I have a question about being scheduled against availability, can my store force me to work Black Friday? I am unable to work that day. My Hr is telling me I have to work it and if I call out I will be written up, can they do that to me? My availability shows that I cannot work on fridays and saturdays, so can they still write me up? My availability has been the same for many years. Please help, thanks.
Archived Question about availability
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SFSFun
Ship from Store: Don't call it Ship To Store!!
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I don't know the official policy (or if there even is one), but my store will let you have it off if you have a valid reason for why your availability still matters on that day. If you're unavailable because of school, that doesn't fly since school is closed. If it's because of another job, they'll be ok with it.
Just give them a good reason (spending time with family is not a good reason) and call out.
Just give them a good reason (spending time with family is not a good reason) and call out.
HRZone
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Yes even when you agree to an availability there is a disclaimer that the store will schedule to business needs and your availability during peak periods is key.
Black Friday is the single most profitable day for stores. In only 6 hours your store will make anywhere from a quarter to 3/4ths of a million dollars.
If you really don't want to work, find someone who isn't scheduled that day and offer your shift. But no I think if you work retail you shoild expect to work black Friday. If we gave everyone who wanted that weekend off the ones who did show up would be screwed.
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redeye58
Hasta Ba Rista, Baby!
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So did you have Friday off years past?
Honestly, it’s amazing to me that they even hired you with no Friday or Saturday availability. We don’t even interview anyone unless they have some availability on Saturday and Sunday. Never had an issue with someone needing all of a Friday off.
Yes I've worked Black Friday in years past when it was actually on friday. I get that its the biggest day but can I be threaten a write up? I was given that availability a long time ago, I didn't ask for those days off by the way that was given to me by leadership. I rearranged my life around target now can they forced me to work that day. Is this policy and if it is where is it written, I want proof not hearsay. Thanks.
Saul Goodman
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Talk to them and explain why you need off those two days.
When you submit an availability though, it doesn't include holidays. For Thanksgiving/Black Friday at majority of stores availabilities aren't taken into consideration as everyone in their eyes should be available.
So unless someone has talked to their boss or a higher up on why they can't be scheduled, then they should expect to be scheduled for black Friday. I haven't heard about a write up. You'd just have to try to give the shift away or call out
When you submit an availability though, it doesn't include holidays. For Thanksgiving/Black Friday at majority of stores availabilities aren't taken into consideration as everyone in their eyes should be available.
So unless someone has talked to their boss or a higher up on why they can't be scheduled, then they should expect to be scheduled for black Friday. I haven't heard about a write up. You'd just have to try to give the shift away or call out
buliSBI
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When hired, the expectation is for all TMs to be available for Black Thanksgiving/Friday and Day After Christmas. And if you ditch work that day, you can be written up.
If you have some obligation that prevents you from working (ex. child/dependent care or high priority family matter), then you need to inform your leadership. But it will a tough battle to fight.
In my 9 years, I only missed 2 Black Fridays. One was just luck. The other my store at the time knew I was working a TV station job at that the time which was covering my store's BF opening. I pretty much had the same reaction my 1st Black Friday. I was never told of the requirement and it became my 1st Thanksgiving away from my family. But I worked it.
If you have some obligation that prevents you from working (ex. child/dependent care or high priority family matter), then you need to inform your leadership. But it will a tough battle to fight.
In my 9 years, I only missed 2 Black Fridays. One was just luck. The other my store at the time knew I was working a TV station job at that the time which was covering my store's BF opening. I pretty much had the same reaction my 1st Black Friday. I was never told of the requirement and it became my 1st Thanksgiving away from my family. But I worked it.
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60SecondsRemaining
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Can they force you? Absolutely.
Black Friday is the biggest retail day of the year, and it happens every year, on the same day. If you can't work then you should have given ample notice, as in months.
You say your availability has been the same for many years, with no Fri or sat I'm assuming pricing or Plano? You may have a claim with precedence, if you have not been scheduled in the past, I would explain that to them, say you made plans, and you're willing to work other Friday/Saturday's in the future if you have notice.
In general it's just better to submit a request ahead of time for days like bf even if you aren't available.
Black Friday is the biggest retail day of the year, and it happens every year, on the same day. If you can't work then you should have given ample notice, as in months.
You say your availability has been the same for many years, with no Fri or sat I'm assuming pricing or Plano? You may have a claim with precedence, if you have not been scheduled in the past, I would explain that to them, say you made plans, and you're willing to work other Friday/Saturday's in the future if you have notice.
In general it's just better to submit a request ahead of time for days like bf even if you aren't available.
HRZone
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They can write you up for anything. Calling out on a day you've already tried to get out of rarely ends well
HRZone
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Nail on the head here. Fwiw when we write the thursday/Friday schedule we don't even look at availability for if we did the store wouldn't be staffed. Considering we have some people working until 2am that's not in their availability but they understand business needs.
We did have one tm who did an unpaid time off request for thanksgiving day that my etl approved back in May. That's different than just saying "Well I normally don't work Fridays so they won't schedule me on our busiest day of the year"
The people who get out of working on black Thursday/Friday are the ones who either work a full time job where spot is a few hour a week gig and it specified when they were hired the other job get them those days. Or its a once in a lifetime trip, family reunion or illness/surgery where they were off work but they arranged it months in advance. Otherwise you are on the schedule.
the olny reason i have it off is due to surgery. othewise it would be huge problem
I’m confused by what you’re frustrated about now because you’ve appeared to contradict yourself. You said your availability shows you can’t work Fridays. Okay...
Then you say you have worked previous BF when it’s on Friday.
Uh it’s still on Friday. Thursday is a different day than Friday, and you’d show available on Thursday. So then working thanksgiving shouldn’t be the problem. So you’re complaining about working Friday when you say Black Friday isn’t actually on friday? They probably scheduled you that day because, not only is it a peak day and it’s seen as all hands on deck, but because you’ve worked previous ones with NO issue.
So I’m not sure of what you’re getting at. And I’m sorry if I’m coming off rude, but you’re not making sense.
Then you say you have worked previous BF when it’s on Friday.
Uh it’s still on Friday. Thursday is a different day than Friday, and you’d show available on Thursday. So then working thanksgiving shouldn’t be the problem. So you’re complaining about working Friday when you say Black Friday isn’t actually on friday? They probably scheduled you that day because, not only is it a peak day and it’s seen as all hands on deck, but because you’ve worked previous ones with NO issue.
So I’m not sure of what you’re getting at. And I’m sorry if I’m coming off rude, but you’re not making sense.
HRZone
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The only things that can save you from not working on work Black Friday when scheduled is Jury Duty or Military orders to report to active duty when in the Reserves component.
HRLady
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A lot of courts are closed for Thanksgiving weekend so the jury duty excuse probably won't fly either.
It makes sense to me when they had black thursday I worked it because I was available, when target did black fridays I worked it under certain circumstances. In my early years with target I had different priorities now 15 years later I have other obligations. Who said I didn't have issues working those other fridays, ALL I said is that I've worked them before. Let me make total sense here, 15 years is a long time my obligations have changed as has targets. Just because 5 years ago I was willing to work on black friday does not mean that this black friday I am free to work it. Just like target can no longer guarantee me hours, I can not guarantee target my days off even on peak days. Sorry if I come off as a total d**k but I dont care about what target needs I care about my well-being.
Flow Warrior
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Understood. You asked if you could be written up for calling out on Black friday. Yes. you can.
In our store unless you have been with the store a looooooooooooooong time and know everyone, you have an actual serious emergency or you asked in 2nd or early 3rd quarter for the day off and got it approved, it will be a final if you miss.
As much as we all hate working on thanksgiving and the day after its expected in retail. I ran a hotel and was on-call on all holidays. Nothing is more fun than trying to fix a problem on New years day. So sorry, but I have no sympathy for you.
Sorry if I come off as a total d**k but you work wither thursday night or friday or you don't work anymore. Its that simple.
HRZone
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You can't be put on a final for one call out. It's probably a PDD but could be a CA based on your attendance trends.
You can fire a seasonal for calling out black Friday, we had one call out on thanksgiving last year. My ETL told them, don't come back.
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SFSFun
Ship from Store: Don't call it Ship To Store!!
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My STL has been known to "fire" regular TMs that way. Tells them to not come back and then terms for job abandonment when they don't show up for the next 3 shifts.
Flow Warrior
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from what I understand they don't just document that call out, they use any other during the calender year. They call it a 'pattern'. Like I said she's an idiot.
HRZone
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Even so you can't skip to a final without misconduct. It takes 3 correctives to issue a final.
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