Archived Last Minute Shift Swap?

[zoejrb]

I know this is dumb but I have been planning this for a while, but just recently decided on a date.

I'm hosting a Christmas party on Saturday the 23rd. I noticed that MyTime wouldn't let me request off for a time that's already been scheduled. So yesterday, for the first time, I wrote my name and shift on the shift swap board. I checked today and no one has taken it. I work again on Thursday, so I can check again then, but I'm really really anxious that no one is going to take it. I already have a lot of stuff prepared for my party, like movie tickets, etc. I don't want to postpone it, especially when it's 2 days before Christmas.
If no one offers to cover it, what should I do? What do I tell HR? Since a party is a dumb excuse. And it's a busy Saturday. I work 3-8:30.

In case you're wondering, I'm a cashier, and I've been working for less than a month. I don't want to risk losing my job this early, or ever... If the right answer is: it's so unlikely that someone will take it, and I'll absolutely have to work if no one does; I won't be happy with that answer... But I want to hear it if it's the truth.

(Any chance of playing hooky? I work on Christmas eve the day after that so it doesn't seem likely, but I might as well ask)

 

[GoodyNN]

You shouldn't have picked a date that you knew you were already scheduled to work.

That said (because I had to get the snark out of the way), you've done what you can at this point. You are responsible to work that shift until someone else agrees to pick it up *and* HR approves the change. If someone picks up your shift, you're golden. But if not, and you either call in or NCNS, you are probably going to guarantee that you won't be kept after the holiday.

You may want to look at the schedule for that day and see which other cashiers are working. Maybe you can trade Saturday shifts with someone else, or maybe you can find someone who isn't working that day that maybe hasn't looked at swap board.

 

[Amanda Cantwell]

Yeah scheduling a party while you’re already working is really not smart but you probably realize that now so I’m not gonna continue on with that.

Personally for me I don’t look at other people’s schedules too often because I personally find that a little creepy (but other people do it). But definitely ask around “hey are you working on dec 23? Do you WANT to work dec 23?”

If you decide not to come, please call. You’ll definitely not be kept if you NCNS and it just makes your team’s life harder.

 

[HRZone]

You will need to personally seek out someone and ask if they can take your shift.

You can also ask hr. I help out team members in a bind by seeing if there is a new hire I can give their shift to.

Ultimately calling out on a weekend before Christmas is not a way to be kept. It's pretty easy to get specific days off but you have to ask during the interview. After that you are usually SOL

 

[zoejrb]

You shouldn't have picked a date that you knew you were already scheduled to work.

That said (because I had to get the snark out of the way), you've done what you can at this point. You are responsible to work that shift until someone else agrees to pick it up *and* HR approves the change. If someone picks up your shift, you're golden. But if not, and you either call in or NCNS, you are probably going to guarantee that you won't be kept after the holiday.

You may want to look at the schedule for that day and see which other cashiers are working. Maybe you can trade Saturday shifts with someone else, or maybe you can find someone who isn't working that day that maybe hasn't looked at swap board.

Yeah scheduling a party while you’re already working is really not smart but you probably realize that now so I’m not gonna continue on with that.

Personally for me I don’t look at other people’s schedules too often because I personally find that a little creepy (but other people do it). But definitely ask around “hey are you working on dec 23? Do you WANT to work dec 23?”

If you decide not to come, please call. You’ll definitely not be kept if you NCNS and it just makes your team’s life harder.

You will need to personally seek out someone and ask if they can take your shift.

You can also ask hr. I help out team members in a bind by seeing if there is a new hire I can give their shift to.

Ultimately calling out on a weekend before Christmas is not a way to be kept. It's pretty easy to get specific days off but you have to ask during the interview. After that you are usually SOL

Thanks so much for replying. I understand that it was a stupid move to choose a date that I was scheduled. Not defending myself, but my lame excuse is that they've only been scheduling me on weekends, and my Mytime doesn't work from home, so I can't check my schedule very often. I had a feeling they'd schedule me but I didn't know what time or if they 100% would. I'm not going to call out or no-show if I can't find someone. It is a good idea to ask around on Thursday though.

 

[GoodyNN]

I would not wait till Thursday, personally.

 

[zoejrb]

I would not wait till Thursday, personally.

Thursday is the next day I work. I don’t know a lot of people and I don’t have anyones phone numbers or social media

 

[redeye58]

If you really want to get it covered, go by the store & ask around; your HRTM might be able to point out folks you could ask.
Don't wait until your next shift because that narrows the chance of finding someone & guarantees failure.

 

[GoodyNN]

No, but you have feet. Go into the store. Look at the schedule (or not). Talk to your TLs and your coworkers.

 

[IWishIKnew]

You could also talk to your ETL and/or HR and see if you can move around your time--work early instead of late, frex. I have a family thing on Saturday at 2, and I did request the afternoon off in time, but still got scheduled until 5. Talked to the HL ETL but our work schedules haven't lined up to figure it out while she was near a computer, but the HR ETL moved me earlier and if HL ETL wants me to do a split shift or pick up another shift during the week to give me a call.

It would have been nice if I could have emailed the HL ETL, but apparently that's not a thing,

 

[HRZone]

Thursday is the next day I work. I don’t know a lot of people and I don’t have anyones phone numbers or social media

I would go in sooner. The more notice a team member has the more likely they are to pickup a shift.

If you wait until Thursday many of them will have already made plans for their weekend.

It would have been nice if I could have emailed the HL ETL, but apparently that's not a thing,

You can. It's ETLs firstname.lastname@target.com if it's a common name they sometimes have their middle name as part of their email

 

[IWishIKnew]

To be honest, I'm not sure I know her last name. When I asked the LOD at the time (our HR ETL) how to email her, the answer was I couldn't. Given that I was in begging mode, I wasn't inclined to push it, so I took the offer to move my shift earlier and let HRETL know that HLETL could call me if she needed me to work a split shift or come in another time this week. I still feel like I went behind my ETL's back, which wasn't my intent at all, but our schedules just didn't align to follow up.

 

[TTGOz]

Just go in and ask around. We all have to work regardless if we're scheduled. I thought I had it off this year but due to eHR complications regarding me submitting and unsubmitting my two weeks, my time off request I asked off for in June must have been voided out. I was pretty sure I'd be getting it off because I literally submitted it the day we're allowed to(You can only submit 6 months in advance.) and HR was like "wow, TTGOz, that was quick, you should be getting that off."

I plan to be asking around, too, but no one wants to work if they don't have to, which I understand. But even the seasonals who were told they'd be expected to work holidays are trying to not work Christmas Eve and are saying they won't be available and won't show up to work, there's two people on Branch saying "I am NOT available, I will not be able to show up." and I know for a fact they're both seasonal and it's just all around cringe.

 

[buliSBI]

If no one offers to cover it, what should I do?

1. If no takers, then you are required to work it.
2. If you call-in, that could be considered a ding. It could be counted against you.
3. If you NCNS, that is definitely a Big DING. And you could be let go.

If you are really wanting to host this event, then you need to get with your GSTL/GSA and see if they can assist you in finding someone to fill-in the shift...ASAP