Supermarkets employing more people but not giving out hours.

[Lilmaubetden]

My son got a job working at a small supermarket. It’s a big chain, but of smaller stores.

During the interview he was promised 24 hours! But when he got the contract, he was given 8 hours a week. But they assured him that there would be more.

There hasn’t been more. In fact, there’s been less. They change his hours the night before without telling him, e.g. on the Monday afternoon he left work after doing 4 hours and was next due in on Thursday for his next 4 hours…but sometime that evening they swapped his shift to the following morning 6-10am. They did not tell him.

They rang him the next morning to ask where he was and then told him that he’d be put down as unauthorised absence for his second shift. Luckily he had screen shot his rota, so they put him down as authorised instead.

They won’t give him any additional hours. They say they haven’t got them. Yet they keep employing more people? Why?

AIBU thinking that this is a disgusting way to treat your staff. DS is 19 and desperately trying to save for uni.

It really is. I’m feeling very sad about it, as DS is so worried about money and uni and can’t find anything else at the moment, though he is looking.

No, wasn’t sure if I could name them, but it’s Iceland.

And yet you get middle class people with no idea moaning on about how people need to save for their old age because state pension isnt sustainable. How on earth is that doable in jobs like this.

I assume he's saving for September? He needs to ask some of the other employees when peak season started in previous years. If they say 'in the summer holidays', it might be okay for him to hang on and persist, but if they say 'in the run up to Christmas', he should interview elsewhere.

Peak sales month for supermarkets is December and Christmas temps are normally hired end of November /early December depending on how long they need the help.

Ridiculous!

@JenniferBooth When my DS worked in retail with a minimal hours contract, you could put in a request NOT to work a certain day/shift if you had an appointment. So if DS had a dental appointment, he just requested not to be allocated hours at that time before the rota was done and they obliged.

My DS is in a similar position and currently has 6 jobs. Some are zero hour contracts and two are 6 hour contracts. He manages to cobble together enough hours but it shouldn’t need to be this complicated.

Thats great but OPs son wouldnt/shouldnt have needed to do that IF he had had an appointment because he was not supossed to have been working that Tuesday morning.

@LiLilmaubetden Is there any warehouse work available? My DS did that in Uni holidays. They use a lot of agency staff which is expensive for them so prefer to take on people even if only for a few months. DS worked 5 days a week 9am - 7pm. It was in a cold store, boring as hell but was fixed hours so he could earn enough in the Summer so he didn't have to work during term time.

He is looking for anything. I will mention warehouse to him, but he may already have applied as he’s applying for hundreds. I will keep my fingers crossed for something soon.

Back in the Stone Age, I worked for one of the big supermarkets for a bit. The managers were not exactly cream of the crop (no shade, clearly neither was i), and some of them were genuinely thick but thought they were God's gift to retail.

25 years on, nothing has changed and supermarkets are still being run by absolute imbeciles. If I were you, OP, I'd tell your lad to apply to Maccies.

@JenniferBooth That's not how it works sadly. They seem to expect you to be available to work on any day at any time and that is reflected in the contract wording. In his last retail job, DS mostly had the same days off but it did change on some weeks. Likewise his start time was 6pm but this could alter to 5pm or even 4pm depending on the business needs. They were pretty good though if you requested a specific shift off though - but that will depend on the manager.

I call this being on call without being paid to be

I used to work for a supermarket. As did both DC before they went to uni. They definitely used to take advantage of the youngsters.

I remember one Christmas DS was asked to fill in an availability sheet for when he'd be available to work over the festive period. We had plans on Boxing Day so he said he want available that day. So of course what shift did they give him? All day on Boxing Day.

I'm pretty certain his useless manager took a punt on him not being able to speak up for himself and would just do it. He refused to do it, saying what was the point of filling in an availability sheet of they were just going to ignore it?

It's the opposite situation to your DS OP, but supermarkets do seem to exploit younger staff members and bank on them not kicking up a fuss. Many supermarket middle managers are paid on results so they will take advantage of people to achieve their targets too.

That's why supermarkets employ the majority of their workers on pt contracts keeps ni contributions to the minimum and they will fuck about with Hours.

It's absolutely ALL about keeping employer NI and tax at a nil rate., it's scummy.

1 employee on 40 hrs they have to pay full rate. 4 employees on 10rs is Nothing or v small amount each.

Shouldn't be permitted.

It sounds like a crap manager. DD 18 has occasionally had this with a different manager on at McDonald’s - usually her manager is very good. Another thing that sometimes happens is she goes for a shift and they send them home early losing pay. On a positive he’s learning vital skills like screen shots and arguing his case. I’d tell him to look elsewhere.

Only knew someone who worked for Iceland about 10 years ago. Then they only did contracts for 7 hours a week. Anything over that is overtime.

Problem is if employees book time off or on the sick, they only get 7 hours pay.

It's the same at the supermarket I work at. They hire people on 16 hour contracts but expect them to be available for 40 hours a week as and when. Interesting point about the NI contributions! I've been trying to figure out what the benefit was. At our place everyone is actually quite happy just doing their 16 hours, so when shifts do become available no one wants them and the managers complain that they can't get cover 😂

Never, ever trust a retail (or any, really) manager who tells you "well you'll be contracted for X, but I promise you'll always be able to do at least Y hours every week".

They are liars, who are aware that they're manipulating people into shit jobs.

They're the same ones who'll turn around and harangue staff who don't take on every bit of overtime going, because they have this weird thing called "a life outside the shop".

I'm on apart time contract.
I'm constantly reminded I'm only contracted for X amount of hours.
When they're short staffed and begging for cover, I remind them I'm only contracted for X hours.
Ours runs permanently short of staff to save money, frequently at a dangerously low number.
I thought working for one of the major supermarkets would be a better branch of retail.
Nope. Still money grabbing, couldn't give a shit about staff or working conditions, arseholes.

Our son had problems at McDonalds while he was at college, sometimes he’d go in and find that his shift had been cancelled and he hadn’t been notified, other times he’d be called to ask why he hadn’t shown up for a shift when his rota stated he was off. Rotas were changed and pinned on the staff room notice board when he wasn’t in work and he’d therefore be unaware of any changes made before his next shift as the online rota wouldn’t be changed.

Unfortunately he was on a zero hours contract and went from June until September with barely any shifts because employees who’d been away at uni returned home for the Summer and were given the majority of the hours.

Our other son worked at another McDonalds and had a totally different experience, he worked there p/t through sixth form and uni and actually took a year out after finishing uni to work there full time before training to be a teacher. He often said that the one his brother had worked at had an awful reputation for how staff were treated.

He left after the Summer of few shifts and little pay and got a job at Tesco and was treated well. He was contracted to work 16 hours around his college course and usually did extra, although his college hours were always respected. He really enjoyed working there.

And customers moan that you need more staff!

Expecting someone to be available, Being on call without paying them to be on call.

There is a word for someone who thinks they practically own somebody else and its not a very nice one.