At the end of my rope. Rant/advice for a struggling inbound TL

[Serabears]

Hey all,

So we recently got a new SD, right at the beginning of April and he has not made the changes yet for the new breakdown of B/C/D to style.

Currently, I'm at my wits end. I've been an inbound TL for 3 years, always owned PP1s. Hba/OTC/pet/paper/chem. However, my new SD has told me that it's my responsibility for the ENTIRE truck to come clean. I'm not sure how I can do that, when I only work 8 hours. He's told me I have to push, any and all areas that won't come clean without help. I already push like 6 PP1 vehicles a day, I don't have any other time to spare, between doing my morning routines and pushing. My team doesn't get enough hours, so we only come clean with my help.

Apparently, I'm also responsible for performancing out DBOs that aren't even mine, but my GM peers. And also responsible for fixing that particular DBO's atrocious backroom because he has ton of unlocated product in his backroom. So basically I've been told, Plano GMTL only does that. And SFS GMTL only does that. And everything else is mine. I can't even get my ETL to remember a conversation we had 5 minutes before I leave for the day, before getting texts of "what's this and that?" When I get home.

I don't even feel like a leader anymore. All my time is spent pushing because no matter what we need to come clean daily. How can I elevate people when I can't even spend time with them? My peers have created terrible DBOs that I can't even get time to fix..I'm sitting here praying for the moment that style is finally given their new roles in my store...

So huge rant over, but other inbound leaders, what are your areas now after the changes?

 

[MrT]

Hey all,

So we recently got a new SD, right at the beginning of April and he has not made the changes yet for the new breakdown of B/C/D to style.

Currently, I'm at my wits end. I've been an inbound TL for 3 years, always owned PP1s. Hba/OTC/pet/paper/chem. However, my new SD has told me that it's my responsibility for the ENTIRE truck to come clean. I'm not sure how I can do that, when I only work 8 hours. He's told me I have to push, any and all areas that won't come clean without help. I already push like 6 PP1 vehicles a day, I don't have any other time to spare, between doing my morning routines and pushing. My team doesn't get enough hours, so we only come clean with my help.

Apparently, I'm also responsible for performancing out DBOs that aren't even mine, but my GM peers. And also responsible for fixing that particular DBO's atrocious backroom because he has ton of unlocated product in his backroom. So basically I've been told, Plano GMTL only does that. And SFS GMTL only does that. And everything else is mine. I can't even get my ETL to remember a conversation we had 5 minutes before I leave for the day, before getting texts of "what's this and that?" When I get home.

I don't even feel like a leader anymore. All my time is spent pushing because no matter what we need to come clean daily. How can I elevate people when I can't even spend time with them? My peers have created terrible DBOs that I can't even get time to fix..I'm sitting here praying for the moment that style is finally given their new roles in my store...

So huge rant over, but other inbound leaders, what are your areas now after the changes?

Do you do assignment sheets or productivity trackers or whatever else they are calling it now. You need to document if you are not getting enough hours and by how much. Then you can use that tracker to see how tms are doing and have actual conversations if they are not meeting expectations. You are definitely doing too much. Inbound rn i feel has gotten the short end of the stick. We also havent changed much between the new changes of home/seasonal except assigning gm tms to be home/seasonal tms.

 

[Far from newbie]

Hey all,

So we recently got a new SD, right at the beginning of April and he has not made the changes yet for the new breakdown of B/C/D to style.

Currently, I'm at my wits end. I've been an inbound TL for 3 years, always owned PP1s. Hba/OTC/pet/paper/chem. However, my new SD has told me that it's my responsibility for the ENTIRE truck to come clean. I'm not sure how I can do that, when I only work 8 hours. He's told me I have to push, any and all areas that won't come clean without help. I already push like 6 PP1 vehicles a day, I don't have any other time to spare, between doing my morning routines and pushing. My team doesn't get enough hours, so we only come clean with my help.

Apparently, I'm also responsible for performancing out DBOs that aren't even mine, but my GM peers. And also responsible for fixing that particular DBO's atrocious backroom because he has ton of unlocated product in his backroom. So basically I've been told, Plano GMTL only does that. And SFS GMTL only does that. And everything else is mine. I can't even get my ETL to remember a conversation we had 5 minutes before I leave for the day, before getting texts of "what's this and that?" When I get home.

I don't even feel like a leader anymore. All my time is spent pushing because no matter what we need to come clean daily. How can I elevate people when I can't even spend time with them? My peers have created terrible DBOs that I can't even get time to fix..I'm sitting here praying for the moment that style is finally given their new roles in my store...

So huge rant over, but other inbound leaders, what are your areas now after the changes?

Interesting. In December Our inbound TL owned Inbound and Home on the salesfloor, he left.
New Inbound TL told: “you are NO longer GM - you own INBOUND - ONLY.”
Which I thought was fair - there is so much to inbound.

also ; fulfillment ONLY owns fulfillment, another GM TL ONLY owns depts, no process

as Presentation TL I am the only TL with BOTH a process AND salesfloor depts. -
and I’ve recently been given MORE depts ! Essentials had 25 SPL this week, sigh.

 

[Serabears]

I'm so confused how a large corporation like target isn't on the same page on what is truly someone's role. Every store is different. But yet, when modernization happened, I specifically saw a break down of who is suppose to own what.

What's even worse, my Plano peer is god awful at his job. Their stationery set is mind numbingly terrible (which was done 3 weeks ago without strips because they didn't have them) however, no one even knew until I said something about it, because guess who had to push in there. Told my ETL, she's visibly irritated, but guess what's still a problem? His team has also "backstocked" repacks worth of items in my OTC backroom, however never even backstocked it so I "can't prove it".

I feel as though I'm getting their responsibilities because they can't even handle their core job.

 

[Serabears]

Do you do assignment sheets or productivity trackers or whatever else they are calling it now. You need to document if you are not getting enough hours and by how much. Then you can use that tracker to see how tms are doing and have actual conversations if they are not meeting expectations. You are definitely doing too much. Inbound rn i feel has gotten the short end of the stick. We also havent changed much between the new changes of home/seasonal except assigning gm tms to be home/seasonal tms.

Thankfully, for the team who is there with me from opening, until I leave, are all pretty efficient. I have proven the issue of hours time and time again to my ETL GM/HR and my SD. The areas we roll most consistently are areas that I'm not there to help with or to even begin removing roadblocks for them or teaching them more efficient ways of whatever they are doing. A few days ago, I finally saw our domestics DBO after a few weeks of not seeing her. I taught her how to print labels and do price change, because even after a few months of GM, she was never taught and her leader "never had time". She was grateful for me to take the 5 minutes to show her. In which, I also learned her TL told her not to pull anything from the steel...but yet it was her whole OOS batch and we're struggling for space. And this is a DBO who's actively trying to move up. I can't imagine the ones who just want to collect a check.

 

[No I in Team]

Be weary of using any metrics that are not specifically Target Corp approved.

Even metrics found on Greenfield are woefully inaccurate. We have an inside joke about allotted push times being "0.0".

Learn what roles Target has defined. Do yours first, then everyone else's second. Then follow up with emails to other TL's and ETL's.

Get flack, clean up the resume, and head out. The job market is too damn good to put up with "stupid" for very long.

 

[SilentCrow]

The stationary strips was a known Global HQ issue. It was right there on workbench.

I can’t say much without knowing your breakdown for your store. However, I was an Inbound TL and SrTL (when it was called flow) and we were responsible for coming clean pushing the entire store plus market. In 2019 I was ETL Inbound responsible for pushing the entirety of GM which accounted for everything GM now plus the recent departments pushed under “specialty” now. I’ve only been in huge stores in those roles though so my experience may be different although I recently launched a 6am unload store and we found a way to breakdown their push process.

I don’t really see the issue here. Inbound’s main focus is replenishment. My goal would be to come clean period. If you’re finding it hard to do this I would look at the usual identifiers of a poorly ran inbound process first which is bad scheduling, not utilizing the information greenfield gives you for the trucks so you’re planning/anticipating rather than reacting (bulk list, transition list, repack breakdown, push hours per department and what those hours actually mean for you and your store I.e Pets may say 2 hours but I automatically know that’s actually more like 4 hours in my store from doing it so long), horrible pushing plan, leaders drowning themselves in push rather than following up, and allocation from the SD that doesn’t fit. I would push with my team but I spend 15 - 20 mins pushing with a team member then do a lap to follow up.

What’s the structure of your store? Are you unloading overnight, 4am, or 6am? How many trucks you average? What’s the hours per trailer allocated to you from the SD? How do you breakdown your push process? How deep do you dive into greenfield? Do you utilize a Inbound DBOs technique to push or do you adapt based on freight flow and maneuver the team accordingly? How do you handle backstock?

Some more insight would allows us to try to help in some way.

 

[YugTegrat]

Inbound TLs are responsible for the sort process. That means the truck is unloaded and freight is properly sorted. Having them be solely responsible for truck push is nonsense when PP2 isn't even supposed to be pushed until later in the day. That's why GMTLs that oversee Inbound always own PP1 areas.

GMTLs should be responsible for their respective areas. They oversee the DBOs of those areas who are responsible for the truck push. As the Inbound TL, you should not be responsible for making sure DBOs that aren't even yours are doing their job. That should be obvious.

Your SD isn't able or doesn't want to make things work as intended, so they're going off-script and implementing changes that shouldn't exist.

 

[Far from newbie]

GMTLs that oversee Inbound always own PP1 areas.

They oversee the DBOs of those areas who are responsible for the truck push.

you should not be responsible for making sure DBOs that aren't even yours are doing their job.

Your SD isn't able or doesn't want to make things work as intended, so they're going off-script and implementing changes that shouldn't exist.

your scenario does not work at our store because -
1. our inbound TL doe not oversee ANY salesfloor
2. we do not have DBO’s anymore - no specific tm for any specific dept anymore
3. TL do not oversee any specific tm That is pushing - All TL‘s oversee ALL tm’s
4. Your description is not what the new change is intended - we are no longer following a modernization script cause modernization has been SCRAPPED
The SD is probably implementing NEW changes that NOW exist.

 

[seasonaldude]

your scenario does not work at our store because -
1. our inbound TL doe not oversee ANY salesfloor
2. we do not have DBO’s anymore - no specific tm for any specific dept anymore
3. TL do not oversee any specific tm That is pushing - All TL‘s oversee ALL tm’s
4. Your description is not what the new change is intended - we are no longer following a modernization script cause modernization has been SCRAPTED
The SD is probably implementing NEW changes that NOW exist.

Modernization isn't over? At least not everywhere. It's definitely still THE WAY in my district. The only deviation is a new pricing TM for GM.

 

[Far from newbie]

We started changes to dismantle last fall - not much left now.

 

[seasonaldude]

We started changes to dismantle last fall - not much left now.

Interesting. The push in my store right now is that we don't have enough DBOs who know or are capable of doing everything, so how do we teach those we can and replace those who can't learn. There is no chatter about unraveling modernization except from disgruntled TMs.

 

[Serabears]

The stationary strips was a known Global HQ issue. It was right there on workbench.

I can’t say much without knowing your breakdown for your store. However, I was an Inbound TL and SrTL (when it was called flow) and we were responsible for coming clean pushing the entire store plus market. In 2019 I was ETL Inbound responsible for pushing the entirety of GM which accounted for everything GM now plus the recent departments pushed under “specialty” now. I’ve only been in huge stores in those roles though so my experience may be different although I recently launched a 6am unload store and we found a way to breakdown their push process.

I don’t really see the issue here. Inbound’s main focus is replenishment. My goal would be to come clean period. If you’re finding it hard to do this I would look at the usual identifiers of a poorly ran inbound process first which is bad scheduling, not utilizing the information greenfield gives you for the trucks so you’re planning/anticipating rather than reacting (bulk list, transition list, repack breakdown, push hours per department and what those hours actually mean for you and your store I.e Pets may say 2 hours but I automatically know that’s actually more like 4 hours in my store from doing it so long), horrible pushing plan, leaders drowning themselves in push rather than following up, and allocation from the SD that doesn’t fit. I would push with my team but I spend 15 - 20 mins pushing with a team member then do a lap to follow up.

What’s the structure of your store? Are you unloading overnight, 4am, or 6am? How many trucks you average? What’s the hours per trailer allocated to you from the SD? How do you breakdown your push process? How deep do you dive into greenfield? Do you utilize a Inbound DBOs technique to push or do you adapt based on freight flow and maneuver the team accordingly? How do you handle backstock?

Some more insight would allows us to try to help in some way.

Our unload is 6am, we never go over 2 hours unless there's serious issues. I understand greenfield and utilize it well for placing DBOs on the line for their strengths, as well as understanding where push help is needed for the day based on scheduled hours. 8 trucks a week. We're still on the modernization level so we still have DBOs, I'll try to support later evening DBOs by getting people into their areas earlier, but it's not always doable.

My issues are that PP1 is getting 3x the amount of freight as pp2 with just as much if not less hours. So I help to come clean. But after I leave, I'm not there to ensure the night DBOs are even doing what they're supposed to. For some reason 50cases is too much in someone's 4 hours, but no one can tell me what happened, yet I'm the one responsible because it relates to "freight". Most of my PP1 team is also on the inbound process. And most of them leave at 12, if not earlier. So we get 3-4 hours for PP1, and most of the OFOs are 100+ daily. And I don't allow them to only pull OOS because then we won't have anywhere to backstock. Speaking of backstock, I'm not sure how to answer your question. We backstock it. I'll tell my DBOs sometimes to just leave their backstock and I'll take care of it, but usually they do.

I'm well aware they didn't have strips for a reason, but when they placed the single labels up, they are not correct at all. Some aisles are mixed, standard, reverse, missing labels...it's just a mess. The labels came in, and we still have them, but no one cares enough to fix it, but want to complain about the area looking like garbage.

 

[nevermind]

Sounds like you are being very much taken advantage of -- stop taking responsibility for the entire store unless you are the Store Director.

 

[YugTegrat]

your scenario does not work at our store because -
1. our inbound TL doe not oversee ANY salesfloor
2. we do not have DBO’s anymore - no specific tm for any specific dept anymore
3. TL do not oversee any specific tm That is pushing - All TL‘s oversee ALL tm’s
4. Your description is not what the new change is intended - we are no longer following a modernization script cause modernization has been SCRAPTED
The SD is probably implementing NEW changes that NOW exist.

That's pretty much exactly how things used to work before Modernization. Haven't heard of any stores rolling back to that.

 

[Far from newbie]

Interesting. The push in my store right now is that we don't have enough DBOs who know or are capable of doing everything, so how do we teach those we can and replace those who can't learn. There is no chatter about unraveling modernization except from disgruntled TMs.

THAT is VERY interesting !
This week we were not even ALLOWED to SAY “DBO” without being SHOT down With an immediate response of :
”we DON’T HAVE DBO’s anymore !!”

Change is slow, maybe your time is coming. Good luck.

Took us 2 years of trying really hard to make it work before we realized :
1. We were CONSTANTLY training - people were leaving before they even learned all the necessary processes
2. There were more tasks than there were hours to perform them
3. Not everyone was good at everything - some depts failed in SPL while other depts failed in Price change, others had pitiful BRLA……
but what was consistent is very few people were good at EVERY different thing we asked them to do.

 

[Far from newbie]

That's pretty much exactly how things used to work before Modernization. Haven't heard of any stores rolling back to that.

We cannot be the only ones.

our changes recently:
unload while store is closed.
Inbound unloads, sometimes goes home and sometimes pushes - as a team/together in a dept.
NO specific tm’s in the same depts everyday - no one owns a dept.
Specific Plano and pricing tm’s ONLY to do ALL setting & pricing
NOT pulling tm’s from elsewhere to support fulfillment
Inbound TL owns backroom and nothing on the salesfloor (except push)

Not exactly as it was in “the good ‘ole days” - but farther and farther removed from the constraints that modernization put us in.

 

[Far from newbie]

The labels came in, and we still have them, but no one cares enough to fix it, but want to complain about the area looking like garbage.

Woah there cowboy, slow down. I took offense to that comment “no one CARES enough to fix it“ !!!
I care, I care TOO MUCH - I’m off the clock, relaxing at home typing about Target stuff !! Save me from myself !

we set stationary with no labels - which took LONGER by the way - and we NOT given HALF the amount of hours needed Originally.
‘We fell behind and We are STILL behind and have not caught up with current workload.

We can only HOPE to RECOVER AND HAVE fIVE MINUTES to spend RE-DOING stationary with the replacement labels !

We have NOT been given ONE extra minute beyond what we NEED to get OTHER work done.
‘We will TRY to get to it, really. Please back off.

 

[SilentCrow]

100+ OFOs is pretty light to me. If they pull it by aisle for those batches the push will be faster. To me it sounds like an imbalance between how many are unloading and how many are pushing. Additionally, your peers have to get more involved or else the system just fails.

So look into if you’re putting too many resources unloading and not enough pushing but most importantly challenge upward. If the SD keeps telling you about coming clean tell the SD you need their help with getting the support from your peers and you’re more than happy to sit down and analyze the process with him or her to find efficiency or process gaps. Now if the SD ignores that which is a sign that you’re wanting to accomplish what he or she is asking but looking for guidance than at that point it’s on the SD and you can only worry about doing the most you can while you’re there.

Inviting dialogue and transparency to work together to overcome the challenge is all you can do. Unfortunately, I’m not in your store to look into the process and setup deeper to try to suggest things but if you do those steps of welcoming a discussion on how to fix it and you get nothing in return I wouldn’t fault you at all. That will be on the SD and their failure to be a great leader.

 

[Rarejem]

100+ OFOs is pretty light to me. If they pull it by aisle for those batches the push will be faster. To me it sounds like an imbalance between how many are unloading and how many are pushing. Additionally, your peers have to get more involved or else the system just fails.

So look into if you’re putting too many resources unloading and not enough pushing but most importantly challenge upward. If the SD keeps telling you about coming clean tell the SD you need their help with getting the support from your peers and you’re more than happy to sit down and analyze the process with him or her to find efficiency or process gaps. Now if the SD ignores that which is a sign that you’re wanting to accomplish what he or she is asking but looking for guidance than at that point it’s on the SD and you can only worry about doing the most you can while you’re there.

Inviting dialogue and transparency to work together to overcome the challenge is all you can do. Unfortunately, I’m not in your store to look into the process and setup deeper to try to suggest things but if you do those steps of welcoming a discussion on how to fix it and you get nothing in return I wouldn’t fault you at all. That will be on the SD and their failure to be a great leader.

Challenging upward is definitely not an acceptable thing in many stores. It used to be... but I was literally told that it is "from days gone by". Love your optimism, though. It reminds me of why I have stayed with the company for so long. I wish things were still that way rather than the stay-in-your-lane/I'm-the-boss attitude that seems more prevalent now.

 

[SilentCrow]

Challenging upward is definitely not an acceptable thing in many stores. It used to be... but I was literally told that it is "from days gone by". Love your optimism, though. It reminds me of why I have stayed with the company for so long. I wish things were still that way rather than the stay-in-your-lane/I'm-the-boss attitude that seems more prevalent now.

I continue to challenge upward and I’m due to move up with the company again. I’m not afraid to question things to whoever it is. How you go about it is the key. As I said if you try and no results or willingness to hear you out happens then at that point I wouldn’t blame a person for just doing what they can and clocking out. If the leaders above don’t care enough to work with you to figure things out then it can’t be expected for you to care more than them.

There are other ways that you can cover your you know what but still put it out there that you’re trying to figure things out and want to work with your leaders to do so. I can write a book on how email chains and knowing who to attach to them can benefit leaders.

 

[MrT]

That's pretty much exactly how things used to work before Modernization. Haven't heard of any stores rolling back to that.

Tgis is how its been in my district sinse the emd of 4th quarter, modernization all but dead.

 

[Ashfromoldsite]

Our unload is 6am, we never go over 2 hours unless there's serious issues. I understand greenfield and utilize it well for placing DBOs on the line for their strengths, as well as understanding where push help is needed for the day based on scheduled hours. 8 trucks a week. We're still on the modernization level so we still have DBOs, I'll try to support later evening DBOs by getting people into their areas earlier, but it's not always doable.

My issues are that PP1 is getting 3x the amount of freight as pp2 with just as much if not less hours. So I help to come clean. But after I leave, I'm not there to ensure the night DBOs are even doing what they're supposed to. For some reason 50cases is too much in someone's 4 hours, but no one can tell me what happened, yet I'm the one responsible because it relates to "freight". Most of my PP1 team is also on the inbound process. And most of them leave at 12, if not earlier. So we get 3-4 hours for PP1, and most of the OFOs are 100+ daily. And I don't allow them to only pull OOS because then we won't have anywhere to backstock. Speaking of backstock, I'm not sure how to answer your question. We backstock it. I'll tell my DBOs sometimes to just leave their backstock and I'll take care of it, but usually they do.

I'm well aware they didn't have strips for a reason, but when they placed the single labels up, they are not correct at all. Some aisles are mixed, standard, reverse, missing labels...it's just a mess. The labels came in, and we still have them, but no one cares enough to fix it, but want to complain about the area looking like garbage.

You should be statusing with the closing tl and that person should be following up with the afternoon/evening dbos to ensure freight gets done.

 

[Sparkle5]

Challenging upward is definitely not an acceptable thing in many stores. It used to be... but I was literally told that it is "from days gone by". Love your optimism, though. It reminds me of why I have stayed with the company for so long. I wish things were still that way rather than the stay-in-your-lane/I'm-the-boss attitude that seems more prevalent now.

Arbitrary actions from a power focussed SD kill motivation.

 

[Sparkle5]

I continue to challenge upward and I’m due to move up with the company again. I’m not afraid to question things to whoever it is. How you go about it is the key. As I said if you try and no results or willingness to hear you out happens then at that point I wouldn’t blame a person for just doing what they can and clocking out. If the leaders above don’t care enough to work with you to figure things out then it can’t be expected for you to care more than them.

There are other ways that you can cover your you know what but still put it out there that you’re trying to figure things out and want to work with your leaders to do so. I can write a book on how email chains and knowing who to attach to them can benefit leaders.

This. Took 6 months to become a " clock in clock out" employee.