Bit of forum adivce needed

[Swompy 0]

Just looking for a bit of advice really.

 

At the moment I hate my job, I am a team leader for a well known supermarket (not saying which as they have a computer system which looks for anything related to them, and I'm not joking) I do long hours usually between 9-12 hours a day and I am only paid for 8 of them. I have so much stress from the pressure put down onto me from the store manager and we are expected to juggle so many balls yet when we drop one we get completely done over for it. I am currently on a final written warming for very stupid things which were through no fault of my own. They came straight from the store manager but were done by a department manager, so that if I appealed against them (which I would of) they would have gone to the store manager to deiced, so no point appealing. Plus I am paid peanuts, a night shift worker earns more then I do!

 

Thats a little back ground on to it and here is where i need some advice.

 

I have been given the opportunity to step down from team leader and go into the bakery as a baker which means I dont loose out on any money as I will be on the same wage due to the bakers premium (yet again some one else in the store earning the same as me) now I have gone for this as I would be silly not to. but I have to do two 3am starts a week and the rest 6am starts.

 

Where the dilemma comes into it is I recently had a job interview which I through went very well (still waiting on the verdict) it is local to me so can walk to work and the same wage I am on now. Heres the catch though, its maternity cover only. So I would only have a job till March 2013 unless another opportunity arises within the company at that branch or another local one.

 

So do I stick with where I am now even tho I hate it every time I turn up out side the place or do I take the risk with this job (if I'm lucky enough to be offered the job) and hope I I'm either offered another position within the company before my time is up or find another job with another company.

 

As much as I want to get out of the store I know it would be a stable job as I have a mortgage to pay for now and a wedding next year.

 

What has the wide and varied experiences of the forum have to suggest?

[sexybourbon 0]

You do right taking the bakery job mate at least you get paid for the hours you work

Id say go for it , the company you work for now dont seem to nice to me , warnings for stupid things and working it so you cant appeal is out of order imo ,

Id deffo take the new job tho mate and work as hard as you can just be on the ball and use your head to better yourself , if you do that people will notice and hopefully you will keep the job or get a permanent place in the new company

Thats what id do anyway mate its not nice working like a maniac for a company who dont appreciate it id jump ship and hopefully head on to better things

[one_eyed_willy 0]

bakery job is the one id go for.

but the most important thing to me is where id be most happy. id rather take 2-3quid less an hour and be happy. its what makes life better :)

[dumptyboy 0]

Im in a similar situation mate but i will say sometimes its better the devil you know! I have a family to support and cant burn any bridges, and would only move from my current job if I was finally pushed out or something better came along. Life can be a juggling act sometimes mate, but sometimes you have just got to roll the dice, and hope that a new start will mean a better future.But at the end of the day its up to you to make the final decision as its your life it will effect, and possibly wont make it any better long term, Where do you see yourself in 5 years?

[bristolbaron 10]

It depends what you think you'll feel about the new opportunity.. if its something youd rather do then go for it. Ive not really known anyone do maternity cover and not have a job at the end of it.

Normally someone expecting to come back will only end up wanting to do so part time or not at all so you get to keep the job, or after a year the company will want to keep you if you're good.

 

If it all goes terribly, you have good experience in what you do and a year in something else, so you'd be a good prospect to another new company further down the line. Worst case scenario you go back to the place you work grovelling and get one of the higher paid jobs with worse hours!

[VR6 0]

I have so much stress from the pressure put down onto me from the store manager and we are expected to juggle so many balls yet when we drop one we get completely done over for it. I am currently on a final written warming for very stupid things which were through no fault of my own. They came straight from the store manager but were done by a department manager, so that if I appealed against them (which I would of) they would have gone to the store manager to deiced, so no point appealing.

 

Does he have a dog?

[Parkervr6 10]

I'm a steel fabricator by trade. I got made redundant and I got a job at a supermarket (beginning with a T) driving the delivery vans. The job itself was good but the company was awful. So I left and I've never been happier and if your new job doesn't work out you can always go back to them or a rival company. Good luck with your decision.

[Jim 2]

It's hard to say because I don't know just how much you hate your current job. There are always advantages and disadvantages to every situation. Like you say, the downside here being that it's

 

Good luck either way.

 

*edit*

 

Sorry - I misread the post. There are two opportunities. Definitely go for the bakery one if it's a permanent contract. You'll get used to the early starts soon enough and it means you get to go home earlier too - bonus! :)

Edited June 26, 2012 by Jim

[CazzaVR 0]

Jake, sorry to hear you're still getting crap from the manager. Unfortunately, you can get this anywhere though. 2 out of my last 3 'managers' have been absolutely terrible- one tried to stop me getting a payrise I had earned by rights amongst loads of other stuff.

 

I'd go with bakery (less flak + more stable than the maternity cover job), although the other job sounds interesting. What is it? Drop me a text if you want.

 

As the others say, happiness is paramount. However, you now have responsibilities, so you absolutely need a regular wage coming in. Is there any possibility of something else coming up after the maternity cover? It's worth asking them if they offer you the job.

 

Finally, do a list of pros and cons for each position- often clears things up a bit.

[captainredeye 0]

Sympathise with you Jake as have been in a similar position to you over the past two years.

Firstly you can have them by the short and curly s with the hours your working! Its completely illegal to make some one work and not pay them even if they are not rotered to do so.

Im sure your head office has a private and confidential help line to speak to for advice JUST MAKE SURE YOU ASK FOR IT TO BE KEPT PRIVATE.

explain your situation as your probably not the only one and find out what is the best course of action, these situations i find it best to not be vindictive and to be calm and professional and to resolve the situation.

Its hard to go over your bosses head and when you do get somewhere it can be your word vs theres and then some!

If you cant solve these issues with your managers any time soon chances are they wont sort themselves out unless they all leave, i would either goto the bakery if it makes life easier and keeps you out of the firing line or just go for the other job.

Do whats going to make you happy as being miserable is not the way to be and remember change is always good, its what makes life interesting that and a v6.

[beastie4126 0]

If offered take the maternity job and whilst doing that keep looking for something better that you really want to do. Failing that go for the bakers role as the kn*b of a manager is never likely to be in on those shifts :)

[Corradochris16v 10]

It might be worth talking to citizens advice or your union official if you have one or even your hr department as you have a lot of rights that most employees don't even know about. Your hours for a start need to be sorted and the written warnings can be contested if you believe they Were not in keeping with the actions you were given them for. It is very hard to sack someone it's much easier to get them to leave by making life unbearable in other words constructive dismissal.

Hope it all works out for you

[Swompy 0]

Thanks guys

 

Either way I'm defo taking the bakery job, same pay, less stress and the latest I will ever work till is 2 I dont mind the early starts as I much rather get in and get out, plus I wont have to answer to the store manager and I get on with the bakery manager. It just do I take the risk with the other job (if I'm lucky enough to be offered it) the manager that interviewed me said there is a possibility of staying on after the maternity but nothing can be guaranteed as it all depends on if there is a position available at the time.

 

The job I had the interview for was with C&G (cheltenham & Gloucester, bank/building society for thos who dont know ) as a customer service assistant.

[bristolbaron 10]

 

The job I had the interview for was with C&G (cheltenham & Gloucester, bank/building society for thos who dont know ) as a customer service assistant.

 

if this is something you are interested in going into, you will not fail to find another job in a year.

theres so many banks/BS's you could go for you wont be stuck further down the line. Also, much better prospects of progression.

 

I considered going into business banking at one point, but was too far down the line with my job to take a step back. if you're in a position to get in there now and get into mortgages etc when the market picks up you'll be laughing.

[Wendy 0]

Jake, Go with the one your Gut is telling you to do, as that will be the right one.

If you really can't decide, write your lists of pro's and cons for both.

 

Remember - Life is Short, there will always be hard times, its just trying to keep them to a minimum.

Your future wife will be much happier with a happy you and you will enjoy your life more too - obvioulsy.

The maternity leave job, may seem risky - but is that the push you need to get you out of this rut and maybe try something completly different that you have always wanted to do ?

 

Think that was just providing more questions to consider rather than any answers.

 

I think you may have a case for Unfair Dismissal too - even though it has not gone quite that far yet.

Hopefully someone much more HR specialised can point you in the right direction. Although a pain, yes, bad management has got to be stopped and who knoes -Compensation ? Worth at least asking the question in the right quarters.

 

Good Luck

[KipVR 1]

Why not try and find something you can do that enables you to work for yourself? Self employment for me was the best career move I ever made.

 

I bet you'd make more in a car park -washing 3 cars an hour for a tenner each, five days a week for eight hours is 240 a day, or about 5.5k a month, 60k a year....

[corrado_sunderland 0]

I made a gamble when i as stuck in a bank dead end callcentre and went on the sick for a few months to look for work back in engineering,the last month of having any sick pay left i found a job for a marine engineering company and then moved on to jets and here i am.Point is though you have to do what you think is right if you think you can pull it off

[vornwend 0]

Sorry to hear about your troubles Jake. Lots of good advice already (especially about lising ALL the pros and cons) but I'd add a few things to think about...

 

A) Why don't you like the current job? is it just the manager or is the work itself? If its the former then I'd maybe try and stick it out for a while longer as he may be gone before long? If is the latter then time to start thinking of a move...

 

B) Bakers job is obviously the safest bet which may be attractive to you as you have commitments now and in the future but has it got any future prospects?, would you enjoy it? - maybe going to C&G would open up opportunities? Is C&G the ideal job for you? If it is then maybe worth the risk of filling the maternity slot? If not then probably more risk that its just a stepping stone to somewhere else - nothing wrong with that of course but you need to be happy with the risk.

 

C) If you decide to stay I definitely would not let the written warnings go without challenge - if they are not your fault then you need to appeal and get them reversed! As others have said there is a process and they will have to stick to it or risk being taken to court - I would speak to your HR people on a confidential basis. If there are unions then they could help but I'd use that as a last resort.

 

D) End of the day happiness is priceless. A job that gets you down will contaminate the rest of your life however tough you are. Perhaps you don't have to jump right now but the real decision is to decide to look for another job - in 6 months there will probably be lots you could go for. You'll probably feel better just having decided to look as you will no longer feel trapped.

 

E) I would definitely advise talking your fiancee about it (if you have not already) as her full support for whatever you decide will be vital

 

Good luck mate. Give me a call if you want. Plenty of jobs regularly come up where I work which may be of interest?

[seanl82 23]

Its obvious its getting you down, and as you hate work so much, its never gonna get any better. Go with the Bakery job for the time being, but continue actively searching for another job. There will be one that comes available, be it in a week, a month, or a year. If you're really unhappy mate, don't continue to put yourself through it. You can then leave with a decent reference, and with dignity. Best of luck with whatever you decide. :thumbleft:

[Portent 0]

Without knowing what the maternity leave job was my first instict was to suggest taking the bakers job while actively looking for a new job (less hours, same pay, less stress, and less likely to get fired due to more warnings). Keep in mind that the maternity role will be a fixed term contract and at the end of it you probably won't immediately be able to apply for unemployment benefit because you haven't actually been made redundant or unemployed (your contract simply came to an end which is different I think).

 

However, now I know what the maternity role is I would suggest considering it... A customer services role on top of a team leader ole looks much better on the CV than a bakers job. So if you think you could risk being out of a job for a few months then take the customer services job and look for something while working there. You can also see if they have an internal job board (it's a big company - they will) to spply for other jobs there.

[Kevin Bacon 5]

I used to work for a certain well known supermarket too. Checkouts, shelf stacking, petrol station, trollies.... the lot.

I hated it as well, but to be fair, I was on over a fiver an hour sitting on the checkouts back in 1989, and the trainee shop floor managers used to be on £50K once their apprenticing was finished. Not sure what they're like these days but they were good payers and keen to progress people. What made the job bearable was the bunch of like minded and rebellious staff I hung out with. We used to push over 100 trollies at once, instead of the regulation 6. The managers moaned about it, but f'ck em. The carpark got cleared a damn site quicker. The trollies were ready for the following day's shoppers and we went home sooner. Win - Win!

 

But if turning up to this place depresses you, the best thing to do is get out of there if this maternity cover postion comes to fruition. A job is a major part of your life and if it really is getting you down, it will spill into your private life too. I know the job market isn't brilliant at the moment, but it sounds like it's a ticket outta there!! Do it! Fortune favours the brave :D

[swampy 0]

I Was in a similair position working for an auction company, always looked over for promotion and critised for the smallest of things

 

Had a manager that liked to dish out disaplinerys left right and centre

 

I stuck at it until I had a new job, one after noon he took me in the office to issue me another letter telling me I would be having a meeting with hr!!!

 

Only I had a letter for him, it was my resignation as I hAd being offered a new job, walking distance from home and more money!!!

He really wasn't impressed as in sure this time he was throwing enough crap to see me out the door!!!

 

Im training at the new job at the moment, doing It off site and have a brand new SLK to drive around in!!!

[Swompy 0]

Thanks again guys much appreciated.

 

I think I might have to go for the maternity job, its a ticket out of there and im sure it will open up many doors for me. Many more than being a baker could ever do.

 

If I go as a baker where could I go from there? Too another bakery as a baker then so on and so forth. If I go to C&G it will be another bow on my string plus it opens up a whole load of other doors for me

[KIPVW 0]

But if turning up to this place depresses you, the best thing to do is get out of there if this maternity cover postion comes to fruition. A job is a major part of your life and if it really is getting you down, it will spill into your private life too. I know the job market isn't brilliant at the moment, but it sounds like it's a ticket outta there!! Do it! Fortune favours the brave :D

 

Perfectly put i might add, I worked for the same guy in a cycle shop for 9 years and it was truly superb in all aspects, i was totally respected and appreciated but the guy then retired and the guy who left before i started bought the business, it was good for a few years but after 7 years or so he really did become a complete tosser to the point i wanted to hit him and that just isn't me, i put up with it for a while and got so depressed it changed how i felt at home too. Judith was very supportive and helped me a lot.

 

Then one day an old customer called me & asked if i was happy at work, obviously i wasn't so he told me another shop was interested in having me and that was that. been there 3 years now and it feels like it used to before idiot came along.

 

Success only comes to those who risk everything to make a change, you are young and have a long way to go so go for the maternity job and if it does fall through you could easily fall back to another supermarket and probably jump straight into a job.

 

Good Luck mate ;)

[vornwend 0]

Decision made then!