Archived I call out because

[LearningTree]

Yes!! Biggest thing I would say is to get to know your TMs and actually ask them what kind of shifts they prefer. For instance, I am SO not a morning person but kept getting 7am-4pm shifts when I started. Then I talked to other cashiers who were complaining about having to work late hours...um yesss please! Let’s swap!!!
Another cashier (who had young kids) and I both had open availability but she was always scheduled nights and I was early mornings...turns out there was no reason other than that had worked so far so HR just stuck with that.

Talk to people and ask how their shifts are working. Often I’m sure there’s nothing you can change, but sometimes just paying attention can help so much!!
Would be impossible to keep track of everyone’s preferences like that, but if there’s a way to default stuff in your scheduling software that would be ideal. So you could add in notes/notifications that come up whenever you schedule Amy for a clopen or Paul for late-night (same as I’m guessing it shows when you try to schedule a minor against their time?) or Laura for a 5.75 when she’d rather work a 5.5 scheduled as a 6...
In college I did the scheduling for my on-campus IT help desk and we had those abilities in our scheduling app years ago, so I’m sure something lol that is available now to use!

ETA...sorry got distracted. To answer directly, just schedule then follow up at some point individually to see if the schedule is working for that TM. Also, not sure if this is allowed, but schedule fewer hours for the TMs who consistently call out. Not to punish them necessarily, but more like to reward the ones who do show up...

Definitely take the initiative and talk to your schedule writer if you find something like that. My team is definitely way too big to have that kind of conversation with every TM more than once a year. Schedule writing takes me a day and a half to finish so if the schedule from the week before worked, then I'm going to save myself the time and write it that way again. However if 2 TMs came up to me that were in your situation, then I would have absolutely no problem switching, especially since they took the initiative.

The system doesn't allow us to put in many notes. We can put in preferred availability to help us keep track but that's basically it. You may still be scheduled outside of that preferred availability according to business needs but if it's possible, your schedule writer shouldn't have a problem with it. No schedule writer is going to schedule someone for a 5.5 shift if they know what they're doing. It simply doesn't make sense, unless they really need someone there at that end time for coverage. I've found that most of my TMs ask to skip lunch and go home early when I schedule them 5.5

TMs who are constantly absent should definitely be scheduled less as a punishment. Hours should be scheduled based on performance and 90% of performance is simply attendance. On my schedule, TMs who have attendance problems will only be given 4 hour non-critical shifts. I can't risk giving them a full 8 hr and then having them call out. TMs who are always there will be given more hours.

 

[slowhands]

Rarely have called in, but:

• Short shifts. Schedule me for 4 hours or less and I'll seriously consider calling in.

• Sat to Sun clopening. Ive always been able to get these fixed but i will not stay to 11 or 12 at night and then come back in at 6 am.

Usually have pretty consistent schedules nowadays so not much to complain about.

 

[Lemming]

You don't have to be on break to visit the restroom.

Our ETL LOG would disagree with you on that.

 

[commiecorvus]

Our ETL LOG would disagree with you on that.

Your ETL LOG is full of shit.
He doesn't get to make that call.

 

[Lemming]

I agree. Just intimidates everyone into complying or quitting.

 

[LUR99]

I have only called out once because I had the stomach flu. When I was an HR TM, I wrote the cashier schedule and tried to schedule the cashiers to their preference but they still called out. We have a few Team members on a final because their call outs are so excessive. On Valentines day, closing starbucks, closing electronics, closing HL and closing Service Desk called out. We called everyone, asked people to extend and even offered to pay OT and not a single person said yes. The closing LOD was not happy when he came in and was told about all the call outs.

 

[Frontlanegirl]

Also, not sure if this is allowed, but schedule fewer hours for the TMs who consistently call out. Not to punish them necessarily, but more like to reward the ones who do show up...

THIS!!! Don't cut my hours when I don't call out and come in when needed while you give hours to those who consistently call out or NCNS. I've proven myself, make them prove themselves.

 

[commiecorvus]

I called out when I worked at Target because I was in the hospital, vomiting blood.
I called out because my father-in-law died and I was required to sit shiva with my wife.

 

[Bosch]

THIS!!! Don't cut my hours when I don't call out and come in when needed while you give hours to those who consistently call out or NCNS. I've proven myself, make them prove themselves.

There were people who got 40hrs no matter what would call out for three of those shifts every fucking week. But they had their nose up the ETL's ass so nothing was ever done about it.

 

[HRLady]

Is there anything a schedule writer can do to make you more or less likely to come in?

This list is based on the TMs at my store (some things have been mentioned in other people's posts as well so those ones seem to be an issue at many stores):
- People who are scheduled more hours than they wanted are more likely to call off.
- If you schedule people in a work center that they hate, then they will try to give it away. If it fails, then they will call off. (Saw this happen a lot.)
- People who don't have a short commute to the store hate shorter 4 hour shifts. They think that it is a waste of time and gas. (Most of these people eventually ask to transfer elsewhere.)
- People dislike having to work every single weekend so often to the point that they feel like they never ever get a true Sat/Sun weekend off. Once in a while, they will call off just to have a weekend to themself.
- Communicate with students about their finals week schedule. Don't schedule them to close on the night before a final exam if you can. (Our store legit had call offs from students who wanted to study the night before a final. It would have helped if they let us know way ahead of time.)

 

[NPC]

Also, if I could pad my hours with sick time, or cash it out, I would call out a lot less. In my store, they strictly can only be used if you call out. It's very easy to justify a call out when you're maxed out on sick time, and desperately need a weekend.

 

[LaTarjetaRoja]

I have not called out, but I suppose I would be forced to if I physically could not stop being ill from either end, or had some kind of lower body pain/injury to the point where I could not walk/stand. Things that demoralize me/make me wish I could call out:

• I almost never receive 2 days in a row off.
• Being given low hours, then asked to come in because someone with attendance issues blew off their shift. If you wanted that covered, you could have scheduled me instead.
• Working like a dog for 8 hours and going home without finishing our work because our team lacks the payroll and processes to finish each day's tasks. How do you muster urgency if you work isn't important enough to merit sufficient payroll to complete it? "Who cares, it's not like we're going to finish the truck anyway" isn't something I should ever be hearing, but...
  
• Short shifts.

 

[Kompa]

I actually don't call out for personal reasons. Obviously a death or something would warrant it but I'd never call out because I'm "stressed" or whatever

 

[FlowTeamChick]

Think I've called off only once in 7+ years, which when I broke a bone and was physically unable to do practically anything that required the use of 2 hands. (Although that one call off was for a few weeks while I healed.)
In the past other TMs have told me outright that they called off because of a (insert occasion) party that kept them up too late or for a mental health day. I have no sympathy for the first and some for the second, depending on the person's situation.
As far as what would be helpful to limit call-offs - being scheduled for short shifts, which is all a lot of us get anymore, makes it really hard to be motivated to get there.

 

[SeeingSpot]

Appreciating the insights this far. Is there anything a schedule writer can do to make you more or less likely to come in?

Someone else brought this up but to not give someone too many days in a row, i know it’s not always possible to have the time to check the week before, but to be scheduled 8-10 days in a row has made me want to call in for no reason other than I need a BREAK

 

[Noiinteam]

I only call out when sick, which is why I maxed on sick time. Started using sick for Doctor appointments and bringing up hours to average. The maybe one advantage of working flow is having a set schedule. Unless, like this week, a truck is added, I have the same days off. Yippee

 

[NPC]

Why is this a "brag about not calling out" thread? That's not the topic of discussion. Stop being so fuckin coy, you liars.

 

[PackAndCry]

The only time I've called off is when I needed some time off after a particularly bad pog day and I knew I wouldn't be fucking over the rest of the team by calling off (it was just a revision/push day).

 

[Frontlanegirl]

There were people who got 40hrs no matter what would call out for three of those shifts every fucking week. But they had their nose up the ETL's ass so nothing was ever done about it.

Then that is a leadership problem; which then becomes a salesfloor problem. If I rarely ever call out and they are giving hours to people who consistently call out, how is that fair? In the end, because those people call out, I am then called in to help them out.

 

[IcePeasant]

As far as avoidable call-outs go, They started scheduling a GSTL-trained TM - be a cashier trained or an actual GSA, when they have someone who tends to call off scheduled. Sometimes that backfires in case said TM with poor attendance sees the schedule and sees there’s coverage and still follows thru with the call off. I’ve noticed when people call off, if a certain person-be it a TL/ETL- is working, then tend to not call off.
For the floor, short/long shifts or consistent shifts(closing all the time, mid, etc). Yes, they call off for Long shifts if they can’t find someone to swap with. Kids love their free time and personal life.
They’re very adamant about the call-offs that are avoidable-stating it’s posted well ahead, you should be checking and it’s your own fault if you can’t see the schedules posted.
If a TM clopens, and isn’t within the 8HR gap between shifts, then we change it if notified, if not it’s usually communicated in the emails. We had one GSTM who clopened so consistently despite telling their TL/ETL when the schedule was posted, that they called off the next day.

 

[redeye58]

I have called out when I threw my back out & I couldn't stand up, when my mom was in the hospital & when I had to take one of the kids to the ER for stitches.

 

[SnorlaxTM]

I try to only call out when I’m really sick, the only exceptions have been when I had to take my father to the hospital or when the vacation I put in months in advance never got approved because an ETL refused to check requests.

Also if it’s only from the poll options, kucf clopening.

 

[Tessa120]

Yeah, I hate 4-5 hour shifts. I will be a lot more likely to either call out or put my shift on the swap board.

The weekend thing, ask first, don't assume it's a problem. They nearly always had me closing Friday, Saturday and Sunday nights. I didn't mind it, and my schedule was pretty consistent week to week. One time I was looking at a newly posted schedule and I had a weekend day off. I tend to verbalize my thoughts and I said something to myself about it and my ETL heard me. She hadn't realized I was always the weekend closer. Shortly after that I started getting a lot of weekend days off but my schedule also got a lot more chaotic. I'll take being the weekend closer if it gives me a consistent schedule.

 

[StockerAce]

I can't see the results of the poll without voting, and none of the options would fit me anyway (I've never called out). HRZone, can you post the results sometime down the road (or add a "results" option, if it doesn't alter your stats so far)?

 

[HRZone]

TMs who are constantly absent should definitely be scheduled less as a punishment.

Yeah while we aren't supposed to technically schedule based on performance. I definitely give preferential scheduling not to who I like but to who shows up.

Even if you're a great worker if you call out a lot I can't rely on you