The Mess Hall

as some of you may know i now work for Halfrauds Part time until i can get a professional position again, its low paid of course but its fairly stress free and being part time means i can use those days off to either look for new positions/do interviews or spend the time i have as a i see fit.

our new managers however seem totally and utterly incapable of making a rota to save their life. regardless of what was agreed with staff before the old managers left they have thrown out the window, old agreed days of working have gone, they now get people in when they see fit, they dont ask, they just put you down. the rota is not even set in stone, i acccept most cant be due to things like illness and what not but our rota changes on a nearly daily basis, you have to look at it every day, and again they will rota you in on days you thought you had off without even asking.

putting aside the fact its nice to get the extra money which it is i see this as a total and utter failure of communication and respect, its only polite to ask people if they can come in on days you initially put them off for. take today, im supposed to be off today, not so they have rung up panicking and need me in ASAP, its nice to know that im valued, its not nice to know that because they cant do a frigging rota that everyone has to sit at home waiting for the call.

i could tell them im busy and cant come in but i need the money. i am just absolutely agog at the utter fecklessness of these people, there is no communication even between management and supervisors.

take last saturday, i was rota'd to be off, so i made sure i wasn't going to be put in by crossing me off and writing unavailable, that sheet was visible for 2 weeks, they only realised saturday morning they didn't have enough staff. and rang me. now how rubbish can you be?

well im off to work at 3 when it pleases me, and ill cycle in because im not rushing

frak em.

they'll get it sorted eventually... after they've pissed off enough customers and staff.

Let me tell you about my last working day at PCWorld:

I'd just had 3 months off whilemy dad died of cancer.
The store mamanger (despite me walling him up and lots of other disagreements) actually paid me in full for those 3 months.

So 2 weeks after the funeral I went back. I called ahead of time and asked when they want me in. Monday 9am!

Cool right!

But we split shifts there, and while morning staff cover all departments (skeleton crew), the ramainder come in at 11am.

So I had an easy 2 hours, it's always dead on a monday morning, I waited patiently for the 11 o'clock staff for my fag break.

But we had a new service manager starting that morning, and I was due for a meeting with her at 11:30.

I smoked my fag and went into the office.
Just me and her (Karen I think her name is), and she TOLD me I was no longer having weekends off, and I AM working over Christmas and the new year, including bank holidays.

I told her that I had been rota'd off weekends 3 years ago, she insited... I told he that it was now my contracted days to work monday to friday, and if she's got a problem she can get me a new contract with an increased hourly pay for compensation. I also told her I would not be working the weekend because I had driving test, it's pre-paid, and it's £100+ 2 hours driving before @ £25 per hour.

She flatly refused to allow me the time off at the weekend. So I asked for another member of staff to join me in the office so I have a witness. Again she refused. I told her the meeting is over and walked out.

She actually grabbed me on the shop floor, physically stopped me in front of other staff member and customers, and carried on the argument.

So at least now I have witnesses right

I repeated everything I'd said previously, just so everyone around knew the details.

but this time I said I'd work the Christmas bank holidays and I'd work weekend but I would need this weekend off (for my class 2 driving test). She refused!

So this time I really upped my game and demanded the head office complaints/bullying hot line number. By now there was quite a crowd, and not all were staff, several were customers.

finally the store manager came in from his fag break and discovered a right barney going. He asked us both to his office, I asked for a witness, and I got a friend to join us.

I went over everything again, left nothing out, and the store manager backed Karen to the hilt. Chris (friend) handed me his cell phone with the bullying hotline already dialed in, and I called H.O.
I did this while the other two mangers sat wide eyed and open mouthed while I explained everything to head office.

When I'd just about finished my phone conversation, I told the other person on the phone and said: "I'm now walking out the door, I'm going to empty my desk, I'm taking all my belongings and I will not be coming back. Further more, I'm not going straight home, I'm going to see a solicitor first and I will be making a legal complaint. I'd also like a copy of this recording sending to my home address.". then I hung up and walked out.

Karen lasted 3 weeks before a mutiny happened. The entire store staff walked out. Everyone went back next day... karen didn't.

I got a letter the next day detailing my grievences, that an investigation would be underway immediately.

I also got full pay for 6 months (£6000+) presumably to keep me sweet.
I passed my driving test that weekend, started a new job the week after and nearly doubled my take home pay for a lot less stress.

do the same at my place Pud, i end up calling in every morning at 8am to see whether i'm due in or not.

They'll get better at it eventually, soon as complaints are made etc etc.

MY wife has the same problem - they can't rota for shit. Compounded by the fact that what they use is simply a one week thing. It doesn't even have past and future dates - just the days of the week. I mean FFS.

Managers, man. Fucking retards.

it shouldnt be hard though, they have a rota up for sometimes 2 or 3 or even 4 weeks how hard is it to do

our last managers were brilliant blokes, always rolled up their sleeves and helped with fits, talked to staff and the guy who did the rota? never met a more perfect bloke, if he wanted to ask you over your contracted hours he'd call up usually a week or two in advance or stop you in the shop and ask if you could work such a date and if not that would be ok with him

You probably thanks bloody liberal workers right bullshit laws that mean now a days, instead of sacking someone who is shite for being shite you have to instead promote them into a managerial role to mitigate the damage and get them out of the way.

What about workers rights not to be managed by fuckwhits eh?