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AIBU?

Share your dilemmas and get honest opinions from other Mumsnetters.

Original poster

Retail night shift, sending people home. Second workplace same issue.

96 replies

2here1coming · 17/04/2021 22:24

My partner has worked in retail for the past 5 years, specifically night shifts as they bring in a premium rate.

Over the past month he has been getting sent home on occasion as soon as he gets there, along with others, as he's told there are surplus staff in and not enough work to do. It's a HUGE supermarket so there should be plenty to do. He has a permanent contract and assures me that on these occasions he will be paid holiday pay. I don't know whether he's just saying that to put my mind at rest though.

Similar happened at his last place of work, also retail, until eventually they wanted to stop the night shift completely.

Why does this keep happening and does it sound like they're gearing up to let staff go?

It's a worry as we have children with one on the way and new jobs are hard to come by right now.

OP posts:
Original poster
2here1coming · 17/04/2021 22:30

He has just told me that the management is "dropping staffs hours"

So where do we stand? Sad

OP posts:
KatherineJaneway · 17/04/2021 22:33

What is the basis of his contract?

sweeneytoddsrazor · 17/04/2021 22:35

It means they have a delivery that should take X number of hours to do, but the total number of colleague hours is higher than the delivery hours, therefore they send people home early to balance it out and stop the store overspending their wage budget

Bluebird2021 · 17/04/2021 22:36

if he's got a contract they cant force him to take holiday or not pay him!

can he switch to days?

Northofsomewhere · 17/04/2021 22:39

I currently work in a supermarket and we can be asked if we want to leave early (and not be paid) but can't be forced. We also have to receive a change in shift with 3 weeks notice but again are entitled to the number of contracted hours of work (mine is 28 contracted hours but do more).

Being asked to go home is common during certain times of year where the store is quieter and therefore less staff needed. As the rest of retailed opened up this week I imagine any supermarkets are quieter than they have been (although it has occasionally felt like Xmas for 6 months straight in terms of workload) asking for staff to go home unpaid so this in itself is not usual. Regarding the reduction in hours - each department is alloted hours (and money) depending on how busy they are. During quieter periods the number of hours available will drop so managers are pressured to reduce costs and send staff home but shouldn't be changing contracted hours unless there's a long term reduction in hours. This can be done by no replacing staff who leave or by offering people different hours on other departments, it may eventually lead to forced changes (notification of contract changes) but in my experience this is very rare.

He shouldn't be forced to go home but rather offered, are you certain he's not just going home because he doesn't fancy working rather than being forced?

sweeneytoddsrazor · 17/04/2021 22:40

Dropping staff hours sounds like they are reducing the amount of total hours they have for the night shift. This could be done by all colleagues losing a couple or a couple of colleagues losing all. I imagine they will firstly try and offer hours elsewhere within the store if possible

emilyfrost · 17/04/2021 22:41

They can’t force him to go home. They can ask if he wants to go home, unpaid of course, but if he says no there’s nothing they can do; he has a right to stay.

TheThingsWeAdmitOnMN · 17/04/2021 22:42

Does he work for Morrisons?

Friend is working there and they've just dropped all staff back to contract hours (his branch anyway & sounded like at least regionally if not all areas). They're a complete shit show, he'd been doing 10+ hours more than his contract hours for months, and loads last year, until their 'back to contract hours they do annually pre Christmas). They're working very short staffed and when someone leaves they don't replace them and remaining staff are not paid to do extra hours... two more staff told them to shove their jobs today.

He has a wife who isn't well and 3 kids to support, but he's this // close to telling them to jam it!

FeedMeLotsOfCake · 17/04/2021 22:42

I used to know someone who did premium rate work at night. Sometimes the lines were quiet, other times they were busy and earned loads. Way it goes, I think

Original poster
2here1coming · 17/04/2021 22:50

Dropping staff hours sounds like they are reducing the amount of total hours they have for the night shift

He has just confirmed this is the case yes. Apparently they have to drop 260 something hours per week, from nights.

There are 30-40 staff members in on any given night.

are you certain he's not just going home because he doesn't fancy working rather than being forced?

I can't be totally certain no, but he seems annoyed at being sent home.

What is the basis of his contract?

Permanent contract, hired to work nights, 36 hours a week.

can he switch to days?

I have been asking him this for months, he isn't receptive.

They can’t force him to go home. They can ask if he wants to go home, unpaid of course, but if he says no there’s nothing they can do; he has a right to stay.

I just put that to him and he said they can't force him to go home but tell him "go home and we will pay you holiday"

Is he having me on or what? He's adamant they can send him home and he doesn't have a choice.

OP posts:
Original poster
2here1coming · 17/04/2021 22:52

Does he work for Morrisons?

Sainsbury's, can I say that here? I'm sorry about your friend, it's so stressful isn't it. They don't give a damn about the employees or their families, nor the fact we depend on that money.

OP posts:
emilyfrost · 17/04/2021 22:52

He’s either having you on or they’re putting it to him as though he doesn’t have a choice, but he does.

If he’s being sent home, he isn’t getting paid at all.

If he’s contracted to work that night ie. it’s not an extra shift/overtime, they absolutely cannot send him home if he doesn’t want to go.

Northofsomewhere · 17/04/2021 22:55

What does he actually mean by 'pay him holiday'? If I was paid holiday I'd be paid my full contract hours for that shift, if they're trying to save money then I doubt this is the case. Does he mean he will still accrue holiday?

I think you need to ask him what the actual total consequences are for not staying for the shift. Is he still getting paid? Accruing holiday?

Original poster
2here1coming · 17/04/2021 22:56

Well he's just admitted that you're right PP and that they can't force him, he's offered the option to go home and be paid holiday and he takes it.

I'm not sure what I believe with him half the time, he never gives me the full facts upfront - just tells me he has been sent home.

Ffs.

OP posts:
pumpkintree · 17/04/2021 22:56

@2here1coming

Dropping staff hours sounds like they are reducing the amount of total hours they have for the night shift

He has just confirmed this is the case yes. Apparently they have to drop 260 something hours per week, from nights.

There are 30-40 staff members in on any given night.

are you certain he's not just going home because he doesn't fancy working rather than being forced?

I can't be totally certain no, but he seems annoyed at being sent home.

What is the basis of his contract?

Permanent contract, hired to work nights, 36 hours a week.

can he switch to days?

I have been asking him this for months, he isn't receptive.

They can’t force him to go home. They can ask if he wants to go home, unpaid of course, but if he says no there’s nothing they can do; he has a right to stay.

I just put that to him and he said they can't force him to go home but tell him "go home and we will pay you holiday"

Is he having me on or what? He's adamant they can send him home and he doesn't have a choice.

Paying holiday means when he wants time off he will have less leave left or none of it is used to go home They can send him home with pay or he should stay and do his hours and get paid. Not use holiday! Surely he can see he is using his holiday to help the store they won't help him when he needs time off!
Original poster
2here1coming · 17/04/2021 22:58

He says he's getting paid holiday pay minus the premium rate for nights.

That doesn't make sense does it.

OP posts:
Floralnomad · 17/04/2021 23:03

He could be taking holiday and getting paid but that means he will have less holiday to take when he actually wants holiday IYSWIM .

Northofsomewhere · 17/04/2021 23:05

So it sounds like they're putting in through as holiday pay (not sure if you'd usually get the premium anyway) and I'm assuming actually taking it away from his annual entitlement. They can't pay extra annual leave unless he was allowed to carry any over, anything after the entitlement is unpaid in my supermarket (Asda but have previously worked for Sainsbury's).

I can understand the feeling of not wanting to work, supermarket work can be really hard going and tiring (particularly nights) but he has a family to support. He needs to stop taking the offer to go home (not matter how tempting) and change to days when there's the opportunity. At least now you're aware, he has a choice, they can't force him and they will find him work rather than let him sit around. It might not be work he wants to do but the pay is more important.

Cloudyview · 17/04/2021 23:09

@2here1coming

He says he's getting paid holiday pay minus the premium rate for nights.

That doesn't make sense does it.

If he works permanent nights then his holiday pay should be based on his night shift rate.
sweeneytoddsrazor · 17/04/2021 23:12

Holiday pay comes out of a different pot to wages, so he could be sent home and paid as holiday for that shift same as if he had booked it as a holiday, this will just mean he has less annual leave to use.

LakieLady · 17/04/2021 23:14

I think he should join the union. He may well need them if they start cutting jobs.

ijustgiveup · 17/04/2021 23:15

They're doing this at the chain coffee shop I work at. They also made thousands redundant before Christmas and are now threatening us with a drop in wage yet are making record profits.

We're all just a number. If I was him I would start looking for another job, it's only going to get worse

Justmuddlingalong · 17/04/2021 23:18

So the night shift was over staffed and they asked for volunteers to go home? And he volunteered?

SeaTurtles92 · 17/04/2021 23:18

No it doesn't make sense because he would be paid at his night shift rate.

Do you think he could have actually lost his job already?

Original poster
2here1coming · 17/04/2021 23:30

I'll list out what I've been told (and took at face value, until now)

For the past month or so he has been telling me they are sending people home because they weren't needed or there were too many people in.

When he has come home after going to work he tells me they have told him to go home but that he'll be paid holiday pay. He makes all the right noises about how its inconvenient and that they should let people know in advance rather than waiting until they arrive then sending them home.

He deliberately lead me to believe that these people, including him, are not given a choice and it's as simple as "you have to go"

Tonight he called me 15 mins after his shift started, sighing and huffing, saying he has been 'sent home' again alongside a couple of others - one of which is really pissed off as he has to travel a long way in on the bus.

He gets home, still acting inconvenienced.

We have a chat about it and I suggest (for about the fourth time) that he moves onto days, because his last workplace actually got rid of nights eventually after the store went into overdrive about cutting hours and saving money. He doesn't want to.

I say I'm worried he might end up losing his job because it doesn't seem very reassuring that so many people are being ordered to go home on a regular basis.

I tell him I'm going to ask for advice on mumsnet and he then says that the store is having to drop 260 something hours per week from the night shift.

Only when I relay there replies to him does he admit that he isn't being ordered home and that he does have a choice. He gets a bit defensive.

I asked why he chose to come home if he had an option and he said because he would be sat around with next to nothing to do.

He then says it's because he didn't want to stay if they didn't want him there, basically because he was given the option to go he felt uncomfortable saying no because they'd clearly prefer he goes home, among others.

He has form for lying and being deliberately misleading so this isn't the first time.

OP posts: