Work - Problem - Help - SOLVED PG2

[mattchewone]

Right well i work as an out of hours supervisor at pc world. Basically i was a customer advisor and didnt really enjoy serving customers so i asked to do this new role so that i didnt have to serve customers. I have been wearing a jumper over my shirt so that i am wearing uniform although covered up, so that i can get on with my job without being hassled by customers. Which is fair as they moan when things dont get done but i cant do stuff if i am being hassled all the time, fair?

Well they recently bought in a new dress code basically to state what we have to wear and i wear it just with a jumper over the top. I got asked my an assistant manager (AM) to remove it but i stayed in the warehouse and out of customers way.

Then i get asked to take it off, so i removed my own jumper and put on a work fleece i then got approached by the AM and got asked if i was undermining his authority etc as i wasnt doing as he said. I said that its part of uniform etc and he said its not allowed. I then said im unhappy with the job and then he walked away and didnt speak to me until the next day.

Next day i got asked by the AM to go into his office in which he told me i was having an investigation. I had that and today i recieved a letter from head office about a formal disciplinary on friday with my GM (store manager)

I have not been approached by the GM or any other AM about wearing it and i feel i am being mis-treated and possibly constructive dismissal!
I have just read my hand book and i should of had a formal warning and he should of stated it was a formal verbal warning and there should of been a note taken down and kept incase i carried on doing wrong.

It also says in my hand book that i should of had a warning in the investigation that if i had carried on and no improvements were made that a more serious discplinary action would be taken and that i had the right to appeal, i did NOT have this!

What should i do, my mate said to say to my GM in the formal discplinary on friday that the procedures have not been followed. Should i mention that i feel that i am being forced to resign?

Vidal help please!!!!!!!!

SORRY ITS SO LONG! RANT OVER!!

[brianS]

im going verbal warning if anything at all, take someone in there with you

[Sam]

say they have not followed the propper route, i agree with 'brianS' take some1 in with you,

[mattchewone]

I will see if a work mate will attend. Not only have they missed stage 1 but they have gone straight from stage 2 to stage 3 with out a period of improvement!!

[lukowski14]

that sucks man, good luck!

[Elliott]

that takes the michael!

[craig180]

If your AM has approached you and asked you to do something and you ignore that warning, and they re-approach you for the same that can constitute a verbal warning.

If the case is serious enough you can leap the written warning stage and go straight to a formal hearing.

Seems a bit extreme to me but I reckon they'll be within what they're allowed to do.

If you have a Union Representative I would ask them to attend. If the date they have set is not convenient for you to get someone to attend you can ask them to postpone the disciplinary.

Either way make sure you ask someone that knows about employment law to attend with you

[mattchewone]

I dont know of anyone at attend. Dont even know if we have a union representive tbh.

The thing is in the handbook it says there should be a note taken down and that they should state it is a verbal warning.

I just think he is being a twat tbh i think he is trying to make my life worst! Im not going to loose my job over it they cant sack me for it as its not gross misconduct and its not that serious i am just suprised its reached this far tbh!

[EH_Fella]

Tough luck really, everyone else in a supervisor/managerial role wears their uniform so why shouldn't you? I ran my department and dressed the same as everyone else, just learn to tell customers to fuck off politely - for example 'sorry Sir/Madame I'm on my way to get a phonecall' or 'I'll send someone over right away, I'm afraid I'm with another customer.' Another handy tip would be to look like you're in the middle of something - so carry a clipboard with some paper and a pen, wander round scribbling 'notes' down etc..for 'stock.' If you blank customers and look busy they will leave you alone, to get off the shop floor faster you could try tutting and lifting something off a shelf, putting it back then frantically write something and head out the back, shaking your head a little.

Don't know about your role, but I still had to do everything the other staff did aswell as run the dept..don't know why you think you can void customers being a supervisor?

Anyway, aslong as the company jumper/fleece has pcworld somewhere you'll be ok as that is uniform!

[mattchewone]

Tough luck really, everyone else in a supervisor/managerial role wears their uniform so why shouldn't you? I ran my department and dressed the same as everyone else, just learn to tell customers to fuck off politely - for example 'sorry Sir/Madame I'm on my way to get a phonecall' or 'I'll send someone over right away, I'm afraid I'm with another customer.' Another handy tip would be to look like you're in the middle of something - so carry a clipboard with some paper and a pen, wander round scribbling 'notes' down etc..for 'stock.' If you blank customers and look busy they will leave you alone, to get off the shop floor faster you could try tutting and lifting something off a shelf, putting it back then frantically write something and head out the back, shaking your head a little.

Don't know about your role, but I still had to do everything the other staff did aswell as run the dept..don't know why you think you can void customers being a supervisor?

Anyway, aslong as the company jumper/fleece has pcworld somewhere you'll be ok as that is uniform!

What was your job role and with what company??
The point of working within the warehouse i was led to believe was that i woudnt be serving customers.

The reason i think i can avoid customers because they moan they want so and so done and i cant do it if i have to help customers simple as. I have been wearing a jumper at work for the past 4/5months doing fine but its just recently seeing as they have re-introduced the dress code that this particular AM is being an arse! No other AM says anything and are fine about it tbh!

[vidal]

Your manager gave you a reasonable request, which you ignored. That may constitute misconduct, which could lead to disciplinary action. As has been stated earlier, the second request could be construed as a verbal warning.

One thing puzzles me. You are working in the retail sector but you don't like customers - is it time to re-evaluate your career path?

V.

[mattchewone]

I dont want to be there but i got to stick it out till i can find another job. But if they insist on going by the book surely he needs to state its a verbal warning to me? Or can they just pick and choose which rules they want to use?
As i thought they were there to be followed.

[Robb]

why not just take your jumper off, then when you are constantly harrassed by customers and not getting any work done then explain why...

[mattchewone]

why not just take your jumper off, then when you are constantly harrassed by customers and not getting any work done then explain why...

I think thats what im going to have to do tbh. I really want to find out if he has missed a stage in which he was supposed to follow so i can screw him over tbh for being a prick and picking on me!!

[brianS]

you should have a discaplinary and appeals proceedure set out in your handbook.
give usdaw a call (they are based in fallowfield manchester on the wilsmlow road) they are the union for retail people, they might be able to give you some advice.

[johnny_vts]

You have continued to disobey a reasonable, and fair, management instruction. Given that point and, unless you are able to present reasonable mitigating circumstances (e.g you were cold, feeling ill etc) then, as harsh and petty as it may appear, your employer could view this act as gross misconduct worthy of dismissal.

[Danr]

Quit Matt, tell them it's a shite job anyway and to shove it up their arses.

Try and get into Jessops imo.

[mattchewone]

I would Dan but i dont want to stay in retail tbh! I doubt Jessops would be able to offer me the same amount of ££££!!

Johnny - Wearing a jumper can be classed as gross misconduct? How??

[EH_Fella]

What was your job role and with what company??


I ran the cycles department at Halfords for 9 months on my own, and for a year alongside the existing supervisor. As well as building and repairing bikes I had to serve customers, keep an eye on the lads and make sure they knew what to do, deal with area managers/direct managers, sort out customer problems, order stock, stocktake, discounts, EPOS, faceup, promos, profile the department, child seats (plus fitting), make sure we have enough display cycles out and mantained in good working order, go through the diary and deal with things the other lads couldn't, carry cycles up a flight of stairs from delivery and put them in the racking (usually with one other member of staff), talk to headoffice, get my lads out of shite with the store manager, get them out of shit with irate customers when the managers did bugger all, liaise with other stores in the area, liaise with head office, fuck I even worked in the Chelmsford branch whilst co-running my old store over Xmas to get their new mezzanine floor up and running and kick some ass. All of this was in full uniform - but as you achieve certain ranks you need to make sacrifices - short lunch breaks or no lunches if we were short staffed, work extra hours for free to sort everything out I couldn't do during the normal working hours - even on my weekends off (two a month) my phone would ring with some of the lads asking me to sort things out etc.

I imagine a warehouse supervisor just looks after stock, takes deliveries and so on - you're main role isn't to deal with customers and nor was mine but it's still part of the job. I'd shun customers to get certain tasks finished on time - so they had to wait a few extra minutes for someone else to serve them..tough luck really. As someone else said if you can't do what you need to during your working hours, let someone know or delegate - it's what supervisors do.

Two good quotes for you - if you pay peanuts, you get monkeys and shit rolls down hill. Why delegate - coz shit rolls down hill. Nuff said :)

Good luck!

[saxodan]

go strait to the GM

the AM is trying to put shit up you, say you felt unconfortable talking to the AM and wanted advice on the incident, basically brown nose.

Then you will be in good sted

allways worked for me at work with dickhead deputy managers

[JoshG]

I agree with saxo180.
A verbal warning doesn't mean he has to take you into his office and give you a good roasting. A warning is a warning. Yes that is the first stage.

However, if it is serious enough it can be written warning or the sack if they want.

If youu feel you are mis-treated then take it to a tribunal, that way, if you are right, you will get compensation from them. If your wrong, you still aint got a job! :)

[mattchewone]

Im not going to get sacked i know that for sure!
But it says in the handbook that he has to state that its a verbal warning! Asking me to take it off is not a verbal warning!

[mattchewone]

Just had a chat with my GM and i now know the process a little better now. Here is how it goes -
Investigation (which i had last friday)
Disciplanary hearing (on friday)

Then the GM decides from the hearing whether i get no action taken, a verbal warning, or a written!

I had it all wrong! Luckily i think he likes me lol!

[Yates]

written warning ftw

[EssexHoney]

One of the guys where i work had a written warning and is on his final warning now because he always arrives late. We have core hours of 930 to 430 and he always gets in after 930....lazy!!

Hope everything goes ok for you in the end!!

[mattchewone]

I doubt ill get anything at the most a verbal i think! Not too fussed as i am looking for a new job!

Feel a little happier now i know how the process works and that there hasnt been a stage missed out!

[seat-craig]

i would hate to work for a big company like that how minor!

[Yates]

I had a job where they were petty, was pulled up as i had clocked out at 13.59 4 times over a month, one minute early pulled me up, had a meeting with boss n that, asked me why i was there if i didnt take it seriously, told them i didnt know why i was here, said do you want to be here, replied actually no, got up walked out

awesome feeling!