Platform Assistant Shift times

[pt_mad]

Does anyone know the typical finish time for dispatchers?

 

[Lrd]

All depends on the company and specific location. Some stations only have station staff on till about 10pm whilst others have staff all night on night shifts.

If you could tell us the company and station then someone is bound to know.

Also, did it not tell you the shift pattern on the job description when you applied?

 

[RJ]

Hi

I have applied for a job as a platform assistant at a station in the west mids. Does anyone know what time platform assistants usually work until at night and whether they will still be walking the platforms at 11.15pm for example?


I drove over to a couple of local stations last week and although the ticket offices were closed, one still had the booking hall open with a guy at the information kiosk. The same chap seemed to be despatching the occasional train and the rest were self despatch. He seemed to be the only guy at the station.

I am a bit worried that if I ever got the job I would be on my own at night until 23.45 with no backup or security etc. seemed that is what the guy at the station I went to was doing.


Does anyone know the usual finish time for platform assistants and what the deal is with being there alone at night etc.?



The other local station I had a look at also closes the ticket office early. Staffing times are listed as part time but there were two staff walking around even at 11pm.

Contrary to common opinion, not every station in the UK, or in the West Mids have identical staffing arrangements. Why not ask the staff at the station for a blank copy of their roster? That's what I did after I passed the interview for a ticket office job.

 

[Cherry_Picker]

If you said which station it was then you might be able to get a very specific answer.
As a rule of thumb dispatchers will be there from first train until last (though this is not always true, lots of stations are served by trains which self dispatch) but you will almost certainly be there at hours when the ticket office is closed.
Check the timetable for the station you have applied for and see when the first and last trains are, or if the station is local to you then go down and have a chat with the lads who are on duty.

 

[pt_mad]

Cheers guys.

 

[RJ]

Strike up a friendly conversation with the staff, tell them you've got the job (maybe name drop the person who interviewed you to stave off suspicion) then see if you can get them to offer you a copy of the roster.

 

[pt_mad]

Strike up a friendly conversation with the staff, tell them you've got the job (maybe name drop the person who interviewed you to stave off suspicion) then see if you can get them to offer you a copy of the roster.

Maybe someone who's already in the job knows.

 

[Cherry_Picker]

Why not just tell them you have applied for a job there and are interested in having a look at the day to day running of the place?

 

[RJ]

Don't think that'd work lol. I'm not hard to identify.


I was wondering whether someone who's already in the job somewhere or who knows a lot about this role can give me some guidance on whether despatchers usually work alone outside at night.

And by alone I mean the only one at the station.

What are TOC's attitudes towards this and are you quite often expected to walk the platforms of the smaller stations until closing (23.45) and be the only one there?



Also what is the procedure if trouble kicks off?

Like I said, it's exactly what I did at the ticket I office I got the job in and they were fine with it.

Let's face it, it's a better idea than persisting on asking on a forum which the employees at that station probably don't read. Also, if you're scared of working alone then perhaps it isn't the job for you at all.

 

[pt_mad]

Spose it doesn't matter matter how scared you are or aren't.

 

[Cherry_Picker]

Stations have been open at that hour for 150 years with no problems though. If you really dont want to be on your own late at night then perhaps RJ has a point, this might not be the job for you.

 

[Mojo]

well who wouldn't be scared if you were alone on the platforms at gone 11pm and no other staff were at the station. If something kicked off with a group of lads what is one person going to do?

Not get involved and move to a place of safety (if you are not in one already). Companies will already have risk-assessed this as part of their considerations for the safety of lone workers.

The petrol stations lock their shops at 9 or 10pm and you have to pay at a bulletproof booth nevermind one staff member walking on platforms of an otherwise unstaffed station.

Every petrol station? I don't doubt some do; I've seen plenty but have never used one myself with the 'night window' in operation.

Doesn't matter how scared you are or aren't. If you are on your own in the station on the platform and anything remotly troublesome happens you are at risk - fact. just because you aren't scared doesn't mean you're any safer than a 4ft 6 lady manning the station alone.
Even a huge bouncer couldn't fight a knife.

So what's the number of staff present at any one time got to do with things? Believe it or not, but people don't just randomly attack people working for railway companies with knives. It does happen, and people in certain roles such as Revenue are possibly more likely to become victims. But it could happen at any time, day or night.

 

[NI 271]

well who wouldn't be scared if you were alone on the platforms at gone 11pm and no other staff were at the station. If something kicked off with a group of lads what is one person going to do?

The petrol stations lock their shops at 9 or 10pm and you have to pay at a bulletproof booth nevermind one staff member walking on platforms of an otherwise unstaffed station.


Doesn't matter how scared you are or aren't. If you are on your own in the station on the platform and anything remotly troublesome happens you are at risk - fact. just because you aren't scared doesn't mean you're any safer than a 4ft 6 lady manning the station alone.
Even a huge bouncer couldn't fight a knife.



It's not a security guard job and the job spec did not mention anything about working on your own in the station outside late at night. It's something I have observed over the last week at said station just by being there.

I've done co-ordinating for rail replacement coaches in the past, and I can assure you it's a whole lot worse trying to explain to 200 drunken numpties that they are going to have to catch a bus (and then trying to round up all the passengers for each one, nigh-on impossible when they're off buying pizzas or kebabs), and that no, they cannot take their food on it no matter what, on Station Approach at Manchester Piccadilly at half two on a Sunday morning than dealing with one or two stragglers as a matter of course.

If I was in your position, and the alarm bells were sounding like that, I'm not sure I'd think I was cut out for it. You're not being asked to fight them, merely control them, most people, even when drunk, will follow directions from an authority figure who treats them with respect. If you get idiots who are determined to cause trouble, you put yourself in a position of safety and dial 999. The police are normally pretty quick to respond, I find.

 

[Beveridges]

I think the OP is worrying over the top about this, when working on platforms you don't put yourself in danger as soon as someone becomes a risk then retreat to a private office and call the Police. Due to the fact that fighting with passengers will normally lead to dismissal, you cannot defend yourself anyway so your left with no choice but to retreat. I used to work on platforms and the shift times were rubbish and trying to tell drunken numpties where to go is very unpleasant and s**t but normally you only get it much on Saturday nights and normally they are just annoying rather than threatening. Very rare to get a threatening type and if you do then retreat and get the police. I had it myself only once and the police responded very well, kicked the undesirables off the station at midnight and gave them a massive fine.

 

[pt_mad]

Some good points made.

 

[SPADTrap]

I really don't think that being curious about your working hours when applying for a job is something to hide...just ask! It's important clearly. Bit silly if you ask me. im sure they expect this kind of question.

 

[387star]

I work 23:00-06:00 aha

 

[Beveridges]

But say for example you are alone on the platforms at the station at 11.10pm. Nobody else on site. There's a small group of individuals waiting for a train either drinking and/or smoking. so your job is to go over and to get them to stop. It is probably mandatory that you do this and you cannot ignore it (when the rest of the time in life you would).

I used to work on Platforms. I never NOT EVEN ONCE told people to stop smoking or drinking. I ignored it every time because I just knew that it was asking for trouble. You just have to make the job easy for yourself. As long as you do the essential parts of the job - despatching trains - and answering customer enquiries (as long as they aren't rude or confrontational) thats all thats needed to avoid trouble with the managers for not doing the job right.