RANT: Not Showing Up

This situation happened on Friday, but it still frustrates me everytime I think about it. So recently, (about 3 weeks ago) I hired an assistant to strictly walk the b/a school students to and from school. She has her own 2 kids that take the bus (with my dcb) and then she walks to the school with my son and other dck. The total trip is about 15 minutes, from the time she leaves her house (directly across from mine) to the time she gets back home.

Anyhow, on Friday, buses were cancelled, so my bus child stayed home. But my walking kid still came to daycare. And she never showed up. No call. No email. Heck, she could of run across the road and knocked on my door.

I guess she assumed that the buses were cancelled so she did not have to show up, but she KNOWS that I am paying her to bring my WALKING children to school to. The whole reason I hired her was because it is really hard for my preggers self to push the double stroller through the unplowed pathways.

Grrrrrr.......I do not know what to do or how to address her. I have my opinion, and hubby has his.

She seems to have misunderstood. I would just clarify with her that she is to walk bus and walking students to their stop and school. Let her know she was expected Friday and you had to do the walk yourself which was a hardship on you. I would also stress that if you don't call to let her know she isn't needed that she must assume she always is for these drop offs. This is her job and she must show up.

I agree with mimi - it seems like maybe she misunderstood the terms of your agreement. I would just approach it with that frame of mind so as to not ruffle any feathers. Good luck and let us know how it goes!

I would just clarify as well. She may have thought that since buses weren't running the kids who walk wouldn't go either.

I think it is a total misunderstanding. If it was too dangerous for the buses to run then it would be in my opinion too dangerous to walk on the roads too - it isn't like we have winter tires on our feet. She did not need to go out and truthfully she had the right to say sorry not taking my child out on the roads just as much as you have the right to say sorry not taking myself or stroller out on the roads. Should she have confirmed with you yes - that is what the discussion should be about so you know you are on the same page. But she had the right to cancel since it would mean taking her own child out and she didn't feel it was safe meaning it is now up to you to take the walkers to school or keep them home.

It would not have been a big deal if she had phoned me or let me know that she was not showing up. It would of given me more time to get the younger children ready for the trip instead of waiting and then rushing. Instead I was left waiting. As for it being just as dangerous for her child, it is not quite the case. I have provided her the option of dropping her child off, while she does pick up/drop off, if for whatever reason he did not want to do the walk (tired, too cold, school day off ect) Plus, on top of that, she takes the back way, which is snow covered. And I need to take the sidewalks, which is ice covered. But that is not the issue. It is the fact that I was never informed.

However, I talked to her and said that we missed her on Friday. She told me that buses were cancelled. I told her, yes, but I have the other children that needed to be walked. She told me that she assumed that everyone would of stayed home.

I guess it is a live and learn situation.

Next time, I would just text or call her to see if she was coming or was running late.

Unfortunately some people just aren't great on either communication skills or manners. Drives me bonkers as in my mind it is just automatic. If I were in her shoes I wouldn't have thought twice to give a quick courtesy call to either ask if you still needed me or to inform you that I wouldn't be walking them as it isn't safe, for the same reasons playfelt said. If I was in your shoes and she wasn't here at her regular time, I would have actually called after about 5 minutes to ask her of her whereabouts. That way, she would have still had the opportunity to come around to your place and walk the kids to school and any initial assumptions made about this would have been set right immediately and the whole situation rectified within minutes.