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Department managers lying about incidents as part of SYP

Started by Stocky, 31-07-20, 02:28AM

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Stocky

I work in a fresh department and recently I have been getting pulled up about supposedly taking extra breaks and constantly being late (the latter is something I was guilty of but I have stopped doing this, the former not at all), I had already had an investigatory meeting chaired by the grocery manager and was given a first warning at a disciplinary chaired by my dairy manager, I thought that was the end of it but the grocery manager and fresh manager kept finding reasons to report me to the dairy manager (the manager who chaired my disciplinary meeting). I usually had informal discussions with her that weren't even Let's Talks and it seemed like she understood my POV and was satisfied with my explanations. I have subsequently been placed on SYP by my dairy manager as of roughly 4 weeks ago after being pulled in for a meeting where it was decided that my performance was not a met, since then I have had weekly check ups with them and it has progressed to a "formal meeting" stage.

While having my meeting today I discovered that the fresh manager had claimed that during the week previous I had supposedly taken 40 minutes to complete a cage that had not been done and that he had to come get me to take it back through, what actually happened was I had to help another colleague attend to a spill and many of the items on the cage were not going out, after helping with the spill I decided to take the cage back through as it had been out too long and little was going out to focus on another cage, the fresh manager confronted me when I ran into him through the back asking me why the cage had not been worked, when I explained it to him he just gave me an exasperated look and gave out an exaggerated sigh then went back to hunting through grocery cages or whatever he was doing. He also claimed he had to try and look for me as he could not find me which did not happen at all.

The grocery manager claimed that when I was tannoyed to help out at the checkout a couple days later that I never answered even when tannoyed by name and that he had to come and get me, he never came to get me and I only didn't answer immediately once because I was putting a cage back and tidying up all the cardboard and plastic to follow the chain rule and avoid leaving a mess.

I explained this to my dairy manager who noted it down but now I can't help but think what else they're saying about me to the manager and if this is a means of managing me out as the fresh manager seems to have taken a dislike to me from day one, he's never done anything outright abusive or anything that would break the rules but he exaggerates any mistakes I make to make them seem worse than they are and ever since he joined I have been getting pulled up for my performance more frequently, he never has anything nice to say to me on the rare occasions he acknowledges me and generally finds something in my performance or some small nitpick to moan about.

I never had any problems with the grocery manager until he chaired my investigatory meeting at which point he became more cold towards me where before I think he was merely neutral but otherwise fine with me.

My primary concern is it feels like the fresh manager is leaning on my dairy manager to put me through this SYP thing to try and manage me out of the business and is exploiting the current attempts to cost cut across the entire company to get me out without having to pay redundancy. I was wondering if anyone here had any advice they could give.

notsofunny


Seems like you are at fault for time keeping and breaks from what you have said which has lead to you be booked as lazy or slow ,

Also seems that You have a manager that is under pressure to get things done and is using you as a excuse as to why they things are not getting done,

Have to tried to talk to your manager? ask him for help in how to get things done faster , This sometimes has the effect of pushing back the problem to your manager , have they given you any pointers as to what they expect from you ? it could also help you understand what is expected

My main concern at the moment is that if I was your manager and was someone that uses this site I would be able to identify you by the way you have given details as to what has been going on ,


londoner83

If the manager is unhappy with your performance ask them to work shoulder to shoulder with you on a few shifts to give you hints and tips to improve your performance,  or to pair you with someone they view as productive. Also seek refresher training on replenishment so you are confident you are up to date on ways of working.

Its very hard to manage someone for being slow as multiple legitimate things can get in the way of you completing a cage:-
- service calls.
- spillages.
- customer interactions/taking customers to product.
- calls to csd etc.

In your next meeting clarify what they expect of you if you are working a cage and a service call goes out, what to do if a elderly customer stops you for a chat, if a young mum asks you to show her where a product is at the other end of the store. I'd personally jot down specific daily examples of what occurred with times as it can be hard to remember a week or so after the event.

However with regards lateness you basically just need to sort out your timekeeping and not give them reason to discipline you.

Stocky

Quote from: notsofunny on 31-07-20, 05:51AM
My main concern at the moment is that if I was your manager and was someone that uses this site I would be able to identify you by the way you have given details as to what has been going on ,

What details do you think I should remove from my post to avoid being identified?
Also yes I have already spoken to my manager about what is expected from colleagues and have done some extra training and am putting all of that into practice to improve my performance to a point where but would be beyond reproach, I have also fixed my timekeeping, it’s primarily trying to fix general job performance (proactive customer service, getting faster with cages etc etc)

whatajoke2019

How do you get on with other colleagues on your department? Is there someone you feel you could talk to about a few pointers?

I believe they used to have times (certainly for nights) about how long a cage should take to work but if you're answering service calls, helping customers etc it's never a case of one blink and it's finished  :D.

I don't know how it works in your store but perhaps when you're on shift try and work certain areas e.g. chilled cakes every time you're in (for example: Sunday, Monday and Friday) because once you get used to what'll go out it becomes a lot easier/quicker.

King1999

Just love how s*** house management reckon things are still the same.Manage with the hours you've got and guess what you haven't got enough hours.Staff have got enough pressures these days and working in a place that doesn't give a s*** about you is a big factor.Is everyone working their arses off or is there a clique.They just can't be consistent.Don't trust any of them they will just side with each other.Just keep your head down and don't give them an excuse,but always stick up for yourself and don't be treated like a doormat.

NightAndDay

The thing about being performance managed is that the criterions have to be measurable and objective, far too many mateyboy managers who think that just because they hold the position they can make their own rules, no, they have to follow policy, each facet of each role will have tangible metrics to determine performance and these metrics will have come about from business consultants (think people high up in the company because they have the IQ for the role, not because their dad works at the company) who would have done their homework.

Remember a manager only has the power until it goes to an ET judge, I'm in talks with my MP about pushing through legislation to give judges more powers to impose proportional fines for things like unfair or constructive dismissal, this would have the effect of making managers more accountable and sliding the scales of power to the subordinates. Checks and balances and oversight are cornerstones of a well behaved society and so it should be in employment.

Australopithecus

[mod]Please do not quote immediately prior post(s).[/mod]

Whilst I fully endorse your sentiment, in reality this simply does not happen. I have worked with line managers who couldn't name a single European capital other than London, let alone have any idea what tangible metrics are. The lack of awareness is simply astounding amongst the majority of these people.

NightAndDay

The thing is, if the process to challenge by the subordinate were fully followed, appeals would be turned down by other managers feigning impartiality, the subordinate would rack up enough warnings and appeal documentation to eventually be fired, however before they get fired they would have gone to ACAS to resolve the perceived unreasonability of the received reprimands, the subordinate would then get fired and ACAS would then assist with filing for an EAT claim for unfair dismissal, where the judge would rule in favour.

The process I described here rarely happens, and when it does, it makes the headlines in the local paper. It happens far more often in Retail than people think, if it happened enough times, the legal team would be surprised at the legal knowledge possessed by the cas and would implement more imposing oversight mechanisms to reduce the risk of lawsuits by ensuring greater compliance by managers.

Australopithecus

The way I see it, in my experience, all senior types are "mateyboy managers". And therein lies the problem; the dishonesty and borderline sociopath behaviour starts with them. The utter contempt these trumped-up customer assistants display for customer assistants creates this dreadful atmosphere within most stores. And line managers, who are also trumped-up customer assistants who just haven't quite knifed enough people in the back to become senior yet, follow this nonsense.

miriam

I agree with you Australopithecus
All the people who demonstrate  traits of all wrong doing  become a part of management/click
Just found out a person has become a team leader it shows tesco are going in wrong direction

NightAndDay

Quote from: Australopithecus on 01-08-20, 05:52PM
The way I see it, in my experience, all senior types are "mateyboy managers". And therein lies the problem; the dishonesty and borderline sociopath behaviour starts with them. The utter contempt these trumped-up customer assistants display for customer assistants creates this dreadful atmosphere within most stores. And line managers, who are also trumped-up customer assistants who just haven't quite knifed enough people in the back to become senior yet, follow this nonsense.

What I'm saying is though, is that there is very little that managers can actually do to make you leave. "Managing people out of the business" usually means either bullying (which can be grievanced against) or through the SYA or SYP process, as long as the ca is fully compliant, then appeals and grievances are the legal defence mechanism.

Successful lawsuits are the great equalizer, the more that happen, the worse the reputation of Tescos become and the more money lost from their legal budget, this would prompt the HR directors to enact a company wide culture change and change the ideals of who they want representing the company, the alternative is an ever worsening reputation, loss of business and marketshare and haemorrhaging money on legal fees.

Nomad

Every time injustice is not challenged it wins, along with those who perpetrate it  :'(

That only serves to perpetuate it  :(
Nomad ( Forum Admin )
It's better to be up in arms than down on your knees.

NightAndDay

If I was in power I'd make this country an Orwellian dream, 100% true accountability.

Australopithecus

One wonders what he'd make of the western world today, with Poundland Leninism taking over every aspect of the media. It virtually governs Facebook, Twitter and all that kind of rubbish.

miriam

Nomad
How can we call all the wrong doers to be accountable for their ways
I'm exhausted from facing them day after day . I don't get praised for facing them. They all stand together
It seems I'm alone
Now returning to work find more challenges of bad practices

Where do I get constructive help. Someone who listens to me . I don't care of hearing them. I need to be heard

Australopithecus

Very sad to hear Miriam but believe me virtually everyone who has worked there for any length of time below management level has experienced something similar  :'( All the worst acts of theft, treachery and backstabbing at my store have been committed by moron narcissistic managers. Some really bad stuff.

NightAndDay

They're all crackheads, uneducated dolts that don't deserve to be in a job never mind claiming the dole. The way forward is granting judges the power to liquidate employers who's representatives act illegally and in mateyboy fashion.


Spongbob

Does this manager monitor the smokers and their extra breaks, does this manager monitor other managers going for a quick fag and a chat.

psmith1968

Need to take up smoking because if you're a smoker you get more breaks at my store, on your own or with other managers who smoke.  It's also OK to leave frozen food on shop floor when you're working if you go and sit on a till for 45 mins serving customers while frozen food is defrosting,  then you put it back in freezer when you go for your official break that you're entitled  to, and then it 'boomerang'  with frozen products again 7 days a week.  So next time somebody says  got sh**s  i.e. because they've eaten food that's been defrosted several times :thumbup:

whatajoke2019

Personally I smoke but more often than not I cut my breaks short because it’s dire on the shop floor... And if I happened to be working a cage that’s subject to the cold chain I always ask a fellow colleague to take it in the back if I know I’ll be sat on a checkout for a fair while and I don’t even get chance to take it back personally.

I’m not saying be a draconian nightmare but if they nip things in the bud early, it never becomes an issue... rather than getting everyone’s backs up and then wondering why the work rate plummets because it’s a case of: “what’s good enough for them is good enough for me!”


lucgeo

If you're working a cold chain cage, and called to checkout, your first priority is to return that cage to cold storage before you attend a checkout call...same goes with un tagged high value.
Any manager telling you to leave it and "just jump on" should be challenged, and clarification sought from senior team, on the set store procedures, preferably through the forum, where notes of the meetings discussions are taken, attended by the H&S rep and a union rep, and the SM. All queries and replies should be posted on the notice board after each forum meeting.
Live for today. Learn from yesterday.

forrestgimp

Put in a formal grievence for bullying they will bob themselves.

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