//im seeking feedback as to what fellow TM's would do given the situation. i was torn which forum to post in. if i opened the thread in the wrong location i apologize in advance//
wall of text go;
i've been with my store for just shy of five years. i can't say i was always dying to join retail but most of my time with the company i've come to admire spot and grew to enjoy the core role of my job. my entire experience with target has been front end, by choice... i joined as a cashier, went to service desk and than GSA. i was signed off for TL my third year but never received a position (partly my own fault for staying loyal to my home store).
i genuinely enjoy making a guests day and taking care of my team. i've had leaders in the past i've bumped heads with but no ones ever questioned my work ethic or me anting to drive results...
within the last year i've found myself feeling off. i was gaining weight almost abnormally fast... a the time i told myself i was stress eating and needed to curtail my bad habits. my energy level felt off, falling asleep to almost passing out if i sat too long and i was getting ear/throat infections often. im not going to say i've had perfect attendance over the year because of this either. i went from maybe 3 calls outs normally a year to 6-7 in the last 12 months.
my previous ETL GE spoke with me about my performance and said i seemed more sluggish, she suggested my weight in a very coy way which upset me to an extent but instead of focusing on it i moved on to show them better of me.
soon my ETL GE left, the day she left she told me to explore other jobs. that with the current STL and HR i'd never get a TL spot. i asked why and she basically said because your male. in the year to follow its been hard to notice all the promotions have gone to women in the building. i was never updated or spoken too about my TL status. HR used the excuse that i had too many cusp lates (i admit i do have 4/5 min clock in's). when i corrected this to prove her wrong, it became i cant be a leader and have ANY grace period clock ins because im setting an example of bad habits.
as time passed i had the feeling HR and my STL wanted me gone, i was soon investigated for improper use of my discount card. i was found innocent rightly, but HR agreed to a deal that i would have a misconduct final, pausing my promotion and TL chances. it felt like a ploy to give them an easy answer to my TL questions. i accepted my fate.
months later my HR ETL moved stores, but not before a campaign she launched against me claiming that three missed punches in two months put me on the cusp of being fired. the pressure was so high that i came to work 20 mins earlier than required and set alarms on my phone for any punches, pictures of myself clocking/in out. i refused to give her the pleasure of canning me. her last week she pulled me in and we spoke over the fact i was being looked over for GSTL and i felt hurt that no one in the store even told me until the day she joined. HR basically told me, why am i trying to stay, go find something better. i at least got validation she didnt care for me at all...
forward to this month... i began seeing doctors for my health concerns as my symptoms have gotten worse. thus far all i know is theres an issue with my thyroid and possibly my lungs/heart (or its all connected to my thyroid, who knew it could impact so many parts of your body? i didn't)... even though i have been in pain and its obvious some days im not at my full capacity i've come to work and focused on my team, guests and goals all the alike as i always have. i ask my co workers for feedback regularly, i dont want to be seen as a drag.
i've been open with my new GSTL's regarding this given i would need to leave early certain days for appointments and i wanted to sow up support if i needed to call out once or twice a month. i had been concerned i may be asked to step down or take less hours. financially it hasnt really been an option to work less.
i called out last week, i spoke with my GSA's to make sure they had the support they needed for the day without me. when i returned to work the next day my GSTL had a conversation with me, she accused me of harming the team and causing a ton of drama/issues with my recent call out. i felt bad and spoke with my team to apologize but found none of them had an issue. it turned out to be a slow sales day, but still i owned my call out. my GSTL said i couldn't be harming the team, and to limit my call outs.
she tried claiming i leave early all the time. her evidence was a closing shift... yes, the closing LOD and i left before my shift end time. i can't change that... she than said i was late all the time. we have one ETL in the building right now and it takes the opener sometime to get to the door lately (usually our flow TL opens for now). i was even told to do punch corrections to avoid issues given the lack of leaders in the building currently.
she also kept saying that while i may be sick, i need to stop and think about her and my co worker. one of which is a single mother with 4 kids (she also happens to be the longest serving GSA with me and a neighbor). my GSTL says she alone has three kids she never sees... and i live at home with my mother. she has gone here before and used this attack against me before, but its completely out of line. i dont talk about my personal life and i dont feel its her right to know. this time i did inform her i dont simply live with my mother... my mother lives with me and i take care of her... i have many worries on my own.
two days later it was known i would be working 5 hours of my shift and leaving early for an appointment with a heart doctor thats its taken two months to see. i was off the following day and heard my GSTL was very upset about me leaving early for the appointment.
the next day i go into work and im pulled by the one ETL we have left in the building and am greeted by a neighboring stores HR ETL. i knew i was going to be fired as soon as i was told not to clock in. HR claimed my previous HR ETL gave me a term for missed punches and i wasn't to have anymore missed punches. she didn't give me any final warning though. she looked through my file and to her surprise couldn't locate any such paperwork. she said my previous ETL HR told her she did though. it felt dirty, like my previous HR ETL was reaching in again and trying to get me again.
faced with the fact no such term existed, HR than said it didnt matter... i clocked out and worked off the clock. the offense? they have me on video clocking out for lunch, and opening the equipment room door on my way out of TSC. i cant tell you how many times ETLs have knowingly seen me clock out and asked me to return equipment, make a page or open the door for TM's. i confronted the ETL about this and the subject changed again, i spoke with a TM while on lunch... ???... the excuse changed after an awkward pause, i was actually on a LANE, at my fifth... on this same date. i must have been running mad this date, first i was accused of hitting the clock at fifth, yet not using the clock. opening the equipment room door a minute after my fifth, talking to a TM at the checklanes, and now i was suddenly at the register at my fifth and not even at the timeclock.
at this point i confronted them both that this isnt about a door, im being pushed out for being sick and my GSTL feels im not reliable. instead of coming to me about any other concerns or remedies they came up with some weak story to fire me. the entire mood of the room changed. HR suddenly agreed that my illness is a concern and i need to take care of myself. suddenly me being fired is a "grace in disguise" because i can now get unemployment and get better.
it became so transparent and the reasoning was so disgusting i couldn't help but become emotional. the conversation went into how she seems to know i'll get unemployment because its "personal". ive never not known target to not fight a claim but she seemed to almost be saying it'll be ok. the conversation got even more bizarre when she kept telling me she dosnet know me personally and shes sorry, how i seem to be x, y and z and another retailer will take me...
the strangest part, if i cant locate anything... i should reapply to come back to target in 60 days. i can even come see her at her store for seasonal. im being fired for supposedly falsifying a document but im welcome back in 60 days or "when i get better"? i questioned how insane this sounded three times until i was told they wont even look at this paperwork for rehire...
when i left it was obvious they were upset and even the ETL had red eyes. ive known him for some years and it was obvious he even felt it wasn't right. how the entire deal went down was wrong... and how could anyone leave feeling they weren't being fired for being sick? if i was passing out at work or dragging around i'd agree something should be done but were talking about me still fulfilling my role and even meeting tasks my own team isn't delivering on. i know i have bad edema right now and i have bags under my eyes... but im surely not scaring away my guests just yet.
now i feel completely dazed on what to do, part of me is so angry they did it like this that i feel i have to do something. even if its just calling the hotline. i have most people telling me get legal help. should i even bother?
and if you survived reading this long, thank you
wall of text go;
i've been with my store for just shy of five years. i can't say i was always dying to join retail but most of my time with the company i've come to admire spot and grew to enjoy the core role of my job. my entire experience with target has been front end, by choice... i joined as a cashier, went to service desk and than GSA. i was signed off for TL my third year but never received a position (partly my own fault for staying loyal to my home store).
i genuinely enjoy making a guests day and taking care of my team. i've had leaders in the past i've bumped heads with but no ones ever questioned my work ethic or me anting to drive results...
within the last year i've found myself feeling off. i was gaining weight almost abnormally fast... a the time i told myself i was stress eating and needed to curtail my bad habits. my energy level felt off, falling asleep to almost passing out if i sat too long and i was getting ear/throat infections often. im not going to say i've had perfect attendance over the year because of this either. i went from maybe 3 calls outs normally a year to 6-7 in the last 12 months.
my previous ETL GE spoke with me about my performance and said i seemed more sluggish, she suggested my weight in a very coy way which upset me to an extent but instead of focusing on it i moved on to show them better of me.
soon my ETL GE left, the day she left she told me to explore other jobs. that with the current STL and HR i'd never get a TL spot. i asked why and she basically said because your male. in the year to follow its been hard to notice all the promotions have gone to women in the building. i was never updated or spoken too about my TL status. HR used the excuse that i had too many cusp lates (i admit i do have 4/5 min clock in's). when i corrected this to prove her wrong, it became i cant be a leader and have ANY grace period clock ins because im setting an example of bad habits.
as time passed i had the feeling HR and my STL wanted me gone, i was soon investigated for improper use of my discount card. i was found innocent rightly, but HR agreed to a deal that i would have a misconduct final, pausing my promotion and TL chances. it felt like a ploy to give them an easy answer to my TL questions. i accepted my fate.
months later my HR ETL moved stores, but not before a campaign she launched against me claiming that three missed punches in two months put me on the cusp of being fired. the pressure was so high that i came to work 20 mins earlier than required and set alarms on my phone for any punches, pictures of myself clocking/in out. i refused to give her the pleasure of canning me. her last week she pulled me in and we spoke over the fact i was being looked over for GSTL and i felt hurt that no one in the store even told me until the day she joined. HR basically told me, why am i trying to stay, go find something better. i at least got validation she didnt care for me at all...
forward to this month... i began seeing doctors for my health concerns as my symptoms have gotten worse. thus far all i know is theres an issue with my thyroid and possibly my lungs/heart (or its all connected to my thyroid, who knew it could impact so many parts of your body? i didn't)... even though i have been in pain and its obvious some days im not at my full capacity i've come to work and focused on my team, guests and goals all the alike as i always have. i ask my co workers for feedback regularly, i dont want to be seen as a drag.
i've been open with my new GSTL's regarding this given i would need to leave early certain days for appointments and i wanted to sow up support if i needed to call out once or twice a month. i had been concerned i may be asked to step down or take less hours. financially it hasnt really been an option to work less.
i called out last week, i spoke with my GSA's to make sure they had the support they needed for the day without me. when i returned to work the next day my GSTL had a conversation with me, she accused me of harming the team and causing a ton of drama/issues with my recent call out. i felt bad and spoke with my team to apologize but found none of them had an issue. it turned out to be a slow sales day, but still i owned my call out. my GSTL said i couldn't be harming the team, and to limit my call outs.
she tried claiming i leave early all the time. her evidence was a closing shift... yes, the closing LOD and i left before my shift end time. i can't change that... she than said i was late all the time. we have one ETL in the building right now and it takes the opener sometime to get to the door lately (usually our flow TL opens for now). i was even told to do punch corrections to avoid issues given the lack of leaders in the building currently.
she also kept saying that while i may be sick, i need to stop and think about her and my co worker. one of which is a single mother with 4 kids (she also happens to be the longest serving GSA with me and a neighbor). my GSTL says she alone has three kids she never sees... and i live at home with my mother. she has gone here before and used this attack against me before, but its completely out of line. i dont talk about my personal life and i dont feel its her right to know. this time i did inform her i dont simply live with my mother... my mother lives with me and i take care of her... i have many worries on my own.
two days later it was known i would be working 5 hours of my shift and leaving early for an appointment with a heart doctor thats its taken two months to see. i was off the following day and heard my GSTL was very upset about me leaving early for the appointment.
the next day i go into work and im pulled by the one ETL we have left in the building and am greeted by a neighboring stores HR ETL. i knew i was going to be fired as soon as i was told not to clock in. HR claimed my previous HR ETL gave me a term for missed punches and i wasn't to have anymore missed punches. she didn't give me any final warning though. she looked through my file and to her surprise couldn't locate any such paperwork. she said my previous ETL HR told her she did though. it felt dirty, like my previous HR ETL was reaching in again and trying to get me again.
faced with the fact no such term existed, HR than said it didnt matter... i clocked out and worked off the clock. the offense? they have me on video clocking out for lunch, and opening the equipment room door on my way out of TSC. i cant tell you how many times ETLs have knowingly seen me clock out and asked me to return equipment, make a page or open the door for TM's. i confronted the ETL about this and the subject changed again, i spoke with a TM while on lunch... ???... the excuse changed after an awkward pause, i was actually on a LANE, at my fifth... on this same date. i must have been running mad this date, first i was accused of hitting the clock at fifth, yet not using the clock. opening the equipment room door a minute after my fifth, talking to a TM at the checklanes, and now i was suddenly at the register at my fifth and not even at the timeclock.
at this point i confronted them both that this isnt about a door, im being pushed out for being sick and my GSTL feels im not reliable. instead of coming to me about any other concerns or remedies they came up with some weak story to fire me. the entire mood of the room changed. HR suddenly agreed that my illness is a concern and i need to take care of myself. suddenly me being fired is a "grace in disguise" because i can now get unemployment and get better.
it became so transparent and the reasoning was so disgusting i couldn't help but become emotional. the conversation went into how she seems to know i'll get unemployment because its "personal". ive never not known target to not fight a claim but she seemed to almost be saying it'll be ok. the conversation got even more bizarre when she kept telling me she dosnet know me personally and shes sorry, how i seem to be x, y and z and another retailer will take me...
the strangest part, if i cant locate anything... i should reapply to come back to target in 60 days. i can even come see her at her store for seasonal. im being fired for supposedly falsifying a document but im welcome back in 60 days or "when i get better"? i questioned how insane this sounded three times until i was told they wont even look at this paperwork for rehire...
when i left it was obvious they were upset and even the ETL had red eyes. ive known him for some years and it was obvious he even felt it wasn't right. how the entire deal went down was wrong... and how could anyone leave feeling they weren't being fired for being sick? if i was passing out at work or dragging around i'd agree something should be done but were talking about me still fulfilling my role and even meeting tasks my own team isn't delivering on. i know i have bad edema right now and i have bags under my eyes... but im surely not scaring away my guests just yet.
now i feel completely dazed on what to do, part of me is so angry they did it like this that i feel i have to do something. even if its just calling the hotline. i have most people telling me get legal help. should i even bother?
and if you survived reading this long, thank you
