Archived Are they cutting hours now to make FT TM's all PT TM's now due to this Affordable Health Care Act?

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xxTheDudexx

Front of Store Attendant
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Apr 19, 2012
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Is anybody else having this problem?

I am a full timer. Ever since our meeting to notify us that part time benefits were being cut, I've noticed a change in the hours I get.

For me, I used to get 34 hours a week at minimum and then either got a call to come in or asked to stay longer so I'd always hit close to 4o hours a week.

I was always one of the first people they would call because I get the most work done in the shortest amount of time and can multitask like crazy.

Since the meeting, I'm now scheduled 28 - 30 hours a week, and I never get called in. I'm one of 3 other active cart attendants, the 4rth is now only doing cashier duty for health reasons. I could have easily been called in to cover that, but instead they had uncertified sales floor tm's or front end tm's hand push carts. It's happened probably 6-8 times in the last month and a half.

Does anybody think they are trying to get our average hours down to part time so they don't have to give us benefits?? This has been going on for the last month or so, and it's really frustrating for me. I'm really starting to think I might have to start looking for another job if this doesn't change.
 
If you check other threads you'll see that hours are being cut across the board for everybody.
I don't think it's the ACA (that was why they dropped everybody who had part time insurance) as much as it's always tight this time of year and it's even worse this year because Spot has lost it's tiny little mind.
 
My hours have actually gone up thanks to the health insurance thing. So I can't say for sure. I do know that nearly all of our cart attendant hours are gone, except for four hours on Saturday and four hours on Sunday.
 
I would say that the TL and ETL cuts are definitely due to the ACA. They are attempting to cut down on the number of people who qualify for benefits.

As for the individual team members it is more of a result of hours going down as a whole rather than any sort of malicious intent when it comes to health care.
 
Have always had 35-40 hours. Last 2 schedules: 31.75 and 31.5. You do the math.
I have been with the company for almost 2 and a half years. After I was kept during seasonal employment I was quickly cross trained all over the place. The only areas I haven't work in are hr, softlines, pricing, and starbucks. Because of my flexibility, being trained in several work centers, and accepting being called in almost every single time, I typically got offered those extra hours. I never had a problem getting them before, even during the slow part of the season.
 
Yea I think its a little bit of them trying to cut down as many people as they can from being qualified and its just that time of year when hours are scarce. I will say I dont like the fact that Target waited until the end of January to tell people about the changes. Especially since it was being speculated back in September. I dont want to hear they didnt know,because I am sure they did.
 
Have always had 35-40 hours. Last 2 schedules: 31.75 and 31.5. You do the math.
I have been with the company for almost 2 and a half years. After I was kept during seasonal employment I was quickly cross trained all over the place. The only areas I haven't work in are hr, softlines, pricing, and starbucks. Because of my flexibility, being trained in several work centers, and accepting being called in almost every single time, I typically got offered those extra hours. I never had a problem getting them before, even during the slow part of the season.
Yeah - thanks for the advice. I have been with the company for 14 years and am trained in everything except food ave. and photo and have been a TL, specialist, blah blah blah. Love your youthful optimism, though! Way to vibe!!

(I'm sure that the health bills of my disabled child and the prospect of having an "oldtimer" on the insurance roll are not making me look like a keeper right now when combined with the many years (thus more payroll and vacation time)
 
That's why you pad your vacation time during the last 6 months of the year. And definitely clock in early and leave a little late. Unless they come gunning for you, you haven't done anything wrong yet.
 
I seldom had to use any vay cay during the last half of the yr but end up nearly depleting it during the first half. My boys know that vacation is when Mama gets crap hrs.
 
I made the cut off by .29 hours/week. Clocking in five minutes early and not begging to leave early when closing made all the difference in the world.
 
We've had TLs & ETLs chase us down if we're more than 5 minutes late clocking out.
 
For those that are on the border with 31.5 of 32 hours. Clock in five minutes early and clock out five minutes late. 5 shifts a week at an extra 10 minutes a shift = an extra 50 minutes!

That gets you written up and fired at my store. But then they can't open the door at a reasonable time either.
 
For those that are on the border with 31.5 of 32 hours. Clock in five minutes early and clock out five minutes late. 5 shifts a week at an extra 10 minutes a shift = an extra 50 minutes!

That gets you written up and fired at my store. But then they can't open the door at a reasonable time either.
I don't think they can write you up for just 5 minutes before, that's Target's grace period and someone please correct me if I'm wrong but I believe if you clock out up to 5 minutes after your scheduled time does not affect out on time percentage.
Also a friend of mine was surprised when he got a letter from the benefits center saying he was eligible considering he only averages 30.53
 
For those that are on the border with 31.5 of 32 hours. Clock in five minutes early and clock out five minutes late. 5 shifts a week at an extra 10 minutes a shift = an extra 50 minutes!

That gets you written up and fired at my store. But then they can't open the door at a reasonable time either.
I don't think they can write you up for just 5 minutes before, that's Target's grace period and someone please correct me if I'm wrong but I believe if you clock out up to 5 minutes after your scheduled time does not affect out on time percentage.
Also a friend of mine was surprised when he got a letter from the benefits center saying he was eligible considering he only averages 30.53

They make up rules as they see fit. Clocking in they are ok with being late a few, since when I come in a lot of people come in but early that is a coaching. Can't waste payroll. Yes I have seen it.
 
For those that are on the border with 31.5 of 32 hours. Clock in five minutes early and clock out five minutes late. 5 shifts a week at an extra 10 minutes a shift = an extra 50 minutes!

That gets you written up and fired at my store. But then they can't open the door at a reasonable time either.
That's interesting. I've done this 70% of my shifts and I never gotten written up. I was told a long time ago about the 5 minute grace period too.
 
For those that are on the border with 31.5 of 32 hours. Clock in five minutes early and clock out five minutes late. 5 shifts a week at an extra 10 minutes a shift = an extra 50 minutes!

That gets you written up and fired at my store. But then they can't open the door at a reasonable time either.
That's interesting. I've done this 70% of my shifts and I never gotten written up. I was told a long time ago about the 5 minute grace period too.

Likewise. I did get coached once because it resulted in me hitting overtime, but other than that, nobody's ever said a word to me about it.
 
For those that are on the border with 31.5 of 32 hours. Clock in five minutes early and clock out five minutes late. 5 shifts a week at an extra 10 minutes a shift = an extra 50 minutes!

That gets you written up and fired at my store. But then they can't open the door at a reasonable time either.
Yea this is crazy at my store when flow and plano come in at 4am everyone clocks in at 3:55. I dont see how they can write you up since the time clock lets you clock in. We were told about the 5 min grace period before and after also.
 
Alonzo Harris said it best "it's not what you know, it's what you can prove".

I have to agree that you shouldn't face any type of disciplinary action because the time clock lets you clock in 5 minutes early. If Target is obsessed with 5 minutes then the big dogs making the big bucks need to fix the time clock system.

Definitely use your vacation time if you are worried about your average. If you have a lot of vacation time saved up and have been at Target a while, you accrue a larger amount of vacation time each pay period. I mean if you use like an hour or two, you will usually gain it back the next pay period. You have to know how to work the system.
 
at my store other than team leads there have always only been, maybe, 1-2 tm's per work center who are considered full time. I am one who actually just bumped up to full time this year. Hours are crud but with the help of a couple of picked up shifts I keep myself at about 32 hours...though I think I may use some vacation hours (if I have any left) next week and only work the 4 scheduled shifts and not moan about the 25 hours (actually almost 27 scheduled but they have me working an hour and a half past closing one night and didn't remove the half hours for lunch on a few.

Honestly, I saw the writing on the proverbial wall for the last 2 years that the insurance was going to go to pot this year....I believe they try and keep everybody below full time (as much as possible) for so many reasons.

as for the 5 minute early and 5 minute late.....never been coached....but have been reminded when we are really short on hours to hustle to the clock at the end of my shift. Argued for 6 months that if the fitting room operator was doing their job correctly there was no way to clock out AT closing but that, when scheduled at that time, I would make it to the time clock ASAP after closing. Because I am a closer most of the time I stay until told to leave at during non hour scrutiny time but during this time I leave as close to my schedule as possible. BUT I always clock in 5 minutes early....my store expects the fitting room operator to be at the fitting room AT their start time.
 
The few full time people I know are still full time, but it seems that in order for that to happen, they've cross trained and have been working in more areas than usual. Also, all of us part timers are getting less hours than before. The newer TMs get less, and mine haven't dropped as much as they did last year (my first year). Last year around this time, my average was about 12 hours. This year it's twice that and next week I work 31.5 for some reason (I don't even want to. I requested a day off and I'm still working 5 days that week and I hate it)
 
For those that are on the border with 31.5 of 32 hours. Clock in five minutes early and clock out five minutes late. 5 shifts a week at an extra 10 minutes a shift = an extra 50 minutes!

That gets you written up and fired at my store. But then they can't open the door at a reasonable time either.
Yea this is crazy at my store when flow and plano come in at 4am everyone clocks in at 3:55. I dont see how they can write you up since the time clock lets you clock in. We were told about the 5 min grace period before and after also.

They use the reason of "not clocking in\out on time" if you are early you can wait until the correct time. And payroll can't waste payroll.
 
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