I haven't been posting here a lot these past few months, and the reason was that I got myself a full time job in retail. And that not only left me with no time, but also exhausted me physically, and sometimes even mentally.
I can't say too much about what I did or where I worked (you see, now they even include posting on social media in your contract), but I can tell you how fucked up the way this industry works is.
Originally, my job was quite straightforward and simple, very repetitive low level position. With time, and due to my abilities, the tasks I had to complete multiplied greatly, to the point of me training and assisting colleagues with their own jobs.
I started working there amidst a big shift in the company and the implementation of new systems and rules around its operation, and thus, a transitional period that found employees who had been there long before me struggling.
Me coming with fresh eyes and unaware of the past, along with my qualifications, meant I could adapt very quickly, which led to my job role entailing way more than I had been told at first, without an increase in my salary.
And it wasn't just me. A lot of people were required to do a lot more than they were paid for, but I will talk about that in a second.
With time I discovered a lot of the sweetness and kindness were an act. People wanted to make a good first impression. But as time passed I found myself involved in petty drama that I couldn't even fathom. Certain people didn't like my mediterranean temperament, or the music I listen to, or criticised the way I did my job (even though my superiors praised me constantly), or even what and how much I had for lunch.
A few of my colleagues even complained about me to my supervisor. Even colleagues I thought I was 'work-friends' with. My voice was too loud, I didn't remain quiet when someone talked down on me, and sometimes I used the word 'fuck.' And even though some of my colleagues could be loud as well, or sweared too, maybe it was the fact that I was not intimidated by anyone, ever, that irked them the most.
Thankfully, there were also kind and reasonable people working with me, and it was thanks to them, I had an overall positive experience.
Mass redundancies, a plethora of job role changes, zero employee consideration, less worker rights, new rules, more rules, more technicalities, and a lot less logic or cohesion.
One of the most frustrating things was that the vast majority of higher ups had absolutely no clue of how the business operated. They supposedly knew how to manage us all (and shout commands and demands), but they did not know what our jobs entailed, or how, practically, things got done.
Therefore, us 'lower level' staff had to constantly explain certain processes and even demonstrate, for them to be content and leave us alone.
Moreover, due to all the redundancies, current staff had to take on the roles of the people made redundant, without a salary increase or a bonus, which meant you got paid the same, but had to do a lot more. And that seemed to be a pattern within the company.
I am not going to go into how disorganised and unreasonable the way the company operates was, as I'm sure that is a common denominator in many companies.
I was very flattered, but also felt something was a bit off. My manager was really pushing for me to take this job. I was given less than 24 hours to give a response, but then had no one approach me to request my response.
I wrote down a list of questions in regards to the position, and two days later my manager arranged for a meeting for us to discuss the details. Bottom line was that this position, which was newly created (and I would be the first person to ever have it if I accepted), entailed a lot more roles and tasks than the position I was currently holding, yet the salary was the same. They also wanted to keep my contract and my job role the same, and if after my temp contract expired they wanted to offer me a permanent position, only then the job role would change on the contract, but the salary would remain the same. On top of that they would expect me to work on weekends, which was something I didn't have to do before.
As you may expect, I very kindly declined the position. There was no reason for me to take a job with more responsibilities and change departments for such little money. Two days after I declined the position my manager wanted to talk to me. We had a private conversation and I was basically told that if I didn't accept this new position, my contract would not be renewed as we had agreed upon. My contract was supposed to be extended for 3 more months. I very calmly explained that that was blackmail and I would not succumb to threats. Both my supervisor and my manager had told me for months that my contract would be extended. HR was aware of that fact as well. Funny thing was, most of our HR staff had been made redundant, and the HR person who had been in charge of my case did not work for the company anymore.
So, even though I explicitly told my manager if my contract wasn't renewed I would take action and seek justice, I knew that would be extremely hard to do, as it would be my word against a whole company.
...To be continued...
I can't say too much about what I did or where I worked (you see, now they even include posting on social media in your contract), but I can tell you how fucked up the way this industry works is.
The Job
Around October time I decided it was time to come back to England. The first week of my return my partner told me he found out about a temp job offered at his workplace. I didn't think much of it, and attended an interview he had arranged for me. I got the job on the spot. My supervisor told me I was clearly overqualified for the position.Originally, my job was quite straightforward and simple, very repetitive low level position. With time, and due to my abilities, the tasks I had to complete multiplied greatly, to the point of me training and assisting colleagues with their own jobs.
I started working there amidst a big shift in the company and the implementation of new systems and rules around its operation, and thus, a transitional period that found employees who had been there long before me struggling.
Me coming with fresh eyes and unaware of the past, along with my qualifications, meant I could adapt very quickly, which led to my job role entailing way more than I had been told at first, without an increase in my salary.
And it wasn't just me. A lot of people were required to do a lot more than they were paid for, but I will talk about that in a second.
The People
When I first started, everyone in my team was really sweet and kind to me. They were all so helpful and willing to respond to any of my queries. A few of my colleagues warned me against certain people on the first day though, and that left a very sour taste in my mouth.With time I discovered a lot of the sweetness and kindness were an act. People wanted to make a good first impression. But as time passed I found myself involved in petty drama that I couldn't even fathom. Certain people didn't like my mediterranean temperament, or the music I listen to, or criticised the way I did my job (even though my superiors praised me constantly), or even what and how much I had for lunch.
A few of my colleagues even complained about me to my supervisor. Even colleagues I thought I was 'work-friends' with. My voice was too loud, I didn't remain quiet when someone talked down on me, and sometimes I used the word 'fuck.' And even though some of my colleagues could be loud as well, or sweared too, maybe it was the fact that I was not intimidated by anyone, ever, that irked them the most.
Thankfully, there were also kind and reasonable people working with me, and it was thanks to them, I had an overall positive experience.
The Company
From what I had heard, the company used to be a very positive environment to work at, and took good care of its staff. However, after it was acquired by a larger corporation, and then, after a new CEO was appointed, things started going downhill.Mass redundancies, a plethora of job role changes, zero employee consideration, less worker rights, new rules, more rules, more technicalities, and a lot less logic or cohesion.
One of the most frustrating things was that the vast majority of higher ups had absolutely no clue of how the business operated. They supposedly knew how to manage us all (and shout commands and demands), but they did not know what our jobs entailed, or how, practically, things got done.
Therefore, us 'lower level' staff had to constantly explain certain processes and even demonstrate, for them to be content and leave us alone.
Moreover, due to all the redundancies, current staff had to take on the roles of the people made redundant, without a salary increase or a bonus, which meant you got paid the same, but had to do a lot more. And that seemed to be a pattern within the company.
I am not going to go into how disorganised and unreasonable the way the company operates was, as I'm sure that is a common denominator in many companies.
The Threat
One day, my supervisor told me to go to my manager's office. There, there was my manager and another person. They told me there was this great opportunity for me, the Head of Operations had handpicked me and created a position just for me. It would be great for me, provide me with experience and knowledge in so many other things, and help me to evolve professionally.I was very flattered, but also felt something was a bit off. My manager was really pushing for me to take this job. I was given less than 24 hours to give a response, but then had no one approach me to request my response.
I wrote down a list of questions in regards to the position, and two days later my manager arranged for a meeting for us to discuss the details. Bottom line was that this position, which was newly created (and I would be the first person to ever have it if I accepted), entailed a lot more roles and tasks than the position I was currently holding, yet the salary was the same. They also wanted to keep my contract and my job role the same, and if after my temp contract expired they wanted to offer me a permanent position, only then the job role would change on the contract, but the salary would remain the same. On top of that they would expect me to work on weekends, which was something I didn't have to do before.
As you may expect, I very kindly declined the position. There was no reason for me to take a job with more responsibilities and change departments for such little money. Two days after I declined the position my manager wanted to talk to me. We had a private conversation and I was basically told that if I didn't accept this new position, my contract would not be renewed as we had agreed upon. My contract was supposed to be extended for 3 more months. I very calmly explained that that was blackmail and I would not succumb to threats. Both my supervisor and my manager had told me for months that my contract would be extended. HR was aware of that fact as well. Funny thing was, most of our HR staff had been made redundant, and the HR person who had been in charge of my case did not work for the company anymore.
So, even though I explicitly told my manager if my contract wasn't renewed I would take action and seek justice, I knew that would be extremely hard to do, as it would be my word against a whole company.
...To be continued...
