Archived Target Cross Training POLICY!....???

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I am a GSA working in a Georgia store. My ETL has just informed us (2 GSTL"s & 3 GSA"s) that we HAVE to be cross trained in Starbucks & Food Avenue. :angry: I have NEVER worked in food service in my life, BY CHOICE! And I am NOT trying to start now.

My question is "Can Target ETL's force a team member to train in an area that they do not want to train in"??

FYI. GSA was NOT a position I applied for. I was hired as a cashier, after applying for backroom. But my interviewer thought the front end better fit my resume. A month and a half later I was offered the GSA position. I accepted because I thought it was an requirement to become a TL. Especially after finding out the HUGE pay difference between GSA & GSTL's for doing almost the same work
.:angry:
 
I'm a GSA. I know enough in food ave to sort of help out if the food ave person is helping in Starbucks. All I can do in Starbucks is wash dishes. I was informed when I started to GSA last winter that I would need to learn Starbucks. That was as far as it went, thankfully. I have a lot of respect for those that work Starbucks, but it is NOT for me!
 
Sounds like you aren't happy in your position; I can totally relate, I was for the most part quite unhappy during my time as a GSA (anyone on these forums will probably remember how I used to be a sour grape! lol).

As far as your question goes, YES they can make it a requirement for you to cross-train in the food service areas.
 
All the GSA/GSTL in my store know Food Ave enough to cover the occasional break or to help out when a line forms.
 
Ughh! Thanks for answering, sounds like I need to move to a different work center. Of course the next problem will be convincing my current ETL to allow me to go to a different work center.:girl_sigh:
 
If you're a GSA, it might be useful to at least know how to work the registers in those areas. If you have to help those areas as back-up, at least you can ring up orders.
 
Ughh! Thanks for answering, sounds like I need to move to a different work center. Of course the next problem will be convincing my current ETL to allow me to go to a different work center.:girl_sigh:

Make sure you're on good terms with your bosses, and do not have any performance problems. Either of these will keep you stuck for a very long time (speaking from experience).
 
If you're a GSA, it might be useful to at least know how to work the registers in those areas. If you have to help those areas as back-up, at least you can ring up orders.

That's part of MY feeling. Food Avenue & Starbucks each have TL and TM's. Neither of which is in MY Core Roles or Specific Roles. I'd rather prefer having nothing to do with them at all!! Of course the other part is just me being vain.....NOT wanting to wear a hairnet or smell like food.:girl_sigh:
 
If you're a GSA, it might be useful to at least know how to work the registers in those areas. If you have to help those areas as back-up, at least you can ring up orders.

That's part of MY feeling. Food Avenue & Starbucks each have TL and TM's. Neither of which is in MY Core Roles or Specific Roles. I'd rather prefer having nothing to do with them at all!! Of course the other part is just me being vain.....NOT wanting to wear a hairnet or smell like food.:girl_sigh:

Actually there is a part of the GSA core roles that cross training in Food Areas would fall under...

per the wiki:

Team Member Common Core Roles
## Are friendly, positive, helpful and team-oriented; show respect for all team members and guests; are willing to learn new skills to help the store, the team, and themselves
 
I was recently offered the option to train in Starbucks. I'd rather starve...

I hate coffee. I strongly dislike the smell of coffee. The mere thought of working in there made me wanna puke!

Obviously, I turned that down!
 
Just about all the jobs have the caveat 'are willing to learn new skills to help the store,', so crosstraining becomes something you have to live with.
Most of the time it's a good idea because you can pick up more hours and it makes you global which makes it easier to be promoted.
 
I am a GSA working in a Georgia store. My ETL has just informed us (2 GSTL"s & 3 GSA"s) that we HAVE to be cross trained in Starbucks & Food Avenue. :angry: I have NEVER worked in food service in my life, BY CHOICE! And I am NOT trying to start now.

My question is "Can Target ETL's force a team member to train in an area that they do not want to train in"??

FYI. GSA was NOT a position I applied for. I was hired as a cashier, after applying for backroom. But my interviewer thought the front end better fit my resume. A month and a half later I was offered the GSA position. I accepted because I thought it was an requirement to become a TL. Especially after finding out the HUGE pay difference between GSA & GSTL's for doing almost the same work
.:angry:
I don't see a problem. Yes being a GSA can suck doing almost the same duties as a GSTL but for less pay. But its a good stepping stone.

At my former store, GSAs/GSTLs had to be trained in all areas of the Front End in order to keep their positions. Its company policy to be trained and perform your Core Roles, but there is probably some cloudy language to allow stores to institute extra roles depending on the needs of the store. And its a good policy, if you are going to be in a leadership or supervising position, especially over the Front End, you need to know all areas you cover.

Starbucks and Food Ave are one of those areas where it is minimally staffed. Like 1-2 people. There are going to be occasions where a TM will come in late, call in, have to leave early, or if a FATM quits/fired, and the area has to be staffed. Closing FA/SB should be the last resort.

With how much Food Ave has changed, Food Ave is really not hard. I used to work Food Aves where you grill, fry, and prep all day. Today, items come in pre-packaged or minimal prep.

And a lot of times, a GSTL/GSA will not have a FA trained TM to help cover breaks so the GSTL/GSA needs to step up and cover FA if a guest comes up.

Also, if your store is anything like how mine was, only the FATL, CTL, and a couple selected TMs know how to make/receive the FA order. If the order cannot be performed by someone, there is always a backup.

More than likely, you will only have to cover FA/SB in emergency situations. So maybe every once in a while. But not all the time. Besides it might be give you extra hours.


Besides, if you tell your store leadership that you refuse to be trained for FA/SB, they can probably make sure you don't get a whole lot of hours.
 
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As a GSA, I was trained in FA. I knew how most things worked, and could figure it what to do if needed. I was asked to work full shifts, but respectfully turned them down each time.

I would help clean up, I'd help make pizza, I'd help on register, but I refused to *work* FA.
 
In my store, we (as GSAs) aren't really over Food Ave and Starbucks. They communicate with us as needed to know let us know if there is anything guest related we should be aware of. But otherwise they (and the LOD) are responsible for themselves being there on time, taking their breaks and lunches, etc.
 
I am a GSA working in a Georgia store. My ETL has just informed us (2 GSTL"s & 3 GSA"s) that we HAVE to be cross trained in Starbucks & Food Avenue. :angry: I have NEVER worked in food service in my life, BY CHOICE! And I am NOT trying to start now.

My question is "Can Target ETL's force a team member to train in an area that they do not want to train in"??

FYI. GSA was NOT a position I applied for. I was hired as a cashier, after applying for backroom. But my interviewer thought the front end better fit my resume. A month and a half later I was offered the GSA position. I accepted because I thought it was an requirement to become a TL. Especially after finding out the HUGE pay difference between GSA & GSTL's for doing almost the same work
.:angry:

Honestly, in my store your feedback would be you are not being resilient and adaptable by not even being open to the option of being trained over there. This is the most basic expectation of a Team Leader (it is the first one listed for a reason) and you aren't executing R&A at the most basic level. To become a TL you need to fix that before anything else.

Secondly, your inability to see the HUGE difference between GSA and GSTL shows a lack of scope and inability to assess talent. A strong-performing GSA and a strong-performing GSTL are two completely different roles, which explains the pay difference.
 
I am a GSA working in a Georgia store. My ETL has just informed us (2 GSTL"s & 3 GSA"s) that we HAVE to be cross trained in Starbucks & Food Avenue. :angry: I have NEVER worked in food service in my life, BY CHOICE! And I am NOT trying to start now.

My question is "Can Target ETL's force a team member to train in an area that they do not want to train in"??

FYI. GSA was NOT a position I applied for. I was hired as a cashier, after applying for backroom. But my interviewer thought the front end better fit my resume. A month and a half later I was offered the GSA position. I accepted because I thought it was an requirement to become a TL. Especially after finding out the HUGE pay difference between GSA & GSTL's for doing almost the same work
.:angry:

Honestly, in my store your feedback would be you are not being resilient and adaptable by not even being open to the option of being trained over there. This is the most basic expectation of a Team Leader (it is the first one listed for a reason) and you aren't executing R&A at the most basic level. To become a TL you need to fix that before anything else.

Secondly, your inability to see the HUGE difference between GSA and GSTL shows a lack of scope and inability to assess talent. A strong-performing GSA and a strong-performing GSTL are two completely different roles, which explains the pay difference.

A well seasoned GSA can contribute just as much if not more than some GSTLs. The key difference is that a GSTL is a TL and therefore handles the leadership workload for the workcenter. It really isn't enough to warrant such a huge pay discrepancy though; at least in my opinion. For example, TPS and PA's are N09, no reason a GSA can't be...

Agree otherwise.
 
A well seasoned GSA can contribute just as much if not more than some GSTLs. The key difference is that a GSTL is a TL and therefore handles the leadership workload for the workcenter. It really isn't enough to warrant such a huge pay discrepancy though; at least in my opinion. For example, TPS and PA's are N09, no reason a GSA can't be...

Agree otherwise.

I can agree that GSAs could be PG9 and it would probably be a more accurate reflection of their workload. I always wondered why they didn't do this (most stores find the position difficult to staff if they are not using it for bench TLs)...

I hear the GSA/GSTL discussion quite a bit. I have made my opinions pretty well known, but I think I have a good way to phrase it now to help many people understand the perception around the positions. It all starts with how you understand the TL position...

When you ask someone what they do at Target, they will say "I am a GSTL or HLTL or PTL etc" which is fine. They are defined by their area, and therefore the GSTL will say, "I supervise the lanes, direct traffic, get change, coach team members" and this sounds similar to the GSA position now except for the leadership portions (which I will argue are often downplayed, but that is another topic). Well, the issue with this is it starts the expectations with the area, and not the leader...

Instead, we need to understand that it starts with "I am a Team Leader"... You coach, develop, train, schedule, review, document etc... You are a leader within a store! The area itself does not matter (which is why 18 months is so important). Your role is to lead the team. The TL has to then fulfill these roles WHILE being scheduled within a specific area that is designated. A Hardlines Team Leader meets all the expectations above AND schedules themselves under Hardlines and fulfills all the core roles of a team member within that particular workcenter as well. In the case of the GSTL, the Team Leader schedules themselves as a GSA and does their job simply because it is the best area to keep an eye on the area from (just like a Softlines TL is on the floor, not in the FR or a Hardlines TL should not be in Electronics)... They could be under Carts or Service Desk, but GSA just so happens to be the best TM position for the job. The GSA position then, is nothing similar to a TL who is GSAing... When you have a GSTL who sees this expectation, you will notice the difference! *ENDS RANT*
 
They say this is the best time to cross train and everything but I'm finding it somewhat difficult as I see there is hardly enough hours for me to be cross-trained I guess.

I'm assuming training hours are separate from the hours allotted to the work center? I mean I really am deeply interested in BR since I like a good challenge and working back there and being certified as well as it being added to my training meter (Anyone know where to view this?)


I'm a patient person though and will follow up weekly about it to let them know my interest is still there.
 
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i am a gsa working in a georgia store. My etl has just informed us (2 gstl"s & 3 gsa"s) that we have to be cross trained in starbucks & food avenue. :angry: I have never worked in food service in my life, by choice! And i am not trying to start now.

My question is "can target etl's force a team member to train in an area that they do not want to train in"??

fyi. Gsa was not a position i applied for. I was hired as a cashier, after applying for backroom. But my interviewer thought the front end better fit my resume. A month and a half later i was offered the gsa position. I accepted because i thought it was an requirement to become a tl. Especially after finding out the huge pay difference between gsa & gstl's for doing almost the same work
.:angry:

honestly, in my store your feedback would be you are not being resilient and adaptable by not even being open to the option of being trained over there. This is the most basic expectation of a team leader (it is the first one listed for a reason) and you aren't executing r&a at the most basic level. To become a tl you need to fix that before anything else.

Secondly, your inability to see the huge difference between gsa and gstl shows a lack of scope and inability to assess talent. A strong-performing gsa and a strong-performing gstl are two completely different roles, which explains the pay difference.

you get what you pay for!!
 
you get what you pay for!!

Spot has had the option of ignoring that truth because there are enough people out there willing to kill themselves for the jobs they offer so their unreasonable demands have become SOP.

If you think by standing up for yourself and pointing out that they have overstepped is going to get you anywhere, I would like to point out that I did the same thing and have been unemployed for eight months.
 
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They say this is the best time to cross train and everything but I'm finding it somewhat difficult as I see there is hardly enough hours for me to be cross-trained I guess.

I'm assuming training hours are separate from the hours allotted to the work center? I mean I really am deeply interested in BR since I like a good challenge and working back there and being certified as well as it being added to my training meter (Anyone know where to view this?)


I'm a patient person though and will follow up weekly about it to let them know my interest is still there.

My store is the same way. My ETL-HR is all "cross-train, cross-train, cross-train!", but of all people, he should know that it's simply not possible when there are too few hours to even run the store properly.

Yes, training hours are separate. Hours for a workcenter are expected to be used to complete the respective workload. That's why there are separate workcenters specifically for training. For info on your training meter, talk to HR - they keep track of your learning plans, certifications, and whatnot.
 
A well seasoned GSA can contribute just as much if not more than some GSTLs. The key difference is that a GSTL is a TL and therefore handles the leadership workload for the workcenter. It really isn't enough to warrant such a huge pay discrepancy though; at least in my opinion. For example, TPS and PA's are N09, no reason a GSA can't be...

Agree otherwise.

I can agree that GSAs could be PG9 and it would probably be a more accurate reflection of their workload. I always wondered why they didn't do this (most stores find the position difficult to staff if they are not using it for bench TLs)...

I hear the GSA/GSTL discussion quite a bit. I have made my opinions pretty well known, but I think I have a good way to phrase it now to help many people understand the perception around the positions. It all starts with how you understand the TL position...

When you ask someone what they do at Target, they will say "I am a GSTL or HLTL or PTL etc" which is fine. They are defined by their area, and therefore the GSTL will say, "I supervise the lanes, direct traffic, get change, coach team members" and this sounds similar to the GSA position now except for the leadership portions (which I will argue are often downplayed, but that is another topic). Well, the issue with this is it starts the expectations with the area, and not the leader...

Instead, we need to understand that it starts with "I am a Team Leader"... You coach, develop, train, schedule, review, document etc... You are a leader within a store! The area itself does not matter (which is why 18 months is so important). Your role is to lead the team. The TL has to then fulfill these roles WHILE being scheduled within a specific area that is designated. A Hardlines Team Leader meets all the expectations above AND schedules themselves under Hardlines and fulfills all the core roles of a team member within that particular workcenter as well. In the case of the GSTL, the Team Leader schedules themselves as a GSA and does their job simply because it is the best area to keep an eye on the area from (just like a Softlines TL is on the floor, not in the FR or a Hardlines TL should not be in Electronics)... They could be under Carts or Service Desk, but GSA just so happens to be the best TM position for the job. The GSA position then, is nothing similar to a TL who is GSAing... When you have a GSTL who sees this expectation, you will notice the difference! *ENDS RANT*
Thank you for this - it really helped me grasp the GSTL vs GSA thing!
 
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