There are more than a handful of 10-year-plus TMs at my store who have kids, go to school, or have another job. We're being forced into open availability in an attempt to make old-timers quit (who have EARNED a decent wage by sticking with the company).
My question is if I am forced into part-time, do I lose all my and my kids' benefits?
This schedule BS is really confusing to me. It seems like it all depends on the relationship you have with your TL. If they like you, they'll bend the schedule for you.. if not, you're screwed.
We have a TM in our store that wants to work NIGHTS and WEEKENDS because they have another job and they are making that TM have open availability? What the F---.
To the last post: I think people understand the changing schedule of retail. I think where the issue lies, is the cultural values the company continues to promote, that they are unwilling to admit they are eroding. Whole Foods has for years looked out for it's TMs and if you were on a team with a compassionate TL, you often had someone making a schedule that attempted to mitigate the harsh realities of retail. WF has now put into place a system that takes all concern for TM well being and removes it. I know in my store the Customer Service TL has been advised not to go in and adjust the scheduling to make it more accommodating, but rather to let the system play out as it was designed. If WF wants to attract the best retail talent it can and demand excellence, it needs to make working for WF a better experience than working at any other retailer. Stripping away the actions we used to take to try and mitigate the impact of working a fairly thankless retail job, flies in the face of attracting and maintaining talent as well as their second core value.
You are right. To expect a set schedule in a retail environment is a lot to ask. However, if your employer has been giving you one with little deviation for the last 10 years, stated they could work around your restrictions or concerns years ago when hired, and now suddenly changes that (something that can have a huge detrimental impact on someone's life). You have every reason to be upset. If the company is at the same time promoting it's core value of TM happiness, while not allowing or discouraging it's leadership to take a 1/2 hour to adjust a schedule in a way that can improve the morale and life situation of it's employees (stakeholders?), people have a reason to be upset.
To the point of the last post as well. To demean how people are feeling is callous. I'm guessing you have not been affected by this change in a way that threatens your shelter, ability to care for your family, ability to feed your kids, etc. For most TMs this came as a complete shock. They were not given 6 months to prepare and decide how to proceed, whether to notify their other employer and try and work something out, whether to have a family member move in to help with childcare, etc.
So, yeah, retail sucks in general. WF used to be better. But please don't pretend that there isn't a valid issue with what is happening.
No back to back days off? Unless you're talking about the ability to request back to back days off I'm not sure what kind of fantasy land you're living in. Most of you people on here seem to forget you work retail. If you want a work life balance of that of a set schedule with weekends off try working an office job or bank. Im sorry, but gone are the days of people having set schedules of 7-2 with set days off. As someone who's been in retail for a long time this is par for the course at almost any store, grocer or otherwise. Any other full time job would expect you to fully commit to them - unless you're a teacher or moonlighting cop it's pretty much impossible for your employer to guarantee a schedule that will allow you a second job. The other posters are right - take the job that pays more or has better benefits. Maybe work from home or sell some sh-- on etsy.
Is this conscious capitalism at work?
6-2-1..nice. I could not agree with you more. I have shopped around for other jobs and you know what? Whole Foods is still the better option for me. So instead of worrying about how much longer I will be able to work at Whole Foods I am using my energy to focus on being the most valuable TM I can be. At my store Job dialogues are still happening with raises as well.
It's too bad leadership does not step in and give tms a pep talk.
also: If your that jaded by the event, also consider just calling in every time your schedule conflicts. Seems like what most of the TM's do anyways. Maybe they eventually fire you, but you can use that time to find another job.
Yeah, I mean no disrespect, sorry i come off condescending. My feeling is that the shock happened when they fired a pile of FT TM's. Now whole foods is completing the business transition. It isn't really that "unfair" or a complete slap in the face. You have options. Your not being pushed out of insurance, if it's that valuable to you.
1) School will be worked around with a schedule provided to leadership(or so im told).
2) If you have two jobs, well its rough, but you pick the one that pays more... and if that's whole foods... then your still winning compared to finding another job. The other one isn't that great if it doesn't pay as much as WF anyways.
3) Family? Every one of us has family, some of us have more responsibilities than others. If its that bad you can find another job, but all jobs SUCK. So your still better off settling for the lesser of two evils. Until you find that perfect work around your life job. Whole Foods isn't paying you a ground breaking, irreplaceable wage anyways. Your face with having to find another job, than they too tell you they need flexibility.
Whole Foods could not of predicted the huge jump in benefits cost when in jumped during obama care. If they just had to pay the wage they agreed to years ago, bussiness would be fine. The whole business is degrading because of insurance premiums steady increase. So blame the Government-Corporate Insurance Merger that is obamacare.
Let's be honest everything is degrading... but it's across the board, not just whole foods. I say grind it out and work every hour you can, get every benefit you can. Use that Medical Spending Account. Than that inevitable day you forget your cut glove, or walk in a minutes late, or offended an overly sensitive guest, you can walk out knowing you got everything you could, and it's just business. I also say save that PTO b/c if you get fired they cash you out 100%. Give you a buffer between jobs.
So glad I am on my way out. My schedule changes weekly, sometimes daily after being posted to the wall. I don't think I have worked an original version of the schedule once in the last six months. They are constantly trying to hire part timers onto our team so we don't have to work six days a week or twelve hour days, but no one is applying apparently. The people left in my store are all looking pretty tired and worn out these days. If we do get someone in for an interview they no show on the first day, quit in the first week or we wished they would. This model is just not sustainable. This part time ratio BS is killing the company and the guests are noticing. Sad stuff, all of it. But hey, I guess they are getting what they wanted "attrition". SMH. Seems like an awful lot of faith is being put into the 365 concept but I doubt it is the savior they think it is.
Most people don't have Sat and Sundays off, we know that going I to retail. We also know about the holidays. However whole foods used to be a place by which one could say attend classes on Tuesday and be available any other day and time for work and it was fine. In fact the whole reason most people go into retail is the 'flexible schedule'. Many people accepted the job based on the flexibility. I'm not telling Whole Foods what to do and I get the Whole business needs, but when you hear TL'S complaining about being short staffed and people are being asked to work 6 days a week, it's not surprising to see why they suddenly can't find anyone to work. Most full timers/long time team members are moving on and that's what Whole Foods wants. For me it's the push I needed to go out and get a real job, but I don't dis others who come here to vent and who are legitimately surprised or let down.
At this point I'm past caring about what is or isn't good for whole foods. I'm about to be forced into PT and lose all coverage on my family because they say I have to quit my second job.
If this is news to you, you were not paying attention when they did the layoffs. There is going to be a 30/70 ft/pt ratio. FT is higher value because benefits are very expensive. Whole Foods doesn't owe you a schedule built around your life, its a business with %70 part timers with no knowledge. It needs to strategically position full timers with part timers for maximum coverage. You know it's been hard, you think your 6-1 mon-fri is best for whole foods?
The 365 stores will begin the extinction of existing WFM dinosaurs. Did you really think that an ego and a niche would be able to survive long term against conventional wisdom? 365x5 and done...
It is my strong belief that they are absolutely trying to get rid of full timers at a high wage. In my region they are going so far as to say "No back to back days off". They don't want any full timers at all. We have already lost 6 people on my customer service team (in less than a month) and can't find anyone to work at whole foods. Its not surprising. Crappy wage with split days off. As everyone else I am looking, just sucks that most things pay well below the wage I worked my assoff to gain. Put a fork in me, I'm done. I had faith in this company and put years into it. No more.
Recently I went from FT (for past decade+) to PT (under 20 hours) in 2015, yet my benefits carried over for the entirety of 2016. This has something to do with new federal law which takes an average of hours worked for last year and somehow I am considered full time for benefits until the end of this year. Don't know how I lucked out, but it's one perk for putting in so much unappreciated service. I'll stay until my benefits drop and then, See ya! Ask your TMSL or PBS, I'm pretty certain this is a federal thing, but make sure it's not just a state thing.
Don't believe what these sh-- heads from regional or your so call sh-- head TL's tell you. All they care about much money they save. So they can look like a shiny a--holes to regional and themselves. All they do is camera spying, gossip all day long. Just sipping on the cool aid.
No you won't. It's based on service hours for biweekly payment. Also if you work over 20 hours per week you should be good. Your paycheck will be smaller though.