I've been working at my department since the summer and I work 2 jobs. When I was hired/interviewed/first day I explained that there are certain days I was unable to work as I will be working 8+ hours at the other job. The department head and the boss of my other job got on the phone and worked out an availability schedule for me.
I am available at Kroger for Monday, Wednesday (day), Thursday, and Friday. (I am available at the other job Tuesdays, Wednesday evenings, Saturdays, and Sundays.)
This was all fine and dandy for several months until eSchedule was implemented approximately 2 weeks ago.
I get called down to the managers office and was explained that my availability was "absolutely horrible" and that I *should* quit the second job if I ever want any more than 4 hours a week, and always be 100% available on the weekends. I checked the schedule and they had me down for Sunday morning only.
I frantically called the other job and called out for Sunday. My boss was very upset with me but let me call out. I then talked to my department head who had just came back from a vacation to the bullcrap that is eSchedule and she managed to fix the schedule back to my normal hours of 18ish.
Well I just got my new schedule for next week... they have me working every day except for Tuesday. Nearly every single shift conflicts with my other job, I think there's only 1 that has no conflict but it leaves me with 15 minutes to get from Kroger to home so I can get dressed and drive 20 minutes to the other job.
The thing is, is that I KNOW the managers know my availability. I made them repeat it to me during the initial meeting about two weeks ago.
I want to know what I could possibly do about this? My department head can't do anything about it she said, do I need to go to the union? Can Kroger just schedule me with full disregard to my availability? What are my options?
Put everything in writing. make sure it gets into your file. Make sure a copy of your availability is with your department head, manager, and file. If you have eScrewdule, take the time to put in your availability on the website. It's a pain, but it will help eScrewdule write a better schedule. And whoever edits eScrewdule will be able to see your availability.
In most contracts you have to be available for the weekends due to "needs of the business." Ever since e-schedule came about, everything Kroger does management hides behind "needs of the business." I hear the phrase used all the time by my managers.
Anyhow, you're working a retail job and you didn't have to work weekends? If I were working at the same store as you, I'd be pretty pissed that you're getting special treatment.
My department head makes his own schedule with his crew and over rides E-schedule all the time he likes his weekends off and I like my back to back days off we have a shady deal going me and him about the schedule he gets weekend I get Thursday Friday off he hates E-schedule and I don't do mornings at all I'm a 3 shift guy that E-schedule likes to make me do morning and I refuse to do it that job is for the older crew we have they love the morning shift which nothing bad to someone 55 or 60 year old guys here, but man they can have it that shift both the guys.
If you have your availability in e-schedule like you're supposed to do, then when a notification pops up that you are scheduled outside of your availability they have to override it. There is a log of overrides done. Do you have your availability set up on e-schedule? Or just written down? I would find out and make sure that you have your availability in e-schedule. Everyone works weekends. It sucks, but it's retail. If you have restrictions like that and being a relatively new hire, don't be too shocked when they don't give you the hours you want. I'm full time and we are not allowed to have any restrictions on our schedule. We are to have open availability. I don't think you're going to get very far. Kroger isn't exactly known for working around another jobs schedule.
In most contracts you have to be available for the weekends due to "needs of the business." Ever since e-schedule came about, everything Kroger does management hides behind "needs of the business." I hear the phrase used all the time by my managers.
Anyhow, you're working a retail job and you didn't have to work weekends? If I were working at the same store as you, I'd be pretty pissed that you're getting special treatment.
OP here. Did you read the original post? You're implying that I don't work weekends period, where in reality I haven't had a day off in close to 2 months.
My department head said that it looks like they're trying to bully me into quitting the second job. We have another new hire in my department who was hired the same day as me, and she works a full time job, so she's only available after 4:30pm and is only available 1 day on the weekends. Management is giving this grown woman a very hard time to "open her availability more" during the weekdays because her availability is "deplorable."
My department head is annoyed because this eSchedule is putting all of us (there's 5 of us) scheduled on the weekends when in reality she said she just needs her and 1 other person since the department is so small. Our department needs people during the weekdays moreso than the weekends due to the truck shipments. On the weekends, 3 of us at any given time are just standing around picking our noses because there's nothing to do.
In response to the other people - I tried to log into eSchedule at home but I get a message saying that I need to login from an authorized computer. I don't have my EUID so I'll have to get that when I close tonight. I'm fairly certain that my availability is on eSchedule since during the manager meeting, the manager said that she saw the availability I previously posted on eSchedule. I was just wondering if Kroger was allowed to just up and schedule you any time that they want in full disregard to your availability.
I need both jobs, I have student loans and bills to pay. It just absolutely sucks that I had 0 issues before eSchedule because my department head knew who she wanted to work and when, and now because of this craptastic thing, I have to call out of 3-4 shifts at my other job because of a computer. I'm pissed, my other manager is pissed, my department head is pissed, my co-workers are pissed... It's just a mess all around.
In most contracts you have to be available for the weekends due to "needs of the business." Ever since e-schedule came about, everything Kroger does management hides behind "needs of the business." I hear the phrase used all the time by my managers.
Anyhow, you're working a retail job and you didn't have to work weekends? If I were working at the same store as you, I'd be pretty pissed that you're getting special treatment.
OP here. Did you read the original post? You're implying that I don't work weekends period, where in reality I haven't had a day off in close to 2 months.
My department head said that it looks like they're trying to bully me into quitting the second job. We have another new hire in my department who was hired the same day as me, and she works a full time job, so she's only available after 4:30pm and is only available 1 day on the weekends. Management is giving this grown woman a very hard time to "open her availability more" during the weekdays because her availability is "deplorable."
My department head is annoyed because this eSchedule is putting all of us (there's 5 of us) scheduled on the weekends when in reality she said she just needs her and 1 other person since the department is so small. Our department needs people during the weekdays moreso than the weekends due to the truck shipments. On the weekends, 3 of us at any given time are just standing around picking our noses because there's nothing to do.
In response to the other people - I tried to log into eSchedule at home but I get a message saying that I need to login from an authorized computer. I don't have my EUID so I'll have to get that when I close tonight. I'm fairly certain that my availability is on eSchedule since during the manager meeting, the manager said that she saw the availability I previously posted on eSchedule. I was just wondering if Kroger was allowed to just up and schedule you any time that they want in full disregard to your availability.
I need both jobs, I have student loans and bills to pay. It just absolutely sucks that I had 0 issues before eSchedule because my department head knew who she wanted to work and when, and now because of this craptastic thing, I have to call out of 3-4 shifts at my other job because of a computer. I'm pissed, my other manager is pissed, my department head is pissed, my co-workers are pissed... It's just a mess all around.
I read your post quite thoroughly. You get no sympathy from me. This is retail. DEAL WITH IT.
I feel bad for the OP, times are hard and it sounds like Kroger is saying "you only get one job you can't have another" and is ignoring his availability when it was perfectly fine before. Unless you find a way to clone yourself OP you're gonna have to make a bargain with one or the other
Having this trouble juggling 2 jobs is totally your store mgmt's fault. If they chose to cooperate, it would be no problem. They just set your availability properly in the system. We work with several employees who have other jobs. Some are easier to work with than others, but it's still doable.
Having this trouble juggling 2 jobs is totally your store mgmt's fault. If they chose to cooperate, it would be no problem. They just set your availability properly in the system. We work with several employees who have other jobs. Some are easier to work with than others, but it's still doable.
Exactly. If the situation is warranted (i.e., the person's situation compares to the OP's), and alternate coverage is available (and it almost always is), I will do everything I can to schedule that person accordingly.
It's not like that one person is responsible for the whole store. Your management are just being pricks about it.
Well that depends too on what your department is. You said there's only 5 people in your department. What department is it? How many hours do you get for the department?
I can understand you have a second job, but with only 5 people that might leave much wiggle room. What if one of your co-workers wants to request a day off that you are unavailable? Are you in a dept. where each person has their own job like bakery or deli or what?
I mean i'm not saying management is in the right, but i think being a cashier would allow you to be more flexible than say being one of only a couple frozen or dairy people (for example)
Well that depends too on what your department is. You said there's only 5 people in your department. What department is it? How many hours do you get for the department?
I can understand you have a second job, but with only 5 people that might leave much wiggle room. What if one of your co-workers wants to request a day off that you are unavailable? Are you in a dept. where each person has their own job like bakery or deli or what?
I mean i'm not saying management is in the right, but i think being a cashier would allow you to be more flexible than say being one of only a couple frozen or dairy people (for example)
My guess is that they're probably in Drug/GM, based on amount of people.
Your approved availability is your approved availability. They should not be scheduling you outside of that. Check with a union steward.
And yes you *DO* get weekends off at Kroger. "Needs of the business" has become a BS coverall. That's outside your availability? Needs of the business. You're scheduled nine hours? Needs of the business. You're scheduled six, seven, eight, nine days in a row across weeks? Needs of the business. You want to be unavailable a few hours overnight one night a week? You'll have to give up full time status, we need you 24/7/365. Needs of the business. Those other full time people in store with entire days marked "unavailable" week after week, month upon month? Just ignore that, they're different.
In the OP's case, they knew your availability this months ago. If it was not working for them during your trial period, they should've said thanks but we're not keeping you.
I will say availability has become a big problem in my store but a lot of that is the hiring manager's fault. I wonder if there's a new edict handed down as we had just one person demoted because she doesn't want to work weekends now. I don't really understand since we have plenty of coverage.
They're probably in Drug/GM or Floral. At my Kroger there's only 3 people at Floral.
At my store, availability is on a week-to-week basis. That means every week you need to log into eSchedule by Sunday the week before the latest and input your availability for the following week.
If I am unavailable for certain days or certain times, that's it. End of story. I NEVER change my unavailability. It's like that and shall remain that way until otherwise noted
