Who’s good at drawing up staff rotas to give 10 shop staff 1 weekend a month off?

[LuckySeventhWave]

My new place of employment has 10 staff including two managers.
Managers both contracted to work one weekend day every week, which they alternate between them.

I have worked one weekend day every week since I started, and am now down for two-day weekends.

My job was advertised as a 6 hour contract. I have worked up to 20 hours a week so far. It didn’t clarify at interview I’m required to work every weekend, and when queried, was told it’s compulsory ‘because everyone in retail works weekends’.

The shop is open 7 days a week:
Mon-Sat 9-8pm
Sun 11-5pm

Staff all work various hours, no set shifts or days. Most are aged between 18-25; a student, a work experience, one staff who takes regular sabbaticals, and myself, the oldest by far.

Can anyone see a way I can present a rota to the manager, where all 10 staff can have at least 1 whole weekend off a month each? Managers in this company known for being poor at drawing up fair staff rotas.

It would be fairer for everyone not to have to work every weekend, and especially me where I’m now being assigned two-day weekends and no other staff is.
The sabbatical staff is the only one doing 40+ hours presumably to pay for their jollies, before returning to the job. All the remaining hours are dished out between the rest of us. Some work 3 hours a day, some 6.5, some 8, some 2...

I’m the only staff with young children at home, everyone else is single/no children.
I’ve been given evening and weekend shifts only. It’s impacting a little at home because it means my husband has to finish his work early to get home in order for me to get to work.

I fully expect to be given Christmas Eve, Boxing Day, NYE and NYD shifts as they all fall on the exact same days of the week I’ve been working shifts on so far!...

I’m in my 3 month probation period, and no doubt my hours will reduce to 6 a week after busy Christmas is over, and probably a weekend day too, so is it even worth rocking the boat now?

There must surely be a way of doing the rota better so we all get fairer hours? Everyone is contracted on this minimum hours by the way, I don’t know exactly each staff, but the few I have spoken to are on 6 or 8 hours like me, and the company is notorious for not employing full time staff, so it’s likely .

I’ve never worked in retail before, so this is all new to me.

AIBU to present a fairer rota to the manager? I haven’t actually figured out how to draw that up yet mind you!

I’m grateful for this job, and happy to work as many hours as will fit around school runs (which the manager has accommodated actually, but that was in week 1 of employment and coincided with a staff holiday booked off so I must have been covering their daytime shifts anyway, I haven’t been given any weekday shifts since).

I’ve since learnt retail is not great for weekend or school friendly hours, so despite absolutely loving this job, I’m going to have to job hunt unless I can figure out a better rota.

I’m at you saying you don’t want managerial responsibilities then asking for help on how to perform a managerial task (for non managerial pay!) they’re going to love you OP. If you don’t want to be a manager- stop trying to do the manager’s job!

Not a m&s is it used to work for them, management was awful, rotas were unfair and all the staff were young and on part time contracts but expected to work full time weeks without any of the benefits

Easy-peasy.

Do it 4-weekly instead of by calendar month. There are 8 staff members, so two off each week. Everybody gets a weekend off every 4th week.

If you only need 3 in the shop each day (one of which is a manager) then I don’t see how everyone isn’t already having at least 1 weekend off a month. 2 in the shop on Saturday and 2 in on Sunday mean 4 others aren’t working that weekend. Unless they’re doing stupid 4 hour shifts each on the Saturday to avoid having to pay lunch breaks?

@IWorkatthecheesecakefactory

Yes, they do 5 hour shifts so they don’t have to pay tea breaks (6 hours and a tea break by law they say) so I’d agree with your point!

It wasn’t advertised as temp seasonal. It was permanent. The probation period just happens to run out after Christmas (I started early October).

It’s only a thought, as manager has expressed hating doing the rota. She’s only 3 months in from promotion straight from shopfloor. I just thought it might work out fairer for everyone, but I’ll have a quick analysis of rotas later tonight when I get back from work and see if I’m just being singled out for all the ‘rubbish’ evening and weekend shifts and everyone else isn’t, which might be the case being the noob.

To keep adding, I blardy love this job it’s right up my street in terms of what they sell, we’re not talking food or fashion by the way. I’d like to figure out a way to jig the hours around that’s all, seeing as I’ve kindof been duped being offered a 6 hour contract but it’s actually anything up to full time, or just 6, as and when they say.

Just a note OP- their fast promotion of floor staff to management is not a good sign. It means they can’t keep hold of management staff. What it most likely means is your manager wasn’t adequately trained as a manager before taking on the role (probably because someone else quit suddenly) and is often emulating a headless chicken.

Problem too if being a part time worker, as a part time worker you usually cushion the shifts the fulltime finish.
It is not easy, you've been doing it 3 months.
I somehow doubt they'll rearrange a roster for you to have a weekend off.
Retail like my job is very job is a guaranteed weekend job if your part time.
If it is an consolation I've been doing those hours for 7 years.
We have fun day Thursday after school to make up for the weekend.

Btw it’s absolutely standard in retail to work more than your contract hours. Your 6 hour contract is a minimum they have to employ you every week. As long as they are giving you at least 6 hour shifts they are covering their obligations. They’re not doing anything wrong by rostering you on for more than 6 hours as it will be to meet the needs of the business. If you don’t want/can’t do more than 6 then speak up and say. You’re allowed to do that.

Retail is shit I've worked in it for many years and never want to go back ever to working in retail do not tell management how to work Rota out that won't go down well and your likely to end up out of work specially as your still in probation period.
Sadly you can't say I'm working 6 hours and that's it as pp have mentioned there's always a Claus in the contract to say you will be expected to work more hours to suit business needs as and when expected otherwise constant refusal to do so will also result in you losing your job as you then become a pain for management if your not willing do work the hours they need.

Retail is awful and I feel sorry for people working in retail it's getting worse now with so many companies going bust people being made redundant majority of customers being awful towards staff as well as management it's just my idea of hell

I know easier said than done op but could you look for another job or look to retrain in something that's not retail and fits around your family life better?

The 6 hour contract is more to protect them. If the shop went on fire they'd only be obligated to pay you 6 hours pay.
My job gives all new staff a 10 hour contract, they expect them to work between 20 to 24 hours weekly.
If they can't they get let go after probation.

Is there a local teen to babysit for an hour between you and DH.
It is hard. DP comes in I run out.
There are benefits too, if you think they'll reduce you to 6 hours after Christmas try stick it out.
It is a job you love, You're making extra money, I'd look for a neighbours teen to help out for a month and throw myself in.

YABVU. This is how it is in retail. You are expected to work weekends and unsociable hours.

You can refuse to do more than your 6 contracted hours, but you cannot choose when they are. So if you do say you only want to do your 6 contracted hours, they could put you down just for weekends.

as I’ve kindof been duped being offered a 6 hour contract but it’s actually anything up to full time, or just 6, as and when they say.

Don’t be so silly; you haven’t been ‘duped’ at all.

You were contracted 6 hours, they give you 6 hours. There are more hours available if you want them, but you don’t have to take them.

Of course the hours are dictated by the needs of the business. You will be scheduled to work when they need you; you don’t get to choose. You can ask, but they are within their rights to say no.

My son is on an 8 hour contract which means that he gets 8 hours minimum.

He's 18 so I wonder if there's an element of them taking the mickey but he works 40 hours during holidays.

I work in retail - it is not all like this at all.

I am part time with an independent retailer - 3 of us cover 11x 4hr shifts (mon-fri +sat am) on a fixed shift basis. Only extra hours expected are to cover for each other's time off which we do by speaking to each other. Gem of a job.

I wasn’t told at interview I’d have to work weekends

I’m a bit surprised that you’re a bit surprised at this. Surely if you work in retail, this is a given unless you specifically come to another arrangement?

Also, maybe the others are happy working weekends. When I was young and working in retail I wanted weekend shifts.

Either go with the flow, or look for something else.

You are I believe, within your rights to change your availability and specify exact days/periods which you can do but must give written notice of this and a notice period (usually a month-6 weeks I think, worth checking this on ACAS website).
However, if this new availability does not fit with the needs of the business, they are then within their rights to reduce your hours or discuss whether the job is right for you at all.

Please do not try to do a rota- they are a nightmare and skeleton Rotas or templates such as you’re describing don’t account for things like delivery shifts, managerial admin time, training, booked days off or busy periods.

It’s hard doing rotas for retail and especially at this time of year. Your manager probably says to herself every time “thank god so and so has such great availability and is strong enough with customer service to get the sales in at the weekend!”

Why not suggest that one of their 'moving upwards' duties could be giving you the job of working out the rota?

They think you're taking on extra work, which they want, you get to plan the rota so that you aren't on stupid hours when you don't want to be (be fair, though), everybody gets either a weekend or one weekend day off, you get something that makes you stand out when applying for a (better) job.

To work it out is pretty simple;

Draw out a grid (or use Excel)

Column 1 - Week 1, Column 2 - Week 2, etc. If you want, you could add a column after each week to type in the hours they're doing that week.

Row 1 - Days of the week - Monday AM, Monday PM, Monday Lates, etc.

Row 2 - Manager

Row 3 - Keyholder

Row 4 - Staff 1

Row 5 - Staff 2

Row 6 - Staff 3

Row 7 - Staff 4

Then start filling it in. I tend to use different fill colours for each person on the shift they're working, as that works better for a lot of people at a glance - and I grey out days/shifts they cannot do at any time.

Having worked in retail for far too long, yep, sounds about right for some places. It should have been made clear you would be expected to work all 7 days though, and having a 6 hour contract is a cop-out. If they need full time staff, they should have that! I'm gonna take a guess and say it's a Toolstation. Sounds exactly like their policies, along with the rapid promotions.
Aside from that, being new/on probation, yep, they will give you the shit shifts. Don't make a Rota up though, but if your manager hates doing it, maybe offer to help them do it?

You can fairly easily do it. You work s1 shift, then s2, then s3 etc.
Managers swap mornings and evenings. If they want a weekend of then the other manager can cover each other.

Obviously, lots of assumptions have been made here - including a half-hour set up/till count/close down - which is possibly an unreasonable ask in retail!
Everyone has fairly balanced shifts, unless you have a weekend off when you obviously get less.
This would run for four weeks before rotating, with two people getting a weekend off each week. Everyone gets a weekend off each month. BUT you also have to wok a full weekend each month too.
No shift (except managers) longer than six hours during the week, so no paying for breaks.

The last 18 months of my 6 hour a week job i didnt work any Paid overtime (except being on the shop floor 5/10 mins earlier and closing up took about 10 minutes...all unpaid)

And i cant count the annual amounts of saturdays and sundays on one hand

But every shop is different

Next time the manager is complaining about the rota you could always volunteer to do one, she might snap the offer up

Problem is if you apply for retail at 6hours it's highly likely that basic 6 hours is at the weekend. Then anything on top is as and when they need cover or expect extra footfall.

No shift (except managers) longer than six hours during the week, so no paying for breaks.

Breaks are pretty much unpaid in retail.

But no schedule you or anyone else can come up with would be any good to the OP or her managers because nobody, not even OP, knows the arrangements the other staff members have with their bosses.

You don’t know when they can or can’t work, you don’t how much they can work, if there are extenuating circumstances etc. etc. You also don’t have a clue about the demands of the business which affect schedules too. There are way too many variables here.

Not to mention, most in retail don’t care about working weekends or not so you’re making a decision for the other staff without their say so, and just expecting that they’ll want it/like it because you do.