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.