Archived Ex ETL AMA (ask me anything)

[LifeCenterOfTheBullseye]

How long can an area be red until the ETL is fired?

Truly depends on your DTL/STL. I have seen seasoned EXCELLENT rated ETL's be thrown into fire workcenters and given 2-3 years before anything. Usually if not fired, they complain for a transfer and get it to another ETL pos.
I have seen the same be thrown in and get so depressed they quit in 6 months.

For a normal ETL, if your area is red, you have a year total. 3 months initial, 4 months to fix, 4-5 months final warning. Just like a Tm, it takes a fuck ton of documentation to fire an ETL if they don't break any major rules. But any minor ones you do, (leave a bag out, etc) will be noted 100000%

 

[LifeCenterOfTheBullseye]

I definitely would like to echo the following questions:

a) Why hire from college and not promote from within?
b) Is their amount of executive work (memorizing numbers? filing paperwork? whatever?) really excessive enough to warrant repeated noticeable absence from the sales floor?
c) What, generally or specifically, does the executive work entail? Is it actually _hard_ or ... are the majority of ETLs um .... not intelligent?
d) How much of the 'cause - effect' strategy for improving AAR/ServiceScores/etc. is made up ... ? It sounds very much like it is some atrocious improvisation.

a.,I promoted 2 TM's to TL's and 1 TL to Sr.TL.
Target put in a stupid rule to about needing your college degree so alot of TL's don't have that, which really hurts your promote within which is bullshit.

b. Again, no. Print the reports Monday. Look at each day when posted at desk. Paperwork/writeups all done last 30 mins of shift. 95% of ETL's know they can slack and do.

c. Majority are intelligent I would say. The work is easy. I mean my TL wihtout a degree could do my position without blinking an eye. It's more o the little things like handling guest complaints, store issues, making LOD decisions that consist and make up the "job" but in reality its all common sense.

d. Im guessing you are wondering like where does this come from? I mean its all someone sitting at a desk in corporate analyzing #s that makes a suggesstion or correlation and runs with it. Who remmebers like All the updates that fucked up the backroom. That person got fired. All the updates and new processes that pan out in like months. They do see what sticks. I can tell you right now, anyone making any # is faking it. No questions asked

 

[LifeCenterOfTheBullseye]

TL and TM wise, do you guys pick targets to go after? It seems like a person can be the best one week and then gets bombarded as the devil for a few months and if the person tolerates it long enough the next target is chosen

I honestly would say there are very few I "picked" to go after. Mainly if I did, I had a valid reason. Awful attendance, atrocious performance. Any TM/TL can be taught and performanced managed. The biggest piece is how you communicate and speak to that individual. If they no longer have the motivation, you have the sit down convo of its get back into it and let me help you find that spark, or its time to go.

 

[LifeCenterOfTheBullseye]

Do the ETLs gossip about the TMs among each other? I know the TMs gossip about the ETLs, I just wonder if the same is done in reverse.

Which AP position did you enjoy the most and why?

Which was your most dislike AP position, and why?

On your LOD shifts, how often did you find yourself helping out your team with the tasks they had to do, such as zoning, reshop, push, backstock, unloading the truck, etc.?

Yes there are ETLs that gossipp and facebook stalk tm's. It's sad.
I was ETL-AP. I enjoyed really making my own schedule and having my own workcenter I could truly impact daily, without corporate really being down my throat. At the time, my AP-DTL was my true boss, not STL how it is now

Apprehensions. My first one had a knife pulled on me and ever since then didn't make one without IS or another ETL.

I did everything with the team. The only way you were going to earn respect from your team is to be right there wit hthem. I threw probably 20% of all trucks to the very end. I picked up trash, I did trash, I raced tm's stocking boxes. All about holding everyone accountable. If they just saw me walking around all the time, they would then be expected they could do the same.

 

[LifeCenterOfTheBullseye]

I'd just like to echo the question "What happens during ETL meetings?"
...And really anything that happens behind closed ETL doors?

Meh, "behind closed doors" not too many things happen. There are some things that can't be talked bout in the open like tm performance or a plan to performance manage someone, or like I had a couple sexual accusations from tm on tm's so ya those are touchy.

ETL meetings. Depends on your STL. Had some that helped, had others that were pure aids and waste o time

 

[LifeCenterOfTheBullseye]

Going out to dinner, but will be back around 730. Keep em coming. Like I said, open book

 

[Meli4Target]

I just have a couple questions.
If the ETL's and the STL didnt like a certain TM would they intentionally try and make that team member get fired or quit?
also would that TM they didnt like get less hours?
What exactly are contribution meetings about?
Why does it take so long for the STL and ETL's to forecast for hours?

 

[seasonal]

How do ETL rotations work. Isn't after a certain amount of time you have to switch to a new ETL position? I've had the same ETL-HL for the longest now.

 

[LifeCenterOfTheBullseye]

I just have a couple questions.
If the ETL's and the STL didnt like a certain TM would they intentionally try and make that team member get fired or quit?
also would that TM they didnt like get less hours?
What exactly are contribution meetings about?
Why does it take so long for the STL and ETL's to forecast for hours?

Depends how much they didn't like them. By intentionally, i feel its more they will write you up for every little thing as opposed to letting it slide for others.
I never gave less hours to a TM i didn't like. I never had another ETL do that either. It's pretty easy to prove you are doing it and previous ETL's in our district got in a fuck ton of trouble over it so it was pretty heavily watched.


Contribution meetings mainly about who is doing well, who is struggling. They are a joke. I mean they talk about one person and it used to be TL or TM. Now it must be a TL. Like, I truly had all strong TL's and none needed to be "on needing help" but I still had to write one.

Your STL must suck. It's the same basically week in week out and previous STL's should have the previous years which are very very similar.

 

[LifeCenterOfTheBullseye]

How do ETL rotations work. Isn't after a certain amount of time you have to switch to a new ETL position? I've had the same ETL-HL for the longest now.

Again, this is something Target talks about with ETL's but never follows thru. You are supposed to switch every 18-24 months. However, certain ETL's that are strong contributors can basically demand to stay in the same position and store forever and get it. If you aren't over 4-5 years, you aren't going to have that clout. It's sad because there are a plethora of ETL's that couldn't do LOG, HR, etc. but can easily do SL or front end easily

 

[Anonymous]

Any feelings about collecting "the big bucks" while low wage tm's teach you what you need to know? (It always irks me that the ETL's come in with very little working knowledge. I realize that there is a learning curve, but if I'm going to be a trainer for my boss, shouldn't my expertise be acknowledged financially?)

 

[LifeCenterOfTheBullseye]

Any feelings about collecting "the big bucks" while low wage tm's teach you what you need to know? (It always irks me that the ETL's come in with very little working knowledge. I realize that there is a learning curve, but if I'm going to be a trainer for my boss, shouldn't my expertise be acknowledged financially?)

Couple things with this. First I don't have any bad feelings or empathy that I made what I did. There were hundreds upon hundreds of situations amongst guests and tm's that I could not think of one tm that could have handled any of them to be honest. When it came down to hours. I mean I put in 12-15 hours a day. 5 days a week. Sometimes 6. So when you break down 42k/3120 )60hrsx52 is 13.4$ an hour. My TL's made more tha nme. Not much of an hourly wage Again, not 1 TM I ever encountered that would come close to that and would work those hours if offered. I should know because one store I was at offered OT for almost 9 months straight and not one person went anywhere over 40.

Do I think TM's should be paid more? Yes. Do I think some TM's have trained ETL's on certain things. Of course. But in the large scheme of things, I've only encountered a few TM's that had the passion and desire to do more as a TL or ETL.

I think the CEO's make goobers upon goobers too much for what they do

 

[Barcode]

Very insightful thread, thank you

 

[Softlines Owns My Soul]

What was your favorite role as an ETL and why?

What do you have to say about the perception amongst seemingly everyone that Target is going downhill? Why do you think that is?

 

[mrknownothing]

Yes, thank you for sharing. It sounds like you were one of the good ones.

 

[LifeCenterOfTheBullseye]

What was your favorite role as an ETL and why?

What do you have to say about the perception amongst seemingly everyone that Target is going downhill? Why do you think that is?

For me it was the team events I did, like turkey bowling *empty the truck, set up pins and send a turkey on down*, and other games I created to keep the morale high.

I don't think the general public views Target going downhill to be honest. If you were to poll 1,000 random people, maybe 10 would know what it's like to work there, etc.
I think working for Target and seeing how they've evolved, it's not a path a company I wanted to be with anymore. I understand cutting payroll is the most controllable expense known to man, but at the same time, have morals about how you treat tms. Not giving them hours so you don't have to offer insurance, stuff like that. You can't raise expectations and take the one thing away that helps meet those expectations.

 

[Softlines Owns My Soul]

What was your favorite role as an ETL and why?

What do you have to say about the perception amongst seemingly everyone that Target is going downhill? Why do you think that is?

For me it was the team events I did, like turkey bowling *empty the truck, set up pins and send a turkey on down*, and other games I created to keep the morale high.

I don't think the general public views Target going downhill to be honest. If you were to poll 1,000 random people, maybe 10 would know what it's like to work there, etc.
I think working for Target and seeing how they've evolved, it's not a path a company I wanted to be with anymore. I understand cutting payroll is the most controllable expense known to man, but at the same time, have morals about how you treat tms. Not giving them hours so you don't have to offer insurance, stuff like that. You can't raise expectations and take the one thing away that helps meet those expectations.

Thanks! I actually meant what ETL position did you like the most...LOG, HR, etc

 

[LifeCenterOfTheBullseye]

What was your favorite role as an ETL and why?

What do you have to say about the perception amongst seemingly everyone that Target is going downhill? Why do you think that is?

For me it was the team events I did, like turkey bowling *empty the truck, set up pins and send a turkey on down*, and other games I created to keep the morale high.

I don't think the general public views Target going downhill to be honest. If you were to poll 1,000 random people, maybe 10 would know what it's like to work there, etc.
I think working for Target and seeing how they've evolved, it's not a path a company I wanted to be with anymore. I understand cutting payroll is the most controllable expense known to man, but at the same time, have morals about how you treat tms. Not giving them hours so you don't have to offer insurance, stuff like that. You can't raise expectations and take the one thing away that helps meet those expectations.

Thanks! I actually meant what ETL position did you like the most...LOG, HR, etc

I enjoyed LOG. Days went fast. Always something new to learn . Always a challenge everyday instead of setting salesplanners or coaching cashiers

 

[BRguy]

I know that if you are scheduled to be LOD you are supposed to be there no matter what. What happens if you truly can't make it to your shift? Do you have another ETL cover for you?

 

[paidtosmile]

What did you ETL_HR routine usually consist of (when you're not LOD)? Scheduling? Payroll? Hiring? Turnover?

 

[LifeCenterOfTheBullseye]

I know that if you are scheduled to be LOD you are supposed to be there no matter what. What happens if you truly can't make it to your shift? Do you have another ETL cover for you?

I mean if it was to open the building, unless I was dead or something awful happened, I was there until someone else came in. I opened the building 95% of the days. I mean if you get sick and were "LOD" ya a peer should cover for you.

 

[LifeCenterOfTheBullseye]

What did you ETL_HR routine usually consist of (when you're not LOD)? Scheduling? Payroll? Hiring? Turnover?

Staffing, performance management paperwork, I owned payroll/front end scheduling. Ya bunch of reporting then always a mixture of team members every day. I tried to help a peer do something for 2 hours a day

 

[oath2order]

Yes there are ETLs that gossipp and facebook stalk tm's. It's sad.
I was ETL-AP. I enjoyed really making my own schedule and having my own workcenter I could truly impact daily, without corporate really being down my throat. At the time, my AP-DTL was my true boss, not STL how it is now

Apprehensions. My first one had a knife pulled on me and ever since then didn't make one without IS or another ETL.

I did everything with the team. The only way you were going to earn respect from your team is to be right there wit hthem. I threw probably 20% of all trucks to the very end. I picked up trash, I did trash, I raced tm's stocking boxes. All about holding everyone accountable. If they just saw me walking around all the time, they would then be expected they could do the same.

Sorry, what I meant to say was, which was your favorite ETL position?

 

[daninnj]

What did you major in college?
How did seasoned ETLs, TLs, and TMs (talking about older, less likely to have a degree, etc) view you or other out-of-college ETLs when you first started? Did higher-paid, older, long-term ETLs seemingly get the boot as younger ones came in?
Tell me about a time when... (jk! )
Did you witness any ETL meltdowns? Do explain!
Any other stories?

Good luck wherever you are now! You are one of the good guys!

 

[Guest]

Thanks for answering my question about the bonuses. Finally some honesty and communication from an ex ETL. Sad that it's that way.

Another question, are the annual reviews rigged? When I say rigged, I mean are stores really only able to give out so many good scores even when some TMs are deserving of good scores but get screwed and get bad scores? And do ETLs ever use their own personal feelings and grudges/vendettas when doing the annual reviews?
For example, if you make your ETL mad, will they take it out on your annual review? That is what seemed like the case last year for me. However, I'm probably a basket case in the eyes of certain ETLs at my store. I've had ETLs threaten to make me a cashier or only schedule me 2 or 3 days when I voiced my complaints and concerns. ETLs can be huge bullies and that pisses me off big time.