Want to leave work due to change of hours

[Klonc]

I worked for Sainsburys for 17 years now. Firstly as a customer service assistant and past two years, shop floor and code checking. I help out on tills to cover breaks etc.

My store is small - not a Local. We do code checks as soon as delivery has finished. Usually around 10am. I do 7am-3pm four days a week

Now head office want us to start code checking at 3pm. I am refusing to change my hours as I fought for 10 years to get back to early shifts. Plus it’s not going to work. My store has a large elderly population and when it’s dark outside they don’t go in and it’s quiet in general. This model that Sainsburys suggesting will make us lose money and create more waste!

I want to leave Sainsburys as there’s no way I am being forced to work later shifts. None of the code checkers at my store are happy about this as they have commitments, look after elderly parents and one can’t get home on bus as last bus is 7:30pm and expect us to work til 8:30pm.

It’s part of the One Great Way thing that Sainsburys are implementing. More like One Great Way to make staff leave

So are they now asking you to work 3pm-11pm instead?

No. Think it’s 3-9 or 8:30pm.

Also want us to cut hours by 6-8 hours a week for those working more than X (can’t remember what was the figure) and 2-4 for those working below that.

Each store has different customer bases. Tarring all stores with the same brush ain’t going to work

Early to middle shift seems a significant change to me.

Does your contract specify hours or it just number of hours per week or month? You probably need advice from someone better versed in employment law than I am. My guess nothing more is that your hours if they have been the same for several years are an implied term of employment.

However, get proper advice about this.

Do you have to swap shifts, surely someone needs to be in the store during the day?

I am surprised about that - I work for Sainsburys too and can't imagine them trying to implement that in our store. I would be horrified, as a parent. I couldn't be at work from the end of school until 11pm! I do one night 6-10 and that's all.

How many days do you do? If it's a lot, I would try to appeal this as it is certainly an unreasonable request. In our store code checking is a late afternoon, evening job and always has been, but usually they would hire a new person rather than try to force everyone else to change their hours. Or pass on code checking to whoever does work those hours.

Not unreasonable at all to want to leave a job that doesn't suit you anymore, or in fact for any reason, is someone making you think you shouldn't want to leave?

I would be horrified, as a parent. I couldn't be at work from the end of school until 11pm! I do one night 6-10 and that's all.

Quite. There will be a lot of people who can work days, but not evenings, I would imagine.

I think (but am not an expert) that a business can insist you change hours if it is for the needs of the business, but they cannot get someone else to work the hours you are already doing as that's not reasonable. I think they might need to offer redundancy if they cannot offer a reasonable change. My contract is not flexible - it doesn't say I have to be available for whenever they need me. It states days and times of the week.

We do our code checking same time as you and are changing it to 5pm in a few weeks but they are not changing anyones hours the people who work later will be doing it and the person who does the code checking will just be working on the shop floor.

I’m a morning person, always have been as a child. Working til 8:30pm and 9:30pm was a killer for me.

I don’t think Sainsburys have put much thought into this. When it gets dark at 6pm, we get fewer customers coming in at this time compared to Spring and Summer. From my experience there are more final reductions to do Oct-Feb. This means less money for the store and more waste. The store manager has only been in the store for just under 4 months and he doesn’t have our experience of what happens in the store.

My store has a different customer base than the massive store a mile and a half from the motorway as people coming off motorway to go home pop into the store for shopping.

Good point!

My apologies but what is code checking please?

I think it's scanning fresh produce to see if it needs to be reduced because it's going out of date.

This is also my job. We've changed from 12.00-20.00hrs to 14.00-2200hrs. With code checking starting at 17.00hrs. It's a struggle to get it all done before the Olio rep gets in. Our store is empty from about 19.30 onwards......one size does not fit all.

Surely the sooner code checking happens the more chance they have of shifting reduced stock rather than it not being displayed til later on in day and then being given away?

That's why it is done earlier normally then they are reduced further later in the day to sell the last lot of items to go out of date. There will just be more wastage now.

Can you speak to your union? My niece works for Sainsburys and has had a nightmare with them over the last year, her union has been great at supporting her.

Some of the things some of their managers try to do/say to vulnerable staff is shocking. Their training must be very poor. One tried to discipline her for 3 absences, one being her maternity leave 🙈 and that is just the tip of the streaming pile of shit she's had to deal with with them, I can't say more as very outing.

They won't change the code control processes for 1 shop so if you want to continue in your role as code checker then you will need to change your hours. However if you want to keep the same hours but happy to change your role you may well be able to do that. They can force you to change hours or offer a redundancy package.

We had a similar thing where I work & hours were 'matched' against a matrix. Most people were asked to either move to 1 evening a week or reduce their contract if they were unwilling/unable to work later. There was a lot of negotiation & peoples disabilities, child care etc were given consideration. I'm not able to do evenings but agreed to weekends instead.

Retail especially supermarket trade has changed hugely and you will prob find it's difficult to find a weekday 7-3 contract elsewhere so you are prob better off negotiating.

Can't you work
The same hours? And not do code checking? Presumably store is still open

My store manager is horrible. His bullying behaviour has made 7 staff leave in 3 months! This is a store with about 67 members of staff. He had a similar track record with his previous store too. This doesn’t look good. I’m thinking I’m going to be number 8. He said to a colleague who returned from work after breaking his leg in two places 8 months prior that he would only paid him for the first month! He can’t do that!

The problem with two of the code checkers is that they aren’t very computer savvy. They will struggle to get employment outside retail. I’m probably the most employable out of the five as I have a car, willing to work weekends but refuse to do stupid late nights.

The few colleagues who were in today were disgusted by the treatment and fully agree that it’s not going to work.

Ok code checking is reducing stuff which is on the date. Things like bacon, yoghurts, cakes (Mr Kipling, Jaffa Cake bars), juices, eggs, cheese and cooked/cured meats are done twice weekly.

Would they move you to a different role like checkout instead?

Or are there plenty of other retail jobs in your area? You might be better off leaving to go somewhere where they treat their staff better. You have lots of retail experience so in with a good chance of getting something else.

How can he say that? He doesn't dictate pay and can't go against Sainsbury's policy/

I think you need to appeal against this. I'm sure there is a process. Through HR?

Could you move to another store and look at inside move.