Archived How much control over your availability does your ETL actually have?

[BRTJ]

I have been havin issues with my scheduling even after discussing it with my team leader multiple times. I have 4days open but only want to be scheduled for 3. After 4 discussions in four different weeks I was still getting schedule 4 days. Today I approached my etl about the issue and said since we can't seem to get the 3 days correct id like to only be scheduled 2 days a week. His response is that I have to have Fri-Sunday open for scheduling. I told him okay that's fine but I only want to be scheduled two of those days. He then went off an told me that he doesn't work for me and that I work for him an that I should just put my two weeks in if I am havin so many issues.

So my question is does he really have that much control? There are multiple people in my store that work once or twice a week. I'm a full time college student too. Will HR be able to help me out or is it really just a lost cause?

 

[commiecorvus]

You were hired based on your availability.
If you tell them you can work four days and they need you four days, expect to get scheduled four days.
It's different if you put down you're available seven days a week, of course you don't expect to get scheduled for a straight seven but trust me it does happen.
If you need to change it to three days go ahead.
Just don't expect much hours after that because there is a good chance they will have to hire someone to cover the shifts you can't take and they will take a lot of your hours.

 

[Phoenix26]

If you have availability listed as available on those 4 days then expect to be scheduled those days. If you want to be scheduled for only three or two days you need to change your availability.

 

[BRTJ]

Well I've worked for the store for 3 years and I've always been one of the best employees in the building. I graduate in December and hours don't really matter to me. It just seems ridiculous that someone can tell me when I can and can't work.

 

[BRTJ]

If I only want to be scheduled three days but absolutely have to have Fri-Sun open then I'm limited to those three days and that's a load of BS

 

[commiecorvus]

If I only want to be scheduled three days but absolutely have to have Fri-Sun open then I'm limited to those three days and that's a load of BS

Welcome to retail.

 

[Phoenix26]

If you have open availability on a day, that tells them you can work that day. Plain and simple. You have full control over what days you work. If you only want to work three days change your availability with HR to the three days you are available. If you are scheduled on a day your not available then let them know as you are not responsible for covering it.

 

[RetailWorld]

Why not have 4 days open but have your hours capped at 15? That way they can't schedule you for more than 4 days.

 

[Retail Girl]

If you have open availability on a day, that tells them you can work that day. Plain and simple. You have full control over what days you work. If you only want to work three days change your availability with HR to the three days you are available. If you are scheduled on a day your not available then let them know as you are not responsible for covering it.

Unless they deny the availability change, which looks like would be the case here.

 

[Retail Girl]

Well I've worked for the store for 3 years and I've always been one of the best employees in the building. I graduate in December and hours don't really matter to me. It just seems ridiculous that someone can tell me when I can and can't work.

Unless you will be your own boss (in which case you will work all the time) then no matter the job, there will be someone telling you when you can and can't work. Welcome to the world of employment.

 

[SFSFun]

What you are asking for is probably not something that can be set in myTime. Your schedule goes through many different layers before it is finalized (auto generated > HR > TL > ETL), and what you are asking for is something that everyone who touches your schedule would need to remember.

If, as you said, hours don't matter then you should do as @RetailWorld suggested and go into eHR and change the max amount of hours you can work in your availability. Follow up with HR to make sure it gets approved.

 

[Retail Girl]

What you are asking for is probably not something that can be set in myTime. Your schedule goes through many different layers before it is finalized (auto generated > HR > TL > ETL), and what you are asking for is something that everyone who touches your schedule would need to remember.

If, as you said, hours don't matter then you should do as @RetailWorld suggested and go into eHR and change the max amount of hours you can work in your availability. Follow up with HR to make sure it gets approved.

Not all stores honor max hours requests. When I was in school, my max was 30 hours, and that was never honored/noticed.

 

[Bosch]

Well I've worked for the store for 3 years and I've always been one of the best employees in the building. I graduate in December and hours don't really matter to me. It just seems ridiculous that someone can tell me when I can and can't work.

Its a trade off made for a paycheck.

You sound young, but its something you will be dealing with for a very long time. Even if you work for yourself, you will still be working hours and times you really don't want to. I do a job out of my house small stuff, but it still entails hours I would rather be do almost anything than watching paint dry or sanding things for paint.. But I said I would make this thing for a customer and if on a Friday night is when I have a big enough block of time to make the thing, then that is when it gets made.

 

[sher]

Not all stores honor max hours requests. When I was in school, my max was 30 hours, and that was never honored/noticed.

Whenever they don't honor something, even if it's frivolous, I make them change it lol. I made random changes to my availability. Some days I'm only available until 9 or 10, but in reality, I'm available, I just took issue with them scheduling me to close every single day. So, when they go against my availability, I'm like "so this is only an hour outside of my availability, but ...it's the principle..." And they fix it.

But op, did you put in an availability change request? Put in the request and cite school as the reason, then ask to change your max hours. If they deny all your requests... Put shifts up on swap and hope someone takes them... Or quit.

 

[unknown]

Zero. That's why it's called "your availability."

Having established that fact ... There are certain realities about this situation.

Target, like many many other companies, want you to believe two contradictory things. 1) You are replaceable. 2) You can't change your availability.

I'm being far reaching in my statements. But in general, that is the intersection.

You decide when you are available. If you are available only on Tuesday from 1am to 4am, then that's when you are available. You won't get many hours.

And the last aspect of this is retaliation. Oh, they'll stand on their soapbox and say, "We don't retaliate. Use the hotline if you feel .... Blah blah blah."

But if you push and push, I'd expect less hours.

 

[Rock Lobster]

You are open to change your availability within their requirements. If they say Fri-Sun availability and at least 15 hours of time, then that is your minimum. However, they do not need to schedule you "days" but hours. I could schedule you three 5 hour shifts if that was your availability if that was the need of the business.

Furthermore, if your availability does not match what I need I can simply not schedule you if I have somebody else that does fit it. To the other poster that talks about putting down 9PM instead of close to keep herself from closing... that is a nice concept. However, when somebody does that I just put in another hiring need for somebody that can close. If my choice is you until 9PM or the new TM who can stay till close, I cut you and put the new TM into the shift every time because I am legally supported to do so. Its "only one hour" but its the hour that allows me to cut you. You deserve hours as far as your availability is more open than your peers.

 

[mrknownothing]

To the other poster that talks about putting down 9PM instead of close to keep herself from closing... that is a nice concept. However, when somebody does that I just put in another hiring need for somebody that can close. If my choice is you until 9PM or the new TM who can stay till close, I cut you and put the new TM into the shift every time because I am legally supported to do so. Its "only one hour" but its the hour that allows me to cut you. You deserve hours as far as your availability is more open than your peers.

That's not fair to the person who has to rely on public transportation, though. If he/she doesn't drive/have a car, doesn't live close enough to walk, and can't get a ride, he/she can't stay later than the buses run.

 

[awbuckit]

I've had some managers who will work with people on their availability and others who were a-holes about it. Just depends.
I tried to change mine after 7 yrs of working there and my stl told me no. I said there's other people here who only work 1 or 2 days per week. I was told that they had no say in that decision as they weren't here to approve or disapprove those. Basically, my stl was telling me that he/she finds me to be such a wonderful TM that he/she wants me to be available ALL the time!
For real though, the business always comes first to them. They do think of you as replaceable, even after 9 yrs of working for them. Now that I've started on a new career path, I've changed my availablity drastically and somehow it was approved. I guess they finally realized that I wouldn't be able to work whenever they wanted me to. They want people to have OPEN availability and then schedule them for 20 hours randomly each week. Who can live with a different schedule each week??? I know I can't.

 

[sher]

I still have 3 closing days which is more than a bunch of my coworkers! I have coworkers who don't close at all. I'm not closing 5 days a week ever again, though so if they wanted to not schedule me, that's fine. If Wednesday, Thursday and Sunday aren't enough, let me know which days better suit you (not you literally, but my etl). I can rotate them or add a day if they want but no one has ever asked that I do that. And I pick up shifts out of my availability. I'm closing tomorrow, probably alone because a newbie posted her closing shift and no one picked it up. I was gonna switch to only mid to closing to avoid 4x4s, but I think I'm the only non-brand tm who does mornings who's left. So I can't do that. I was in a thread somewhere a few weeks ago complaining about having too many hours lol.

Store closes at 11 and last bus is shortly after. I was cutting it close. I chose to close on days I would definitely have a ride. Sometimes coworkers offer to drive me, but I wouldn't set availability based on that.

I thought Target closed at 9 when I applied for the job lol... And like 7 on Sundays. I should've checked before setting open avail to begin with. That was my bad.

 

[sher]

Wait a minute, though... Does your store close at 10!!??? @Rock Lobster because you said 9pm is just 1 hour...

I'd close every night if closing = 10. Only an hour difference, but if I missed the 10:25 bus I'd still make the 11:20 on the days I'd get no ride. Plus no 4x4.