Archived Calling in team members

[Rozu18]

Im softlines. My other team member didnt show up for her shift today. I knew she closed the night before and was probably asleep but NO ONE WOULD CALL HER! I did. Asked her if she knew she had work. She didn't. And 10 mins later she was here.

Then i get in trouble for calling her. My HR said we arent allowed to do that and that team members need to learn responsibility. Is this true? Am i really not allowed to call? Or text?

 

[buliSBI]

What was their posted schedule?

 

[whiner]

The store I worked at was the same way. No one was called if they did not come in for shift.

 

[Rozu18]

Is that like, the policy now? I want to be able to let my coworkers know they have work and at least make sure they are okay

 

[starmaster1000]

The store I worked at was the same way. No one was called if they did not come in for shift.

I get if the policy with leadership (TL or above) is "don't call 'em if they ain't here," but can we call our peers? Can they even bar us from doing that?

We could, out of genuine curiosity and interest in their well-being, just text our friends like, "yo, where you at?" Weird for them to make it a policy for TMs.

 

[BoxCutter]

My store will call people to see what's up and get them in if possible. It is usually easier to get someone in who forgot or overslept, than calling other TMs to see if they can come in to cover

 

[dannyy315]

I’ve gotten called before if I had a schedule mix-up, this is probably one of those ASANTS cases.

 

[Black Sheep 214]

First off, your HR sounds like a major asshat.🙄 Just a wild guess, but your store is probably over hours and not replacing sick calls/NCNS, your HR was upset that those hours were actually used, and is trying to cover their ass. My store will sometimes call a NC/NS if they need the help, or will let it go and save the hours if they don’t. Strictly speaking, I don’t think the store is supposed to call. Spot can tell TLs not to call (or call, depending on circumstances), but I don’t see how they can discipline a TM for calling a friend to inquire about their health. Maybe someone from HR can clarify the policy on TBR. It might be advisable for both TMs to fail to mention that a phone call was involved when the TM arrives “late”. As TLs, we called our TMs who were NC/NS, or had another TM call their friend to find out what was going on. We wanted to give our guys a break if they made a mistake, and beyond that, we wanted to know that they were o.k. and not lying in a ditch somewhere.

 

[Tessa120]

@Black Sheep 214 is right, I'd love to hear from someone in HR. At a guess though, there might be some privacy policy concerns. Also, we're not supposed to release TMs' schedules over the phone, even if it's the TM calling in, so maybe that's also the issue, that the TM's schedule for that day was relayed over the phone.

 

[starmaster1000]

@ All the HR people.

 

[Fluttervale]

Ok here goes. (HR).

1. The store can either call everyone or no one. It is a discrimination issue. It would affect people getting unemployment ("they didn't call me on x date but they called these other 4 people")

2. If the TM who made the call was on the clock, #1 applies. Also if the TM was using their personal phone on company time, that warrants a write up. If they were told not to call and did anyways, that is insubordination.

So...

 

[COextraordinaire]

I once forgot to come in at 7am for a cash office shift (mixed up my schedule)

They practically bent over backwards trying to get someone to cover my shift. (There’s only 3-4 people in the store that know how to do cash office)

It came Down to asking a guy who worked in the back room (but used to work in the CO a year ago) to fill in mid afternoon... the other 3 or so people they tried calling in were unavailable.

Wouldn’t it have been easier to just call me??? Nope, I guess not.

 

[Fluttervale]

I wonder if it would fall under the same employee protections that sharing wages does. Employers can't threaten employees over communicating with one another, provided they're still doing their job.

They can still only do it off the clock, though. If our TM was on the clock at the time, they would not be protected.

And trying to twist it into labor laws just hurts real attempts at organizing.

 

[khaleesi]

Im softlines. My other team member didnt show up for her shift today. I knew she closed the night before and was probably asleep but NO ONE WOULD CALL HER! I did. Asked her if she knew she had work. She didn't. And 10 mins later she was here.

Then i get in trouble for calling her. My HR said we arent allowed to do that and that team members need to learn responsibility. Is this true? Am i really not allowed to call? Or text?

You can do a well being check, and they can’t tell you not to call someone. HR can’t call if someone’s gonna be a NCNS but regular tms can.

 

[Bosch]

Note for next time, say nothing and shoot the text message.. Like I have done many times.. Cause that policy is bullshit..

 

[allnew2]

Im softlines. My other team member didnt show up for her shift today. I knew she closed the night before and was probably asleep but NO ONE WOULD CALL HER! I did. Asked her if she knew she had work. She didn't. And 10 mins later she was here.

Then i get in trouble for calling her. My HR said we arent allowed to do that and that team members need to learn responsibility. Is this true? Am i really not allowed to call? Or text?

Yes you are not allowed to call her. But how did hr knew you did it? I always tell my team hey so and so has about 30 minutes before he is a no call no show , and if he had a friend to let him know to call out or call the store to say he/ will be late that would be a great friend. I’m a TL and I can’t do it and neither tm should but like I say to my team if this person has a great friend that could let them know would be best.

 

[allnew2]

Is that like, the policy now? I want to be able to let my coworkers know they have work and at least make sure they are okay

Yes it is the policy you can get written up or fired for it

 

[HRZone]

You can call a team member anytime you want to check on them as a peer. It may be an issue if you on the floor/clock or act as if you are calling on behalf of Target (Hey Hrzone is LOD and wondering where you are.)

As an hrtm I would do wellness checks from time to time. Once the TM didnt show up because she broke her hip, I am glad I checked in with this normally reliable person then assuming the worst and possibly terminating them

 

[unknown]

Just proves that it's all for yourself at Target. A normally reliable tm doesn't show up or call for a 4am shift? Oh well. Who cares if they might have wrecked, fallen in the parking lot and broke their leg, or etc. Let them die. More hours for everyone else.

I'm not saying to send a telegram or private eye, but damn, no one can spare a minute to call. What has this company come to??

 

[Havok]

Who you call and what you do with your phone is none of anyone else's business as far as I'm concerned. Is Target paying for your phone bill? Is Target in charge of your social life? Don't ever let someone have that kind of power over you. Work is work, anything outside is your life.

 

[Hardlinesmaster]

I do wellness checks too. i told spot if I don't show for work, you better call or text me. My store does it, because they care.

 

[signingminion]

When you don't do a wellness check you may wait another 36hrs until someone knows you are dead. There's now no possible chance your body will ever be found. Nobody wants to live with that. True story.

Our current leadership won't call. We always make sure we check by first break since it's still within the call out window. I've straight up dared the stl or etl-hr to corrective action me for my actions on break...

 

[Far from newbie]

I understand that we are adults and should know our schedules, but people make mistakes and life happens.
I understand that HR cannot babysit every late/no show tm, other things to do than make a bunch of fruitless phone calls chasing tm’s down.
I understand that it would be seen as favoritism if a TL called one tm as a ‘reminder’/check and missed calling another on a busy day.
I understand Target not wanting tm’s on the phone, on the clock, spending their time checking up on other tm’s.

Now: we are a team, we have friends, we have a job to do. Please, swap numbers. On your break, be kind, text/call your peers to check on them if out, remind them they are on the schedule. I have lost too many good tm’s because there is no saving a no call/no show.

 

[can't touch this]

We used to have an ETL who was super hardcore about this. Absolutely never call anyone in ever, thus spake our Minnesotan overlords. Somebody misread their schedule and didn’t show up one day thinking they were off, and I said “uh, call them?” and he was like “absolutely the fuck not I’ll get fired if I do” which made my eyes roll into next week. But these days HR does call people who typically have good attendance and suddenly don’t show up, which has happened to me. I thought I was scheduled at 8am but it was actually 6, and right as I pulled into the parking lot at 7:45 I got a call asking if I was okay. ASANTS I guess.

 

[Bosch]

Having co-workers phone numbers also comes in handy when the phones are NOT put on night service and you are trying to call in or just say you are running late.. They would text you back telling you to call back they fixed it, or LOD knows and just call back after 8am when they flip the phones on for the day.