning at the least, depending on how severe your department manager and Personnel are.

wmpdd3

How do you mean part time staff aren't in the union?

Corruptedmorals

Part-time (evenings and weekends) people in my store aren't in the union, I remember hearing it was because we're not allowed join. Which may or may not be true, but the point is, we're not, and I know people working in other branches on the same contract and they're not either. There's a few on other part-time contracts though, the people who work 10-2 shifts and they are in the union.

gerrycollins

Corruptedmorals wrote: »

Part-time (evenings and weekends) people in my store aren't in the union, I remember hearing it was because we're not allowed join. Which may or may not be true, but the point is, we're not, and I know people working in other branches on the same contract and they're not either. There's a few on other part-time contracts though, the people who work 10-2 shifts and they are in the union.

any person full or part time is allowed join a union.

the company reconising a union for different contracts is a different story altogether.

the union might not be bothering with these people because they have less bargaining with them as they are only a top up to the operations.

wmpdd3

So if you took action the part timers would pass the picket?

Corruptedmorals

Yeah just a reason I heard. They hate the union anyway. Part-timers wouldn't be bothered joining, even the ones there 5 or 6 years, even though we're much more likely to be screwed over than full-timers. I bet the OP isn't a Mandate member.

thalia_13

I worked in Dunnes for years, and had to attend a stocktake on the day of grannys months mind mass. I said it to the manager who allowed me to take the time frm the stocktake and go to mass, I came straight back and finished the stocktake.. I know that sounds mad, but like you I needed the job, an was worried I would be fired... Typical horror stories frm older staff about people who were let go for not coming to stocktakes fuelled the fear I had, however untrue or true the stories may have been

The next stocktake at Xmas I was v ill with tonsillitus, chest infection and ear infection, and I still came into work, fainted in the process too, but stayed to the end of the stocktake, as the assistant manager was over the section I was counting and the main manager did not know I was ill. The assistant manager was an a##hole with small man syndrome, and was generally a nasty person. Do not ask me why I took his crap that night, or why I didnt just go home, I was so desperate for money to pay my way through college that I never missed work unless I was dying sick.

Anyhoo my point here is, After all that illness malarkey the main manager realised that I was a great worker and had great respect for me. He gave me a stocktake day off the following year after I went up and told him it was unavoidable on my part... I think the best bet is talk to the manager, tell him the reason, its genuine too, its not some lame excuse. iF you are a good worker and have a good rep there, i.e no lateness etc then they will genuinely consider letting you take it off.

Not all managers are so anal about stocktakes, one less person counting the mini cheese pick and mix is hardly gonna have a major effect... friends are now managers and they have learned from the assistant manger who was minihitler to us... lol hope your manager is the same ( as my friends not the minihitler good luck, and enjoy the wedding in any case!!!