I was doing my weekly shop in Morrisons earlier today. The lady on the checkout kept apologising to me and I wasn't quite sure why. I asked her if she was OK. She told me that she had come into work early to start at 5.30 only to discover that her shift had changed and it was a 4.30 start. Nobody had told her and she was upset because, even though it wasn't her fault (agreed by her manager), she had been late for work. Last minute shift changes are not uncommon and she was thinking she would have to phone in next week while she was away on holiday in Germany to find out her work pattern. She also cared for her brother who had special needs and the shift changes were not helpful for this either. She told me she worked flexible hours -she gets a set number a week and they tell her what days and times. But they keep changing it.
I admit, I've been a Union rep for the neck end of 20 years so I listened and hopefully gave her a few pointers as to what she could do about this. It makes my blood boil how badly some employers treat their staff, I've spent years dealing with incompetent, bullying managers who rule by fear and have no empathy with the people who work for them. Example 1: an application for time off for a bereavement (the person's mother had died) was refused because "your Mum was terminally ill, it wasn't unexpected, you could have arranged things in advance" Example 2: somebody given a final warning for poor attendance while having chemo for breast cancer. You could not make it up. Those same employees when they come to me for advice, usually say "I don't want to make a fuss I'm happy to have a job" That does not mean you can be treated like dirt. It isn't a race to the bottom, a good manager treats their employees with a bit of respect and usually the employee will respond in kind. It isn't rocket science!
Unfortunately for the lady in Morrisons, retail staff seem to be particularly badly treated. Enter stage right Mike Ashley with his zero hours contracts and minimum wage.
Anyway guys thanks for listening, I really needed to let off steam!
I admit, I've been a Union rep for the neck end of 20 years so I listened and hopefully gave her a few pointers as to what she could do about this. It makes my blood boil how badly some employers treat their staff, I've spent years dealing with incompetent, bullying managers who rule by fear and have no empathy with the people who work for them. Example 1: an application for time off for a bereavement (the person's mother had died) was refused because "your Mum was terminally ill, it wasn't unexpected, you could have arranged things in advance" Example 2: somebody given a final warning for poor attendance while having chemo for breast cancer. You could not make it up. Those same employees when they come to me for advice, usually say "I don't want to make a fuss I'm happy to have a job" That does not mean you can be treated like dirt. It isn't a race to the bottom, a good manager treats their employees with a bit of respect and usually the employee will respond in kind. It isn't rocket science!
Unfortunately for the lady in Morrisons, retail staff seem to be particularly badly treated. Enter stage right Mike Ashley with his zero hours contracts and minimum wage.
Anyway guys thanks for listening, I really needed to let off steam!
) with half his teeth missing and a ridiculous tongue stud, please be sure to point and laugh at the little fat mess, or better still, just sneer at the meff. And be content in the knowledge that if I ever bump into him...
Unison have developed a reputation for being management lackeys and not supporting their members. They sold out the other public sector unions a few years ago on the pensions dispute. I went for a full time job with them once. It's only time I have ever been happy I didn't get selected!
