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Right so Harrods have asked me for a stool sample!

Ok so I passed my interviews for harrods food halls! But I have to give a stool sample to check I don't have no viruses. On one of the forms it states if i have vomited in the last 6 months and well i went on holiday in december came back in jan and vomited a lot on the plane, I'm not gonna mention this because it has been more than 6 months now or just about 6 months.
But in another question it states if i went on holiday in the last 12months and was i ill? I wasn't ill on holiday only the plane on the way back. So shall I say no?

Because Harrods are so picky, I don't want them to deny me the job just cos I threw up a few times on the plane, because I am perfectly fine now.
I'm so worried for some silly reason that the stool sample will say i have some virus or something LOL I'm fine though as far as I know and feel. Am i just worrying over nothing??

Reply 1

generalebriety

16

Erm. Were you ill because you get travel sick, or because you'd contracted something over there?

Reply 2

Anonymous #1

OP

I'm not actually sure, but i threw up a lot so i think maybe cos i caught something. But obviously even if i did get something it's gone now cos i'm fine its been over 6 months!

Reply 3

ForeverIsMyName

15

Lie; unless that was some kind of super-vomit, it's unlikely to affect your job performance.

Reply 4

Purple

18

They really asked for that? :s:

Reply 5

Spike4848

12

That's quite hilarious. Everyone must lie on that, surely.

Reply 6

HereFishyFishy

13

Jesus Christ, lie. Unless it was serious, of course. They can't seriously expect many teens not to have vomited within the last six months, for whatever reason.

Reply 7

jilliank

lol they asked for that?

how long has the entire application procedure taken?

Reply 8

MissHero

1

That is horrible, how on earth can they really justify it, I mean are you going to be licking the food before it is sold?!

EDIT: And put a dog turd in the box.

Reply 9

Paeony

11

It's common practice in the food industry in Europe to be asked for a stool sample before you're allowed to work with food. In some countries (I forget which) you are not allowed to ever work in food handling if you're a carrier of various things (staphlococcus *I think*, and a few other things) as you are seen as too much of a risk. I believe that this regulation is likely to be introduced in the UK within a few years. It's fairly unusual to be asked for this in the UK but it shows that Harrods must be adhering fairly stringently to the food hygiene regs.

If you 'lie' about this as other posters have suggested, you put yourself in a position whereby, should you cause an outbreak of illness, you face a fairly massive legal prosecution. It's maybe not a good idea to lie - if you feel that bad about giving the stool sample then look for a job somewhere else.

Reply 10

Anonymous #1

OP

course I don't mind giving a stool sample I am after all going to be working at Harrods. But the point is..if i tell them about the vomiting...will that effect my application unessacerily? because I know that was just usual vomiting, because of an holiday. Not because I am like some infected person, I am healthy. Surely I would have noticed if I had some sort of virus because of symptoms.

Reply 11

Minerva

17

Paeony

It's common practice in the food industry in Europe to be asked for a stool sample before you're allowed to work with food. In some countries (I forget which) you are not allowed to ever work in food handling if you're a carrier of various things (staphlococcus *I think*, and a few other things) as you are seen as too much of a risk. I believe that this regulation is likely to be introduced in the UK within a few years. It's fairly unusual to be asked for this in the UK but it shows that Harrods must be adhering fairly stringently to the food hygiene regs.

If you 'lie' about this as other posters have suggested, you put yourself in a position whereby, should you cause an outbreak of illness, you face a fairly massive legal prosecution. It's maybe not a good idea to lie - if you feel that bad about giving the stool sample then look for a job somewhere else.

This is good advice: do not be tempted to lie about being unwell. Some of these bugs can kill and you would not want to be responsible for that.

Reply 12

Minerva

17

Anonymous

course I don't mind giving a stool sample I am after all going to be working at Harrods. But the point is..if i tell them about the vomiting...will that effect my application unessacerily? because I know that was just usual vomiting, because of an holiday. Not because I am like some infected person, I am healthy. Surely I would have noticed if I had some sort of virus because of symptoms.

It might well have been a virus that caused you to be ill in December - it probably was. The point is that although less likely it is possible that you picked up something else that could still be hanging around even though you have no symptoms (salmonella being the classic example). Lying on your application will cause you far more problems in the long run than being honest will now. If, for example, Harrods were to find out that you lied, you could be dismissed at once, and of course your references etc would be affected. If you tell the truth and provide the samples, and then it turns out that you need treatment before you can work with food, they are more likely to consider letting you work in another department until you are clear.

Reply 13

always + forever

1

this is the weirdest thing I've read in ages!! How do you get the stool sample to them - Do you just turn up with a steaming turd in a tupaware box?

Anyway, you say you were last sick nearly 6 months ago - I would just put it on the form, but say that you thought it was travel sickness rather than a tummy bug.

Reply 14

*Sparkle*

17

Ring up and ask if they mean travel sickness or from an illness.

Reply 15

love_mojitos

2

Hi. When I have worked for agencys that deal with food then they ask these questions as you could be a carrier of harmful bugs etc. However if you were just ill on the way home, fine when you came home, the time scale is near 6 months then why not lie. It just seems you had an upset stomach, nothing serious. However if you dont lie, you can normally explain your sitauion on the form, like just say was ill on plane home, illness no longer then 24 hours. You will give a Doctors surgery a sample, the same way you would give a urine sample.