When I first started, my grandmother was in her last days in hospice, I wanted to go down and visit her but was in my probationary period. Figured it wouldn't hurt to ask, this was short notice, as in I would be leaving that weekend. Called and spoke to a comanager, voiced my concerns about keeping my job and he told me "family comes first, kroger comes second, and I personally guarantee that you will have a job when you come back"
I ended up not being able to visit because of the logistics of everything but the guy personally asked me how she was doing later. Second experience I got sick, called in and the manager told me I needed to put my health first and it was no problem. When I returned he checked up on me to see how I was feeling.
Third experience, brand new comanager comes over the loudspeaker before leaving and rambles off a few things we need to take care of that night and then proceeds to tell the grocery night crew he appreciates everything we do as we are the backbones of the whole operation.
I'm sure as more managers come and go I will eventually get one that gives us crap but so far I have been lucky.
they aren't all jerks. I think what we may be seeing nowadays is a little more concern since good help is hard to find. Until recently, they didn't seem to care to let people go; they'd find someone else, but now they're having to do everything they can to find people. Announcements, hiring events, ads on the front door. If they have a decent worker, they'd be better off keeping them happy. As for your scenarios, I don't know what managers would tell someone they can't visit a dying relative. If they did say that, I'd find a better job.
That is really great about your managers understanding those situations. Heck I can barely get time in for a break and sometimes my dept. head is like "ugh, you really have to go home now?" Sometimes. I mean most times I know he is joking but other days it's like don't you want to stay? Without saying it. Although when my dad shows up, everybody is like it's time to get out of there for the day lol. What makes it all the more funny is the fact that he isn't really a big guy or as stern as most peeps would suspect. But even he is like, your time is up, put that stuff down and go. And normally I felt bad about leaving something half done so I wouldn't be cutting into overtime hours. But with having a new store, and all these 8 hour days and 40 hours a week. I am MORE than ready to get out of there even with approved over time. I seriously have NOTHING more to give and happy when my time comes to an end for the day.
I like to imagine that there are plenty of good managers out there. I imagine that it's just a, good guys don't often get recognized thing. Yknow? There are more reasons to complain about a bad manager than a good manager.
In my store personally the manager and comanagers are all great people, have yet to have a bad co-manager. But we don't often talk about them though yknow? They're great and all, but then there's the coworkers who we don't like, who we consider to be bad employees or not very great people etc etc. More likely to talk about people like that more
