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Options / becoming a manager

Started by Siwel123, 06-12-19, 04:04PM

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NightAndDay

Quote from: Dougall on 08-12-19, 02:30PM
Quote from: NightAndDay on 08-12-19, 12:59AM
Quote from: VladPutin on 07-12-19, 06:09PM
Quote from: NightAndDay on 07-12-19, 01:50PM
As someome who worked nights and went to university during the day at the same time, that must make me the exception then.

"Worked nights" is like, "honest politician" or, "brave Italian". It's an oxymoron. >:D



Express-esso fuel site not superstore, express fuel site on nights is thr hardest job role in Tesco.





Once again a subjective opinion
"And back to the topic, Options/becoming a manager"

madness

Alot of negativity here. But remember this site is primarily a griping complaining site full of people who are discontent with the company.

They are all superstar amazing workers who all have s*** managers and could do their job no problem or earn 50k at any other job in life but choose not to in principle.

The odd nugget of actual help and insight does appear among the doom and gloom but every company has a site like this or people who feel the same about their company.

Also remember most on here are basing their opinion on likely 1 store and how it works and assuming that is how every Tesco works.

So my advice for you if you want to go on options to become a manager. Try to latch onto a manager who is regarded as good in your store, take thier advice on how they do things or what they prioritise.

Your main job as a manager now is to enable your team to do their job all the time to the best of their ability. That comes in many different forms. Doing their training, communicating with them, Looking after thier holidays listening to their worries and acting on them or explaining your decesion why something is changing and getting them to want to work with you.

Short term results can be achieved by shouting and telling people "you have to do this" long term that never works.

That's just my general advice but the biggest difference in a good GA going up to a manager is that you have to make 10-50 people good as you can't do the work of 50 people by you doing crazy hours running yourself ragged.

NightAndDay

#27
The best advice I can give you is to go to university and try your best to do well in whatever subject you choose, in Retail and other industries, there's a glass ceiling for progression for those without a degree compared to those with one. Many do Retail as a career, but I think very few had aspirations to become a Store or Retail Manager when entering the world of work, if you are so inclined, then I still recommend going through the graduate route rather than options for long term progression in Retail.

Lots of graduate schemes these days don't care what your degrees in (usually as long as it has an element of Maths in it) as long as you get a 2:1 or borderline 2:1/2:2 with extenutating circumstances and a genuine interest in the industry, this applies to many industries, degree apprenticeships are also raising in popularity.


specialgravy

my personal journey on options...passed sign on and my manager (who was really good) went on maternity leave after a month. I had one weekly review with her before she left and that was the only one in the subsequent 5 years.

My next manager was a nice chap but very career oriented (his) and showed no interest in my development.  He left after around 9 months and the store manager also changed. my next dept manager was an options placement from within the store, no interest at all in my development, store manager was preoccupied with turning around the badly performing store.  I organised all my own workshops including sourcing all the workbooks. completed every one and then......nothing.

Store closed and transferred to a smaller format (express, lol) threw every bit of work in the bin because it was absolutely clear that you get nowhere in t*sco unless you are buddies with people in positions of control.  Saw the most unsuitable people breeze through and get placements, weak and easily manipulated, aggressive bullies, all because they had the right contacts learned more in express than you could ever imagine but got paid a pittance for the hard work and received no recognition.

I no longer work in the company, left earlier in the year and for regular Mon-fri in a manufacturing role I am earning quite a bit more than my old express SM. it might work out for you, I may have had a bad experience, I really could only recommend getting out of retail, if not at least get out of tesco. the stress to pay ratio is not compatible with living a normal life. good luck in whatever you do =)

Redshoes

Options is self driven and self motivated. As above, you need to look after yourself as much as you can. A good manager will help and support and you will need that. You need to be prepared to be a pest, only you are looking after you and you need to be a pest to get things done like wkly reviews. There is also an element of managers standing back and not helping you if you don't help yourself.
You get more rounded knowledge in smaller stores but you tend to get the dept experts in the larger stores. The progression into a larger store is easier. Going into a smaller store is much harder without that broad knowledge base.
People tend to stay in larger stores. They do in my area anyway. We have managers with long service in same role and have often never worked in other stores. It's dead men's shoes waiting for jobs. Jobs do come up, but not very often.

Jobless

Who would give up a Team Managers job in large format a lot get 30K+ a year for passing the blame to the higher up senior team and SM and passing the rest to GAs a lot who are on c**p part time hours.

NightAndDay

Lead team are on 30k a year plus, ceiling earnings for Team Managers as far as i'm aware is 32k a year.

Austinpowers

 This was me it took me 8 months from sign on to sign off, i loved every second of it. Youve got to have a backbone or you will get walked all over. The job paid 22k once signed off but i decided the weekends and late nights was not good for me or my family.  I know work in supply chain mon - fri and get paid more.. it
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
My experience of people being on options is twofold.

Some who went on options, but had a bit of nouse about them, in regard of standing up for themselves and challenging, progressed well and soon achieved sign off....though finding a vacant position to apply for became harder after the restructuring, and moving area was mostly required. However if you're really good, the SM will try and block your transfer as much as possible, as they don't want to lose a good worker, who they can keep, with vague promises of something in the pipeline  ???

Others who went on options were non starters, obviously not managegement material, but useful as goffers to the managers. They never got signed off, but were always encouraged to try again, usually in September ready for the big build up, given huge responsibilities (good for their development ) and were almost flogged to death for the twelve weeks,  doing everything on 12 hour shifts. Then come January, told not suitable AGAIN!

The armed forces are about the only place now in my opinion, where they train everyone properly for free, and in so many varied and differing trades, with qualifications highly regarded and recognised.
[/quote]

Studentlife

There appears to be many different ways to go about Options. I have seen lots of people progress on nights lately. They have not all been successful,or found it doesn't suit them. First of all are you in a store that supports its Options people. Some stores appear far better than others, also some managers are better than others. I think it's all good experience for whatever you end up doing. As long as you stay sensible and don't get walked over like others have said then it's all learnings for the future. And any other career you go to would rather hear you have looked at moving on or up and not just milled around waiting for a job to find you.
Like I say nights and twilights are doing lots in our area and its driven by the people partner and there are vacancies in our area. Sometimes if there are no jobs it seems to drag out for people. I would say dont listen to all the bad stories. I have seen both sides. It may be something I look at when I've finished my studies. Never say never. Good luck.

Preacherpauly

Don't let anyone put you off going for a managers job. But be aware that some managers will take the p**s out of you on options only to tell you  a year or so later that they wont be signing anyone off as theres a hold on it. Seen it and two decent people left the company shortly afterwards.

No harm in getting experience as a manager whilst you try and figure out what you want to do with our life.

Long gone

Quote from: NightAndDay on 09-12-19, 12:05PM
Lead team are on 30k a year plus, ceiling earnings for Team Managers as far as i'm aware is 32k a year.

Senior team manager at our store when I worked there ( extra format ) was on 72k a year. He wore a Patek Philippe watch on the shop floor and drove a 50 grand motor........and did absolute jack s*** all day. Wonder if it's different for different stores

Mr ford

Take your gap year mate and don't come back. There is no future in this company. Manager will be axed next and replaced with shift leaders very soon.

NightAndDay

The future of the Retail industry isn't good, apart from the uncertainties around Brexit, the state of the macro-economy and Retail slowly transitioning into a state of 100% automation, the experience you get as a retail manager is only good as a character building exercise, yes some of the stuff you do is relevent in other management/hr jobs, but outside of retail they typically want someone with a degree. In my opinion, the work ethic and attendance habits are the most valuable things I left Tesco with.

Jobless

The future of retail isn't good but for some others it is great.

Mr Grumpy

#39
My advice to anyone considering starting the options programme was always the same instore when asked:

-Sign up for all the courses and training you can possibly do
-Use the options platform for a potential career not necessarily in the big T or even retail
-Understand that it is going to be difficult
-You WILL get taken advantage with long expected hours all over the day
-Staff may not take well to your stepping up, especially longer serving staff
-Sod the company and use all the training for your own benefit
-After everything and you stay, you could be one of the good managers and not one of the poor ones and make a difference for your team



Jobless

You should not be allowed to be a team manager where you have previously been a GA. Simples!

penguin

That used to be a rule in Tesco anyone who got promoted had to move store, not sure if that's still the case.
Do not let anyone tell you there is not a decent job and life beyond Tesco.

cityboy

If you go for options, what is the worst that would happen? 1, lose your job. A bit extreme, but it happens. 2, decide you still want to be a G.A.. A likely scenario, and quite common. I have known a fair few options candidates who have struggled, decided they are being taken for a fool/ride, and returned to G.A. status feeling quite bitter. 3, if you do well and your face fits, move to another store, where you have no baggage and find wether you are capable or not. If you decide options or not, I wish you well.

Jobless


Redshoes

Quote from: Cleaner1 on 23-12-19, 12:36PM
You should not be allowed to be a team manager where you have previously been a GA. Simples!

You should experience another store, even if it's just for a short while. Does not always happen.
Simple fact, there are only so many jobs, have to go where the job is. Could be that a manager is moving/leaving and that a prime candidate is spotted to come up through the ranks. Fellow colleagues resent this and it can be hard. They will refuse to admit that candidate deserves a shot at it. Harder than moving stores.

Jobless

It's usually Hungarians etc who become team managers who can't even do the GA role.

NavyNinja

Two of my friends in my store were told yesterday that the SM wants to start them up on the Options journey. They have a meeting about it on Friday. This is something I think I'd be interested in in future. Any advice on what the whole process involves and what you get out of it along the way please?

Teddybonkers

What will you get out of it along the way - You'll be used, abused. lied to. expected to work for nothing. sacrifice your social life, work all the hours god sends, pick up shifts no one else wants to do. etc etc etc. And when you finally get tired of it all and start saying "No" they'll drop you like a stone and look for the next mug. Get the picture now?

lucgeo

#48
I would suggest you stand back and watch your friends going through the process...many people go onto options and give up mid way. It entirely depends on the store, mainly the SM, senior team and the accepted culture of the management in general.
Are your friends easily manipulated? I ask, as it's going into silly season which is the run up to Christmas. This is the time, in my experience, that CA's are encouraged onto the options programme...mainly because they will be used as general dogsbodies. Given whole department's to run, expected to work 12-14 hour shifts, as its "good for their development" will pick up all the middle/ late shifts, the duty phone most shifts, and be working all over Christmas, bar Xmas day. They will be on the last shift Christmas Eve and the earliest Boxing Day, the same for New Year's Eve and New Year's Day. Then come February, they will be told that they don't show enough potential " at this time" but to gain more experience in retail and they'll look at it again in 6 months (start of next silly season)
There is a glut of displaced managers at the moment, with ongoing structure changes, more could follow.
It may not be the case for your store, and your friends may prove very good, but even if signed off, they are expected to take on a managerial role, without the pay, until they secure a management position they applied for.
Live for today. Learn from yesterday.


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