I love my ETL. I know, strange words to read on this site, but he's been very cool to me.
Last shift, I went in a few minutes early to speak with him. Told him the freezer cold is too much for my age and weight (almost 50 and not much "natural insulation"), that I hate the small space & being closed in, and that I get creeped out handling meat (I'm a vegetarian). I said, respectfully, that I wouldn't work pfresh/freezer shifts, but I'm happy to do anything else in the store. As I've been doing for my entire 5 months. I said if it was a dealbreaker, and I had to suddenly have to start working in the freezer (after 5 months never having to do it) as a condition of my job, I would be happy to step aside for someone else, work out my last few shifts and go my own way. I was definitely prepared to leave over it.
I should clarify, these weren't backroom shifts where I had to pull a few things from each cooler for autofill or CAFs. I can duck into the freezer for five or ten minutes for a quick pull a couple times during a backroom shift. Don't like it, but I can, and will, and do. These were pfresh shifts, some special project?, and to my understanding, I would've been in the sub-zero for the better part of four hours. I told him I appreciate them trying to give me more hours, but I would rather have fewer hours and not work pfresh shifts.
ETL was not remotely preturbed. He chuckled a bit as if he expected it. Told me it was not a problem and he would keep me off such shifts in the future. I'm sure they will mock me a little, but I'm one of the hardest workers on the team, so I guess they don't want to lose me for good yet.
Meanwhile, he scheduled me for training in three new work areas I have been interested in, two weeks from now. No pfresh. And he upped my hours.
Made me feel a lot better about the job. I wish ETLs this classy and reasonable for all of you.