Service & Engagement Team Leads

[Time2runX]

The hours for our Service & Engagement team members have been cut to the point we are out-numbered by the number of Team Leads and SETL on the clock Monday-Friday. We still need to call for backup from the other departments. Why? Because our leaders spend their time in their little office area, far away from the front lanes.

How is the number of Team Leads for Service & Engagement determined? Is it the number of team members to supervise? Is it the number of work hours available to the team members? Is it annual sales(my store will do just over $30 million)? What do they do all day?

 

[Hardlinesmaster]

Just one setl..

 

[Planosss]

I literally took all of last week off , so my team can have hours...

 

[Fix It]

What do they do all day?

While a lot of Target is “cookie cutter / handed to you” operations there’s a shit load of scheduling, complaints, future planning, TM issues that E/TLs need to do. Management works on the floor with the team as their time permits but managing TMs is the first thing. If they spent all day on the floor along side you the place would fall to shambles in a couple days.

All stores typically have one SE ETL and 2-4 SE TLs based on your stores Income. They are spread through out the week based on the needs of the business. Some stores are busy during the day, some are busy at night, some need extra help when POG changes happen.

Back up calls should always be TMs on the floor. In the rare occasion there aren’t enough TMs then the E/TLs hop on a resister. TLs shouldn’t hang up on a conference call or interrupt a status meeting to cashier for 10 minutes.

Managers gotta manage at some point, ya dig?

 

[gsa4lyfe]

I literally took all of last week off , so my team can have hours...

Same.... I always take a week in January and a week in February so my team can have some hours.

 

[happygoth]

I don't think that's the way it's supposed to be anymore. We have two SETLs (No SE-ETL), and they seem to spend the majority of their time at the front end. If it is really busy and they have to manage the traffic and guest experience, or they are dealing with managerial duties, the front end will call for backup. Otherwise it seems like they are getting better at handling things themselves.

 

[JAShands]

Our SETLs (we have 2) are petty af lol. If they’re both working and one is upstairs they’re like where are you?? Then when then one that was doing computer work our statusing with another Leader gets back downstairs the first will come up, roll their eyes, and bitch before getting in a computer or talking to a Leader themselves lol. I get that it’s a dick measuring contest but honestly they’re both losing.

 

[60SecondsRemaining]

While a lot of Target is “cookie cutter / handed to you” operations there’s a shit load of scheduling, complaints, future planning, TM issues that E/TLs need to do. Management works on the floor with the team as their time permits but managing TMs is the first thing. If they spent all day on the floor along side you the place would fall to shambles in a couple days.

All stores typically have one SE ETL and 2-4 SE TLs based on your stores Income. They are spread through out the week based on the needs of the business. Some stores are busy during the day, some are busy at night, some need extra help when POG changes happen.

Back up calls should always be TMs on the floor. In the rare occasion there aren’t enough TMs then the E/TLs hop on a resister. TLs shouldn’t hang up on a conference call or interrupt a status meeting to cashier for 10 minutes.

Managers gotta manage at some point, ya dig?

There is zero reason a leader needs to be in the office all day. If that's the case then the leader has poor time management skills or is being overtaxed.

You can't lead a team effectively without some type of leadership bond or buy in, and you can't garner that from an office.

During my most managerially tasking time (manage remodel, flow, backroom and instocks process, write schedule for the store minus front end, plan transitions) I spent one 8 hour day in the office, and spread the rest over the week in 30 minute blocks.

This has maybe changed, but a huge majority of target leaders whom I worked with never even used a calendar to track daily time. The company in general had poor time management practices.

 

[sunnydays]

Because our leaders spend their time in their little office area, far away from the front lanes

maybe its time for you to talk to your etl since their job is to, you know, be at the front of the store

 

[Cinnamon2005]

I have been a TL for well over a decade with Target. SETL is the worst TL position I've ever had. No one wants it; I was forced into it as a result of modernization. My co-SETL is a favorite of the SD & the ETL'S so I am in a no win situation. We work fairly well together but she gets away with things that I would never be allowed to do. She is quite a bit younger than I am & our district wants young people in leadership roles. Older team members are slowly being phased out. I have been job hunting for a year; unfortunately, at my age it is difficult. I can work circles around nearly everyone at my store, but young is who they want.

 

[Hope4Future]

maybe its time for you to talk to your etl since their job is to, you know, be at the front of the store

Same, the ETL-SE that took over my store in August of last year has been like this, usually hiding in their office or getting a drink at Starbucks. Last night, I was him chatting with an AP-TL and ETL-in-training for about 45 minutes about god knows what.
There are two SETLs at my store, one is just completely terrible and almost all the other front-end team members have expressed disdain for her because she is almost always on her phone and also likes to hide in her office. The other is better and helpful in that he actually back-up cashiers and helps at guest services when it gets busy but I've seen him chatting idly with the ETL-SE as well.
What gets me most aggravated is the ETL-SE will not touch a register and he calls the cart attendant or GM team members for back-up instead. Doesn't he get that those team members are going to fall behind in their work and that he could help out instead of chatting and hiding in his office? We've had so much turnover and loss of guest-services trained team members since the ETL took over because they couldn't stand dealing with him and morale has gone down a lot.

 

[starmaster1000]

Gee, if only there was some position to whom things could be delegated to administer the lanes while the team leads are busy doing clerical work.

Sure would be a good idea to have this theoretical position in place.

Anyway, I'm confident that Modernization accounted for this purely in-theory lapse in coverage by not at all eliminating this position nor disabling its purpose in any way, shape, or form.

 

[GoTo2]

I am trying to wrap my head around those stores that say their management team sits in their offices. As a TL I am out there in the war zone right along with my team right now. The other TL and SETL and ETL are also. We are out there managing and helping where needed.
If your store gets more than 5dry trucks a week and a FDC daily there is absolutely no way management has time to sit. If they do, please by all means share your secret.

TM schedules cut to half if not less on the same amount of work load. Advocates are scarce right now.

 

[TheCartGuy]

Gee, if only there was some position to whom things could be delegated to administer the lanes while the team leads are busy doing clerical work.

Sure would be a good idea to have this theoretical position in place.

Anyway, I'm confident that Modernization accounted for this purely in-theory lapse in coverage by not at all eliminating this position nor disabling its purpose in any way, shape, or form.

AMEN.

 

[sunnydays]

Gee, if only there was some position to whom things could be delegated to administer the lanes while the team leads are busy doing clerical work.

Sure would be a good idea to have this theoretical position in place.

Anyway, I'm confident that Modernization accounted for this purely in-theory lapse in coverage by not at all eliminating this position nor disabling its purpose in any way, shape, or form.

i still want to know what clerical work an setl has that takes more than 30 minutes to an hour a week tops

myguest take minutes at best. if youre still in charge of salesplanners you can take care of all of it in mywork. if you set break schedules a day in advance thats maybe 10 minutes?

setls should be on the floor the majority of their shift. gsas were redundant and allowed bad management to hide from their own poor work ethic imo

 

[happygoth]

I am trying to wrap my head around those stores that say their management team sits in their offices. As a TL I am out there in the war zone right along with my team right now. The other TL and SETL and ETL are also. We are out there managing and helping where needed.
If your store gets more than 5dry trucks a week and a FDC daily there is absolutely no way management has time to sit. If they do, please by all means share your secret.

TM schedules cut to half if not less on the same amount of work load. Advocates are scarce right now.

Completely agree. I have to give my leaders credit, as they are rarely in their offices. They (including the SD) do SFS/OPU, push truck, collect abandons, bring reshop to the departments, etc etc. The SETLs ring, work SCO and GS.

I do see some TLs standing around chatting more than I feel they should, but for the most part our leaders are pretty good.

 

[starmaster1000]

gsas were redundant

Ouch. :'( Some of us were actually useful, okay?

 

[Anelmi]

So redundant that they had to give certain cashiers supervisory privileges and teach them how to close and open the lanes once modernization kicked in. Because if the SETLs work mids, then there might be 3-4 hours with no TL coverage at night except for the closing TL and we all know how much territory that TL covers in a given night...

 

[sunnydays]

Ouch. :'( Some of us were actually useful, okay?

one of my peers was promoted from gsa and is amazing and i love her, fwiw. my intention wasn’t to say that every gsa was worthless, merely that the position was ultimately a smokescreen that protected bad team leads from reprisal

 

[REDcardJJ]

So redundant that they had to give certain cashiers supervisory privileges and teach them how to close and open the lanes once modernization kicked in. Because if the SETLs work mids, then there might be 3-4 hours with no TL coverage at night except for the closing TL and we all know how much territory that TL covers in a given night...

we had three GSAs before modernization and now i have 15 team members and counting who can open and close the lanes. more than that have supervisor numbers too.

 

[Anelmi]

ASANTs. They only gave those privileges to a handful of CAs at my store.

 

[Frontlanegirl]

Ouch. :'( Some of us were actually useful, okay?

I have noticed when the ETL GE and SETL's are gone less work gets done. The cats away and the mice will play, especially during the evening.

 

[Priceslasher]

I have been a TL for well over a decade with Target. SETL is the worst TL position I've ever had. No one wants it; I was forced into it as a result of modernization. My co-SETL is a favorite of the SD & the ETL'S so I am in a no win situation. We work fairly well together but she gets away with things that I would never be allowed to do. She is quite a bit younger than I am & our district wants young people in leadership roles. Older team members are slowly being phased out. I have been job hunting for a year; unfortunately, at my age it is difficult. I can work circles around nearly everyone at my store, but young is who they want.

Good to know I’m not alone. I have been going through the same situation. I show up everyday and hope it’s better and I am very thankful I have the team. I work for them until I’m phased out. What all the others think of me does not matter I know I’m doing my job the best I am allowed to do.

 

[idkwhattodo]

I was the sole person scheduled under Service and Engagement TL a few weekends ago. I am not a TL. Our SD, ETL-SE, and SETLs (one had a weekend off and another vacation) were off. Other ETLs in the building did not come up to help once... need a manager up there, they told me to take care of it. I was helping vendors, setting up the event, etc. on top of backing up guest service and checklanes, pushing carts, making sure everyone (BUT ME i was bothered in the breakroom three times on my meal and didn’t get a chance to take my 15s) got a break, cleaned bathrooms, etc. Just to make the day more fun: ETLs never told me about my call outs until I said, “uh hey, do you know where my 11:45 and 12 are????”

Now, this definitely isn’t anything I haven’t done before. I was a GSA and ran lanes by myself all the time, but I was definitely annoyed considering I am told on the daily “anyone can be trained to be as good as me” (clearly not if they still haven’t found anyone 🙄) and that my position does not exist. I mentioned my frustration to my TLs. My one TL is great, perfect, amazing, etc. (literally best front end TL one could have). My other TL hides in the office, has no problem setting an endcap (although he takes allllllllllll day), but delegates most guest issues to me (“hey you’re on your way over, you got that?”) and constantly takes long breaks. TL told me that they have rough days, too (mentioned being scheduled on a weekend by themselves once... they are a TL though) and to get over it.

Kind of nice to know I’m not completely alone in wanting to die. I didn’t even get to mention how useless my ETL is!!!!

 

[TheCartGuy]

I was the sole person scheduled under Service and Engagement TL a few weekends ago. I am not a TL. Our SD, ETL-SE, and SETLs (one had a weekend off and another vacation) were off. Other ETLs in the building did not come up to help once... need a manager up there, they told me to take care of it. I was helping vendors, setting up the event, etc. on top of backing up guest service and checklanes, pushing carts, making sure everyone (BUT ME i was bothered in the breakroom three times on my meal and didn’t get a chance to take my 15s) got a break, cleaned bathrooms, etc. Just to make the day more fun: ETLs never told me about my call outs until I said, “uh hey, do you know where my 11:45 and 12 are????”

Now, this definitely isn’t anything I haven’t done before. I was a GSA and ran lanes by myself all the time, but I was definitely annoyed considering I am told on the daily “anyone can be trained to be as good as me” (clearly not if they still haven’t found anyone 🙄) and that my position does not exist. I mentioned my frustration to my TLs. My one TL is great, perfect, amazing, etc. (literally best front end TL one could have). My other TL hides in the office, has no problem setting an endcap (although he takes allllllllllll day), but delegates most guest issues to me (“hey you’re on your way over, you got that?”) and constantly takes long breaks. TL told me that they have rough days, too (mentioned being scheduled on a weekend by themselves once... they are a TL though) and to get over it.

Kind of nice to know I’m not completely alone in wanting to die. I didn’t even get to mention how useless my ETL is!!!!

It sounds like your management needs a reality check.