Archived I'm not Martin Luther, but here's my list...

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I’ve worked for Target for the better part of 7 months. Needless to say, there isn’t a day that I put on my red shirt without muttering a few swears. It’s not just one small or large thing that upsets me, though. Rather, it’s a combination of many things, small and large alike, that have me counting the minutes until my last shift.

I don’t feel that one should dedicate their entire life to a job, let alone one that pays $7.75 an hour. I understand that blackout dates for requesting time off exist for a reason, but 3 months in a row, around this time of the year? I would like to see my family back home without having to cover 4 separate shifts to let me do so. Fix the system; have shifting blackout dates for certain employees, with the ability to swap with others. If Wal-Mart can manage to do that, I think Target can too…


You can't (or just refuse to?) schedule me correctly. My availability is set for a reason. 25 hours maximum means at most. My other job doesn’t allow me to work more than 40 combined hours in a week for safety reasons. Scheduling me for 32.5 hours in a week forces me to compromise on something that (I feel) I shouldn’t have to. You know how I’m marked as unavailable on Wednesday and Friday? That’s because I’m busy. I have class/meetings all day those days, so please don’t try to call me in.

Calling out is a nightmare. I know that it’s a last resort, and is logistically a cluster**** to undo, however don’t make me feel like it’s your grandmother that I’m pulling off of life support when I say I can’t make it in tomorrow. I've had to call in twice, once for the aforementioned reason, and once for food poisoning, so jabbing at me with "oh you showed up today!" isn't really appropriate, and it makes you look like a dick.

Best practice isn’t always best. Yep, sorry to ruin the corporate circlejerk that everything has just one right way to do things, but it’s true. There are a million ways to complete a job; and some of them work better than others. You’re naïve if you think that everything’s been thought of, and your way is the best. If I’m doing something in a manner that slightly differs from the norm, it’s not worth my time for you to berate me and “coach” me on it. I understand that safety is a concern, but I know my limits, and would appreciate some personal liberty. If you want a robot, you should have hired one.

Speak English. Target, you use more acronyms than I can think of. I still haven’t figured out what half of them mean, and frankly I don’t care.
I understand that there’s a pecking order, but don’t just watch me do work. For the love of God, I have a degree, and I’m being bossed around by a 19 year old while he just watches me unload boxes and correct my form.


Obey the law, please. I’m a state EMT-Intermediate, if there’s a medical emergency close by to me, it’s in everybody’s best interest for me to assist. I’m slightly more qualified to deal with that customer who's seizing than your fitting room girl. Furthermore, it’s my legal obligation to do as much as I can with my given resources. I wish you would respect that before you tell me to get back to ringing people out. Additionally, the first thing you should do when there’s such an incident is NOT to bring your liability waiver and wave it under the kid’s mom’s nose. There’s a reason why the copy of your incident report was subpoenaed on my behalf by the state, so don't call me into your office and ask what happened.


Why aren't you giving me the guest recognition I deserve? While I was off, a guest brought in two LETTERS that she wrote, thanking me for taking extra time with her and sympathizing with her while she was dealing with a difficult life situation. She dropped them off at the service desk, and they were handed to HR. I was only made aware after other team members told me about the letter, and she herself asked if I had received it. Why did I have to ask you MULTIPLE TIMES to get the copy that was meant for me? Thanks for folding it up like a fourth grader too, I really appreciate the recognition of an external person being treated like ****. Your call-outs on the radio don't mean nearly as much as that piece of paper did, and you decided to practically trash it. Are you afraid of me knowing how well I can do, or what?

Thankfully, I’ve completed the academy, and will be going full-time with the fire department this coming March. I’m thankful for a job where I will be gratefully serving my community, not a corporate money factory, and one where I feel that I will be treated with the dignity that I deserve.



/rant
 
Thanks for the smile I got out of imagining you nailing this to the HR office door. It's a good rant.
 
I so want to see this nailed to the door.
Treating TM like grownups seems to be a major issue for Spot.
Some stores seem to be able to grasp the idea but most have major issues with the idea.
I think most of it comes from having ETLs who minimal life experience.
 
I'm replacing an EMT in the BR at my store temporarily. I've heard nothing but great things about him, the hours just don't mesh with the full time EMT position. Your "rant" also sounds like one of the girls I've known for a long time who is also EMT trained. She got a lot of crap for helping a guest who fainted but she was more professional about it than the LOD/ETL team.

I honestly wish spot respected people with these certifications and training more. Every one that I've encountered has been nothing but a great employee. Good luck in the firehouse though! I'm always happy to see people get into the field they want, especially when it means saving lives.
 
With how terrible hiring and retention seems to be getting coupled with the information that the economy and unemployment rate seem to be improving; I'm hoping that spot finally gets off their ass and does something to improve working conditions and pay rather than just vibing their way to the bottom of employer rankings.

Time will tell I suppose but in 5 years with the company I've never seen a worse 4th quarter in terms of staffing. One week before Thanksgiving we were about 20-30 team members short of where they planned on being and it is becoming painfully obvious that they are literally hiring anyone at this point. The new hires have been absolutely terrible and productivity has taken a massive hit in my store. Logistics hasn't come clean in the morning for about 2 months straight now and there is frequently freight still in the main stockroom that hasn't been backstocked well into the afternoon and evening.

The economy turning around will spell disaster for Target in terms of staffing. They're so fond of essentially having the same staffing plans as a temp agency and when we get to the point where anyone who is worth a damn can find a better paying job that treats them like adults Target's gonna be left with scraps.
 
Good luck in your career with the fire dept,I am sorry that your 7 months with Target have left you with such bad experiences and memories,I hope you did have some good ones and get to work with some great tms,I know I do.
 
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