Archived Final Warning for "Working Off The Clock"

[tellmeaboutatime]

The early opening LOD/SRTL is also looking for any doors that may be ajar. Someone may have gotten in overnight and alarms aren't always foolproof. If you find anything suspicious you call the police before entering the building.

 

[StateofTarget]

It's not a thing that a store "allows." It's flat-out required. They aren't driving around looking for robbers to stop. They don't have a Target-issued mask and cape and Batarang. They're just looking for ANYTHING out of the ordinary--be it something they need to have the SFT or cart attendant take care of in the morning, or something they need to go back and take care of (for example, the rolldown gate outside our trailer dock being left open), or something that requires calling the police right away, or whatever.

The opening ETL or key-carrier has to do a drive-around as well, by the way.

This is not unusual. You are wrong in thinking that it is. Not all stores are in the ultra-violent ghetto that you seem to be living in. In fact almost none are.

No, it isn't required. I was working for Target before you were probably old enough to legally work. Never have I heard of an ETL circling the building at anytime. This is something some DTL probably thought was a good idea in your city, but I can assure you is not company wide.

 

[Hardlinesmaster]

The opening etl & closing etl do circle the building when they get there or closing, checking doors.

 

[Ajax11]

No, it isn't required. I was working for Target before you were probably old enough to legally work. Never have I heard of an ETL circling the building at anytime. This is something some DTL probably thought was a good idea in your city, but I can assure you is not company wide.

It's been the case in the multiple districts I've worked in.

 

[GlobalTL123]

They circle the parking lot and store in my district as well.

 

[candyland]

Same here. It is part of the opening/closing LOD's tasks.

 

[JamesJimJam]

One night when I was a closing cashier just before we started remodel someone forget to close a fire door that was propped open. The ETL caught it, but accidently set off the alarm. I was helping jump another TM's car when all of a sudden a couple cop cars pull in. It was actually pretty funny.

 

[HRTL]

I am going to side with the store on this one due to the fact that ETL's and LOD's do have things to do and things they have to complete throughout the day and they don't just hand out keys willingly aware a person is off the clock, she either thought you where on the clock since you where there to get them. It is normal for someone like an etl-hr to make a comment in that manner, the fact she also explained the consequences and confirmed you understood them shows me she is at least fair. You should have as a team member been honest with her and told her that you where not on the clock yet and let her make the call in which case i'm sure her answer would have been to wait till you clock in. Spend more time being thankful it did't go straight to termination as others have done, than trying to make excuses to get out of a final as that is what any leadership at target will take it as. Sorry but I learned long ago as a TM that I need to see things from a bigger perspective than what I assume on my own. Also note a lot of the districts are heavily focusing on driving accountability and ETL's/TL's communicating consequences to actions.

 

[HRTL]

Wow... I have never seen any ETL/SrTL do something that stupid.

At the store I used to work at, the back of the entire building was up against a fence to a neighborhood. Basically there was a little over a car length of distance between the back of the building and the fence.

At the store I worked at, let's say an ETL/SrTL pulled around to the back of the building and encountered two guys waiting back there to rob the place. Guess what? That SrTL/ETL would literally be pulling right up on them because of the limited space. Guess what? That SrTL/ETL is probably going to get shot in the head.... There is no way the ETL/SrTL would be able to get away (it would be impossible to turn around with the space available). It pretty much would be a death trap.

Even at stores that are not setup that way, if an ETL/SrTL were to see some robbers, guess what? That means those robbers probably see them. Do you think they are just going to wait around while the ETL/SrTL calls the cops on them? No, they are probably going to try to shoot the SrTl/ETL....

State the perimeter run does not apply to all stores, only the ones you can actually drive around in as for special stores you can drive the sides where all fire exits and doors are placed, the LOD is not to walk it, get off the car, or stop. You come off as either overly biased towards the negative or very unwilling to understand why things are done or said.

 

[StateofTarget]

State the perimeter run does not apply to all stores, only the ones you can actually drive around in as for special stores you can drive the sides where all fire exits and doors are placed, the LOD is not to walk it, get off the car, or stop. You come off as either overly biased towards the negative or very unwilling to understand why things are done or said.

I understand why it is done - to protect Target's property at the possible expense of a SrTL/ETLs life. (but what does corporate care - probably better to save a few thousand in stolen merchandise)

I am just saying if I was an ETL I wouldn't go along with it. I would straight up bull sh** and just say I did it. Unless I was an ETL-AP, I would not be getting paid to put my safety at risk to be Target's little guard dog. My life would be worth more than 50K a year.

Yea, I understand that there is like a 1% chance of actually running into any armed thugs, but I would still not take that 1% risk.

You are probably one of those TMs that actually thinks Target cares about your safety. Trust me, they don't. If it was your life or saving a few thousand dollars they will pick saving a few thousand dollars every time.

 

[ptl]

Yea, I understand that there is like a 1% chance of actually running into any armed thugs, but I would still not take that 1% risk.

Really? Your store gets burglarized 3.62 times per year, and that's only counting the times when it happens approximately one hour after closing? And by "armed thugs," no less? (1% chance)

You really do live in an ultra-ghetto. Say hi to Mad Max for me when you see him.

(The vast majority of stores have never been burglarized overnight. And when it does happen, it generally doesn't happen right after team members just poured out the front door. It happens twenty minutes later, when the burglars sitting across the street know the store--and parking lot--is empty for the night.)

Actually, ya know what? Done with your negative attitude. I have plenty of my own. Time to find the ignore function.

 

[TargetOldTimer]

No, it isn't required. I was working for Target before you were probably old enough to legally work. Never have I heard of an ETL circling the building at anytime. This is something some DTL probably thought was a good idea in your city, but I can assure you is not company wide.

Worked for Target longer than most here have been alive, and it has always been a requirement for the etls to circle the store before starting work. I doubt the reason has anything to do with looking for "robbers", but more about is the back of the store looking "Brand"

 

[redandkhaki]

You are probably one of those TMs that actually thinks Target cares about your safety. Trust me, they don't. If it was your life or saving a few thousand dollars they will pick saving a few thousand dollars every time

wow.. really?

 

[keynesian]

would simply reading a planogram count as working off the clock? I can usually grab my pogs before I punch in, but I don't do anything with them, don't print anything out, I just read them... I don't write anything, I don't DO anything with them... can simply reading a document of your own volition be considered working off the clock?

 

[StateofTarget]

would simply reading a planogram count as working off the clock? I can usually grab my pogs before I punch in, but I don't do anything with them, don't print anything out, I just read them... I don't write anything, I don't DO anything with them... can simply reading a document of your own volition be considered working off the clock?

Yes, it would.

 

[redeye58]

Anything that can be construed as "work", be it looking at equipment instructions/POGs/last night's notes/etc, could get you put on final.
My store is VERY strict about it. Something about Spot seeing all the trouble Wally World was going through so they go to extremes to make sure it doesn't happen here.

 

[Target Annie]

would simply reading a planogram count as working off the clock? I can usually grab my pogs before I punch in, but I don't do anything with them, don't print anything out, I just read them... I don't write anything, I don't DO anything with them... can simply reading a document of your own volition be considered working off the clock?

yes - just stand by the time clock and wait to punch in - then start your work day.

 

[Miguel]

The shame of it is that all of the rules on whether it's a verbal, written, final, etc are confidential and therefore average employees don't even have access to know what actions can cause termination, or final or written or just a verbal. Employers should HAVE to divulge what causes each of those types of corrective actions. Ok, maybe stealing a large screen TV is obviously a reason for termination, but do I think taking a 20 cent pack of gun should leave to termination? Of course not. Let's say someone is caught reading a text message while on the clock, do I think that deserves anything more than a verbal? of course not, but is that actually the policy? Who knows, they get to be completely subjective on all corrective action, if they like you, you'll get a verbal, if they don't, it'll be termination or a final. Long story short, people need to learn to UNIONIZE in order to protect their rights to know things like these.

 

[ReadCL]

Our store does the whole *wink wink* with working off the clock. Basically I've been told that what they don't know they can't do anything about, and they turn a blind eye, even when it's clear there's no way the work could have been done on the clock. However, no one has ever asked me to work off the clock, and if I want to read papers while I'm sitting at my desk after eating lunch, but before I can clock back in, that's considered voluntary and acceptable. Of course, that may change. I agree, it's damned if you do, damned if you don't.

 

[researchr]

A tl was fired for this

 

[commiecorvus]

Two TLs were fired at my store and they were both very hard workers, top form kind of guys.
They also didn't fit in to the group.
One was a big ex-Marine who took dreck from no one and backed his people up 100%.
The other was a young go getter who worked harder and faster than most of the ETLs put together.
One day we came to work and they were both gone, axed for doing what had been accepted practice since they started as TLs.