Quote Dally="Dally"For example, someone I know:
At interview told no full time jobs but on a 24 hour contract could get another part-time job. When contract comes need to be available 6 days a week full time (ie ourtside contracted hours).
Regularly puts in an extra 2 to 3 hours a day unpaid. No pay for breaks. No overtime for working long-shifts at short notice.
Hourly rate offered in writing was actually less when it came to signing a contract!
Contract wholly obe0sided in favour of the 'er.
So called "managers" texting at 11.00pm to ask if can go in at 9.00am next day.
The latest wheeze was that all staff at the branch had to go into an interview and JUSTIFY ever hour of any time 24/7 when they couldn't go in (even though virtually minimum waged, part-timers. Also had to name a number of other branches they could work at if called upon. Given that bus fares / train fares take up half a shifts work it is a bit unrealistc to expect none drivers to get to out of the way places in the middle of the night!
In short they are a horror story and should closed down legislatively. As the staff are unhappy so are the customers.
As to products - they can even make (sell) the cheapest foods cheaper and c**p! Got some pork scratchings recently - but they'd even managed to find a cheaper version and sell it for more. It was disgusting and full of air!
Their stores are dated.
Their in store cafes are vile.
They are so far behind Waitrose, Morrisons, Sainsbury, Aldi, etc from a customers perspective they will start to fail unless they change. They have had their day and are sinking back (hopefully) to whence they came.'"
OK, one person you know.
Socially, I know a number of Tesco employees - parents of my kids friends. Not ones I work with, manage, or am managed by. They work in various roles - checkout operators / supervisors / electrical / back office. Each one is more than happy with the flexibility given to them regarding working hours. Remember that a lot of large format stores are now open from 06.00hrs Monday, to 22.00hrs Saturday, plus 6 hours on a Sunday. This leads to a requirement for some flexibility - the days of a "9-5" shop assistant in grocery retailing has now gone.
The smaller, Express format has a different requirement - usually quieter stores, with less staff, but flexibility is still required.
Each year, each and every employee completes a "viewpoint" appraisal of their manager, work conditions, pay, facilities, etc. These are really interesting to assess, and there has been a dramatic improvement in all areas over the last 18 months within the business.
Regarding managers texting at 11pm at night - before Tesco, when I ran large transport fleets, I'd be forever juggling drivers around and ringing / texting at all hours to get them in if possible. It's called manpower utilisation, and is prevalent in many industries that operate around the clock. Some people say "yes", some say "no" - thats the nature of the game.
2 or 3 hours overtime unpaid? Sorry, but don't believe that. If they are hourly paid, they would be paid for the hours worked. Not paid for breaks? As I said, hourly paid: not working on break, so not paid - that's the norm.
Ask your friend about the benefits that Tesco staff receive - some of them are not just industry leading, they are UK leading. There is still a defined benefits pension, which is recognised every year as one of the best pensions available in any business in the UK. 10% discount for staff - this mounts up over the year and is a good benefit. Shares In Success gives an annual bonus of between 3% and 7% to all staff. Higher level staff have a Long Term Incentive plan which can be as much as 25% of salary in share options each year. Health plan, dental plan, the list goes on. Plus, Tesco are recognised as a business that develops their people, from the shop floor up..