Opinions needed...

I was scheduled to work 11-7 today. Little did I know they changed the schedule without telling me. I get there and they tell me I'm on from 1-7 and to come back. I told them that it isn't fair they change the schedule with no notification. I told them if I leave, I won't be back at 1:00, that it was their error.

The other day I was "threatened" that if I left (my daughter had a crisis) not to count on any hours next week.

The manager shrugs his shoulders and says "the hours have been cut back".

Well...depending on your seniority, if the hours have been cut back and you don't go in, you could be the first to be let go (IF that happens).

Is this a temporary January-slow-retail move or long-term?

Someone made a mistake and didn't call you. I guess - ask if this will matter in 50 years? You may well be right - but that won't pay the bills! ;)

Forgive the boo boo, and go in. JMO

(And start checking the help wanted ads if the short hours are going to be a permanent arrangement). :)

It's a retail job. If they fire you, they hire the next applicant they have from the top of the pile and move on. Your leverage with the store is basically nil.

I'd politely speak with your manager and ask to be notified in advance if there are any changes to the schedule.

I'd also keep looking in the paper to find a job with a little more security.

I am a wimp. I would have went home and came back at 1. But I would ALSO file a complaint or at least find out why there was a schedule change WITHOUT notice.

Seeing that it's retail, I probably would let it go since there's always people standing in line to be hired. Fair....NO...but at least you have the job and like ohers have said I would be looking for something else if possible. Of course maybe the senority is something to think about.

I worked at K-Mart for several years as a second job when I was working at school. I was told that the scheduls are subject to change without notice and that I would have to check it EVERY day... even on days off..

I laughed at them and told them clearly that this was my SECOND job and once I wrote my schedule down, my week was planned around that schedule. There wasn't room or time for changes in my schedule that was done on a weekly basis.... IF they needed me to come in and I had no plans scheduled for that day, I would come... if they needed someone else to have a day of mine, that was fine, just notify me not to come in because if I showed up, I would fully expect to get those hours. Odd, but they followed that strongly stated request of mine and they did call often to see if I could come in for extra hours.... I always went when they called.

I think if you ask about why you weren't told, that is a good idea.

If someone made a human mistake and plain forgot to call (because they were changing an entire schedule and their brain shut down), I'd forget it. I would still be MAD - but would forget it and go in.

I'm like Jen, I am a wimp too. I would have come back at 1, and whatever the rest of what she said.

I guess, I would be scanning the paper for a better job, that had better working hours.

Willie :)

Wimp number three here, i too would have gone home annoyed, but would have come back. :)

I am not a wimp. I still would have gone home and come back for 1 o'clock, but I would have left a note asking to be notified if there was a schedule change in the future. Retail is customer-focused, and penny-focused, not employee happiness focused.

I would ask myself how much I really needed that job & go from there.
Unfortunately there seems to be more people looking for temp work than
there are places to work. Management can pick & choose a lot.

I would definately ask to be notified of schedule changes.

If you want to keep your job going, ( not a temp) then I would of come back but insisted on talking to the person who deals with the rota and would have told him that in future I wouldnt be making this allowance, A simple phone call doesnt cost the earth and its polite.

They are just trying to show some muscle -- to scare you into submission so to speak. Look at it this way: you need the job, they don't need you. As much as we hate to do it, we need to jump through the little hoops they put in place for us.

It depends on how much you need/want the job.

If jobs are plentiful where you live, and it is easy to get another one, then there is no harm in standing your ground. If you lose your job or hours, and can/want to find another one, no big deal.

If, however, it is hard to find a job or you really like this job, in general, then you probably need to just bite your tongue and do what they say. That's the reality of the working world.

I have to agree. It depends how badly you want the job. When I worked a 2nd job at a department store, they always scheduled me to work 2nd late shift on every weekend. Plus I worked 2 nights a week, but they always called and asked me to work in a department I was unfamilar with (like lamps). I was always dependable. I finally stood my ground (although in the schedule book, I asked for morning weekends once in a while). I was told the regular staff deserved the morning shift. Like, no. Why not alternate? Anyway. They needed me more than I needed them. I was hired as contingent-12 hrs a week- and wound up working up to 25 or more plus my regular full time job. The politics were awful and the management stunk. After a few incidences, besides the time factor, I just quit one night. HR called me and begged me to stay as my sales were high and I was dependable. They promised I could have any hours I wanted. Nope. Sure, it was good extra money and the discounts were great, but I was burned out.

Anyway, Donna, if you like the job, and don't want to make too many waves (it is retail afterall), go against your nature and go with the flow. If I liked/needed the job so badly, I would have maybe gone out shopping or had a nice meal somewhere, rather than go home, and bit the bullet (madder than he$$ though).

I would have stayed but filed a complaint, personally. But this opinion is based solely and completely only off of the information given to me in the first post. I don't know background (such as how long you've been there, seniority, etc) or anything about your daughter's crisis or even where to work to base my opinion otherwise. How attached are you to this job? I guess bottom line all that matters at the end of the day is paying the bills and putting food on the table.

If the schedule is subject to change w/out notice, I'd call every day to see what my hours are. Explain the hardship that this change posed for you, go in again anyhow, and be sure to call on a daily basis. Even when I have a dr. or vet appt., I call ahead to see how they're running. If they're running behind, say 30 min. or so, then I tell them that I'll be in 30 min. late. My time is valuable, too, but this is your job we're talking about here. Start looking for employment elsewhere. When they say "subject to change w/out notice", it's their excuse for inconsiderate behavior. You're a number, not a person, unfortunately, which is why I never lasted in retail.

Well, I am far from a wimp, but, I view it differently.

The store manager is my boss....if he/she says this is the situation, then, I deal with it. I have come in to meet with my bosses at a pre-set time, and, then, the time changes. Okay. Move on...he who writes the paycheck gets to make the rules.

Quote:

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Originally Posted by Cataholic

he who writes the paycheck gets to make the rules.

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Aka...the golden rule....he who has the gold, rules.

I am editing an Employee Handbook for a new client. Right up front it reserves the right...with or without notice...to change schedules, assignments, hours, job duties. And this in California :rolleyes: (the most pro-employee state...)

Donna, you may want to check your Employee Handbook and see what it says!

I experienced this at Wal-mart a lot and it ticked me right off. It wasn't a mistake that no one called - they just didn't. I would have done exactly what you did, Donna.

I would have done what was necessary to not jeopardize my job since I have bills to pay and pets that depend on me. If it were a rare occurrence I would not make much of the situation. If it were a regularly occurring situation I would take steps to meet with a supervisor or management and calmly try to see if it is a situation that could be changed, without getting angry and defensive if possible. If it were a regular occurrence and not something I could change, and was something I did not feel able to tolerate, I would look at a change in jobs or even careers and work toward that end and leave the current job when I was able to. Keeping in mind of course that any career or job will have its moments of frustration, unfairness, and unpleasantness that just has to be dealt with the best you can. I would be very cautious about losing my temper or giving ultimatums to an employer, no matter how justified it may seem.

An alternative...maybe you could call in each day, an hour or so before your shift, and see what time is up on the board/wall? Would spare you a couple of hours sitting around.

I called in last night to see when I'm scheduled to work next. I'm on Friday 5-10 and Sunday 10-5, so it looks like I still have my job.

They play these games with the schedule. If you happen to piss the management off, they dick with your hours. I've seen it done and called them on it.

I've been with the company for 3 years and know it inside and out. I'm good at what I do at Customer Service.