A woman has been dubbed an unreasonable boss for her handling of a situation regarding a wage rise with a delivery driver.
The woman, who runs a healthy meal company, employs drivers to deliver her products, with one driver employed to drive from Essex to London and back every Saturday to collect and send out orders.
However, when asking her worker to start an hour earlier for six weeks to deliver the food the driver only agreed to do so if her wage increased by £5 per hour - from £10 to £15 - due to the short notice.
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Taking on the online social forum Mumsnet, the business owner sought some advice on the situation. She wrote: "I run a healthy meal delivery company. I have several delivery drivers, however, having an issue with one in particular. My delivery drivers are self employed. Deliveries happen on a Saturday.
"Long story short, I've had one of my delivery drivers for over a year now. I pay her £10 per hour and 45 pence per mile. She drives from Essex to London to collect the deliveries then back to Essex to deliver them every Saturday. She arrives to collect them at 9 am.
"I text her asking for the next six weeks if she could be at pick up point at 8 am rather than 9 am."
The delivery driver replied by saying: "See to be honest, it’s unsociable hours with it being so early at the weekend and having to get Amelia out of bed etc. I’d have to put my price up to £15 per hour. Let me know if you would be happy to go ahead with that or not.
"If you can’t though don’t worry I understand, It just means I’ll have to be getting up at 6.30 on a Saturday and my daughter too. Just wouldn’t be worth my while for tenner an hour."
The woman went on to say: "Am I being unreasonable to think this is totally unreasonable and out of the blue? How did she jump from £10 an hour to £15 because I asked her to come in one hour earlier.
"Am I being unreasonable?"
And while some saw the woman's plight, others were quick to tell her to wind her neck in about the original wage she pays her staff.
One Mumsnet user wrote: "She’s self employed though. I wouldn’t say she’s being out of order as she can set her own fees. You don’t have to pay it though. Presumably you can terminate your contract and hire someone else."
Another said: "Yes, £10.00 isn't a good wage."
And a third added: "You are changing the terms. She doesn't like them so is charging more. Fair enough on her part. Don't use her if you don't want to!"
More comments read: "She's telling you that her family situation means she'd have to make different arrangements if you need her there an hour earlier.
"Which to be honest sounds like it's not great for her. So she's asking you to make it worth her while.
"If she's a good worker why not pay her?"
Meanwhile, others were a little more lenient on the woman. One Mumsnet user said: "I don’t think anyone is “out of order” here. She is perfectly reasonable to ask and you would be reasonable to say no and find someone else."
Another added: "She can ask, you decline and find someone else. 8am is not unsociable hours."
And one concluded: "She provides you with a service, you have asked for a change to the agreed conditions. She has told you what it would take for her to meet this change in conditions.
"It's time to negotiate, and if you can't find an arrangement to suit both parties, she can take her services somewhere else and you can find another driver."
What do you think - are either parties being unreasonable? Let us know in the comments below.
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