Archived LODs

[rog the dog]

Phone call.
"Hey, I'm running late."
"Okay, please hold."
Tell immediate boss, who refers to next highest. Tell next highest, who refers to LOD. Tell LOD. Meanwhile call has rang back about 4 times during all this.

Phone call.
"I want to talk to a manager."
Tell boss, referred to next highest, refer to LOD, refer back down to GS. Meanwhile guest is pissed because call has rang back about 5 times.

Ask about duties of the day. Bounced all around the hierarchy rather than going straight to the LOD who was left the instructions, and 10 minutes of my shift that could be spent doing my duties is gone forever.

Guest issue on the floor. Guest bounced around between the hierarchy as the issue is bounced around rather than the TM being empowered to get the right person in the first place.

Trying to remember who has what place in the hierarchy each particular day, rather than being certain of where to go.

If "hey im running late" doesnt go directly to that person's TL then you aren't running the new op model yet
if a guests issue isnt immediately directed to that areas team lead and then handled by them, you aren't running the new op model yet.

Or you just have insanely inept staff.

 

[Tessa120]

So the new op model throws up several layers of bureaucracy between the person with the issue and the person who can answer/handle the issue, and this is considered progress how?

 

[flow4areasonuno]

I suppose they consider it motivation to fix the issue yourself

 

[Amanda Cantwell]

So the new op model throws up several layers of bureaucracy between the person with the issue and the person who can answer/handle the issue, and this is considered progress how?

I don’t see what you mean. Guests issues are referred directly to the lead of the area, which I think in some cases is more helpful than ETL of another area. Example: our ETLSF is gonna be much less helpful than GSTL in resolving issues in the front. Same vice versa TLSF is gonna be better than ETLGE for salesfloor issues.

 

[Streetdate]

If "hey im running late" doesnt go directly to that person's TL then you aren't running the new op model yet
if a guests issue isnt immediately directed to that areas team lead and then handled by them, you aren't running the new op model yet.

Or you just have insanely inept staff.

So the new op model throws up several layers of bureaucracy between the person with the issue and the person who can answer/handle the issue, and this is considered progress how?

No. As rog said, the first leader that gets the issue should be the one to fix it, address it, solve the problem, make it right for the guest. If they can’t do that, why and in what way are they a leader?

If you’re calling in you should be speaking to your immediate supervisor; they should be then relating that to other impacted leads/leaders and TMs as needed to address business concerns.

 

[Tessa120]

I don’t see what you mean. Guests issues are referred directly to the lead of the area, which I think in some cases is more helpful than ETL of another area.

But to follow this new chain of command, I'd have to talk to my immediate supervisor about the call, get his blessing for the ETL, get his blessing for the LOD, and then get his blessing to give it to GS.

 

[Amanda Cantwell]

But to follow this new chain of command, I'd have to talk to my immediate supervisor about the call, get his blessing for the ETL, get his blessing for the LOD, and then get his blessing to give it to GS.

I don’t follow. Why does anyone need anyone’s blessing. TL of relevant area should resolve issue.

 

[Tessa120]

If you’re calling in you should be speaking to your immediate supervisor; they should be then relating that to other impacted leads/leaders and TMs as needed to address business concerns.

I have never seen that. The whole time I've been at Target the LOD handles those calls as the LOD has to track who is there and who isn't and why.

 

[Tessa120]

I don’t follow. Why does anyone need anyone’s blessing. TL of relevant area should resolve issue.

Reread:

The phrase LOD will phase out company wide soon. Person you should be going to for everything is your workcenters Lead(s), if not then your leader, and if they both aren't there then call the manager that is there.

So I would have to go up incrementally, with each person saying not their bailiwick, rigid following of chain of command, just to get permission to send the guest to someone outside the chain of command.

 

[OneArmedJesus]

You're making the whole situation more complicated than it should be

 

[Streetdate]

I have never seen that. The whole time I've been at Target the LOD handles those calls as the LOD has to track who is there and who isn't and why.

To date you’re correct. Your store probably hasn’t implemented new store ops model, and thus keep doing what you have been until you’re told otherwise. This is part of a new way to run the store that will roll out later in the spring company wide.

That’s how my store has been handling it under the new ops model. Think of it as how we’re operating during the week. Right now, there’s probably multiple ETLs/Leaders in your building, plus the STL. each of them is an “LOD” and can answer “LOD” calls, there’s no reason they can’t. Why does the Grocery ETL/Leader who happens to be LOD that day need to know that Jane in Softlines called in that day? It doesn’t impact grocery directly. Now that grocery leader has to tell the Softlines ETL/Leader, or the Softlines Team Lead if they’re not there. Why do that when Jane can relay that info directly to the Softlines leadership they report to, and the grocery leads can worry about and address grocery needs.

You don’t go up incrementally. You speak to your leaders, and they take it from there. If you’re leaders are all not there, another leader will take the call and handle it.

 

[Streetdate]

MEGATHREAD - 2018-2019 Store Modernization Megathread

FWIW, my 2 cents is that it'll work in the long run, but until the unloads are changed, it'll be a giant CF.

www.thebreakroom.org

Basically this post, but bear in mind there have been tweaks and adjustments made since this post. Again, it sounds like sprin 2019 for when a lot of this rolls out chain wide.

 

[Amanda Cantwell]

Reread:

So I would have to go up incrementally, with each person saying not their bailiwick, rigid following of chain of command, just to get permission to send the guest to someone outside the chain of command.

You refer the guest to the TL/ETL of the area they have a question about.

You're making the whole situation more complicated than it should be

 

[Xanatos]

Reread:

So I would have to go up incrementally, with each person saying not their bailiwick, rigid following of chain of command, just to get permission to send the guest to someone outside the chain of command.

The first person you go to (TL for that area) should be able to resolve an issue. Done. End of story. You don't need to talk to a second person at all. That's why the new way is easier.

If the TL for that area isn't working, then the ETL for that area becomes the first (and only) person to speak to. If neither is working, then either the STL or closing lead becomes the only person you speak to.

Granted, this is the first I've heard of any of this so I'm just making it up as I go, but it sounds pretty good. When I was a senior TL, logistics TMs would ask me questions and I would basically just ask them what they think they should do because they're in that workcenter ~20 hours per week and I don't even understand the premise of their question.

 

[rog the dog]

Reread:

So I would have to go up incrementally, with each person saying not their bailiwick, rigid following of chain of command, just to get permission to send the guest to someone outside the chain of command.

Respectfully, I think you need a lesson in reading comprehension.

If your TL(Lead) isn't there, meaning they aren't working or on lunch, you direct questions or issues to your ETL(Leader). If the ETL isn't there, you direct questions or issues to Closing Lead / STL.

The first person you go to (TL for that area) should be able to resolve an issue. Done. End of story. You don't need to talk to a second person at all. That's why the new way is easier.

If the TL for that area isn't working, then the ETL for that area becomes the first (and only) person to speak to. If neither is working, then either the STL or closing lead becomes the only person you speak to.

Granted, this is the first I've heard of any of this so I'm just making it up as I go, but it sounds pretty good. When I was a senior TL, logistics TMs would ask me questions and I would basically just ask them what they think they should do because they're in that workcenter ~20 hours per week and I don't even understand the premise of their question.

For making this up as you go, you hit the nail on the head. My store has been operating like this for a year and I have seen improvements. (pilot store)

Granted this doesn't mean modernization works or I support it, but they got one thing right lol.

 

[Tessa120]

I don't think I have a reading comprehension problem. People are pretty clear about it being a military like chain of command. I gotta go to one person and one person only, until that person says they can't/won't handle it, and then onto the next. Every section having its own rigid chain of command.

I don't see how that's better than one person to go to each day and freedom to refer to other people when it's not my area.

 

[A234]

I don't think I have a reading comprehension problem. People are pretty clear about it being a military like chain of command. I gotta go to one person and one person only, until that person says they can't/won't handle it, and then onto the next. Every section having its own rigid chain of command.

I don't see how that's better than one person to go to each day and freedom to refer to other people when it's not my area.

The whole idea is that the Lead in that area will handle it. Leads that refuse to handle issues should be coached/CCA'd until they do. Now they may not know the answers to some questions, but they should at least be able to refer you to the person who does. Literally half of my problem solving skills at Target are knowing who to ask.

 

[Amanda Cantwell]

The whole idea is that the Lead in that area will handle it. Leads that refuse to handle issues should be coached/CCA'd until they do. Now they may not know the answers to some questions, but they should at least be able to refer you to the person who does. Literally half of my problem solving skills at Target are knowing who to ask.

This.

 

[Hardlinesmaster]

Did anyone else read the Target Q1 strategy?

Yes.
Push TVs in electronics

 

[rog the dog]

Yes.
Push TVs in electronics

I've never seen so many TV stackout planograms in my life

 

[gsa4lyfe]

I don't think I have a reading comprehension problem. People are pretty clear about it being a military like chain of command. I gotta go to one person and one person only, until that person says they can't/won't handle it, and then onto the next. Every section having its own rigid chain of command.

I don't see how that's better than one person to go to each day and freedom to refer to other people when it's not my area.

Coming from someone who’s been that “one person”. This idea makes way more sense. Like everyone else said before the TL that oversees that area will know way more than another ETL or senior? When I was gstl my team was expected to call me before the LOD because I’m the expert in my area. Now as someone who has LOD shifts it makes way more sense from a productivity stand point. Days I’m LOD I can’t get anything done in my own work center. The only issue you’ve brought up with this chain of command is it exposes weak TLs and that’s not an issue that’s a good thing. If they can’t answer questions about their own department chances are they shouldn’t be a TL

 

[CrosstrainInsane]

TL should handle stuff in their area. Why is that so hard to understand? TL is off 2 days a week. Peers/STL or whoever is running the store at the time should be able to handle anything that comes up in between. If that’s not possible, well your store might have a big culture issue. My peers who are seniors already notify me as soon as they get a call that has anything to do with my work center. Why wouldn’t I want this? Call out in food? I should know before anyone else. Guest bought expired product? Um yeah please tell me. My peers who are LOD have always partnered with me, but my question is, why not just let me handle it in the first place??

 

[Tessa120]

"Their own department" - That's the issue. Either instructions have already been left with the LOD, or (much more often) guest chaos means that I'm faced with a lot of situations not in my area and therefore not in the immediate supervisor's province. When I have a guest frothing at the mouth demanding a manager because the cashier was rude, I don't see the sense in getting the team lead on the phone first. When I have a guest at the fitting room asking complicated return policy questions, is my immediate supervisor the best person to go to? If I have a guest who wandered my way checking out clearance and then asked a "by the way" question about an iffy expiration date on brownies and wanting a discount, is pulling the softlines immediate supervisor over the best thing to do?

I just really prefer the freedom of being allowed to trust my judgment about who to refer about what, because between the phone and the amazing amount of in person interactions that have nothing to do with softlines and everything to do with the rest of the store, problems that are mundane enough for team lead is a pretty small number.

 

[Amanda Cantwell]

When I have a guest at the fitting room asking complicated return policy questions, is my immediate supervisor the best person to go to?

What we’re all trying to say is you’re not calling your immediate supervisor. You’re calling the immediate supervisor of the area the guest question is dealing with. Example, complicated return question goes to GSTL/ETL GE, not SFTL.

 

[rog the dog]

problems that are mundane enough for team lead is a pretty small number.

If you have Team Leads who only deal with mundane problems then holy shit your store is ass backwards. Either that or you severely undervalue just how much TL's know about their departments.

Mundane problems should be handled by Team Members, if you can't handle any guest problems and need to be calling a TL every minute you should be retrained or not employed.