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

[SantanaBinLorry]

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?

Different how?

The only difference is the amount of money involved.

OP is saying that she knows the company act inappropriately and there’s a safety risk to customers, but she won’t do anything about it because she’s on a low wage and needs it. Fair enough, her choice. Her price.

But if she didn’t rely on that income, would people feel differently? If she was a student working in Spar part-time solely for spending money, would we hold them to a high moral standard than the OP?

The OP is on a very difficult situation, there’s no doubt about it, but there’s plenty she can do here. She’s just choosing not to, because it may impact her financially.

Absolutely, she’s entitled to come on here and rant about what goes on at her work but the truth is, by doing nothing, she’s part of the problem.

Op, where are you based? My company has jobs going in the 100's right now for the right people.

Leicester/Nottingham based mix of WFH and Office.

Oh god I worked at one for a while and was bullied by a supervisor. The owner cared about nothing but profit. Awful place to work.

Honestly a disgustingly high proportion of food businesses are like this.

I don't know at all why people are expecting businesses to be properly covid secure. Most staff have very little training and are on minimum wage. Managers and owners care primarily about profits. It is unlikely that covid will be traced back to a particular restaurant or supermarket. So why would they care?

Capitalism is not going to step up and protect us.

Thanks @MrsRogerLima, wrong area though.

@VodselForDinner by doing nothing, she’s part of the problem Believe me, I know. And it fucking sucks. We just cant survive any longer on one wage. I've never been in this postion before, I've never worked for a big company who treat thier staff so badly. It's a real eye opener for me.
I absolutly do not falsify records and I throw away any food i have doubts about and have told staff on my shift to do the same. I get so much grief for the amount of waste I create on my shifts, but I photograph labels to back up why food has been thrown. I then get into trouble for having my phone in the kitchen and the waste issue continues. It's bullshit i've just never encountered before.

I've spent 6months looking for work, I'd been applying for jobs even before lockdown. Two roles I'd interviewed for have just plain disapeared. I'm only in this retail based job because of reasons in my O.P. Other min wage/similar cafe/supermarket roles have all been zero hours/be available 7 days a week, I dont know how we would make that workable with my partners set night shifts. I dont drive and tbh I'd struggle pysically doing warehouse/shelf stacking for any length of time. I'm only just about managing this job, I have artheritis that is gradually, as expected getting worse.

Yer, I meant EHO... I'm getting my spanish/english acronyms mixed up.

@VodselForDinner

Morals and ethics dont keep a roof over my head or food in dd stomach

Everyone has their own line in the sand on moral issues.

Personally, no amount of money would mean I knowingly put myself in a situation where the next person who buys a sandwich from me may get seriously ill for reasons I know about.

The OP has options. She can anonymously tip off Environmental Health and they will investigate. But she won’t do that because it’ll likely have a financial impact on her.

She mentions record books documenting food temperatures are being purposely falsified but doesn’t say if she’s also writing in these books but, if she is, it’s for her own financial gain.

I get that she’s in a tough position financially but at what what level of income do we expect someone to say “it pays my bills but I can’t let this practice continue“?. If she was on £100k would we hold her to a higher moral court?

When it comes to eating and needing a roof over my head, very little is off the table. I've been homeless, I know what people can be pushed to. I'd say someone on 100k would have money aside to see them through a loss of work but also more highly skilled and able to find more work. Someone like me who is casual in retail, who's job isn't enough to save on or secure in any way, even week to week hours change, the jobs are hard to come by as it is, I'd never be shocked or judge someone who put themselves and their family first.
Also a manager of a site isn't running the company so sometimes, not even they have power. No way is my manager on 100k either.