Audi apprentice in Reading - comments from coroner - what are your thoughts?

Hi Clare,

I'm not going to delve into the details on this one as Keith and David have (as ever!) covered it all, but I feel the need to write a post as my family have been heavily involved in the motor trade for decades upon decades now.

(Before I start typing, I don't mean for any of my opinions here to infer that I agree with the way this young man was allegedly treated)

Whether we think it is *right* or not, different industries have different cultures and behaviours. The motor trade, in particular (as David has also pointed out) has a deep rooted culture of 'banter', practical jokes, mickey taking and general horseplay. Clearly the Management teams at Sytner (the difference is relevant, let's not ignore the fact that the media pack much more punch with Audi in the headlines as opposed to the Sytner Group which the average Joe Bloggs may not have heard of) do have a responsibility to make sure things are safe, clean, and as under control as they can, but it is unfair to expect them to a) have eyes in the back of their heads and b) conform to 'corporate' cultures that we would perhaps all perceive to be normal/correct/acceptable. Some of the stories I have heard about 'the good old days' have been well and truly shocking from an HR point of view, but generally there is little offence/upset. In my personal experience, on the odd occasion where someone goes too far, they are told swiftly (and not always politely!), apologies are normally given, and everyone cracks on with their day. The article states that Mr Cheese had referred to the incidents as 'banter' - if we consider this in an office environment, if an employee was experiencing pranks/mickey taking and so on, but reported it to their LM/Parents/HR dept as 'banter', I am not sure we would be able to say that it would be treated as 'neglect'.

I think there are too many external factors (that indeed we are not fully aware of) at play, that mean it's incredibly hard to pin blame/make claims about right and wrong, and so on. Equally, I think it's important we note the differences between the two cases, including but not limited to; 'religion' being cited as the main reason for the bullying in Case 2, no reference to external factors/a series of life events/a history of depression/failure to take medication etc.

This is much more of a 'heart' post that a 'head' one if I'm totally honest with myself, but I was quite literally raised within the motor trade!

Apologies for the waffle,
Catherine

So was I, Catherine - when I was a toddler our house backyard abutted the family large garage and my mother regularly had to retrieve me from halfway up the ladders to the workshop hoists in the roof of the machine shop that was kept busy at the time reboring engine blocks and repairing cylinder heads etc.

From memory, highly inappropriate and dangerous and personally intimate activities involving such as industrial quantities of grease or compressed airline guns were traditional initiation rites for new apprentices. Virtually all the management had once been apprentices and had usually been subjected to similar things when young, so it wasn't at the time regarded as too big a problem so long as it wasn't too physically dangerous.

So was I, Catherine - when I was a toddler our house backyard abutted the family large garage and my mother regularly had to retrieve me from halfway up the ladders to the workshop hoists in the roof of the machine shop that was kept busy at the time reboring engine blocks and repairing cylinder heads etc.

From memory, highly inappropriate and dangerous and personally intimate activities involving such as industrial quantities of grease or compressed airline guns were traditional initiation rites for new apprentices. Virtually all the management had once been apprentices and had usually been subjected to similar things when young, so it wasn't at the time regarded as too big a problem so long as it wasn't too physically dangerous.

David your post has made my afternoon, your memories are entirely correct and things haven't changed (I'm not sure whether that is a good thing or not). I don't want to add fuel to any fire about how 'terrible' the industry is but my Mother and Father actually met in the trade when my Father was training as a paint sprayer and my Mother was a delivery driver for the paint manufacturers... I'm told that as apprentices they were dunked into the sewage tank by their ankles amongst all manner of other goings on. Personally I am subjected to all sorts on a daily basis (and have been for the majority of my life) - bearing in mind I don't even work for the family business! The compressed airline guns seem to be a firm favourite amongst the teams, as well as pressure washers, spray guns, and of course the classic 'lock him in the pit'.

As I said, in my experience, people are extremely clear when they are unhappy/things have gone too far but grudges aren't held. I worked in the Power industry in one of my very first HR roles and garage antics are tame in comparison to what goes on there, but that's a tale for another day...

I feel I should add a small disclaimer that I do, of course, make my family members and their close business contacts aware of HR principles, practices and procedures!!