What to say to explain I can’t do late nights

[Klonc]

In a previous thread I mentioned I work for Sainsburys and half of my time is code checking. Sainsburys want to move the times to code checking (reducing food on the date or a few days before) to after 3pm.

I refuse to do these hours which I believe that will be 2-10pm. First hour will be going round the sections and pull off anything with that day’s date, then at 3pm start reducing them! Going to refuse to work these hours as I fought for years to get early shifts and 7 months after getting them. When colleagues were leaving and they did an early shift- I asked “could I take over (name’s Monday shift)? “You are required to do the late night” was the response. I will be working even worse hours.

The store manager has never seen me doing a late night as he started in May.

Working late nights affects my mental health. Plus get a better colleague when working early shifts.

None of code checkers are happy with the new proposals.

The thing my reasons sound like excuses for my manager who has upset many colleagues with his behaviour including me. I refuse to work these stupid hours. Plus I want to leave retail.

So what genuine reasons should I give for refusing to change my hours to go with Sainsburys new code checking system?

I said this on the other thread my store are changing the code check time to 5pm instead of 11am no one is changing working hours the staff that work at 5 will be doing it and code checking staff will be on the shop floor or tills.

These are the hours required. You can either do them or leave. I work shifts and hate late shifts. I do them because it is part of the job. You are trying to make this about your mental health when it’s a preference- you just need to get a job with the hours that meet your requirements.

🙄

Yes I think "hobbies" is the wrong word to use @Klonc .
If you do decide to talk to your managers don't say "hobbies" but focus on how you find the balance between work and home difficult if you have to work the "late shift". Explain how you are more productive if you work earlier in the day. Say you are willing to change to a different task like being on the checkout if you want to work earlier in the day.
In my retail job I had tasks to do when the shop was shut and managed to change my hours so I started at 6am rather than working until 10pm - so I was doing the out of hours tasks in the morning instead. It didn't make any difference as long as the job was done.
Out of hours work was "traditionally" done when the shop closed until 10pm but for me personally I turned into a zombie after 8pm so worked badly. I was more productive at 6am, I finished earlier (about 2pm I think) so had a better life out of work. Win win !
Or.....you could just quit as you say you want to.

Interesting that on the thread the OP posted on Monday about this there's zero mention of mental health and more she just doesn't want to do it. Also the first thread says working until 8:30 now it's 10.

We've had similar changes in my company and the excuses I've had to sit and listen to from people who don't want the change are unbelievable. Unfortunately retail operates unsociable hours and sometimes they can't accommodate everyone, it's down to you to decide if you need the job that much or you can afford to leave it.

I agree @needmorelego 👍 mental health is easily affected if you cannot get a good work life balance.

If it is about a specific hobby then it would be much better to go to them and say “on a Wednesday I have bagpipe lessons which start at 7 so if I could have a shift which fits with that then brilliant. Other days I can be more flexible”

but to the to use hobbies as a reason for never working late is unlikely to do it

I wasn't being serious bout the first bit!

Yes but these changes aren't fair. Changing one shift to a night time shift might be reasonable, but not every shift. Then it becomes a completely different job. How many people on here saying it's just tough because it's the needs of the business would actually be happy to do this?

If your contract states you work a range of shifts, I really don't think there is anything you can do. You work a role which is required in the afternoons now for operational reasons. Unless there is a role you can apply for that only does mornings, or you can have medical sign off and work agree it's a reasonable working adjustment to only work mornings, leaving is your only option. You can't force them to give you what you want just because it makes you happier

God help people like the OP if they worked in the NHS. Shift work is an inevitable part of life for many. Yet they still can do hobbies ;-)

OP has given no info about her mental health. Other than she wants time for hobbies and the shifts will get in her way.

How many as well have worked in retail?

Can tell people if they have never worked in retail.

Are occupational health & your management team aware of your mental health illness? Are you receiving treatment or did you receive treatment when you worked latest previously? You may be able to get an earlier finish as a reasonable adjustment but would need to agree to tasks that are possible during that time.

An earlier finish eg 7 pm could be a reasonable adjustment for mental illness but asking them to change the times that code checking is done would not be a reasonable adjustment.

Most people prefer an early shift & would rather not do evenings and weekends so you are unlikely to get that agreed based on preference.

Have you thought about looking elsewhere - other retail eg clothes shops will probably only want 1 evening per week.

Yes members of the public follow you & harass you when you are reducing & will elbow you out of the way to get to reduced stuff!! And everyone has to wear a uniform.

Sounds like you might like nightshifts. Alot of nightshift workers are autistic etc. get to work by yourself, uniform rules a bit more flexible, some places let you listen to music on headphones. Hard work though!!

You don't need to give a reason for leaving. You just submit your request & work your notice. I wouldn't put any effort into giving reasons as unlikely anyone will even read it.

When they bring in changes they expect a certain % will just leave & they won't care.

I think it's ridiculous that you can apply, and get, a job based on advertised hours, which can then get changed on a whim by the employer.

In OP's case it might be that her hobbies protect her mental health ( how often do we read on MN that hobbies are an important part of self-care?)
It might be family commitments. It could be anything. It shouldn't matter. People go for jobs that suit them, and it's abhorrent that once they're in a job, the employer can do what they will with the hours.

And we have all the apologists on here saying people shouldn't have the right to say when they are available for work. It's inhumane!
If Sainsburys etc are struggling to fill shifts then they need to treat their staff better, and employ enough people so that they aren't perpetually short staffed.

@CantHoldMeDown I'm talking more generally. Big companies do seen to have a high turnover of their minimum wage staff as a business model. And other posters referenced the difficulties in getting the late shift covered. I feel that if there was more flexibility around shifts, that it would be easier to a) retain staff and b) for workers to get jobs that suit them.

I have read my contract and its unfortunately, flexible hours😫

Besides the new store manager who we had since May has made 7 staff leave as he was being very unreasonable and his bullying has made them leave. I be number 8 the way things are going. He was manager at Locals in the past and made a similar % of staff leave, including two decent managers who worked in my store - one permanently and one as cover when a previous manager was on holiday and another manager had surgery.

Previous store manager was fantastic, he understood us having family issues as he had loads himself. Plus very accommodating and flexible.

Current store manager does not care about our lives outside work. Plus has no clue to more rollers and pallets of delivery we get, the longer it takes. As I believe Locals only get 2-3 rollers a day.

It's because of people like this using mental health as an excuse is why people who genuinely have got mental health problems can't get the help they need

Or put another way, if people look after their mental health, there will be less need for them to access the services

You’ve decided she’s using her mental health as an excuse, which is the problem.