All of us went through training where we basically sat and did the modules on a computer on various topics about working at kroger. Yet when you get on the floor looking back it is that enough for a person to do their job. I cant remember where i saw it on a post in this forum someone mentioned about many are not trained and put on the floor and expected to do a well as someone who has been here for a longer period of time. I did have some training in my dept (diary) to know some things of what i need to do but majority of the time its just me and i have to wing it/improvise to get things done. There have been others who have been helpful and give me some pointers on things but this attitude of just "putting people on the floor trail by fire" can leave others confused and unsure of what to do.
I firmly believe that the CBT and lack of OTJ training really sets up a lot of employees for failure. Those who are good at winging it, and are willing to "push through the pain" can come out the other side looking pretty good.
A lot of department heads have their plates ridiculously full that they forget newbies are newbies and expect them to know how to do things. I'm guilty of this myself, not enough hours and way too much work to get done in the time we're there. I have 2 people I'm training right now, and our HR person wants to keep throwing more people into the mix. I don't have time to get MY work done. My pharmacists don't have time to get their work done either, so we expect people to remember what we keep showing them because we don't have time to babysit them either. We all have a job to do.
Kroger has a diary department? Do y'all have a journal in snakeskin leather? If so, I'll be by in twenty minutes to buy two.
nightperson wrote:
All of us went through training where we basically sat and did the modules on a computer on various topics about working at kroger. Yet when you get on the floor looking back it is that enough for a person to do their job. I cant remember where i saw it on a post in this forum someone mentioned about many are not trained and put on the floor and expected to do a well as someone who has been here for a longer period of time. I did have some training in my dept (diary) to know some things of what i need to do but majority of the time its just me and i have to wing it/improvise to get things done. There have been others who have been helpful and give me some pointers on things but this attitude of just "putting people on the floor trail by fire" can leave others confused and unsure of what to do.
They're trying to do better. They just built a training center for the ATL division and cashiers have been going there for a couple months. I can't say they're doing a great job keeping people in training until they're "ready" for a real store but it's more than the nothing I got. The problem is we don't know what they teach there. They don't cover ring tender. Some seem to have big gaps in training, others take to it like a duck to water. We almost waste time having to watch them anyway in store to see where they need extra help just as we did when we trained them ourselves.
I work in the meat department and have had no training whatsoever. Everything I do I learned through trial and error. Answering the phone, cleaning the saw and prep room, cleaning the grinder and cuber, learning the layout of the department, weighing pre-packaged meats, etc. All of it was guess work for me for my first month or so. Damn near took my hand off more than a few times messing with the saw... And let me tell you, cleaning the saw room is the most disgusting thing. Blood and meat chunks and fat chunks all over the damn place and you have 20 minutes to clean the whole room spotless. Definitely not worth the 7.40 an hour. I would leave in a heartbeat if something else came along...
__________________
I thought people were joking when they said working for Kroger sucks...
I work in the meat department and have had no training whatsoever. Everything I do I learned through trial and error. Answering the phone, cleaning the saw and prep room, cleaning the grinder and cuber, learning the layout of the department, weighing pre-packaged meats, etc. All of it was guess work for me for my first month or so. Damn near took my hand off more than a few times messing with the saw... And let me tell you, cleaning the saw room is the most disgusting thing. Blood and meat chunks and fat chunks all over the damn place and you have 20 minutes to clean the whole room spotless. Definitely not worth the 7.40 an hour. I would leave in a heartbeat if something else came along...
$7.40 an hour? I'm non-union and I got $7.45 when I went from bagboy to cashier, which was the easiest position I ever had (Cashier).
I think this lack of training when working at kroger runs people off.
The main thing that runs people off is the sink or swim attitude (throwing newbies into the fire). My first week (cashiering) was Thurs. - Tues. of Labor Day weekend 2012. The fact that I didn't run away screaming made management think I was okay. Fast forward to now, I'm full time Bookkeeping/Service Desk. The turnover rate is astronomical, higher than any job I've had.
__________________
My posts on this site are mine and don't necessarily represent the positions, strategies or opinions of The Kroger Co. family of stores.
I think this lack of training when working at kroger runs people off.
The main thing that runs people off is the sink or swim attitude (throwing newbies into the fire). My first week (cashiering) was Thurs. - Tues. of Labor Day weekend 2012. The fact that I didn't run away screaming made management think I was okay. Fast forward to now, I'm full time Bookkeeping/Service Desk. The turnover rate is astronomical, higher than any job I've had.
Even though i have been there a couple of months i have seen new hires and those who have been there longer than me asking me questions on "do you know where this goes or how do you this?" I think many of us just have to "wing it" to get certain things done. Kroger must have some strange definition of training!
That's how I learned how to do SCO when I started. Got 3 hours of guidance, then got thrown in the fire the Saturday before Thanksgiving. Somehow I made it through and I impressed management enough to get a Great Service $1 coupon thing. Now I'm doing closing every now and then.
But yeah, I don't like the fact that they throw people into the fire like that. You have to give them a good working basis of their job and then let them go, but have the other cashiers and/or supervisors help out when they need it. I did that with one of the newer SCO cashiers that's being trained. She struggled a lot at first, but I helped her out when I could and now she's got a good hold on it. So having everyone be willing to help each other, while allowing the person to get enough training to know the basics and let them have some autonomy is the best way to do it, and most places don't foster that kind of stuff.
That's how I learned how to do SCO when I started. Got 3 hours of guidance, then got thrown in the fire the Saturday before Thanksgiving. Somehow I made it through and I impressed management enough to get a Great Service $1 coupon thing. Now I'm doing closing every now and then.
But yeah, I don't like the fact that they throw people into the fire like that. You have to give them a good working basis of their job and then let them go, but have the other cashiers and/or supervisors help out when they need it. I did that with one of the newer SCO cashiers that's being trained. She struggled a lot at first, but I helped her out when I could and now she's got a good hold on it. So having everyone be willing to help each other, while allowing the person to get enough training to know the basics and let them have some autonomy is the best way to do it, and most places don't foster that kind of stuff.
I have gotten help from several people in the store and i make sure that i thank them for help/information they give me. From what i have seen you get a bit of training as how to do things then the rest becomes a "chaotic" mess.
