Excessive Staff Searches - Advice required

[PeteA]

Afternoon all, my first post so please be nice.

Ive worked in the same shop for the past 18 months, My employer owns several second hand stores.

Working in a shop i see the need for staff searches and partake in bag searches and will happily empty out my pockets if required. My boss now wants us all to sign a form/contract that gives him permission to get us to remove our shoes if asked (how would this stand if i was an asian woman?) and also gives him the right to search our vehicles. We are to sign or our jobs may be compromised. To me this seems excessive, isnt my car personal property? where would this end? can he come to my house and search it? (a slight exaggeration, but it serves a point...may be)

Ive spoke to Acas whom couldn't really advise, they told me to phone the Information Commissioner's Office, whom told me they didn't know why Acas put me onto them, any advice gratefully received. Thanks

[Eloise01]

Re: Excessive Staff Searches - Advice required

Other than the fact that ACAS advice is frequently inexplicable (and wrong) I can't imagine why either!

And since there is nothing that says Asian women can't remove their shoes (they frequently remove their shoes on entering any home), I'm not sure what that has to do with anything!

But that aside - there is absolutely nothing in law that says he cannot do this. On a personal basis I can agree it's excessive - on a legal one though, it isn't actually unlawful in any way. Must be gold dust in those second hand shops though, so if you could send us a list of where all this valuable merchandise is, we'd all be grateful because my local ones really don't have much worth stealing! In all seriousness though, on the other hand, it also strikes me that there is an issue - a sudden passion for such searches doesn't often spring out of nowhere. Are takings seriously down or something (because the only thing I can think of that fits in a shoe is money)?

But sorry, the bottom line here is that it is up to you. There is no legal right or wrong. If you are dismissed for refusing, then the decision as to who is in the right will be up to a tribunal, but honestly, on this one I could not even begin to guess whose side they would fall down on. If you can't afford to lose the job or take the risk, I'm afraid I'd advise signing - after all, since you aren't stealing anything you have nothing to fear.

[PeteA]

Re: Excessive Staff Searches - Advice required

Thank you for your prompt reply

[CleverClogs]

Re: Excessive Staff Searches - Advice required

Must be gold dust in those second hand shops though, so if you could send us a list of where all this valuable merchandise is, we'd all be grateful because my local ones really don't have much worth stealing!

How often have you looked?

There is no legal right or wrong. If you are dismissed for refusing, then the decision as to who is in the right will be up to a tribunal, but honestly, on this one I could not even begin to guess whose side they would fall down on. If you can't afford to lose the job or take the risk, I'm afraid I'd advise signing - after all, since you aren't stealing anything you have nothing to fear.

Would your comments be significantly different - and how would they differ - if the employer insisted on the right to conduct full strip and body cavity searches?

[Sapphire]

Re: Excessive Staff Searches - Advice required

Only you could think of something like that Cloggy, now behave yourself and leave the nice people alone.

:focus:

[PeteA]

Re: Excessive Staff Searches - Advice required

its not that far off topic, where does it stop/end.

[CleverClogs]

Re: Excessive Staff Searches - Advice required

Only you could think of something like that Cloggy, now behave yourself and leave the nice people alone.

But where else might one conceal an antique fountain pen? :grin:

[des8]

Re: Excessive Staff Searches - Advice required

Would your comments be significantly different - and how would they differ - if the employer insisted on the right to conduct full strip and body cavity searches?

could be a job perk depending on who carries it out

[enquirer]

Re: Excessive Staff Searches - Advice required

Eloise01 is probably right - it sounds like cash has been going missing. That said, in order to conceal their own incompetence, managers whose stores are making a loss often accuse staff of stealing.