Was I used tonight?!

Hi guys. I was given an interview today for a hotel food and beverage assistant. I got to the hotel. 25.5 mile drive there. Got there at 5 instead of the agreed time of 6. Was put straight to work with no explanation of the job, no health checks, manual handling checks or training. Nothing. There was a 140 strong party booked in the function suite and me and another new girl had to cater for this.

We decided that they should of told us/informed us that we would be here all night and not just expect us to go with it like. Otherwise I wouldn't have bothered wasting my petrol etc.

So we decided to talk to the girl in charge who agreed the other girl with me could go home at 9:30 and I assumed this would be the case for me too.

It wasn't.

We first went on a tiny bar. No training or anything. The other girl had experience with bar work so knew what she was doing. The bar was so busy with these 140 diners ordering drinks and being loud any rowdy. I was upset, confused, stressed, distressed. The lot.

Thankfully just as I was about to abandon ship and leave, we were called to do service.

We had to lift heavy crates of wine from The cellars and place them on the tables.

Starters were fine. Main courses were heavy and the plates were hot and the room was cramped so wasn't easy to manoeuvre.

As each of the courses were finished we had to collect all plates and cutlery and take them down to the cellar part to get them washed up and then so on and so forth with each other course.

Half 9 came. Just as pudding had been served and the other girl was allowed to leave. I asked if it was ok if I went too. They said no. So I carried on service. Clearing up etc. at this point a quiz was going on. Followed by a speech, then the disco and coffee service was about to go underway.

I left, and have just got home and downed a drink like never before. Dehydrated isn't the word. I'm achy and tired and upset. And after a 50+ mile all round journey I've just about had enough. I feel exploited and used. I don't know what to think.

So basically, I wouldn't like to travel 50 miles a day for that. A lady I was working alongside said she doesn't finish till 3am after a 16 hour shift! It took me 40 minutes there and same again back. Imagine in the snow and ice down all those dark, un lit country lanes and dark motorways. Imagine if one of those roads I used today was closed for some reason and I had to go even further out of my way to get there?!

I mean, I bet they're still there now. As one lad working there said once coffee service is done, we take all decorations and tablecloths off, wipe tables, wash wine glasses etc. I just said sorry, I've got to leave. It's late and I wasn't expecting all this and I've got such a long journey home.

Got in my car and just sobbed that a company could treat and use someone in that way is disgusting in my opinion. We had no inclination as to what was happening, no training, no checks on us or anything like that. And certainly no hygiene was enforced. No hand washing, hair nets, piercings etc.

I've been told to sleep on it and contact someone tomorrow. Maybe trading standards or citizens advice but I need to chill before I do anything. What would you guys do? You were invited for interview, put under so much pressure with no training or checks, no discussion about the job, what it would entail, what today's trial/shift/interview would consist of, what hours you would be working tonight oh and that you got paid nothing for 5.5 hours work?

KAT.

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Reply 1

sacheeen

Complain. You do not deserve that crap. Call the trading standards office tomorrow morning!

Reply 2

Norton1

Original post by sacheeen

Complain. You do not deserve that crap. Call the trading standards office tomorrow morning!

On what basis? What has the hotel done wrong? I mean the 50 mile round trip isn't their problem, they've presumably not moved between her applying and doing the trial shift. If they do a trial shift then they're not under and obligation to put someone through the full training of a permanent member of staff.

Reply 3

sacheeen

Original post by Norton1

"And certainly no hygiene was enforced. No hand washing, hair nets, piercings etc." - that is definitely complaint worthy.

"A lady I was working alongside said she doesn't finish till 3am after a 16 hour shift!" - I'm sure that's illegal?

Reply 4

Chapeau Rouge

Original post by KatCox

I left, and have just got home and downed a drink like never before. Dehydrated isn't the word. I'm achy and tired and upset.

This was posted from The Student Room's iPhone/iPad App

I think it is bad you were paid nothing. However, this is what catering and hospitality is like. You work long hours on your feet for minimum wage doing crappy jobs and that is just how it has always been. I'm completely confused why you were going for a job 25 miles away, that is crazy and not the hotel's fault. You will be working long hours and not knowing when you finish. I work at a pub and have worked 30 hours Friday/Saturday/Sunday this weekend and was in again this evening - I just accept that this is how it is. Last week I worked 15 hours until 3am with a 2 hour break. Luckily it is a stop-gap.

Plus any "interview" you get will always be a trial shift, guaranteed. I can also guarantee that nothing will happen with trading standards or they would have to shut down about 75% of the eating establishments in the country. Also hairnets for a bar???? Where on earth have you ever seen that enforced!

(edited 11 years ago)

Reply 5

Yellow_Watermelon

did you work for 5.5 hours? if you worked 12+ hours then I would complain and ask to be paid.
what job did you apply for? I dont know what a food and beverage assistant is but maybe you had the wrong idea about it in which case you should have asked
if you didnt apply for that then I might also complain.

but if you get a job out of it then I would just be happy

Ive done similar where I just started working when I thought I was just going in for a interview but I got paid for the trial work when I got my first pay the following week.

Reply 6

rj1990

Sorry but that is what that job is like, I had to do a job like that in a hotel for a week until I just couldn't stick it anymore. A couple of days I had to do what you did from 12pm until 1am........... :frown:

Including all the dishwashing of a wedding!

The worse part is everynight cleaning and drying the wine glasses, used to take forever.

That's what menial work is like, so now you want to study eh? haha

Reply 7

TheUbermensche

I can't think of a solid law against unpaid training but you would have a VERY strong legal case regardless; what you went through sounds less like training and more like full-on work (intensive labour to me!). So we are not talking about unpaid training here, but unpaid work.