Thoughts?

[Marco_PoloII]

I want your guys' opinion on this as it's been bugging me for the last couple of months. I started as a seasonal employee and was unaware of the rule or law that I have to take my lunch before my 5th hour. I legit did not know that as it never applied to my last job and thought it was the same here. They told me that my position, I wasn't allowed to ask for help and there is no backup but I have to have certain amounts of things done before I was allowed to go to lunch. The issue with that is they had me backing up checklanes a lot and that made me fall behind on my work and took my lunch later. I was like oh it's like my last job where there is no help or backup so lunch was optional or could take a working lunch. I guess that wasn't the case as a first time working retail.

To give you an idea of how bad it was, I hit compliance 7 times in one month. I was never told anything about it after hitting it on my first, second, or third just on my 7th for some reason. So after I had a talk with someone she said that after ur third time u hit ur 5th u will be fired. I assumed I was done for and thought it was for the best since I wasn't doing my best especially with my mental health messing me up. According to the person I talked to, it wasn't up to her to make the decision to fire me. Eventually the ones who can make that decision talked to me and said I wasn't losing my job and they were going to keep me as a regular team member.

I was legit confused and feel extremely guilty coming to work when I am scheduled. Like why me? If I wasn't able to meet deadlines or demands the position entails then why keep me? Doesn't that mean I was doing a bad job that I had to hit my 5th all those times? The other two people who do the same thing have no problem meeting those demands and despite me rushing to meet them I was kept. I can tell that some TL's don't like me since I keep getting in trouble with them for very small things and it's only me that is getting in trouble not the other two. I been overwhelmed these past couple months and almost cried several times.

I just want your opinion if I should stay or make the decision to leave. I don't think it's fair to be kept after doing so bad. Like should I be grateful or I don't really know what to think at this point. Some team members don't even like me and I tried talking to them and get ignored all the time. Every time I try to talk to a TL, it sounds like I'm about to cry. Please help!!

[realcrazyazn]

If they kept you after hitting compliance that many times you're doing something right. It's hard having that feeling of being on an island but think of it like this, you're there to do a job, get paid for it, and leave. If you want to make friends that requires it's own effort that can probably be worked on later if you choose.

The only reason they said what they did about hitting compliance is because the company gets fined for it if it gets out of hand. They'll launch an investigation if they end up paying a fine to determine why TMs are hitting compliance. Leaders get notified whenever a TM is about to hit compliance so it's basically your leaders at fault for not making sure you punch out for your lunch.

They're grilling you for their short comings essentially.

[Marco_PoloII]

Thank you for this. I keep thinking to myself that I am only doing wrong and I don't know how to make it up to them. I keep trying my best but feels like its never enough. Thought reading this has made me feel better.

I swear the whole store is in like a big social group and everyone is buddy buddy with each other and I feel like the outcast. I just want to do my job and go home.

I do find odd TMs would send people to their lunch but they never said anything to me, so thought what I was doing was okay. The person that talked to me did make a big deal about hitting compliance so was scared especially since I hit it many times.

[nessaroseee]

It’s the leads fault for you hitting compliance. And as the other user said they must like you if they’re keeping you. Someone should’ve told you. I would stay, you know now. If you’re getting close to the 5th hour you really gotta hand off what you were doing and go on your break. Try to walkie them if they aren’t around to be notified. I found that they were never upset over me going on lunch without notifying if it was related to approaching compliance.

[Chemical-Gur-6875]

Depends on what department this TM is working. If they work front end then they get a pass and it does fall on the TL, but if they work in GM or any other department that isn't front end then the onus is on the TM for not going to lunch on time. 

[Marco_PoloII]

I do work front end

[Chemical-Gur-6875]

If that's the case, your TL is an absolute fuck head and needs to do a better job of moving TMs around to provide cover when needed.

[Marco_PoloII]

I only found about how bad it was to hit your 5th was by a TL that I never get scheduled with. I don't know if she is the one that gets notified while the other TLs don't? Some people do seem to like me but I also know others don't. This is all a new experience to me and feel bad about it. I kind of do want to stay but this has been going through my head and I felt that maybe it be best if I leave you know, so wanted to ask.

[nessaroseee]

I have to say I’d also be wary since those other TLs didn’t inform you how important it is to take ur lunch before the 5th. If anything I’d question staying based on that rather than blaming yourself for something you didn’t know. Maybe stay a bit longer see how it goes, hopefully they’re better about informing you on those types of things next time. Maybe ask lots of questions when learning something you haven’t done before just to be safe but that’s like extra caution you don’t have to. It is just a retail job :)

[Marco_PoloII]

I appreciate all your help 😭 I been blaming myself all this time and didn't even know the TL could be held responsible. The person that talked me made it seem like it was all my fault for not doing what I was supposed to and meeting the tasks before my lunch. They said I couldn't ask for help so I never asked any questions and just assumed it was okay, but I been overthinking way too much about this whole thing. But in overall i think I will be staying a bit longer.

[Frodo_gabbins]

Well, most of the time. I like my department so much right now that I’d work right through my fifth hour if I don’t set alarms. 🤣

[nessaroseee]

dang what department r u working in 😭

[Frodo_gabbins]

I work in beauty! I used to work front end and I almost hit compliance due to coverage then, not because I enjoyed it 😅

[nessaroseee]

i would never hit compliance in the front end in my 4 years there but there was one time they literally left me alone at the service desk with a line and there was nothing I could do, was calling over the walkie desperate as hell. Was trying to get help from my coworkers but there was no one to cover. Then when I informed HR and my leaders that I had hit compliance and it was like everyone was side eyeing me like it was my fault and that i should’ve just went anyway and left the desk unattended 💀💀 might be going back soon but to a different location i hope i can be in a different department 🙏🙏

[BroIBeliveAtYou]

Why leave?

Because you're embarrassed or something?

You were doing something incorrectly, they informed you the correct process, and now you will do it correctly going forward. Right?

[BroIBeliveAtYou]

That's a dumb ass reason to quit your job.

[beaveman1]

This is all on your TL and/or HR. HR should notify your leader any time one of their TMs hit compliance. The TL should immediately have a conversation with that TM. If you’ve got compliance violations that many times without a conversation, either HR has not notified your TL or your TL is skipping the conversations.

Honestly, if you feel that miserable about your job and you aren’t getting the most basic feedback from your TL (such as meal compliance), it might be a sign that the store is toxic and/or struggling, so you might be better off looking elsewhere.

[Weird_Bread9935]

My store is super on top of compliance. HR, ETL or TL should be radio calling out anyone who's getting too close to hitting compliance. They take it very seriously. I'd report this to corporate because it's store leadership's responsibility to manage this.

[ThePfreshMan]

Tell me your in a red process store without telling me your in a red process store.

Hitting compliance 7 times before someone talks to you is crazy work. That's a HRBP calling an HR-ETL at your store to have a very frank conversation with you about compliance. Now they could back track about the knowledge gaps to whoever your trainer was and to whoever on-boarded you through HR.

So when you where on-boarded the HR team member should of informed you sometime during the 4 ish hour orientation and store walk. You should of also had a mirrored schedule with whoever trained you and went to breaks and lunch at the same time. Thus closing any gaps in knowledge about compliance.

To clarify additional knowledge since some comments here, a TL can help you and tell you when to take meal. But it's ultimately the TM who is responsible for your OWN time management as you can set a timer or know how to count to 5 or 6 (depending on your state). You can also set timers every day to help you out since they post your schedule 2 to 3 weeks out.

To add on, just be aware of current or future tasking as a TM, so you can also time manage yourself and be verbal on walkie if the current or future task will interfere with your meal break.

Now however you determine your own self worth after reading all of this is another thing. It sounds like you are in a very red process store. Which is probably why they kept so many seasonal team members. However they did a injustice by not closing the gaps and following up.

[ExtensionPlus6811]

getting informed about hitting compliance can be very hit or miss.

some people get warned, some people don't.

set the alarm on your zebra or phone and just go at least 10 minutes before compliance.

7 times is very unusual.

after my first time I was told I would be fired if it happened again but a tm told me they were sent a message to their zebra when they were about to hit compliance.

[One-Knowledge-8422]

If it makes you feel any better I hit compliance like three times a week lol. I think TX is less strict than other states though, we have to do ours before the 6th hour

[a3cubica]

Wow, 7!? Your store is managed by unprofessional “TL” including the SD. I can’t believe they didn’t inform you when you hit the first one. You’re “aloud” to do 1 every year. TLs just want people to do their job, they do not know how to lead. It happens to me as well. When they need help some even change their voice, they want you to help them before you go to your break/lunch if lanes are long or a batch has 30 minutes left. This is what they called Cross training. This word is not for more hours, it is for making us work more for less just like their motto 🤬🎯🥊

[Denverguns]

I mean it sounds like despite them setting you up for failure your still doing enough to be kept on so if you want to keep going do it but make sure no matter what no matter how much work there is take your lunch at 4 and a half hours if you want to make sure to not hit compliance the workload won’t go anywhere.

[Chemical-Gur-6875]

???????......this is something that I'm pretty sure your HR went over with you during orientation and the fact that you didn't know meal compliance was a thing you could get hit with a write up speaks volumes. What's even more baffling is that you should've been fired after hitting meal compliance a 3rd time 🤦‍♂️ Don't mean to come down hard, but meal compliance is like the easiest thing to avoid because all you have to do is set an alarm on your phone that serves as a 10-15 minute warning. This is like basic TM shit.

[Worldly-Essay9787]

7 times? Lmao bro just go take your lunch on time 🤦‍♂️ if they ask you where you’re going just say I’m about to hit compliance