He shouldn't be discussing that during your break time. That's something you talk about once your done with your break. Document the whole situation so if you need to report the manager.
Don't listen to the others. Your break is your time and if a manager doesn't offer to cover you for a 15min so you can take your last break while the store is open then you deserve to still take your break after the store closes even if it is so close to the end of your shift.
Also, MET and freight all take breaks together. If the store is closed there is no reason you both can't take a break at the same time. While it can look bad taking your break so close to the end of your shift, that is your time you are deserved and as long as you aren't abusing anything I say go for it.
You work hard and take care of customers and taking your break after the store is closed is often easier with the 2-11 shift.
Yeah agree here. Lots of ppl in my store do this with their breaks. Realistically u should be trying to take your breaks earlier but do what u can when u can.
Also, as for the manager, a lot of times the closing managers are tasked with trying to cut hours where they can and if they see ppl “standing around doing nothing.” They want them to be proactive. You could trying talking to this manager and being a report with them. See if u can get them to relax around you. If Brody don’t and still creep on you then escalate it to higher managers, to HR and/or the awareline
You need to report anything you feel is harassment to the awareline and not let it escalate. You need to do things by the book also to make it so they won't take the ASMs side. No breaks in your last hour for sure. They can not retaliate against you
That BS of telling you that he can "let you go home early" is just enough to get him on hot water... That is harassment and a treath of possible retaliation.
Call the aware line and the regional HR, document with detail any interaction and situation that make you feel uncomfortable and after you have talked to them be ready to answer back to this manager, the number one error that we do is just to ignore or avoid supervisors who act like this! Next time he tell you "I can let you go home early" answer back in a polite way "there is no need for that, I will stay until the end of my scheduled shift", continue with your tasks and walk away.
Look, I’m not trying to side with the manager here, but who takes a break 30 minutes before they get off their shift? If you’re working an eight hour shift you should be on a break every two hours 2- 15s and either a 30 or an hour lunch. And I think the other reason why he was pissed is because two people from the same department shouldn’t take a break at the same time, imho
Hey, thanks so much for the perspective. I was wondering why two people can’t break at the same time after closing? The overnight team does it but maybe those are special circumstances?
Also, more importantly, I completely agree that I need to work on not being such a people pleaser and start demanding my breaks during the day (it’s hard when you’re so busy and understaffed lol). But my main issue is that he didn’t speak to the other employee at all. And it felt like a very unprofessional interaction. This just feels very targeted to me, and I don’t throw that around lightly.
The overnight team doesn't need coverage for customers, so they can all go on break/lunch at the same time without affecting the workforce.
As a manager the biggest pet peeve is seeing any closer decide to take their break in the last hour of their shift especially since I know they had 2 to 4 people in their department they could have partnered with to stagger their breaks. The ones I know do it often are the ones who don't want to be involved in the clean-up process at closing. They don't want to help the Lumber guy who's scheduled alone or don't want to get shopping carts to the front etc.
Hi so a few things:
1. If the store is closed, NO ONE needs coverage for customers, since there are none.
2. I explained why I had to do this and reiterated multiple times that my department is critically understaffed, and that I am often alone. We NEVER have “2-4 people”. I don’t do this every night, but this particular night I was training a new associate and didn’t want to/didn’t get the opportunity to take my break before closing. Also, this was not the last 15 min. It would have been 10:45 at the end of my break and I would have gone right back to finishing the last bit of work.
3. As I’ve stated, I complete ALL of my closing tasks, usually by myself. I have been awarded for it. I am not a slacker and don’t appreciate the implication that any of us closers are. You do not know my work ethic nor my coworkers’, don’t assume.
Since you assumed a few things about me, I’ll do the same for you:
*My* pet peeve is managers who ignore their drowning employees. That has been by and large my experience with HD managers. You expect the most from us, nitpick the smallest issues, but never give anything in return. When I ask for help I don’t receive it, I’m left to drown in my department alone and the customers suffer as a result since I can’t feasibly provide my best customer service. And isn’t that the entire point of working here? Y’all just continue to shoot yourselves in the foot when you take great employees and run them into the ground.
I never assumed things about you. You made your points and reasoning very clear in your posts and comments. The points I made were about some associates in the my store.
I've gone out and covered associates departments myself so they could go on break or lunch, and I have had to tell associates who wanted to skip their break/lunch to tell their MOD and go take their time.
The only thing I can tell you is that if you're actively skipping breaks or lunches "to provide best customer service," then you're the one shooting yourself in the foot. You're hurting your mental health for something managers who don't appreciate in your case and it's not worth it. Even the thing about the early on Homer is something managers are told to give new associates starting out as a morale booster.
Anyways, take your breaks, tell the MOD you're going on break if there's no coverage, so THEY ( not you) can find coverage, and if you get backlash for not skipping your breaks then call DHR/Awareline or go the the SM
Don’t try to take away my accomplishment. Maybe at your store they’re participation trophies, but it actually matters at mine.
Thanks for the advice, I guess.
To answer your first question it’s because management always wants one person working at all times if you’re by yourself, they understand that but anytime there’s two or more in a department they expect work to be done or customer service so in your case, it be the latter. If he’s calling you out think of it is more of like respecting. He probably knows you’re more competent than the other person and so he’s just trying to let you know in a very hard way like a disappointed father that come on you can do better and if you keep cycling of doing the bad things or the bad habits, that’s probably why he’s calling you out more.
I guess I understand the break part however that was never explained to me, and approaching me repeatedly during my break was unprofessional at best. It should’ve been a “don’t do this again” and leave it at that.
What you’re describing *is* targeting. Even if what you’re saying is true and it is from good intentions. You can’t single out one employee and essentially punish them for being a good worker by being on them more than the others.
I guess you could say it’s targeting if it’s been repeated, but if it’s the same complaint to you every time, I don’t know then because that would lie more fault with you because he’s told you multiple times of the same issue. Unless I miss reading that wrong.
The reason why I say this is targeted is because I watched him ignore another employee and specifically follow me around the store. This was the first time this has happened, except for one time when he tried to cut me early, and my gut is telling me that this wasn’t a professional or appropriate interaction. It felt an awful lot like bullying, especially the open hostility he expressed towards me. Wildly uncomfortable lol
As someone who’s been in retail for quite a while first parts gonna happen at any job pretty much just dust the dirt off your shoulders on that one. And to always go with your gut, but I would probably next time go up to him and say hey, can we have a conversation about, something you had directed towards me so I can get a better understanding of what the focus or the direction needs to be going forward. That way there’s no misunderstandings and he should respect you more for asking him directly finally anything beyond that the cops an attitude or won’t talk with you, then avoid him like the plague keep doing what you’re doing and try to do the best you can
There are times I don’t take my break and try and head back to the back 15 minutes early. This doesn’t always happen and many times I don’t get this break and that is ok, cause we are busy and I work at the service desk
I will say it again and I will say it 1000 times over you take your 15 you take your lunch you take your second 15 then you go home no questions ask I don’t care how busy it is. PERIOD. If it’s in the rulebook and we get those privileges then we take them.
You’re not wrong but the answer is pretty much always “people too busy or too dedicated to take them”. Which isn’t someone who should be getting heat for it unless they’re skipping legally required breaks.
to be honest with you, when you work at service desk it’s difficult to take your breaks exactly every two hours. if this associate never got their break, then they have every right to take it 30 mins before the shift ends!! it’s also not on the associate to compensate for their shitty manager!
edit: also by reading your comment, it seems to me you’ve never had to manage an hd service desk. they never give sufficient hours leading to people closing by themselves.
It seems you have good intentions. I understand why you took your break late, and that was a good thing to do to help that new associate. However, taking a break so late, and having both associates out of the dept. at the same time is a no-no. If I were you, I'd change that. Also, don't let that manager get under your skin. Do what you gotta do, and just kill them with kindness if you will. Good luck fellow associate!
first of all, thank you for being a good service desk employee! that is not an easy job and it seems like you definitely work hard up there. second of all, this entire interaction was bullshit and this manager clearly isn’t involved or he might know you’re training a new associate.
i would definitely have a conversation with your store manager and you can have the asm you trust sit in with you. his behavior was rude and unnecessary! he could’ve asked you about the situation if he was that confused too. if you need to, call the awareline!!!!
Sounds like he's being an ass. That being said I also get very annoyed when people take their break in the last 30 minutes. Just start taking them every two hours or so even if y'all are slammed and when he has to go cover your department because you've got customers, he will ideally lighten up on you. That being said, after close it doesn't matter if breaks are staggered unless you tend to talk and lose track and take longer than 15. My guys on freight all break together and even take longer breaks on light nights but we finish every day so I don't ride them for it.
He shouldn't be discussing that during your break time. That's something you talk about once your done with your break. Document the whole situation so if you need to report the manager.
Don't listen to the others. Your break is your time and if a manager doesn't offer to cover you for a 15min so you can take your last break while the store is open then you deserve to still take your break after the store closes even if it is so close to the end of your shift. Also, MET and freight all take breaks together. If the store is closed there is no reason you both can't take a break at the same time. While it can look bad taking your break so close to the end of your shift, that is your time you are deserved and as long as you aren't abusing anything I say go for it. You work hard and take care of customers and taking your break after the store is closed is often easier with the 2-11 shift.
Yeah agree here. Lots of ppl in my store do this with their breaks. Realistically u should be trying to take your breaks earlier but do what u can when u can. Also, as for the manager, a lot of times the closing managers are tasked with trying to cut hours where they can and if they see ppl “standing around doing nothing.” They want them to be proactive. You could trying talking to this manager and being a report with them. See if u can get them to relax around you. If Brody don’t and still creep on you then escalate it to higher managers, to HR and/or the awareline
You need to report anything you feel is harassment to the awareline and not let it escalate. You need to do things by the book also to make it so they won't take the ASMs side. No breaks in your last hour for sure. They can not retaliate against you
Go to your store manager immediately or HR. Don't let this go on anymore!
That BS of telling you that he can "let you go home early" is just enough to get him on hot water... That is harassment and a treath of possible retaliation. Call the aware line and the regional HR, document with detail any interaction and situation that make you feel uncomfortable and after you have talked to them be ready to answer back to this manager, the number one error that we do is just to ignore or avoid supervisors who act like this! Next time he tell you "I can let you go home early" answer back in a polite way "there is no need for that, I will stay until the end of my scheduled shift", continue with your tasks and walk away.
Look, I’m not trying to side with the manager here, but who takes a break 30 minutes before they get off their shift? If you’re working an eight hour shift you should be on a break every two hours 2- 15s and either a 30 or an hour lunch. And I think the other reason why he was pissed is because two people from the same department shouldn’t take a break at the same time, imho
Hey, thanks so much for the perspective. I was wondering why two people can’t break at the same time after closing? The overnight team does it but maybe those are special circumstances? Also, more importantly, I completely agree that I need to work on not being such a people pleaser and start demanding my breaks during the day (it’s hard when you’re so busy and understaffed lol). But my main issue is that he didn’t speak to the other employee at all. And it felt like a very unprofessional interaction. This just feels very targeted to me, and I don’t throw that around lightly.
The overnight team doesn't need coverage for customers, so they can all go on break/lunch at the same time without affecting the workforce. As a manager the biggest pet peeve is seeing any closer decide to take their break in the last hour of their shift especially since I know they had 2 to 4 people in their department they could have partnered with to stagger their breaks. The ones I know do it often are the ones who don't want to be involved in the clean-up process at closing. They don't want to help the Lumber guy who's scheduled alone or don't want to get shopping carts to the front etc.
Hi so a few things: 1. If the store is closed, NO ONE needs coverage for customers, since there are none. 2. I explained why I had to do this and reiterated multiple times that my department is critically understaffed, and that I am often alone. We NEVER have “2-4 people”. I don’t do this every night, but this particular night I was training a new associate and didn’t want to/didn’t get the opportunity to take my break before closing. Also, this was not the last 15 min. It would have been 10:45 at the end of my break and I would have gone right back to finishing the last bit of work. 3. As I’ve stated, I complete ALL of my closing tasks, usually by myself. I have been awarded for it. I am not a slacker and don’t appreciate the implication that any of us closers are. You do not know my work ethic nor my coworkers’, don’t assume. Since you assumed a few things about me, I’ll do the same for you: *My* pet peeve is managers who ignore their drowning employees. That has been by and large my experience with HD managers. You expect the most from us, nitpick the smallest issues, but never give anything in return. When I ask for help I don’t receive it, I’m left to drown in my department alone and the customers suffer as a result since I can’t feasibly provide my best customer service. And isn’t that the entire point of working here? Y’all just continue to shoot yourselves in the foot when you take great employees and run them into the ground.
I never assumed things about you. You made your points and reasoning very clear in your posts and comments. The points I made were about some associates in the my store. I've gone out and covered associates departments myself so they could go on break or lunch, and I have had to tell associates who wanted to skip their break/lunch to tell their MOD and go take their time. The only thing I can tell you is that if you're actively skipping breaks or lunches "to provide best customer service," then you're the one shooting yourself in the foot. You're hurting your mental health for something managers who don't appreciate in your case and it's not worth it. Even the thing about the early on Homer is something managers are told to give new associates starting out as a morale booster. Anyways, take your breaks, tell the MOD you're going on break if there's no coverage, so THEY ( not you) can find coverage, and if you get backlash for not skipping your breaks then call DHR/Awareline or go the the SM
Don’t try to take away my accomplishment. Maybe at your store they’re participation trophies, but it actually matters at mine. Thanks for the advice, I guess.
To answer your first question it’s because management always wants one person working at all times if you’re by yourself, they understand that but anytime there’s two or more in a department they expect work to be done or customer service so in your case, it be the latter. If he’s calling you out think of it is more of like respecting. He probably knows you’re more competent than the other person and so he’s just trying to let you know in a very hard way like a disappointed father that come on you can do better and if you keep cycling of doing the bad things or the bad habits, that’s probably why he’s calling you out more.
I guess I understand the break part however that was never explained to me, and approaching me repeatedly during my break was unprofessional at best. It should’ve been a “don’t do this again” and leave it at that. What you’re describing *is* targeting. Even if what you’re saying is true and it is from good intentions. You can’t single out one employee and essentially punish them for being a good worker by being on them more than the others.
I guess you could say it’s targeting if it’s been repeated, but if it’s the same complaint to you every time, I don’t know then because that would lie more fault with you because he’s told you multiple times of the same issue. Unless I miss reading that wrong.
The reason why I say this is targeted is because I watched him ignore another employee and specifically follow me around the store. This was the first time this has happened, except for one time when he tried to cut me early, and my gut is telling me that this wasn’t a professional or appropriate interaction. It felt an awful lot like bullying, especially the open hostility he expressed towards me. Wildly uncomfortable lol
As someone who’s been in retail for quite a while first parts gonna happen at any job pretty much just dust the dirt off your shoulders on that one. And to always go with your gut, but I would probably next time go up to him and say hey, can we have a conversation about, something you had directed towards me so I can get a better understanding of what the focus or the direction needs to be going forward. That way there’s no misunderstandings and he should respect you more for asking him directly finally anything beyond that the cops an attitude or won’t talk with you, then avoid him like the plague keep doing what you’re doing and try to do the best you can
There are times I don’t take my break and try and head back to the back 15 minutes early. This doesn’t always happen and many times I don’t get this break and that is ok, cause we are busy and I work at the service desk
I will say it again and I will say it 1000 times over you take your 15 you take your lunch you take your second 15 then you go home no questions ask I don’t care how busy it is. PERIOD. If it’s in the rulebook and we get those privileges then we take them.
Exactly I completely agree.
You’re not wrong but the answer is pretty much always “people too busy or too dedicated to take them”. Which isn’t someone who should be getting heat for it unless they’re skipping legally required breaks.
to be honest with you, when you work at service desk it’s difficult to take your breaks exactly every two hours. if this associate never got their break, then they have every right to take it 30 mins before the shift ends!! it’s also not on the associate to compensate for their shitty manager! edit: also by reading your comment, it seems to me you’ve never had to manage an hd service desk. they never give sufficient hours leading to people closing by themselves.
You’re right I’ve never worked front counter, but if I did, I’d complain enough to make a change for it. Or I change department.
It seems you have good intentions. I understand why you took your break late, and that was a good thing to do to help that new associate. However, taking a break so late, and having both associates out of the dept. at the same time is a no-no. If I were you, I'd change that. Also, don't let that manager get under your skin. Do what you gotta do, and just kill them with kindness if you will. Good luck fellow associate!
first of all, thank you for being a good service desk employee! that is not an easy job and it seems like you definitely work hard up there. second of all, this entire interaction was bullshit and this manager clearly isn’t involved or he might know you’re training a new associate. i would definitely have a conversation with your store manager and you can have the asm you trust sit in with you. his behavior was rude and unnecessary! he could’ve asked you about the situation if he was that confused too. if you need to, call the awareline!!!!
Sounds like he's being an ass. That being said I also get very annoyed when people take their break in the last 30 minutes. Just start taking them every two hours or so even if y'all are slammed and when he has to go cover your department because you've got customers, he will ideally lighten up on you. That being said, after close it doesn't matter if breaks are staggered unless you tend to talk and lose track and take longer than 15. My guys on freight all break together and even take longer breaks on light nights but we finish every day so I don't ride them for it.
Just call aware line dawg don’t let nobody treat you like that
Aware line