Archived Tricky Situation (long explanation, sorry...) - Need Advice

[Planosss]

As much as I'm able to, yes. A lot of the time when they call me in for shifts its very last minute and I can't due to plans, but I regularly pick up swap shifts (just picked up 3 over the last 2 weeks and another 2 upcoming). There is 0 legitimate reason to call me "unreliable" imo.

Did you forget about the time you were scheduled as a CA and didn’t show up for a single CA shift? I would say thats atleat 1 reason to call you UNRELIABLE

 

[IWishIKnew]

Technically if you don’t call the day off they can mark you as a NC/NS. If you call it tell someone the day before they’re doing you a courtesy as marking you as a C/O

Eh, leadership will work with you if they aren't assholes, but it sounds like EmptyCart works with assholes. When I "called out" for my husband's aunt's wake, I did so 2 days ahead of time while I was working when I found out about the wake.

I called out when I messed up my knee, because it happened on a day I was scheduled, but didn't call out every shift for the week it took to be mobile enough to work again, just talked to my ETL or HR once or twice with updates and called out for a few shifts at a time, before I was scheduled to work.

Non-shitty leaders prefer to know as soon as possible because they can post the shift or hop on the phones to try to fill it. Shitty leaders blow you off and then screw you and the store over when there isn't time to fill the shift. I honestly don't get the logic, so I can only assume those "leaders" are too damn lazy to pass on the information or document the request and would rather just push it off on the LOD & the rest of the team that day.

Fuck those people. I'd be looking for a new job, if I were you.

 

[Hope4Future]

Small context before continuing, one week last month I was scheduled for a few cart attendant shifts (our main cart attendant was on vacation). I wasn't asked in advance (or else none of this would've happened...), found coverage for 2/3 of them, and had legitimate reason to call out of the 3rd one (dental procedure right in the middle of the shift). Calling out was not something I wanted to do ideally because I felt guilty and bad about it, but I explained this to the LOD twice on the night before the shift (my direct Sr. TL) that I wasn't able to be in for the shift, so that I wouldn't have to wake up at 8AM just to call. She understood and said she'd put it in the closing e-mail so I'm not marked as a NCNS, and that was the last I heard of it.

Fast forward to today, I went to talk to my ETL-HR today asking if I could be given hours in Market because our market team is going to be losing 2 people for college in the next month or so, and the market team already is desperate for more people regardless. He told me I NCNS'd on a cart attendant shift last month and that was an automatic Corrective Action (I was never told about this CA...) and that one single NCNS (first and only time in 4 years of being with Target...) completely proved I was unreliable, and that neither he nor my direct ETL will give me more hours because of it. At this point, I'm convinced they're only giving me 1 shift a week because they have to, because it's obvious to me now that they dislike me for unfair reasons.

First of all, it was not a NCNS. I went out of my way to tell the LOD the night before to ensure this would not happen. Should I go in tonight to talk to that LOD in question so that this is sorted out and the CA is removed? I have done well at ensuring I've never had a NCNS or Corrective Action on my record and I find it extremely unfair that they're pulling this as an excuse to not give me more hours in a department that desperately needs it. Would it also be worth talking to the Market TL anyways to see if he would back me up to HR that I'm reliable and worth moving to Market (I have always had a good rapport with him)?

I know this post is from almost a year ago, but I had a few questions about this situation. I myself am very reliable in terms of attendance, but I'm still worried about what would happen if I had to call out since like you, I want more hours but I don't love working on carts. Were your cart attendant shifts in the morning or at night? If they were in the morning, I guess it sucks because you would have to call out in the morning unless your LOD was reliable and remembered to put it in the closing e-mail.
I'm not 100% sure of how Corrective Actions work, but I'm guessing they require your acknowledgement so I'm wondering how it could have been a CA if no one in upper management talked to you about it.
Finally, I'm in a similar situation in that I work at the front end and I've been scheduled for a few cart attendant shifts since one of our cart attendants quit and we only have two of them at the moment. A couple of former cart attendants moved to other positions so it seems like no one wants to work carts at my store and it would be difficult to give cart attendant shifts on the swap board. I'm wondering if I'm going to find myself in a similar situation working carts like OP since I even spoke to the front-end ETL and stated that I wasn't comfortable working carts, but he "begged" me to stay flexible for Spot until another cart attendant could be found.

 

[Far from newbie]

Hope4Future, let me say “thank you for being a team player and flexible by helping your team where needed”.
It is difficult to run a business with different availabilities, strengths, skills, experiences and preferences.
The absolute worst thing ever is when a tm says “I don’t WANT to do that, can’t I do X instead ?” Sigh. If they NEED someone for carts you wanting to do flex is NOT helpful.
If you want hours do them this favor. They shouldn’t forget that you bailed THEM out of the CA shortage and get you some hours when YOU ask. ‘Quid Pro Quo’ should apply if you make it known you are agreeing to be HELPFUL not grateful for any hours given.
If you work your shifts as scheduled OR actually call out before not showing up you will NOT be in the same position as the OP. The posters problem is he wasted the 2 weeks that the shift was posted and on the night BEFORE told someone to take care of HIS problem for him. He also did not follow the rules and ACTUALLY call out on that day as he should have.
😉 good luck. Hours given out may not necessarily be given out fairly due to availability, popularity, ability or favoritism so it is up to you to BE available, knowledgeable, popular and well-favored as much as possible to get the odds in your favor.
I also read on another thread that this OP called the hotline regarding this situation - experience has taught me that the people that answer the hotline calls are NOT your friend and retribution is real. There is nearly always a price to pay to make that call because you are essentially telling corporate that the leadership in your store cannot handle their own problems, and they won’t appreciate being ratted on.

 

[FlowTeamChick]

I would approach the LOD that said they'd put it in the closing email. Frame it as a "someone else screwed this up and didn't put it in as a call-in" rather than implying that the LOD forgot (as you can't know whether the LOD missed it or someone else did fail to put it in) and ask what you can do to have the CA removed.

But I would talk to the market ETL and express your interest and see what they say. You're kind of in a catch-22 situation where you haven't been scheduled much for people to get to know you enough to vouch for you, so it may be tough. Worth a try, though, as long as you're polite about it.

This is what you need to do.
Also, if leadership at your store is playing favorites (it's happened at my store too) and you're not a favorite - well, you might be up a creek unless that closing LOD will back you up. If someone asks for more hours and gets more hours but not in an area they like and then take steps to get out of those extra hours, eh, too bad so sad, they wouldn't be getting extra hours anymore. Sometimes, ya just gotta suck it up, buttercup.
(Editing to say that I really should notice the original posting date....)

 

[Far from newbie]

Original Posting date does not matter because a different OP revived it with the same/similar question/comment rather than starting a new thread.

 

[Fluttervale]

I know this post is from almost a year ago, but I had a few questions about this situation. I myself am very reliable in terms of attendance, but I'm still worried about what would happen if I had to call out since like you, I want more hours but I don't love working on carts. Were your cart attendant shifts in the morning or at night? If they were in the morning, I guess it sucks because you would have to call out in the morning unless your LOD was reliable and remembered to put it in the closing e-mail.
I'm not 100% sure of how Corrective Actions work, but I'm guessing they require your acknowledgement so I'm wondering how it could have been a CA if no one in upper management talked to you about it.
Finally, I'm in a similar situation in that I work at the front end and I've been scheduled for a few cart attendant shifts since one of our cart attendants quit and we only have two of them at the moment. A couple of former cart attendants moved to other positions so it seems like no one wants to work carts at my store and it would be difficult to give cart attendant shifts on the swap board. I'm wondering if I'm going to find myself in a similar situation working carts like OP since I even spoke to the front-end ETL and stated that I wasn't comfortable working carts, but he "begged" me to stay flexible for Spot until another cart attendant could be fired.

Either you want more hours or you want to pick your work, but you usually can't do both.

There are a certain amount of hours available for each workcenter, and once they are used that's it. People get juggled based on their strengths, not necessarily their interests.

I have tms that ask for hours and then complain that they don't like the work. So I won't go to them with those hours in the future, but they probably won't get extra from anywhere else either.

 

[Hope4Future]

I forgot to ask this, but what kind of training did you get as a cart attendant? I mean it still seems weird to ask a Hardlines team member to work as a cart attendant when you should receive some training about cleaning spills at the minimum, so I would hope that a team member would be notified before being scheduled as a cart attendant, especially if it's more than once.
I guess if a cart attendant calls out and the store is desperate to find a replacement on short notice, they could call any team member who would be willing, but technically I thought cart attendants were supposed to be trained. That's what happened with me, I was called in as an emergency, and now I've been asked to continue as a cart attendant when no one else is available.

 

[seasonaldude]

I forgot to ask this, but what kind of training did you get as a cart attendant? I mean it still seems weird to ask a Hardlines team member to work as a cart attendant when you should receive some training about cleaning spills at the minimum, so I would hope that a team member would be notified before being scheduled as a cart attendant, especially if it's more than once.
I guess if a cart attendant calls out and the store is desperate to find a replacement on short notice, they could call any team member who would be willing, but technically I thought cart attendants were supposed to be trained. That's what happened with me, I was called in as an emergency, and now I've been asked to continue as a cart attendant when no one else is available.

ASANTS, but at my store when someone is scheduled as a cart attendant who hasn't been trained on it, they are just expected to fetch carts. Anything else will just be done by the TLs.

 

[tellmeaboutatime]

If you have not been trained properly as a cart attendant that is a big issue. Did you use a cart pusher without being trained and signed off on it? A cart pusher is power equipment and that is a huge liability issue. Even if you didnt use the pusher, do you know how many carts are allowed to be brought in at a time? How to clean spills (chemical? food?) Cart attendants are specialty positions that are IMO underpaid and undervalued. You cannot safely just have someone "fill in". Ask yourself would you want to "fetch" carts in 100 degree heat? -40 cold? Rain? Dodge cars as you are trying to get a line of carts through the lot? Clean up shit (literally)? Its a job no one volunteers to do, training is often overlooked and deemed unnecessary, that is until a car is dented or a glass door is shattered. If I was in the posters position, I would ask HR if they were implyingI was suppose to work a cart attendent shift if I hadn't been trained on the equipment or all of the safety aspects of the position?

 

[JAShands]

ASANTS is definitely the case here. When we schedule someone as a cart attendant they’ve been asked if they wanted more hours and told it would be as an attendant. Some say no but most have said yes. If they aren’t fully trained we only ask them to get carts and hop on a lane if the corral is full.

Nobody uses our cart buddy anymore but we do train them and sign off on it if they ask. As far as spills - everyone at my store takes the ST2020 training at orientation. Obvious food and beverage spills only. Anything more to clean up and they hop on a lane so a cafe trained cashier can cover cafe and cafe cleans the mess. They have all had the body fluid training. Chemical spills we guard and call the safety team for a clean up.

We also pay a lot of attention to the weather. Extreme cold or heat (humidity here can make a normal day unbearable) and we pull them off carts for 5-10 minute breaks to warm up/cool down accordingly. We also requisition them hot cocoa/coffee in the winter to warm up and gatorades/water in the summer to cool down.

 

[Hope4Future]

ASANTS, but at my store when someone is scheduled as a cart attendant who hasn't been trained on it, they are just expected to fetch carts. Anything else will just be done by the TLs.

That sounds like an ideal solution for sure.

If you have not been trained properly as a cart attendant that is a big issue. Did you use a cart pusher without being trained and signed off on it? A cart pusher is power equipment and that is a huge liability issue. Even if you didnt use the pusher, do you know how many carts are allowed to be brought in at a time? How to clean spills (chemical? food?) Cart attendants are specialty positions that are IMO underpaid and undervalued. You cannot safely just have someone "fill in". Ask yourself would you want to "fetch" carts in 100 degree heat? -40 cold? Rain? Dodge cars as you are trying to get a line of carts through the lot? Clean up shit (literally)? Its a job no one volunteers to do, training is often overlooked and deemed unnecessary, that is until a car is dented or a glass door is shattered. If I was in the posters position, I would ask HR if they were implyingI was suppose to work a cart attendent shift if I hadn't been trained on the equipment or all of the safety aspects of the position?

Also agree with this. Anyone working carts for the first time who is usually in another department shouldn't be expected to handle the safety, cleaning spills perfectly and they will probably need assistance from other Team Leads. Similarly, in my experience, it seems that training isn't emphasized for cart attendants at my store.