I work on the front end, and our store recently got a new CSM. Our old CSM had her faults - we all do of course - but she was, on the whole, sweet and very laid-back. She didn't really enforce rules more than the bare minimum. For example, a couple times I had walked in 10-15 minutes late with no notice, said sorry, she just laughed... she was GREAT.
Our new CSM, naturally, is the exact opposite. She seems terse, very strict about rules, and everyone is talking about how she's going to start firing people for calling out too much. I don't typically call out, but I did call out 3 times last month because I was quite ill, and I had to call out again today due to food poisoning. (Being scared of this new manager, I tried to tough it out, but I threw up at least two dozen times today.) I only call out for legitimate reasons, but I know that my total looks bad. I've been there for a year and change... I've probably called out no more than 7-10 times during that year, including the 4 times I just recounted. We do have some employees who call out 1-2 times a week, though. So I'd imagine they would be first on the chopping block.
I honestly don't understand why call-outs have to be such a big deal to managers. Yes, it's annoying when you have to pick up someone else's work load, and the people who call out weekly should get written up. But it's Kroger -- we're perpetually understaffed anyway due to ELMS and other restrictions! Would they rather I come in when I have a fever and I'm vomiting profusely? People are human and they get sick... hell, sometimes people just feel like **** for other reasons and don't have the capacity to work. That's OK, none of us are robots.
The culture of Kroger is ridiculous... when you call in, your manager whines at you "No, please don't call in..." Like honestly, they need to RELAX. It's a grocery store. Nobody's lives are at stake and there's no reason to guilt trip people for being sick.
-- Edited by snailshell on Sunday 1st of November 2015 02:47:22 AM
-- Edited by snailshell on Sunday 1st of November 2015 02:48:24 AM
Also, my union is useless about this. I tried calling my union rep to see if he had any insight as to how many times a person can call out without getting fired, and he's "at a meeting." Three weeks ago, he was "on vacation." The ****?
Read the whole union handbook for my division & department, nothing was said about how many times a person can call out, just a whole bunch of sick leave information.
Haha I think you got stuck with my former CSR, she was such a pain to work with because she nitpicked and enforced every little rule in the book, and treated us like her little underlings with no purpose than to avoid the unholy Dip. Thankfully she transferred stores a few months back, and now we have a very laid-back but intelligent guy who's upped our morale ten times over, while still enforcing the basics.
Does your store have any union stewards? Maybe they'd be able to help you get in touch with your rep.
And sure lives aren't at stake when you call out, there's something much more important: Some middle manager's bonus.
I'm sorry you've been ill so much lately. That sucks right there.
Unless I'm way off base, a CSM or any other department head cannot fire ANYONE. That's up to management. Big M management.
If you're out 3 consecutive days or more, they'll ask for a doctors note. That's really about it.
That being said, front end always does seem to have the most hardcore, douchey deparment heads. I think it stems from having to babysit and coordinate all the "kids". I'd probably be a hardass too if I had to deal with all that... not to mention the customer issues.
Also, my union is useless about this. I tried calling my union rep to see if he had any insight as to how many times a person can call out without getting fired, and he's "at a meeting." Three weeks ago, he was "on vacation." The ****?
Read the whole union handbook for my division & department, nothing was said about how many times a person can call out, just a whole bunch of sick leave information.
I would call someone higher up in he union if your union rep is not calling you back. The union WORKS FOR YOU!
I can't stand the rule nit-pickers but honestly the other one seems bit too relaxed.
That being said, where I'm at you can't have more then 3 unexcused sick calls a year or they can start writing you up for it. Whenever possible, get a doctors note.
You said it yourself.... the front end, like the rest of the store, is constantly understaffed, so when someone calls in, it just magnifies the problems that come with understaffing. It puts more strain on the CSM to have to rely more heavily on the other departments to help out on an even more frequent basis, which takes even more time away from their own departments. This further aggravates those employees, who are already usually behind due to short-staffing/lack of motivated fellow team members, and they have to worry about getting yelled at even more by their department heads/managers because they're spending more time bailing out the front end than usual. The department heads of those departments get stressed out because management gets on them for poor department conditions which in turn are partially the result of the front end not being adequately staffed/staffed by slow or incompetent or lazy people and relying on others to come up there frequently. Management in turn gets aggravated/stressed out because the store looks terrible which is often reflected in poor OSAT scores/comments and bad mystery shops, and gets chewed out by corporate on phone calls/conference calls, so management then turns around and chews out the CSM for not having control over his/her department and the CSM retaliates against the employees, who are now even more likely to call in even if they could potentially come in despite feeling a little under the weather because they hate their job. It's a never ending circle that only gets worse with each go around.
Sometimes call-ins are justifiable... other times they aren't. There are plenty of employees, a percentage of which are young, that don't bat an eye at blowing off work, even if there isn't anything wrong with them. It comes down to Kroger's workforce... which has a some great workers here and there, but for the most part, isn't efficient/doesn't care. You get what you pay for, Kroger. Problem could be solved almost overnight by paying $10.00 an hour starting out for most positions and raise the standards so you weed out the less than desirable employees and attract more dependable, quality people that are more likely to show up for work and stick around for more than a few weeks.
I have said many times, at the rate of pay I get.....they are paying me to show up. Above and beyond probably will never happen but, you have to at least come in when scheduled. At least at my store, any requested days off are pretty much an automatic yes. As an adult with a job, you work when you have a cold, you work when not feeling 100%.....that is just life. Ill enough to elicit calling in should mean that you are also ill enough to go to a doctor and that means you can prove you went to a doctor and they should be ok with that. Any employer wants excellent attendance, go apply somewhere else and they will ask how many days you missed or were late the last year. 7-10 days is not acceptable at any job in my opinion, especially at Kroger because you make everyone else suffer because of it. As much as most of us dislike our jobs and pay, there are still many out there wishing they were in our shoes. No one is irreplaceable.
ButTheSignSaid wrote: Ill enough to elicit calling in should mean that you are also ill enough to go to a doctor and that means you can prove you went to a doctor and they should be ok with that.
So the employees without insurance should spend half their week's paycheck on going to the doctor when they already lost another day's pay since we get no sick days?
Health care reform act started a while ago. I pay $10 a month for state medicaid that I qualified for that is way better than Kroger could ever offer me. Everyone is suppose to have some form of insurance now, if employer doesn't offer it to part time people then you need to go to the marketplace and see what you qualify for.
I see so many people calling in or leaving early for headaches and colds. That sometimes means one bagger for several open lanes or other departments having to come to front end to cover who isn't there. Yes, Kroger sucks but I signed up for it just like everyone else. That means at the very minimum, suck it up and show up. It is hard enough as it is without scheduled people not coming in. If old enough for a job, show a little responsibility at least.
I have Kroger insurance. I have a $500 deductible. Why should i spend $100 for an office visit when i'll feel better in a couple days? that said i've called in like 2 or 3 times in 4 years. But... if i need to call in because i'm sick, they'll accept it one way or another.
......Also, 'A stitch in time saves nine.' If my staying home one day keeps my bug from going into a full-blown illness, I don't need a doctor or prescription medicine for that. It's called preventive maintenance. And 4hour is right, why abuse the system AND your bank roll with those costs?
I have Kroger insurance. I have a $500 deductible. Why should i spend $100 for an office visit when i'll feel better in a couple days? that said i've called in like 2 or 3 times in 4 years. But... if i need to call in because i'm sick, they'll accept it one way or another.
That's not a bad deductible. Mine is $1,000 for my insurance (not from Kroger). I usually use those walk in clinics at Walmart, CVS etc. An office visit is $40.
CSM's can not fire you. They, however, can make a request to management to get the ball rolling on the punishment train.
3 days in a row requires a doctor's note. If you don't have one you could be written up.
If you miss more than, say, 5-7 days in a 6 month period you'll probably be written up for excessive call-outs. The doctor's not does not count toward missed days.
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Would you like fries with th... I mean, your milk in a bag?
ButTheSignSaid wrote: Ill enough to elicit calling in should mean that you are also ill enough to go to a doctor and that means you can prove you went to a doctor and they should be ok with that.
So the employees without insurance should spend half their week's paycheck on going to the doctor when they already lost another day's pay since we get no sick days?
If you are sick enough to miss three days work I guess they feel you should care enough about yourself and your job to take care of your health. That's just the way it is with a lot of companies. It's your decision to be employed at Kroger working part time. It's your decision not to have insurance. Basically, it sounds to me like you can't afford to work at all. Why don't you just stay home?
If you'd read the posts, I wasn't talking about people who miss 3 days, he said if you miss one day you should get be required to get a doctor's note. If you'd read it, Mr. Anon, you'd also have seen that i said i did have insurance. But what about the baggers who get 12 hours a week? That's their whole paycheck used for a doctor's note when it's really just common sense that if you're sick stay your butt home to prevent others from getting sick.
If you'd read the posts, I wasn't talking about people who miss 3 days, he said if you miss one day you should get be required to get a doctor's note. If you'd read it, Mr. Anon, you'd also have seen that i said i did have insurance. But what about the baggers who get 12 hours a week? That's their whole paycheck used for a doctor's note when it's really just common sense that if you're sick stay your butt home to prevent others from getting sick.
I don't know what's in your union contract but find a copy of it. Ours says doctors note if you miss three consecutive days. I missed one day once and my manager asked for a note. I brought one in since I was going to the doctor anyway but it made me madder than hell. Managers don't give a crap about the union contract. Find yours make a copy and give it to your manager and tell him that's the way you do it.
As for the baggers who get 12 hours a week - that's their business not yours. Maybe they are still on their parents insurance. Find your union contract, pass it around to everyone at the store and shut that dang manager down. Hell if I needed a note for missing one day I would just print out something from WebMD and give it to them lol! I would also refuse to talk with management about the nature of my illness. Not of their business. That's what all this HIPPA and privacy is about.
Alright, to everyone that said I should have "toughed it out" -- **** you! When I called out last Saturday, I called in between barfing sessions from the bathroom floor. It was serious, and I had no choice. The other 6ish times I called out: 3 of those I had a doctor's note for, and the other 3 were the call-outs last month in which I was very sick. So, like I said, 7-10 times in 15 months LOOKS bad, but it's basically just 2 incidences of being ill, plus my bout of food poisoning.
Also, when I got sick last month, everyone in my department was sick because some chucklehead came to work ill and got everyone else sick. THAT is what the culture of "come in no matter what, even when you are sick" creates -- a whole department of sick people, none of whom can be productive, just because ONE person wanted to be a 'tough guy.' **** that.
It's one thing to call out when you just have the sniffles, but with a fever and other flu-like symptoms, yes you SHOULD call out and you should be able to do so without fearing for your job or ability to pay the rent.
Honestly though, I get sick leave pay plus I make over $17 an hour anyway. Sorry to hear about everyone else's situations. If I didn't get sick pay and if I made just $8/hr, I'd feel like a freaking slave. That's unacceptable. Do we even work for the same company? Lol
7 - 10 days missed is excessive I think. I think you need to learn to tuff it out and work.
LOL, read the post above this. They were throwing up. I guess for 7 - 10 days LOL! Anyway, they sure told you where to go.
Oh heck, I just read it again, nevermind. LOL! But, 7 - 10 days is excessive. From now on OP should tell them they ate the deli chicken and you might call the health department. That should shut them up.
4hourrush, in my city it's a law that everyone gets sick leave pay. It's also in my union contract. We accrue it over time. I think over a year+ of working I accrued about 40 hours of sick time, plus 20 hours vacation.
@Anon, like I said... Looking over my history, I've called out 7 times in the past 15 months. 3 times were for when I was really ill last month, 1 time for food poisoning 2 weeks ago, and the other 3 were scattered. (I mistakenly said earlier that I'd gotten ill and called out 3 times in a row another time, that didn't happen.) I go to school in addition to work, so once or twice I've called out in desperate situations when I've needed to get an assignment done or study for a midterm.
Are you mad? I can't figure out why you would be mad. Maybe you're one of the folks who makes $9 an hour. I'd be mad too.
-- Edited by snailshell on Monday 9th of November 2015 12:29:25 AM
