Unfair treatment at work

[Successgirl2022]

Hello All,

I work for a major retailer. Because of never-ending lockdowns for 1 year
and huge redundancies after that, I was asked if I would agree to move to my local store (no need to go by train like I've done for 6 years spending £100-120 a month on it) from clothes to food in August 2020.

I had a chance to refuse and to stay on clothes where I've worked for 15 years in 3 different stores because we moved for my husband's job and I managed to transfer which was a very stressful nearly impossible procedure but I made sure I did.

So I thought I would give it a go even if I knew straight away I preferred working on clothes 100% more. The reasons are

1. I love being warm

2. I prefer to work in clothes. I never minded helping in a food hall but I knew how much more extremely hectic it can be than clothes. Though it can get crazy on clothes during sales and offers too.

So, I've signed my contract to move to my local store in October 2020. I SO MUCH regret doing it now!

Until the Christmas craze started it was more or less ok but it took me the whole year to adapt to it.

With Christmas madness, the rules for yellow reduction stickers changed 1 month ago. They used to be done in the morning at 5 am - 8 am before the store opens. Now they've changed them to the evening. So the store clothes at 20:00 and we have to do them till 22:00,

I saw a nice new young student girl doing the deli section in 3 hours 19:00 till 22:00. That's how long it took her. The shelves are crazy full and you have to go through sliced meat and deli products looking for tomorrow's date. They obviously want nothing to be missed and avoid wasting it.

So tonight I also started doing the deli section at 19:00 and finished at 22:00.

My incompetent immature manager told me 3 hours was way too long! What??? How dare he!

I was really upset about it how ungrateful he was towards me.

I checked 1000 or maybe 2000 items. I'll count them all next time specifically to know how many.

Has anyone been in a similar position?

Thank you very much

I'll try to talk sense to him tomorrow about how unfair he was towards me and I felt bullied by him.

If not he doesn't agree it takes 3 hours to do it I will write to Head Office to the managers above him and they WILL support me and be on my side I am 100% sure.

Maybe he told her the same thing. Maybe that’s the reason he had you do instead of her. One comment isn’t anything to take personally and cry unfair treatment over. Tbh you sound a little immature. You try again tomorrow and if it really can’t be done satisfactorily in that time frame you have a grown up conversation with your manager.

I would LOVE to time him how long it will take him to check every single item properly.

I found 1 £3.50 missed item from someone who did it yesterday. So the quality check wasn't done properly rushing it quicker than it should take. I was off yesterday.

@Frannibananni

Maybe he told her the same thing. Maybe that’s the reason he had you do instead of her. One comment isn’t anything to take personally and cry unfair treatment over. Tbh you sound a little immature. You try again tomorrow and if it really can’t be done satisfactorily in that time frame you have a grown up conversation with your manager.

He DID NOT tell her that!

If he did, he would tell me. I know him. He was defending her and bullying me. Bully.

They rotate us on different sections. He knows I do a thorough job and people who rush it miss 1-2-3-5 items and waste!

It's not bullying to say you are taking too long doing a task.

Straight up ask him how long it is supposed to take

Wow, you’re being excessively dramatic about this. It’s not bullying to talk to you about how you do your job. You need to have a mature and calm conversation with him.

I don’t know how the history you’ve given explains anything.

And now I wait for you to blow up at my reply because you seem like the type to react and fight rather than listen and reflect.

Ask him how much time you should allocate to the task then.

Maybe it is more important you finish before 10pm than that you do it perfectly? Perfect being the enemy of “done”, and all that.

If might take 3hrs to do it with no mistakes, but if they are happy with 2hrs and a 5% mistake rate, they are allowed to stipulate that.

You sound old school. I don’t mean that in a bad way just that you care about and take pride in your retail job. You’ll be unlikely to find others who care as much particularly students and people passing through, hence the mistakes. These isolated incidents aren’t worth writing to head office about, they’ll just laugh at you and it will sour your relationship with your co workers and managers.

Try caring a little less too. They clearly don’t want perfection.

@Seafog

Straight up ask him how long it is supposed to take

This.

I feel your pain because I like to do a job properly and not cut corners. I hated working in retail because especially at Christmas speed is everything. I agree with pp, just ask calmly how long it's supposed to take.

I think we all know which company you work for 😂

So you were working in the clothes section. Then you got offered a reassignment to an alternative role, which you hate. I assume the offer was part of redundancy discussions?

What other jobs have you applied for? You clearly don't like this one so the sensible way forward is to look for something you will.

The girl is new. You've worked at the store for a year.
I would think you'd be able to do it faster.

If your manager is so immature and incompetent, why is he a manager and you aren't?

You've been at the same company for 15 years.

It's not bullying, he is just pointing out that he is surprised it took that long

Also, you don't know what he told her, just because you know him doesn't mean he would tell you

You don't even know what he said to her. You're just guessing. If you think this is bullying raise a grievance with HR.

@RantyAunty

The girl is new. You've worked at the store for a year. I would think you'd be able to do it faster.

If your manager is so immature and incompetent, why is he a manager and you aren't?

You've been at the same company for 15 years.

I am NOT interested in being a manager there ever.

I have another extra income I am happy with to earn more than that manager.

I did these yellow stickers only 4 times. So I am new to them too.

Also, I will never ever get faster in them. I've timed myself and tried my best to be thorough in them if they want a proper job done, speed is not the most important thing here. It takes as long as it takes. Rushing it means you can't guarantee a 100% quality check.

Everyone is different! Every personality is different! Everybody can't be a fast non-stop robot they want. I am NOT dragging it on purpose! I am trying my best too!

I've been on foods only for 1 year. Yellow stickers only for 1 month. I've been on clothes for 15 years and obviously, they never involved daily date checks and yellow stickers with your hands and fingers in the fridges.

@EvenMoreFuriousVexation

I think we all know which company you work for 😂

So you were working in the clothes section. Then you got offered a reassignment to an alternative role, which you hate. I assume the offer was part of redundancy discussions?

What other jobs have you applied for? You clearly don't like this one so the sensible way forward is to look for something you will.

No, I am staying for 2 years for the shares.

It's a MUST for me.

I personally wasn't in a threat of redundancy at all. I agreed because it was closer to home and I saved 2.5 hours a day on travelling.

The job I agreed to 1 year ago originally didn't include yellow stickers. Otherwise, I wouldn't agree to it for sure and stay on clothes wasting my time to get to work longer.

I am ok doing everything else on food. I just can't deliver the crazy speed they expect.

Also, I'd say only 2-3 of people out of 30 are a bit faster. But they do miss more items rushing. The rest are the average speed as me. So what do they want? Why not leave us alone and give us an extra person if that's what we need. They are getting 5 people per evening instead of 4. With so much more Christmas stock on the shelves, it doesn't make much difference. You still have to rush like crazy for 2 hours under so much pressure.

And too much unnecessary stress is never good for your health and keeping your immune system strong in these times especially.

@Calamitydrayne

You don't even know what he said to her. You're just guessing. If you think this is bullying raise a grievance with HR.

There is no HR anymore :).

There are robots answering and a call center.

I had 2 conversations with my manager and my store manager and explained how it all makes me feel. I said I was upset coming home when my husband picked me up at 22:10 so I don't walk to my car for 20 minutes where I park for free to save £100-120 a month.

I asked them to help me with this and not to pressure me unnecessarily. Get the faster people instead of me for yellow stickers and keep me in a day. The store manager said he'd talk to my manager to support me more.

I said this working environment suddenly feels toxic for me since these yellow stickers pressure. It should NEVER be and feel toxic and should be a pleasant enough environment especially if we have to be happy, friendly at work, and smile for the customers when we can.

I've mentioned I don't want to feel pressured to lose my job because of it. I also have a right to be accepted at work for who I am. Especially when on paper they sort of care about mental health and encourage you to be yourself.

My husband advised me if they don't agree on a reasonable help and compromise with me, I'll have to tell them I have to make a formal complaint.

@PurpleSapphire

I feel your pain because I like to do a job properly and not cut corners. I hated working in retail because especially at Christmas speed is everything. I agree with pp, just ask calmly how long it's supposed to take.

Thank you for your understanding.

They expect the full of stock deli area to take a maximum of 2 hours instead of 3 it took me twice. Bread & cakes are warm and quicker to do. + for Christmas now mince pies, Christmas logs, Christmas cakes, and Christmas puddings. Eggs are also included in that lot. I've timed and that area takes 2.5 hours, not just 2. I managed to start checking at 19:30 because I wasn't on the till and finished on time by 22:00.

Which industry do you work now in? Did you have to study for that?
How long have you worked in retail before you left?

@Successgirl2022

I did these yellow stickers only 4 times. So I am new to them too.

Also, I will never ever get faster in them. I've timed myself and tried my best to be thorough in them if they want a proper job done, speed is not the most important thing here. It takes as long as it takes. Rushing it means you can't guarantee a 100% quality check.

Everyone is different! Every personality is different! Everybody can't be a fast non-stop robot they want. I am NOT dragging it on purpose! I am trying my best too!

I've been on foods only for 1 year. Yellow stickers only for 1 month. I've been on clothes for 15 years and obviously, they never involved daily date checks and yellow stickers with your hands and fingers in the fridges.

You sound very immature and self obsessed. Have you any hobbies?

You’ve posted about work before, haven’t you? I recognise the tone, the attitude and how you express yourself.

You don’t seem to enjoy or engage with the feedback that you receive, here. Do you mind if I ask why you keep posting?