- Joined
- Oct 14, 2011
- Messages
- 825
The below quoted post is a response to a post I made in another thread about being coached for trying to "vibe" and do something "amazing" to help a guest. It was a good faith attempt to help the guest by going above and beyond, with no ill intent on my part. The result? I got coached.
This is something I think is worth having it's own thread to discuss. Is the vibe really just an excuse to get lots of coachings on TM's file all around the company so they constantly have something to use against you? There have been other TMs at my store (quite a few actually) who have been told that they are getting formal coachings because something they did to "vibe" for the guest was twisted against them. In other words, it was obvious they were trying to make an honest attempt to "vibe", but an ETL twisted it around to be something negative when it was never intended to be.
Several TMs at my store have told me on the side that they think the vibe is just an excuse to get material to use against TMs. I thought they were paranoid, but now that it has happened to me, I am thinking they are on to something.
This is the problem with the vibe bull sh**. No one knows what is and isn't ok for sure anymore. You can do something "amazing" for the guest and either get a high five by leadership or get your ass torn up. Because of the very nature of the vibe, there is no way to have a written list of what is and is not ok because there are simply too many variables and potential situations.
At my store, we regularly will put minutes on the phone for guests. If we refused to do so, it would actually be something we would get coached for. We also are allowed to use our phones on the floor to help guests. So this is actually expected at my store, but according to people on the other thread this is actually something they would get in trouble for.
This is the problem - there is no consistency anymore, and because of the vibe you really can't be sure if something is in policy or not. (in other words, if something you do for the guest will get you in trouble or not)
I am really starting to think that this whole "vibe" thing is just an excuse to rack up coachings for TMs. Think about it. What Target has basically done is say "Yea well you know.... we are going to have a policy where basically anything you do for the guest is up to you. If you think it is good, go for it! We are only going to have a policy against incredibly obviously bad things such as assaulting someone if a guest asks you too"
Seriously, what other company in the entire country has a policy like this? Basically "do whatever seems right for the guest at the time".... but "oh, if we decide after the fact that maybe it wasn't in policy, you are getting a write up..... Uh.... but actually there is no written policy, so you just have to take the chance on it that we won't decide you went too far for the guest"
I'm sorry, but this is a bull sh** policy. You can't have something like the vibe where you are basically told to go over and above, but then risk getting written up for going over and above!
And the worst part of all? You can actually get written up now for *not* vibing! So, in other words, if you think what the guest wants is too much and say no, you can also get screwed over. So, if an ETL decides "gee, actually you *could* have gone over and above in that questionable situation but didn't, so now we are coaching your a** again"
Sorry, this is just bull sh**. You can't have a policy like this and then twist it around all the time to use against TMs.
From the other thread:
"Cell phone unlocking is definitely not to be done. Even if you weren't unlocking it, like HLM said, we are not to handle the guests phones at all. Not even to put minutes on them. I would take his advice and retake the champions training.
If you work in Electronics you should at least keep up with the latest news regarding stuff like that (or at least I try to anyways). That is a shame though you are not allowed on workbench. I am not a TL (yet), but I use it every day. In fact it's apart of our daily routine to check message boards.
As far as using a cell phone to help a guest, I do it all the time and my STL even knows and has no issue with it. Just the other day I looked up a picture of a Logitech PC controller to see if it had the buttons the guest wanted and it did. The guest was very happy and I made a sale. If I had not used my cell phone, I would have A. Open it myself, which I will not do with plastic packaging, or B. the guest would have to buy it, open it and potentially return it, which they did not want to go through the hassle of. They had just came from Best Buy because the sales people over there would not look up the information for the guest. All in all, it was a Vibe moment.
It sucks getting coached, but the ETL was right on this one."
This is something I think is worth having it's own thread to discuss. Is the vibe really just an excuse to get lots of coachings on TM's file all around the company so they constantly have something to use against you? There have been other TMs at my store (quite a few actually) who have been told that they are getting formal coachings because something they did to "vibe" for the guest was twisted against them. In other words, it was obvious they were trying to make an honest attempt to "vibe", but an ETL twisted it around to be something negative when it was never intended to be.
Several TMs at my store have told me on the side that they think the vibe is just an excuse to get material to use against TMs. I thought they were paranoid, but now that it has happened to me, I am thinking they are on to something.
This is the problem with the vibe bull sh**. No one knows what is and isn't ok for sure anymore. You can do something "amazing" for the guest and either get a high five by leadership or get your ass torn up. Because of the very nature of the vibe, there is no way to have a written list of what is and is not ok because there are simply too many variables and potential situations.
At my store, we regularly will put minutes on the phone for guests. If we refused to do so, it would actually be something we would get coached for. We also are allowed to use our phones on the floor to help guests. So this is actually expected at my store, but according to people on the other thread this is actually something they would get in trouble for.
This is the problem - there is no consistency anymore, and because of the vibe you really can't be sure if something is in policy or not. (in other words, if something you do for the guest will get you in trouble or not)
I am really starting to think that this whole "vibe" thing is just an excuse to rack up coachings for TMs. Think about it. What Target has basically done is say "Yea well you know.... we are going to have a policy where basically anything you do for the guest is up to you. If you think it is good, go for it! We are only going to have a policy against incredibly obviously bad things such as assaulting someone if a guest asks you too"
Seriously, what other company in the entire country has a policy like this? Basically "do whatever seems right for the guest at the time".... but "oh, if we decide after the fact that maybe it wasn't in policy, you are getting a write up..... Uh.... but actually there is no written policy, so you just have to take the chance on it that we won't decide you went too far for the guest"
I'm sorry, but this is a bull sh** policy. You can't have something like the vibe where you are basically told to go over and above, but then risk getting written up for going over and above!
And the worst part of all? You can actually get written up now for *not* vibing! So, in other words, if you think what the guest wants is too much and say no, you can also get screwed over. So, if an ETL decides "gee, actually you *could* have gone over and above in that questionable situation but didn't, so now we are coaching your a** again"
Sorry, this is just bull sh**. You can't have a policy like this and then twist it around all the time to use against TMs.
From the other thread:
"Cell phone unlocking is definitely not to be done. Even if you weren't unlocking it, like HLM said, we are not to handle the guests phones at all. Not even to put minutes on them. I would take his advice and retake the champions training.
If you work in Electronics you should at least keep up with the latest news regarding stuff like that (or at least I try to anyways). That is a shame though you are not allowed on workbench. I am not a TL (yet), but I use it every day. In fact it's apart of our daily routine to check message boards.
As far as using a cell phone to help a guest, I do it all the time and my STL even knows and has no issue with it. Just the other day I looked up a picture of a Logitech PC controller to see if it had the buttons the guest wanted and it did. The guest was very happy and I made a sale. If I had not used my cell phone, I would have A. Open it myself, which I will not do with plastic packaging, or B. the guest would have to buy it, open it and potentially return it, which they did not want to go through the hassle of. They had just came from Best Buy because the sales people over there would not look up the information for the guest. All in all, it was a Vibe moment.
It sucks getting coached, but the ETL was right on this one."