non-cyclists only! I am indignant...

formerlyknownasbonj

I was phoned up today about some job possibilities, and one of them was in donny which is probably just about at the limit of how far I'd be up for commuting by cycle but not much out if any (just over 20 miles). I'd probably end up commuting three days a week and driving the other two or something like that, but ...
I told the agent my intention would be to cycle to work, and given that the company has got showers I would probably consider it if they wanted to interview me, but he then rang me back after having spoken to them about this, and he said they wouldn't be willing to consider me if I was intending to cycle to work! Apparently "reliability of getting in on time" was cited as the reason - I would have thought that the opposite would be the case, if I know how long it takes and set off in time, then I've 100% chance of getting there in time, something I don't have if I drive. What am I going to do - decide I'm tired half way there and give up? Tossers. Can they be prosecuted for this?

The agent then said "well what would you do like now if there was a flood?" the cheek!

Yorkshireman

You did tell him that you enjoy the odd triathlon? .

christian dieu

They cannot legally reject you on the basis of how you are getting to work. It is up to you how you decide to get to work. If you say you will be there on time everyday then they have to take your word for it.

If you get the job and turn up late everyday it is obviously a different matter!

bad company

christian dieu wrote:

They cannot legally reject you on the basis of how you are getting to work.

Really :?: What law would that be.

dondare

If you intend to cycle in three days a week, then what about the other two? If it's something that they'd regard as more sensible tell them that's what you're going to do.

formerlyknownasbonj

yeah but i'm not. I dont' want to work there anyway now. But I want them to be punished.

Eat My Dust

I've mentiioned the cycling thing on a couple of interviews, and I'm sure it's the reason I've not got the jobs in question. Interview going swimingly, then "oh, and how would you intend on getting to work?" "I'd probably cycle" strange looks all round and lots of scribbling "yes, we will be in touch" yeah right. The last time it happened the guy interviewing me, came out with a story about how he would cycle for 10 miles without a thought when he was in his early teens, but that he'd grown out of that!!

eternal_headwind

ask their advice on what transport is available. Mention you have a driving license if you like but are really flexible.
Sign the contract, work a week

Then turn up on your bike. There is no reason to mention bikes in the interview, and there is no reason for them to mention bikes are 'undesireable'

Yorkshireman

formerlyknownasbonj wrote:

yeah but i'm not. I dont' want to work there anyway now. But I want them to be punished.

Have you stopped taking your medicine again Bonj .

Noodley

drive your car at their office and ask if they think it is a reliable method of destruction...

Simon L2

another collector's item - although I'm beginning to wonder if this isn't some satirical exploit by my old fried Rothers. ....

Yorkshireman

Hmm. (Arthur Daley)Dave has been around nearly a year noww - 15 posts - `Sleeper`? ..

passout

Wow - do academics usually use the adjective 'trolls' and 'gnomes' in their arguments? Have you got any facts to back up these claims?

It seems stange that they told you about the facilities and then rejected you on these grounds. Legal action would be fruitless as I don't think that anti-cyclist discrimination counts for much in legal circles. Even more strangely, if you elected to come to work (on time) by wheelchair (as a physically impaired person) you would have a cast iron legal argument.

I wouldn't threaten - it won't work. I would politely but firmly explain that you are a very keen cyclist and simply won't be late. I'd ask to be put on a six month trial to prove yourself & be early every day. I'd put this in writing to the boss(es) and HR. They might like such a display of vim.

Good luck.

passout

In addition to my last rambling....

If the job description requires a driving license and access to a car you maybe fecked anyway. HR may have just over looked this earlier on. Just a guess.

CometGirl

The last interview I had where I told them I'd cycle to work, I ended up in a lovely discussion with one of the directors who concluded that I must have astonishing powers of perseverance and strength to be able to cycle *ten whole miles* to work, and offered me the job.

And you can't sue someone for not offering you a job. PROVEN FACT.

Shit, my computer's got a PROVEN FACT virus. I think it's PROVEN FACT some form of online Tourettes.

CometGirl

When did this forum start converting the word sh it to "shoot?"

Gosh dern it, y'all have got a southern states filter now?

mark1956

CometGirl wrote:

When did this forum start converting the word sh it to "shoot?"

Gosh dern it, y'all have got a southern states filter now?

The southern US pronunciation would be "shee-it".

Tourist Tony

CometGirl....
Yew gotta reeeeal purty mah-outh.......

Squeal, piggy...

ut_och_cykla

Errm? Why did you tell them you were going to cycle to work? The 'don't ask, don't tell' policy for other social groups with um... unusual lifestyles works well in other situations

formerlyknownasbonj

ut_och_cykla wrote:

Errm? Why did you tell them you were going to cycle to work? The 'don't ask, don't tell' policy for other social groups with um... unusual lifestyles works well in other situations

because i wanted to know if they had showers.

pigman

formerlyknownasbonj wrote:

I was phoned up today about some job possibilities, and one of them was in donny !

I used to commute sheffield-donny. You ain't missing anything. The roads aren't good and the A1-donny bit at balby is just awful. Loads of traffic and loads of traffic lights. The only reasonable bit was A1 to thrybergh, where you could cane it a bit and felt like there was some countryside.

For future, don't mention the bike commute. If you want to suss out whether there's showers etc, tell them you might do it once or twice in summer and ask about facilities.

altho' you don't feel it now, they probably did you a favour by not employing you. The tossers would have only frustrated you anyhow.

MattBlackBigBoysBMX

pigman wrote:

altho' you don't feel it now, they probably did you a favour by not employing you. The tossers would have only frustrated you anyhow.

Quite true.

Cunobelin

Cameras can kill - Proven fact................

Kitten Killed By Camera Flash
Posted in What The ? by Klink on the August 20th, 2007

“I thought he was just playing at first”, said a Florida woman after her kitten died from a seizure induced by her new camera.



Sara Tarbor had just gotten a new Cannon digital camera after her cat Taz gave birth to 4 kittens. “I bought the camera so I could show the kittens to my family back in Atlanta. The kittens had just turned 4 weeks old and were getting really frisky. My biggest kitten named Spike was rolling and jumping all around so I had taken quite a few photos of him. I was laying on the floor when he jumped at me as I took a photo. The camera flashed right in his face and immediately Spike started flapping around on the floor like a fish. At first I thought he was just playing but I soon figured out it was a seizure”.

Tarbor grabbed a blanket to cover the kitten from light because she had heard it helped people with seizures but it didn’t help. “The kitten stopped moving after 30 seconds or so and died”, said Tarbor. “I had never heard of a cat having a seizure induced by a camera flash so I didn’t think I could hurt them by taking photos”.

Thought rare, it is not the first case of a cat getting a seizure from a flashing light. It may though be the first caught on camera.

Restless_legs

formerlyknownasbonj wrote:

he said they wouldn't be willing to consider me if I was intending to cycle to work!

If it's any consolation, maybe you would not have enjoyed working with such blinkered idiots anyway.

cougie

I've never been asked how I'd get to work in any interview. Seems odd.

Restless_legs

cougie wrote:

I've never been asked how I'd get to work in any interview. Seems odd.

That's the advantage of being a cabbie

Tourist Tony

Ivancarlos, think of the new info our SS troll gave us there!
Apparently the pony-tailed geekmessiah is now teaching at a university. Well, he's a professor......

MadammeMarie

formerlyknownasbonj wrote:

. What am I going to do - decide I'm tired half way there and give up? Tossers. Can they be prosecuted for this?

The agent then said "well what would you do like now if there was a flood?" the cheek!

I know it's been 2 months now (I just joined) but one thing you can do is name and shame them!! You have been victim of blatant discrimination, simple as that! They shouldn't even ask you how you'll get to work. As long as you get there on time, it's none of their effin' business! If you can't sue them, NAME AND SHAME THEM in every forum, etc.!

SteveR_100Milers

or just dont tell them you will ride to work, get the job then ride in, and prove the point about punctuality. I doubt they can sack you for being on time, only for dressing oddly.

Random Vince

MadammeMarie wrote:

formerlyknownasbonj wrote:

. What am I going to do - decide I'm tired half way there and give up? Tossers. Can they be prosecuted for this?

The agent then said "well what would you do like now if there was a flood?" the cheek!

I know it's been 2 months now (I just joined) but one thing you can do is name and shame them!! You have been victim of blatant discrimination, simple as that! They shouldn't even ask you how you'll get to work. As long as you get there on time, it's none of their effin' business! If you can't sue them, NAME AND SHAME THEM in every forum, etc.!

they can ask out of curiosity how you intend to get there

a coupple of years ago i had a job at a watersports centre and told them i'd be biking in - wasnt a problem, many of the staff including one of the managers did, some of the staff being triatholites.

this summer i got refused a job because i planned to ride from coventry to tamworth for work, the agency refused to forward my details onto them.

Special K

The agent then said "well what would you do like now if there was a flood?" the cheek!

It's silly and immature and unprofessional comments like this that help make agents to subject of a lot of vitriol. Some recruiters are excellent and in fairness to them you should name and shame the recruiters that failed you so badly in this instance. One way of looking at this is that they effectively cream off the top % of your pay off the back of contacts and reputation. If the latter is undeserved then they should be hit hard: there are already too many recruiters in the market anyway...

I don't blame you for not wanting to work for the client. If the agent telling the truth (no guarantees let's face it), then clearly the client wasn't going to be the most switched on boss anyway.

My money is on both the recruiter and the client being filthy lazy reality TV watching grossly overweight pie-munchers.