Meal violations? Am I non-rehireable?

[Vanyssamunguia]

Hello everyone my name is Vanyssa! I pretty much did a lot around my store (my main department was Beauty) but I can do anything from front end to general merchandise to flexible fulfillment. So I got fired at Target because of meal violation. Of course not on purpose but I suppose my stupidity got the best of me and i wasn't responsible. Well because of my termination for this reason do you think I'm blacklisted and cannot work at another Target ever again? (My termination was late February). Thank you guys again for taking the time to read my question! Take care ❤️~

 

[Yetive]

Well, I would have serious second thoughts about hiring someone who had a hard time setting an alarm after being given a warning.

 

[Hardlinesmaster]

I think it was more than a meal thing. Spot doesn’t forget the bad things.

 

[starmaster1000]

If that's really your legal name, I'd change it. We have multiple warnings during signup to this site advising you against it.

Meal violations are taken seriously, especially in states or jurisdictions (cities/counties) where employers are fined ($$$) for not sending their employees to lunch after a certain time of hours worked (usually between 4.5 and 6 hours).

Even in states where literally no one could care less if you have a lunch or rest break (like good ol' Texas! Yee-haw!!), Target seems to be of the idea that people work better with food or something in their stomachs, so in these states or jurisdictions, they send you to lunch no later than 5.59 hours (you're in violation at 6.00). Corporate still administratively fines the store when you do this.

Stores aren't into losing money, whether from the state or jurisdiction, or Corporate. If you are a liability, you get gone'd. You've been gone'd.

You are likely marked unrehireable. Because you are a liability and fail to follow direction even after multiple warnings.

However... some stores like hiring unrehireable. You may find one that does. But the big red flag will be there when they pull up your profile in Workday.

 

[Vanyssamunguia]

Well, I would have serious second thoughts about hiring someone who had a hard time setting an alarm after being given a warning.

Not gonna lie that was rude. Some people make mistakes we are human. I was well mannered I wish all of you would do the same ❤️🤗

 

[Vanyssamunguia]

But I completely understand. Thank you for your reply!

 

[Planosss]

I would say apply, what’s the worst that can happen?

 

[Captain Orca]

There is just something stupidly childish and idiotic about the phrase "meal violation." Alone, the word meal is just weird. I've always been independent, worked my own schedules and took lunch whenever the hell I felt like it so this "meal" stuff is foreign. Yes, I dealt with it for 8 years during my tenure at Target and never really paid any attention to it. I just took my 15s and 30s when scheduled and that was it.

 

[OK Then]

My store doesn’t play when it comes to that. If you hit your fifth, it’s a warning. Do it a second time and you are gone and marked un-rehireable.

 

[happygoth]

There is just something stupidly childish and idiotic about the phrase "meal violation." Alone, the word meal is just weird. I've always been independent, worked my own schedules and took lunch whenever the hell I felt like it so this "meal" stuff is foreign. Yes, I dealt with it for 8 years during my tenure at Target and never really paid any attention to it. I just took my 15s and 30s when scheduled and that was it.

Companies can be (and have been) sued for not providing workers with timely meal breaks. They can get in big trouble if they don't have documented proof that they are providing them. Thus, they have to take it seriously.

 

[redeye58]

Well, I would have serious second thoughts about hiring someone who had a hard time setting an alarm after being given a warning.

Not gonna lie that was rude. Some people make mistakes we are human. I was well mannered I wish all of you would do the same ❤️🤗

Nothing rude, just a hard truth.
Meal compliance isn't just an 'oops-I-made-a-mistake-my-bad' kinda thing.
You admitted that your 'stupidity got the best of you & you weren't being responsible'.
It also means you weren't taking it seriously so they termed you before they got hit with massive fines.
It doesn't matter how good a worker you were if it would jeopardize their bottom line & it's unlikely that anyone else would take that chance either.

 

[StyleStar]

How many times did you go into compliance, I find it hard to believe this was your first time. ASANTS I know at my store if we have an ex employee reapply we usually reach out to the previous store (we still make our own decision based on our personal interaction). We have taken employees that were highly reccomended that were straight trash, and we took a chance of team members we were told not to rehire. Unless the store you apply at reaches out, to your old store they would never know you were fired.

 

[FlowTeamChick]

Was this only one meal violation or multiple ones? I've violated this rule, got a talking-to and had to sign an acknowledgment that I'd violated, but I wasn't terminated for it. So I'm thinking there were multiple violations or this was just the last straw. Either way, if it was me doing the hiring, I'd probably give your application a pass.

 

[TurgetCirkl]

Was this only one meal violation or multiple ones? I've violated this rule, got a talking-to and had to sign an acknowledgment that I'd violated, but I wasn't terminated for it. So I'm thinking there were multiple violations or this was just the last straw. Either way, if it was me doing the hiring, I'd probably give your application a pass.

During Christmas time I hit compliance by like 3 minutes. I didn’t get yelled at or (to my knowledge) written up. I was just told to make sure it doesn’t happen again and since then I’ve got one meal warning but I knew exactly when to go so there was always someone on my side.

Something I’ve learned is if you acknowledge your mistake, how it happened, and how it wont happen again you’ll be on the really good side of the bosses. That being said if you’ve been meal compliant multiple times then yeah. You kinda deserve it. If I was your boss I would have fired you too.

 

[Rarejem]

Time clock compliance is literally the easiest part of the job that you can control. Clock in and out on time and take your meals before you hit compliance....if you can't do that, then you need to evaluate your commitment to your job and being able to follow simple directions.

 

[StyleMaven]

I've been waiting to chime in on this because I too, recently hit meal compliance and I haven't wanted to out myself with specifics.
I feel upset that I was in the position to hit compliance.
Here's my story...
I was scheduled in an area that I've never done before, until close (not a problem, just part of the story). A few minutes before close, I was shifted to my usual side of the store. There were several call outs that day on both sides. Nobody was in my usual side of the store the entire night. I was sent to area after area, after store closing, to zone. There was only myself to zone my entire side of the store. It was dark. I was tired. I was only scheduled a 5 hour shift. After staying for more than an hour after my original shift, I hit compliance.
My fault? Yes. Am I peeved? Yes.
Every time I said "I need to clock out", I was directed to "wait, just go to (insert area) real quick". Again, "I need to clock out". Again, "just touch up (insert area) first". It continued for an hour ++ after store closing. I honestly didn't realize how late it was.
I understand that I should have walked to the front to clock out. I was so focused on following orders, that the time got away from me. Somewhere in my naivety, I thought the boss would get a warning on the device that I was close to compliance, and allow me to go clock out when I was close to hitting.
Kicking myself in the ass? Yes. Especially since my family is committed to moving across country and I'm about to ask for a transfer with a meal compliance on my record.

 

[happygoth]

I've been waiting to chime in on this because I too, recently hit meal compliance and I haven't wanted to out myself with specifics.
I feel upset that I was in the position to hit compliance.
Here's my story...
I was scheduled in an area that I've never done before, until close (not a problem, just part of the story). A few minutes before close, I was shifted to my usual side of the store. There were several call outs that day on both sides. Nobody was in my usual side of the store the entire night. I was sent to area after area, after store closing, to zone. There was only myself to zone my entire side of the store. It was dark. I was tired. I was only scheduled a 5 hour shift. After staying for more than an hour after my original shift, I hit compliance.
My fault? Yes. Am I peeved? Yes.
Every time I said "I need to clock out", I was directed to "wait, just go to (insert area) real quick". Again, "I need to clock out". Again, "just touch up (insert area) first". It continued for an hour ++ after store closing. I honestly didn't realize how late it was.
I understand that I should have walked to the front to clock out. I was so focused on following orders, that the time got away from me. Somewhere in my naivety, I thought the boss would get a warning on the device that I was close to compliance, and allow me to go clock out when I was close to hitting.
Kicking myself in the ass? Yes. Especially since my family is committed to moving across country and I'm about to ask for a transfer with a meal compliance on my record.

Leadership in my store would never have done that. They aren't obsessive about it but they take meal compliance seriously and wouldn't force or willingly allow someone to clock out late.

 

[Nauzhror]

I got meal compliance once, it was while receiving my yearly review last year. My TL pulled me aside to give me my review on my way out, wound up taking too long and I clocked out three minutes late. Was just asked to sign a sheet that said I acknowledged the incident by HR a week or so later.

 

[Greenie]

I've been waiting to chime in on this because I too, recently hit meal compliance and I haven't wanted to out myself with specifics.
I feel upset that I was in the position to hit compliance.
Here's my story...
I was scheduled in an area that I've never done before, until close (not a problem, just part of the story). A few minutes before close, I was shifted to my usual side of the store. There were several call outs that day on both sides. Nobody was in my usual side of the store the entire night. I was sent to area after area, after store closing, to zone. There was only myself to zone my entire side of the store. It was dark. I was tired. I was only scheduled a 5 hour shift. After staying for more than an hour after my original shift, I hit compliance.
My fault? Yes. Am I peeved? Yes.
Every time I said "I need to clock out", I was directed to "wait, just go to (insert area) real quick". Again, "I need to clock out". Again, "just touch up (insert area) first". It continued for an hour ++ after store closing. I honestly didn't realize how late it was.
I understand that I should have walked to the front to clock out. I was so focused on following orders, that the time got away from me. Somewhere in my naivety, I thought the boss would get a warning on the device that I was close to compliance, and allow me to go clock out when I was close to hitting.
Kicking myself in the ass? Yes. Especially since my family is committed to moving across country and I'm about to ask for a transfer with a meal compliance on my record.

That sucks.
I ended up not giving a meal CCA out because this ETL kept telling my team member to take the next guest. HR said (and I agreed) that ETL wouldn’t let the team member clock out. It’s not their fault.

 

[FlowTeamChick]

I've been waiting to chime in on this because I too, recently hit meal compliance and I haven't wanted to out myself with specifics.
I feel upset that I was in the position to hit compliance.
Here's my story...
I was scheduled in an area that I've never done before, until close (not a problem, just part of the story). A few minutes before close, I was shifted to my usual side of the store. There were several call outs that day on both sides. Nobody was in my usual side of the store the entire night. I was sent to area after area, after store closing, to zone. There was only myself to zone my entire side of the store. It was dark. I was tired. I was only scheduled a 5 hour shift. After staying for more than an hour after my original shift, I hit compliance.
My fault? Yes. Am I peeved? Yes.
Every time I said "I need to clock out", I was directed to "wait, just go to (insert area) real quick". Again, "I need to clock out". Again, "just touch up (insert area) first". It continued for an hour ++ after store closing. I honestly didn't realize how late it was.
I understand that I should have walked to the front to clock out. I was so focused on following orders, that the time got away from me. Somewhere in my naivety, I thought the boss would get a warning on the device that I was close to compliance, and allow me to go clock out when I was close to hitting.
Kicking myself in the ass? Yes. Especially since my family is committed to moving across country and I'm about to ask for a transfer with a meal compliance on my record.

I'd speak up about this if you get taken to task about it. And if you're in this spot again, saying that you're bumping up against a meal violation will get more attention at my store than saying you need to clock out. Clocking out means leaving for the day (or night in your case).