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Let's Talks

Started by ihavequestions23, 28-02-22, 06:29AM

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Villager No.6

ihavequestions23 you don't say what the let's talk was allegedly for but many years ago I had a similar experience of receiving a group one without any perceived formalities.
As a driver in dotcom we used to have loaders for the vans in the mornings but one way or another they disappeared meaning we'd have to load our own van. Starting at 8 and scheduled to leave at 8.15 it was impossible to load and do van checks in 15min consequently we went out late, fed up with this we would leave dollies strewn around rather than stack and return to the back room to save a few minutes which then caused problems for the second wave meaning they got out late too.
One morning while we were loading a manager came out to the yard and shouted out "Guys,guys. Listen we can't leave dollies lying around, please tidy up after yourself and help the 9 o clocks out. Cheers"
There was a bit of banterish to and froing, the manager then saying "Look you've been told to do it so do it".  A few drivers including me tidied others didn't. A week later I was handed a piece of paper headed Let's Talk with something along the lines of (highly paraphrased) "You've been told to tidy.....you've ignored it....you must tidy from now on....if you don't it will be treated with disciplinary action."
We all questioned it but management were adamant they'd followed "policy".
As I say it was years ago and I'd forgotten about it until reading this thread.

Which is a roundabout way of asking, do you recall having any similar interaction?

ihavequestions23

Quote from: Batmanjo on 02-03-22, 11:18AM
Quote from: ihavequestions23 on 02-03-22, 07:02AM
Quote from: penguin on 01-03-22, 05:01PM
Quote from: Gerrard08 on 01-03-22, 11:16AM
A lets talk is an informal summary of a conversation.  You do not have to be there or sign anything.  It's dated but not signed by the manager either.  Its not part of a disciplinary process, relax.

So if that is the case nothing to stop a manager saying you have had a conversation about anything at all, you know nothing about it until in a review or investigation and several of them come out "look I have spoken to you about this on four occasions now" etc etc. Oh and officially not part of the process but we all know where they lead, not all management abuse them it must be said but some are happy to do so.


There's no way they can say we had a conversation about it, I was given the let's talk paper alongside several other staff members out in the open on the shop floor. Can give a time if they want to check the cameras.


What you need to do is apply for the CCTV footage you can apply online through the company they will ask a few questions day, date, time etc and to upload driving license or passport they will sent it to you I have had the pleasure and they are helpful but you do need to be very specific and you have to be on the CCTV you request. Have a look at where you were standing and ask them to give you the footage from two cameras that are closest to yourselves. This footage will be useful in the future.
As for the conversation was it serious ? I had 4 let's talk in one week one of which was put in my file some 6 weeks later than the alleged meeting for that let's talk and then was brought into a totally separate meeting I was having they are unbelievable !! and you should also ask for CCTV for the let's talk incident if possible.

If they take things further and tell me I have had a let's talk regarding things I will definitely do that. That's terrible they are unbelievable.

ihavequestions23

Quote from: Villager No.6 on 02-03-22, 08:16PM
ihavequestions23 you don't say what the let's talk was allegedly for but many years ago I had a similar experience of receiving a group one without any perceived formalities.
As a driver in dotcom we used to have loaders for the vans in the mornings but one way or another they disappeared meaning we'd have to load our own van. Starting at 8 and scheduled to leave at 8.15 it was impossible to load and do van checks in 15min consequently we went out late, fed up with this we would leave dollies strewn around rather than stack and return to the back room to save a few minutes which then caused problems for the second wave meaning they got out late too.
One morning while we were loading a manager came out to the yard and shouted out "Guys,guys. Listen we can't leave dollies lying around, please tidy up after yourself and help the 9 o clocks out. Cheers"
There was a bit of banterish to and froing, the manager then saying "Look you've been told to do it so do it".  A few drivers including me tidied others didn't. A week later I was handed a piece of paper headed Let's Talk with something along the lines of (highly paraphrased) "You've been told to tidy.....you've ignored it....you must tidy from now on....if you don't it will be treated with disciplinary action."
We all questioned it but management were adamant they'd followed "policy".
As I say it was years ago and I'd forgotten about it until reading this thread.

Which is a roundabout way of asking, do you recall having any similar interaction?

This is almost exactly the kind of interaction yeah. The let's talk was regarding breaks cause apparently some people have been taking longer and more than entitled to. I used to be able to go for short smoke breaks instead of taking my actual break and now they've said this is not allowed at all (although some have been allowed to, which hasn't been addressed by management). But yeah, so the "let's talk" was given to multiple people in a very similar way.

NoSkimmedMilk

Store 2933 by any chance?  :D

Baba_G

There shouldn't be a let's talk without your input in it aswell . A let's talk should be in person with each individual according to policy

Hibobhi

Anyone else seen the Tesco system "your contribution" on ourTesco site? It's where they constantly monitor your work and give feedback, seems you can also access your review. I did wonder why managers where saying there's  a new system they can use to get rid of people easier! I work dotcom and the manager is positively giddy at giving out let's talks and telling people if they don't work faster they'll be out. Kind of ironic coming from the manager who spends 90% of their time when in dotcom on their phone

NightAndDay

Staff retention  forms part of a managers KPI, if they're losing too many people too quickly, they get sat on by their manager.

horatiocain

But uf every anger is losing swathes of staff the comparison means its fine  that's the problem, lazy idiots promoting others who fit in  which is more lazy idiots.
I'll bet every member here knows that most of the good managers left and were replaced by lazy idiots, its a company wide problem

NightAndDay

Yes, unfortunately the most senior managers have powers akin to members of parliament, they can break the laws left, right and centre and tell the law to toe the line.

Tinkerbell1234

#34
Sorry I have a question, can a store manager put a 'lets talk' in your folder without doing it with the colleague?
I thought a 'lets talk' is to sit down and discuss the problem and agree any next steps, or am I wrong ?

NightAndDay

Tesco processes say they can't, but a big problem Tesco has is that SMs can do whatever they want, there's a massive governance issue (in terms of Tescos own processes and policies not being adhered to) and how weak employment law enforcement is, they could sack you for no reason and probably get away with it, it's that bad.

madness

talk about making stuff up. its very difficult to sack someone actually. being awol is the easiest and fastest way but that involves the colleague doing nothing, no contact etc. Everything else is very difficult.

Redshoes

Quote from: Hibobhi on 04-04-22, 10:29AM
Anyone else seen the Tesco system "your contribution" on ourTesco site? It's where they constantly monitor your work and give feedback, seems you can also access your review. I did wonder why managers where saying there's  a new system they can use to get rid of people easier! I work dotcom and the manager is positively giddy at giving out let's talks and telling people if they don't work faster they'll be out. Kind of ironic coming from the manager who spends 90% of their time when in dotcom on their phone

Many stores are over hours. The hours across the board have been cut to the minimum. If people leave it's not going to be easy to replace. A store has to be under hours but then if the group is over it still may not be able to recruit. Also the company is committing to giving existing colleague more hours before external recruiting, those that do get extra hours have to show increased availability though.

Redshoes

Quote from: NightAndDay on 30-04-22, 05:46PM
Tesco processes say they can't, but a big problem Tesco has is that SMs can do whatever they want, there's a massive governance issue (in terms of Tescos own processes and policies not being adhered to) and how weak employment law enforcement is, they could sack you for no reason and probably get away with it, it's that bad.

The problem is that the form does not have to be signed. As such it's open to be abused.

penguin

Quote from: madness on 01-05-22, 01:34AM
talk about making stuff up. its very difficult to sack someone actually. being awol is the easiest and fastest way but that involves the colleague doing nothing, no contact etc. Everything else is very difficult.

Its very easy to sack someone from Tesco, if the process is followed correctly it can be done very quickly should the need arise. Where it goes wrong is some managers messing up what is a straight forward process, thus meaning lots of things end up being thrown out due to being out of process.
Do not let anyone tell you there is not a decent job and life beyond Tesco.

NightAndDay

Quote from: madness on 01-05-22, 01:34AM
talk about making stuff up. its very difficult to sack someone actually. being awol is the easiest and fastest way but that involves the colleague doing nothing, no contact etc. Everything else is very difficult.

Normally it is, but this is Tesco we're on about, judges don't like to hammer the Big T with big fines because of how ingrained they are to the UKs GDP. The law is the law, but power means the law has to bend the knee sometimes.

Tinkerbell1234

Yes colleague does not have to sign it but still need to present when its written so they agree with what is written

horatiocain

The let's talk is just a record of a conversation.
They are however used as i formal management for discipline reasons.
At a hearing you would always have to prove that conversation took place, it's why generally  oth parties or a witness sign the paper to show it actually happened, even then without a colleagues signature to prove it was them a tribunal would likely agree that it cannot be relied upon as honest if disputed,store manager of GA  doesn't matter.

Tinkerbell1234

Yes i know my manager says can do a lets talk without colleague  which I disagree and believe it should be wtitten at the time if a manager put so many lets talk in you folder he then can use them  to perform the colleague i think they should be signed and agreed  :(

NightAndDay

Unfortunately, by virtue of Tesco bring too big to fail, Store Managers are of a higher standing than judges, meaning even if they act illegally, they are untouchable. Tesco policies are more guidelines for a civil work environment than hard and fast rules, Store Managers can do anything they want at their own discretion, in fact it's better to think of them as diplomats with diplomatic immunity.

penguin

Quote from: Tinkerbell1234 on 04-05-22, 07:22PM
Yes i know my manager says can do a lets talk without colleague  which I disagree and believe it should be wtitten at the time if a manager put so many lets talk in you folder he then can use them  to perform the colleague i think they should be signed and agreed  :(

Your manager is an idiot, a lets talk is a record of a conversation between two or more persons, how can one record a conversation with someone that has never taken place. Personally I have always been of the opinion lets talks should be signed and dated by all involved to prevent or at least reduce the risk of them being misused.
Do not let anyone tell you there is not a decent job and life beyond Tesco.

NightAndDay

#46
I think the problem is that nowhere in Tescos policies does it state that a lets talk has to be signed and dated,  I may be wrong but I believe (when I was a member of the blue army this was the case at least) that lets talks have only ever been described in policy as "a tool to have a record of informal conversation", this is perhaps left purposefully vague to muddy the legal waters and convolute the disciplinary process I do believe as others have stated that it can be used to aid as "evidence" in a formal disciplinary in that the nature of the transgression has happened previously, but on the same foot, the fact that any budget Putin can write what they want, stick it in their personnel file and use it as evidence when the other person doesn't know its happened as evidence seems highly suspect, I'd imagine if this was anyone other than Tesco it wouldn't pass a judges high watermark for legitimacy by virtue that there is no evidence a conversation hadctaken place from the form and would land the employer in hot water (or at least wouldn't be sufficient to fully dismiss an unfair dismissal claim). But as this is Tesco we're on about, Judges have to tread very carefully to not poke the bear at risk of plummeting UK GDP.

Tesla

If you think you've half a case take them to court. Doesn't matter if you get a settlement I'll still cost them 10k+ to get Pinsent Masons to defend them in a simple case so you will hit them in the pocket. They will get off with things lightly for a while until the local courts start seeing the same wall bangers turning up regularly as witnesses. Try not to laugh as the managers are summoned to somewhere where they don't want to be. They very rarely settle out of court and will try to threaten you with reversing the charges but it's all bluster. Do not sign let's talks as then they can be used against you.

Tinkerbell1234

Where dp i go for the cctv will show both of us outside then they left  so no lets talk was done on the date they put plus  not one bit is true as to what was said clearly was done 2 days later

Tesla

Tinkerbell1234

email SubjectAccess.Request@tesco.com

They will ask you some questions and send you any CCTV which they have.

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