Talk

Flip

1 2 3

AIBU?

to wish I could shop my employer... but I really need this job :(

56 replies

SantanaBinLorry · 18/09/2020 17:31

Sorry in advance if this is long and ranty.
I'll include a bit of background as to why I'm stuck in this stupid fucking job. We moved back to the U.K from Spain in may last year. My main concern was to provide some stability for a few years for the kids to settle back here and there new schools etc. I usually do freelance work that take me away from home a fair bit.
I took a job that was ridiculously close to our new house. Less pay than I'm used to and I'm overskilled for. But, it was a 40 hour contracted role, zero commute and uniform provided, 20% staff dicount and my latest finish was 3pm. We weighed it up it was worth taking the pay drop/role for the super convenience of it all. It SHOULD have been a piece of piss job and I was prepared to just crack on and keep my head down for 12-18 months then start looking again for freelance work/set up business.

Well, I have never experience quite like it! I supervise the hot food department of a well known convenience store. Within two weeks of me starting the manager left and the other supervisor was on maternity - she never returned. I think it was expected I would take up the lack of managers slack, I was'nt gonna do that and avoided anything 'managery' supervised my shifts and went home ;) The kitchen is consistently run about 30-40 person hours short each week. Most staff have not had proper food hygiene training, just a company handbook. Some of the practices are shocking - a few examples are defrosting and re-freezing food, raw and non raw food mixed in work areas, lables changed to show longer dates on products, holding temperatures of food being guessed and filled in the records book, some rally dodgy cleaning procedures... this list goes on. I managed to sort some of these things out, basically telling the main store manager (who gives zero shits about the kitchen side of the business except sales - ) that I would'nt cover up these thing and at that point if they were inspected they would not be 5 hygiene rating they were granted last visit, but probably about a 2 or 3. He shit himself about that and put a stop to some things, but not all and defo not enough.
Roll on to March and lockdown... I'm classed as a key worker but we're not offered a place at school for the kids and I take unpaid leave to stay home. When the furlough scheme changed (May?) to include people with caring resposabilities I contacted my manager and HR who both told me the company were not furloughing people for childcare reasons only if the have to shield or isolate! So I've had 6 months unpaid leave.
If I could have quit I would have done... any other time I'd have picked up some kind of work somewhere but my actually industry has pretty much folded :(

I started back at work on Sunday...
Jesus christ, Its gotten worse. Theres the same same issue with hours to add to that, all the part time staff who have worked extra over the last 6 months have all had thier hours cut to accomodate my 40 hours. The only Covid safe messures they have put in place is staff are to wear a mask or visor in communal areas. There is no extra cleaning being done on high touch area - tbh there had never been any cleaning of the staff communal areas anyway. The 'canteen' is 8ft by 8ft its impossible for more than two people to be in there at any one time. Its impossible to social distance anywhere out the back of the store. I'm not even sure where shop staff are washing there hands... the bathroon sink never has soap of paper towels. I've also never known it to be cleaned, I think someone might give it a wipe over once a week. The only staff toilet is fucking disgusting and is also the store cupoard for cleaning products (and sometime stock for the shop floor!) I actually go home on my breaks against company policy... I'd told my manager that the company were breaking the law by not having adequate toilets and break area and he never questioned me about going home again! Chicken shit.
This week a notice has been put up to say that the whole store's staff budget need to be cut and they are asking people to volunteer to take a cut from there contracted hours, and if people didnt volunteer that managment would cut hours where they saw fit.
Its just bullshit, an awful awful way to treat your staff. There is no way on this earth that store has not made a fucking mint over this pandemic. First week of lockdown my department took £14,000.

I wish I could do some kind of undercover documentary... My partner actually cant believe the tales I come home with.
I wish I could shop them to the HEO, I wish I could shop them to whoever is regulating companies to make their workplaces covid safe.
But it would be SO obvious it would have been me I really really need this shitty fucking job.

Im not even sure what my AIBU is... AIBU to think my employers are cunts?

OP posts:

Report

Am I being unreasonable?

169 votes. Final results.

POLL

You are being unreasonable

11%

You are NOT being unreasonable

89%

Takingontheworld · 18/09/2020 17:35

Shop them anonymously. They'll get shut down. Breifly,they'll raise standarda in order to reopen and you'll still have a job,no?