DON'T GET ME STARTED ON IKEA!

Cardiff IKEA Restaurant

Whilst working at IKEA(but in her own time)Ariel has broken her wrist and a toe. Due to this she was unable to work and she had to go to Human Resources for an interview because she had too much time off work and they told her that she should not do things in her own time that might prevent her from working( having accidents!) and she received a warning.
She was off work due to diarrhea on the 21st of this month but went back to work the next day because she was afraid that her supervisor would be angry with her.She told her supervisor she was still unwell when she signed her return to work form AND THE supervisor knew she was still unwell but allowed her to work ........ in the restaurant. Ariel was called to a meeting to discuss her absence and I went with her as her representative.
The restaurant manager asked her the same question a total of 5 times-if she felt she had been fit to work when she returned .I encouraged Ariel to have the situation clarified, I advised Ariel that the manager was intimidating her to say she felt well enough to return to work. How Ariel FELT was irrelevant, the law states that she should not have returned within 48 hours of the symptoms. In the interview, Ariel who is 17 was bullied by the front of house manager in the meeting and the front of house manager said that I could only ask for clarity and an adjournment, I was not allowed to discuss the bullying behaviour. When I tried to discuss it the front of house manager told me it was not my place to give her feedback on her behaviour so I advised Ariel to ask for clarity on the intimidating behaviour and she said that she understood what was happening.
Ariel confirmed that there was a culture of intimidation and bullying in IKEA Cardiff restaurant to make people return to work before they were ready, that was why she returned the next day even though she still felt unwell. Others have told her it is better to come to work ill and be sent home.This last Monday when Ariel returned to work after a 3 day Duke of Edinburgh Award Scheme Expedition she was told off by the supervisor and intimidated by the supervisor about her absence even though IKEA knew about her involvement in Army Cadets and the Duke of Edinburgh Award Scheme when she first started in the job.

Who remembers this report?

LINK

Ikea's filthy kitchens of shame

Nov 1 2006

Katie Jones, South Wales Echo

Customers at Cardiff's Ikea restaurant were served food on filthy plates from an 'unacceptably' dirty kitchen. That was the conclusion of a damning inspection report at the flagship store. Internal safety inspectors also found soap was missing for staff to wash their hands. And chicken which was past its use-by date was being served. Ikea says all the findings have now been addressed but customers are shocked. Regular user Darryl Beaver, 46, of Barry, said: 'It's disgusting.'

So IKEA Restaurant Cardiff WANTS their restaurant workers to work, even one day after having diarrhea, and their absence for diarrhea is investigated EVEN when the supervisor and the front of restaurant manager knows the employee has had diarrhea.

Will I ever feel safe eating in IKEA again?