So we got a new store manager two weeks ago after our other one retired after 45 years of service in January. A reasonable amount of time has passed for my coworkers and I to conclude that she isn't a pleasant person. She lives, eats, breathes, and dreams key retailing. She's very aloof and uncaring when talking to customers and associates on any subject. All call-ins must go to her, no call ins may to go a co-manager if she is there. She does not want any extra hours (overtime, or make a part timer stay a full 8 hours) given to an employee because of a call-ins without her approval. All absences require a doctors statement. No showing up 7 minutes late or leaving 7 minutes early, and no extended breaks (22min) and lunches(37 min) (grace period) or you will be written up. She's moving our associate manager office from downstairs to upstairs, so if an employee needs help she is no longer accessible because the new store manager does not want any associates knowing the code to upstairs anymore unless you are a department manager. That's also where the printer/copier is for printing reports and signs in ISP. You now have to ask someone with the code to let you in if you require upstairs access. Not to mention they posted the vacation request spreadsheets upstairs for the entire store and in order to select your vacation someone must escort you upstairs when its "your turn." So essentially she is creating an associate-manager communications barrier. The old store manager encouraged people to come upstairs, and the code was posted on the wall inside the office for all to see if you wanted to go upstairs.
This new store manager is also getting on the co-managers about micromanaging departments and associates in their "assigned" departments which in turn is another thing that pisses the co-managers and associates off. She also will not allow nametag reprints, unless lost, and put a note by the timeclock stating "If you don't have a nametag, you will be written up and sent home to get one. If you don't have one you must pay $1 for a reprint and are only allowed to wear it until the printed one arrives in the store."
Needless to say, it's going to be a long 4 years under her Reich.
She sounds like a wonderful manager and I'd love to meet her. I know I'd be writing people up if they came in late or left early without permission, because eSchedule is like a BMW engine. It has VERY LITTLE room for error. And anyone who is taking a break beyond the allowed time is stealing from YOU. That's right. To make up for lost productivity, everyone's wages fall. When you come in to work, you work. Don't try to be 'cool' or take advantage of the company. Laziness may be legal but is NOT ethical.
Needless to say, it's going to be a long 4 years under her Reich.
That's a good line; it's evocative, funny, sad, and historically literate. I hope you all will find ways to push back, to be partisans and successfully resist the tyranny of the new Reichsführer.
So we got a new store manager two weeks ago after our other one retired after 45 years of service in January. A reasonable amount of time has passed for my coworkers and I to conclude that she isn't a pleasant person. She lives, eats, breathes, and dreams key retailing. She's very aloof and uncaring when talking to customers and associates on any subject. All call-ins must go to her, no call ins may to go a co-manager if she is there. She does not want any extra hours (overtime, or make a part timer stay a full 8 hours) given to an employee because of a call-ins without her approval. All absences require a doctors statement. No showing up 7 minutes late or leaving 7 minutes early, and no extended breaks (22min) and lunches(37 min) (grace period) or you will be written up. She's moving our associate manager office from downstairs to upstairs, so if an employee needs help she is no longer accessible because the new store manager does not want any associates knowing the code to upstairs anymore unless you are a department manager. That's also where the printer/copier is for printing reports and signs in ISP. You now have to ask someone with the code to let you in if you require upstairs access. Not to mention they posted the vacation request spreadsheets upstairs for the entire store and in order to select your vacation someone must escort you upstairs when its "your turn." So essentially she is creating an associate-manager communications barrier. The old store manager encouraged people to come upstairs, and the code was posted on the wall inside the office for all to see if you wanted to go upstairs.
This new store manager is also getting on the co-managers about micromanaging departments and associates in their "assigned" departments which in turn is another thing that pisses the co-managers and associates off. She also will not allow nametag reprints, unless lost, and put a note by the timeclock stating "If you don't have a nametag, you will be written up and sent home to get one. If you don't have one you must pay $1 for a reprint and are only allowed to wear it until the printed one arrives in the store."
Needless to say, it's going to be a long 4 years under her Reich.
That's stupid. Everything else can be dealt with, but forcing people to pay money if they lose a nametag? Who gets the money? She understands that those things fall off like twice a day just by moving around or loading groceries, right?
Sounds like you need to break this new manager's spirit and quick.
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Would you like fries with th... I mean, your milk in a bag?
Sounds like a manager we use to have. Our manager was a racist. He disliked African Americans (people of color as he called them), Mexicans and or Latinos, Asians, mixed races, etc. He only liked white people. When he wrote up employees each one had a customized write up.
One was as follows: I understand that hours are low and you need to pay bills. But that does NOT excuse you from helping yourself to more hours. If you really need more work, consider working part time at another job. The best place to get kne is standing outside a he depot or Walmart with other Latinos and wait for work.
Another one: in the days of slavery, plantation owners did not tolorate theft of time worked. Neither to we. Please remember when you are at work, you work. Please keep all 'homie talk' and Sunday chicken dinner at aunt jemima's to a minimum.
Well, he didn't last long. Especially when he said
"People of your color xxx need to learn that this is a place of business." To an African American co-worker. He was terminated and wondered why the. "Black, Asian, Latino/Mexican employees at work disliked him.... Meh.... Go figure dumbass... Why would they like you given the way to treated them??
Is this her first time as a store manager? Usually the ones who have been around a while know when to let employees do their jobs and when to tighten the reins.
She sounds like a wonderful manager and I'd love to meet her. I know I'd be writing people up if they came in late or left early without permission, because eSchedule is like a BMW engine. It has VERY LITTLE room for error. And anyone who is taking a break beyond the allowed time is stealing from YOU. That's right. To make up for lost productivity, everyone's wages fall. When you come in to work, you work. Don't try to be 'cool' or take advantage of the company. Laziness may be legal but is NOT ethical.
E-Schedule only works with robots that do the exact same job day after day.
I guess kroger likes to play loose with rules or it just varies store to store. At the store i worked at nothing was really enforced. Is management with Kroger this "crazy". Another example of the stellar leadership Kroger has!!
Not...really. It comes out literally as realm. Which, really, does NOT pertain to how one manages his subordinates. Unless of course I missed the news and Kroger suddenly carved a nation out of the US.
This seems to be a growing trend in retail management. In the last year or two I've encountered some seriously flawed, socio pathic human beings who are, unfortunately, in charge of other people. Apparently, the corporations are seeking blood thirsty monsters who are ready to kick ass and clean house rather than lead by example and compassion.
When we occasionally read about some shmoe shooting up the management team at his store? Yea, I'll never condone it.......But I'm beginning to UNDERSTAND IT.
That's stupid. Everything else can be dealt with, but forcing people to pay money if they lose a nametag? Who gets the money? She understands that those things fall off like twice a day just by moving around or loading groceries, right?
Sounds like you need to break this new manager's spirit and quick.
We have a few people in our store who are needing new name tags just about every shift. It's ridiculous.
PTouch tape isn't cheap & tightly controlled. I hate running out when I need it because I've wasted it all on replacement name tags.
She sounds like a wonderful manager and I'd love to meet her. I know I'd be writing people up if they came in late or left early without permission, because eSchedule is like a BMW engine. It has VERY LITTLE room for error. And anyone who is taking a break beyond the allowed time is stealing from YOU. That's right. To make up for lost productivity, everyone's wages fall. When you come in to work, you work. Don't try to be 'cool' or take advantage of the company. Laziness may be legal but is NOT ethical.
certainly upfront eSchedule offers no room for error, maybe true in service depts too. we have a note posted at our time clock about people coming late or not coming to work but i've seen no action taken. some of the same people who are chronically late also seem to be people who end up fluffing their paychecks with extra hours.
We got a new one here who is doing the same bs. Everyone has to wear an apron, shirts tucked in, dragging people into the office for chats about secret shops, etc. Very antagonistic attitude with employees. I won't argue with him and that seems to disappoint him. I've watched him and other employees having shouting matches on the floor. He gets off on it. I just say Ohhhhkkkaaaaaay for his dumb demands. Thats seems to annoy him. Be sure to say hello to every customer! Never mind most of them ignore you.
For nametags we just use a marker instead of a label.
Sounds like the one we used to have... maybe the same one. She was the same way, and it was a long 4 years. But she's gone now, and we have a really nice manager. :)
That's stupid. Everything else can be dealt with, but forcing people to pay money if they lose a nametag? Who gets the money? She understands that those things fall off like twice a day just by moving around or loading groceries, right?
Sounds like you need to break this new manager's spirit and quick.
We have a few people in our store who are needing new name tags just about every shift. It's ridiculous.
PTouch tape isn't cheap & tightly controlled. I hate running out when I need it because I've wasted it all on replacement name tags.
just don't replace them and write people up who don't wear their name tags. order a load of blanks and some sharpies .
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Would you like fries with th... I mean, your milk in a bag?
Ugh, sounds like our front end manager. While our store managers don't micromanage unless they absolutely have to (if corporate is coming or something is seriously wrong), our FE manager just enjoys sucking out all the enjoyment from our lives with her bubbling enthusiasm for Key Retailing, QueVision, etc. Like, she actually swallowed all the BS about "Customer First" and everything Kroger pushes, she's so naive but dang annoying because she does everything exactly "by the book" (no 7 minutes late/early, doctor's notes required for call-outs, literally quizzing us mid-work on the "3 A's and LEAD behavior", and so on. It's like Kroger Company personified and lording over you.
For some reason, I thought of an old Spongebob episode where Krabs sold the Krusty Krab to a corporation, and the manager was a bubbly by the books kind if guy.
That's what I pictured when you described your FE Manager.
Ugh, sounds like our front end manager. While our store managers don't micromanage unless they absolutely have to (if corporate is coming or something is seriously wrong), our FE manager just enjoys sucking out all the enjoyment from our lives with her bubbling enthusiasm for Key Retailing, QueVision, etc. Like, she actually swallowed all the BS about "Customer First" and everything Kroger pushes, she's so naive but dang annoying because she does everything exactly "by the book" (no 7 minutes late/early, doctor's notes required for call-outs, literally quizzing us mid-work on the "3 A's and LEAD behavior", and so on. It's like Kroger Company personified and lording over you.
Hell at our store they are so cheap with name tags that they have taken p touch labels and placed them over other peoples names.
Yep, seen that before too. "Steve" on the name tag and over it would be tape and the kid had wrote "Billy" over it. Was pretty funny. We had a good laugh calling him Bill-Steve.
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Would you like fries with th... I mean, your milk in a bag?
Hell at our store they are so cheap with name tags that they have taken p touch labels and placed them over other peoples names.
I remember when I lost mine and we were out of name tags. They gave me an old one that said "Kevin". I had so much fun with that for a week. Customers would ask if it was my real name and I would tell them "yes, my dad wanted a boy". The employees started paging "Kevin" and it took me awhile before I remembered lol! I finally got my real name tag and I swear they called me "Kevin" for weeks after that.
Hell at our store they are so cheap with name tags that they have taken p touch labels and placed them over other peoples names.
I remember when I lost mine and we were out of name tags. They gave me an old one that said "Kevin". I had so much fun with that for a week. Customers would ask if it was my real name and I would tell them "yes, my dad wanted a boy". The employees started paging "Kevin" and it took me awhile before I remembered lol! I finally got my real name tag and I swear they called me "Kevin" for weeks after that.
I forgot mine once and the our mgr told me to find a nametag and he didn't care whose it was. So I got one out of the lost and found that was for a verizon store employee named veronica and put it on. The mgr wasn't thrilled, obviously...
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