I guess most meat departments don't have enough workers anymore for this to be a good question. A manager opens, a 2nd person is the main cutter and a 3rd person closes all the time. But there's still the question of days off.
In markets where there are several cutters, the manager might enjoy the power he/she has over others in making them work certain shifts. You have the power of "you better not say anything or do anything that bothers me or else I'll....." (work you all nights, or night-day followed by night-day, or split your days off, etc.). It's one of the oldest games in the industry.
Have you ever done this? If so, why? Has it happened to you? (of course it has) I've seen it constantly since 1981 when I left the family market where I started.
Here is a video telling how I feel about managers who do that. The part in question is from 0:44 through 1:04.
Keep in mind there a few dozen F-bombs. Don't listen if you don't want to hear that.
I have never done it. I like to keep the schedule steady and fair but i used to know a manager; if he didn't like osmeone he would screw them on the schedule and give them the shifts they hates the most and if he really didn't like them he would start cutting their hours more and more each week until they just got fed up and quit. there would always be big arguments every time the new schedule got posted on the wall. but honestly most of these guys were babies who didn't want to work. or they were soooo mad because they HAD to have saturday off. they weren't the kind of guys I would miss around the meat dept. I can't think of anything where the good employees got screwed on the schedule. sometimes they got the shifts they don't like so much but they don't complain about it.
.......... but i used to know a manager; if he didn't like osmeone he would screw them on the schedule and give them the shifts they hates the most and if he really didn't like them he would start cutting their hours more and more each week until they just got fed up and quit. there would always be big arguments every time the new schedule got posted on the wall. but honestly most of these guys were babies who didn't want to work. or they were soooo mad because they HAD to have saturday off.
I'll have to agree with you on that, but with the important word in what you wrote being "most". Most of the guys are babies. The majority of the time, I'll say the manager is just trying to do a good job and the other person, not. However, some managers do play games once in a while with the good workers. A small percentage of managers are the real problem in the shop.
I am a Manager, I do write schedules. You earn what you get, simple as that.
That's real nice. But what if you (not "you", I don't know you, but a random guy in your situation) have 4 journeymen and they all are good and they all want the same thing? Do they have to compete for your love? Buy you coffee?" Feed your ego? Never target you on good natured teasing? Maybe talk with you about your favorite hobby (fishing, hunting, motorcycles, a certain NFL team, church, etc)
I wish it was as simple as you put it.
I know of a manager who retaliated against someone (a good worker) who pointed out to him that a certain thing he was doing is against the union contract. He didn't call the union. He just pointed out the situation. All nights for 6 months.
I guess the lesson there is choose your battles wisely.
I One time there was a love triangle with a manager, a cutter, and a lady meat wrapper. The manager made the schedule very tough for the other guy (who won the girl. They got married. 25 years later, they're still together)
-- Edited by Burgermeister on Saturday 24th of September 2011 09:01:14 PM
i know a manager who schedules extra people to work on his night so he doesnt have to sweat it, but it leaves either friday or saturday nigh short handed for his backup when he closes. one of my first managers would write the schedule so him and the wrapper girl would be able to spend *quality time * putting supplies away on a tuesday after noon. on the other hand, the same manager would schedule himself for a sunday then call off. i stopped answering the fone on sunday morning on my day off.
I have more problems with fellow workers asking/demanding for inappropriate time off. I worked with one cutter who asked for every other weekend and every holiday off. The manager was kind of a push over and didn't want to make anybody mad, so most of time he'd give it to him. Finally took the guy aside and had a little heart-to-heart--namely being always down a cutter on weekends and holidays was making me work like a dog and really PISSING me off!
The shop I work at now has four journeymen w/ 5 weeks each paid vacation. It's first come first serve to write your name on the calendar. I have a week I'm about to lose because I didn't get it down on the calendar fast enough. One guy put all his five weeks down in the middle of summer. That kind of pisses me off too! (maybe not as much as Naomi, though...)
I have more problems with fellow workers asking/demanding for inappropriate time off. I worked with one cutter who asked for every other weekend and every holiday off. The manager was kind of a push over and didn't want to make anybody mad, so most of time he'd give it to him. Finally took the guy aside and had a little heart-to-heart--namely being always down a cutter on weekends and holidays was making me work like a dog and really PISSING me off!
The shop I work at now has four journeymen w/ 5 weeks each paid vacation. It's first come first serve to write your name on the calendar. I have a week I'm about to lose because I didn't get it down on the calendar fast enough. One guy put all his five weeks down in the middle of summer. That kind of pisses me off too! (maybe not as much as Naomi, though...)
I agree with the unreasonable requests point you made and I posted about it recently.
In my union local, vacation is chosen by seniority. First hired has first choice. No one can do what you're describing. There's a posted schedule with everyone's name on it in order of seniority. You have until Jan 31 to post your choices. On Feb 1, anyone can pick any open week.
Although I like this method, it does have one problem and one "issue".
The problem: Some of the people at the top of the schedule wait too long to chose their weeks. That's unfair to those below who are waiting waiting waiting waiting. It creates problems when several people have to choose in just one or two days on Jan 30-31.
The "issue" is I think it's a little unfair for a person with 5 weeks (I have 5) to get to choose all 5 before others can even choose 1. I think it would be better to let me choose (say, two) of my weeks and then let others below me choose their one or two of what they have coming, then I pick my three remaining.
I never intentionally give one of my staff a crummy schedule. To me that would be unethical and unwise. I rely on my staff and the last thing I want to do is lose someone because of something as ridiculous as a power trip. I do, however, remind my staff that we do work in a retail grocery environment and set schedules are NOT guaranteed. I do what I can but no one is guaranteed every weekend off. And since it's not a union shop (thankfully!) I don't have to sit and listen to someone complain about seniority. I've worked in a union shop and in my experience those with the most seniority were rarely the strongest or most reliable. In fact, they were generally the biggest pain in the butts. The union steward pulled me aside once shortly after I started and told me the senior cutters were complaining that I was working too fast and getting too much done and it was making them look bad. The steward suggested that it would be in my best interest to do less. Doing less is not in my vocabulary. I got sat down alot by that steward. That's not to say there aren't some really great cutters in the union but I found more excuses than results.
I never intentionally give one of my staff a crummy schedule. To me that would be unethical and unwise. I rely on my staff and the last thing I want to do is lose someone because of something as ridiculous as a power trip. I do, however, remind my staff that we do work in a retail grocery environment and set schedules are NOT guaranteed. I do what I can but no one is guaranteed every weekend off. And since it's not a union shop (thankfully!) I don't have to sit and listen to someone complain about seniority. I've worked in a union shop and in my experience those with the most seniority were rarely the strongest or most reliable. In fact, they were generally the biggest pain in the butts. The union steward pulled me aside once shortly after I started and told me the senior cutters were complaining that I was working too fast and getting too much done and it was making them look bad. The steward suggested that it would be in my best interest to do less. Doing less is not in my vocabulary. I got sat down alot by that steward. That's not to say there aren't some really great cutters in the union but I found more excuses than results.
In my local, seniority has nothing to do with the work schedule. It only gets you first choice for vacation and last laid off. That's about all you get. Oh, one more thing. It's almost impossible to fire a bad worker. Hopefully I'm not bad, so it's a moot point.
The better shifts are given to whomever the manager thinks works the best and/or those who he personally likes the most for reasons fair and sometimes not fair. I have issues with people who work one way when the manager is there and another way when he/she's gone. A lot happens (or doesn't happen LOL) that the managers don't know about. The don't always know who their real friends are.
If someone complains that another person works too hard, they are just jealous or insecure. Only a fool would complain that others work too hard. In my area, you have no choice. It's mandatory to be in the union unless maybe you're willing to work in an Asian market for less than half pay and probably no benefits. And first you'll have to learn another language. To assume anything negative about union cutters would be like assuming all cutters are bad because we're all union. I think you'll find good people and lazy unreliable people everywhere.
In my local, seniority has nothing to do with the work schedule. It only gets you first choice for vacation and last laid off. That's about all you get. Oh, one more thing. It's almost impossible to fire a bad worker. Hopefully I'm not bad, so it's a moot point.
The better shifts are given to whomever the manager thinks works the best and/or those who he personally likes the most for reasons fair and sometimes not fair. I have issues with people who work one way when the manager is there and another way when he/she's gone. A lot happens (or doesn't happen LOL) that the managers don't know about. The don't always know who their real friends are.
If someone complains that another person works too hard, they are just jealous or insecure. Only a fool would complain that others work too hard. In my area, you have no choice. It's mandatory to be in the union unless maybe you're willing to work in an Asian market for less than half pay and probably no benefits. And first you'll have to learn another language. To assume anything negative about union cutters would be like assuming all cutters are bad because we're all union. I think you'll find good people and lazy unreliable people everywhere.
Don't get me wrong. I'd work in a union shop as a cutter anyday. I totally agree with you on the finding good and lazy people everywhere but it's way easier to work them out in a non union shop. I send them to the deli dept.
