Archived Meal Compliance

[NKG]

So this isn't my concern as TM. However, our store is hitting meal compliance every week and the ETL HR is taking alot of heat being new. They started asking TM on what they can do to make it stop. Apparently its not always the same people and threatening to put you on CA is not enough. I feel like no one should have to be walked to the time clock. What does yout store do to prevent meal compliance?

 

[Xanatos]

We tell the LOD to sign in to redwire so they get alerts when someone needs a meal, although SrTLs are usually the only ones to actually sign in. And the GSTL/GSA is also usually signed in. And we post a break schedule for the sales floor TMs and I make one for Starbucks and Food Ave. GSTL/GSA takes care of service desk, cashier, and cart attendant break schedules.

Missing a meal should never really happen except under certain extreme circumstances, but it still seems to happen all the time and we practically have to chase team members (and certain team leaders) to the time clock.

 

[SFSFun]

The LOD is signed into redwire and will call out TMs who are approaching compliance. They typically won't say anything to the backroom TMs who like to wait until the last minute and never actually hit it.

 

[Circle9]

Speaking as a TM who has racked up a worrying number of meal violations: communication. I can't stress this enough. I wasn't clocking out late on purpose, I thought I was doing just fine on time. Maybe a cutting it a little close, but still in the bounds. Turns out I was wrong! Because at huddles (back when I still attended) would always say things like "by the Xth hour" repeatedly, then never explain just exactly what that means. Or tell me that I need to watch when I take my meals a lot sooner than after my 10th violation in several months.

Also, coverage. Most of those violations were because I had nobody to cover my area for me and I didn't feel comfortable leaving it alone for 30 minutes. So I'd wait and wait for a vendor who was in the building stocking, or a SBT vendor outside grabbing their order, or a vendor who usually came around that time but hadn't yet. I still don't have an actual coverage but getting told to just go when it's time and somebody would get the door or something, that helped.

I haven't heard anyone at our store call out TMs approaching compliance in months. Probably because we're down to a handful of iPods and nobody really checks Redwire anyways. Sometimes the flow TL will call over the radio at various times (4 and 5 hours into the shift) to remind Flow-TMs to take empty carts up front/clock out but that's it.

 

[Deli Ninja]

At my store, you have to take a lunch before your 6th hour. I know for a fact that at least a few TMs are consistently not taking their lunch and just leaving at 5.75 hours so that they don't have to take a lunch and to soak up that extra 15 minutes... but they also have to ignore guests so that they can clock out in time if it's busy, just so they can avoid hitting compliance. You might want to see if this is happening in your store and TMs are getting caught by guests on their way out. If it is, maybe talk to whoever is doing the schedule and see if they might be willing to schedule slightly longer or slightly shorter shifts for their TMs. Like 5.50 or 6.25 hour shifts.

 

[IHeartCarts]

They write on the daily schedule what time everyone is supposed to take their lunch. It's ridiculous I hate this place.

 

[Xanatos]

They write on the daily schedule what time everyone is supposed to take their lunch. It's ridiculous I hate this place.

I don't see how that's ridiculous. If they didn't do that, lots of team members would either 1) forget to take their meal on time and/or 2) take it at the same time, leaving very few people on the sales floor for that half hour.

 

[Kompa]

As a brtm I take my meal at my 5th hour and 55th minutes. Never hit complience.

 

[IHeartCarts]

I don't see how that's ridiculous. If they didn't do that, lots of team members would either 1) forget to take their meal on time and/or 2) take it at the same time, leaving very few people on the sales floor for that half hour.

Ok those TMs should be coached until they remember how to do their job.

Our store rarely has people coming it at the same time for softlines or hardlines so that's usually not a problem.

 

[pinkp2ie]

How many times have you guys compliance if any?
Is it really, really a $10k fine!?

 

[Bosch]

How many times have you guys compliance if any?
Is it really, really a $10k fine!?

A 10K fine is not a first time deal, that kind of fine racks up when you have constant violations. Set an alarm on your phone for 20min til compliance(I keep mine in my pocket) so when it goes off you can snooze it for 10min and start making your way to the time clock. If it goes off again drop everything and just go to lunch. Anyone stops you, radio "hey guys I need help cause I really need to clock out" And go.. HR I have found for all their faults will back you up on making sure you hit your lunch on time.

I hit it once in seven years, slammed store and basically told "don't leave" we know. Ok..

 

[anathema]

You can keep shift breaks to 2-4-2 to avoid compliance. Redwire to remind TMs if they get close as well.

I'm not sure why, but some people are really reluctant about not hitting people with corrective action. If something is mandatory, like taking meals are, and you, for some reason, refuse to take it on time, I'd drop a CA on you. I wouldn't let my ETL-HR take heat because my TMs can't follow simple instructions.

 

[pinkp2ie]

A 10K fine is not a first time deal, that kind of fine racks up when you have constant violations. Set an alarm on your phone for 20min til compliance(I keep mine in my pocket) so when it goes off you can snooze it for 10min and start making your way to the time clock. If it goes off again drop everything and just go to lunch. Anyone stops you, radio "hey guys I need help cause I really need to clock out" And go.. HR I have found for all their faults will back you up on making sure you hit your lunch on time.

I hit it once in seven years, slammed store and basically told "don't leave" we know. Ok..

Ahh... they made me feel really bad about it. I was shopping off the clock said hi and the ETL-LOG dissed me off.

This past saturday, my guest service TM friend was at, guest service and she told early 15 minutes the GSTL she was about to hit compliance. When she was 5 minutes away, she told the ETL-GE and she got really mad at her yelling at her "JUST GO JUST GO!" even though she told the GSTL she was on first alert. GSTL never sent anyone over and the GSTL and my friend have massive issues.

Same day, i got in at 3:30 - compliance is at 8:30, my electronics TL told me to take my lunch at 8 but the guy who was going to cover it took his break at about 7:55 - when he came back, it was about 8:15 and if i remember right we both started having lots of people coming at us needing help so we went to help. I ended up being 3 minutes away from compliance and my electronics TL was totally cool with it. He appreciated me helping & being vigilant of the time. Funny being how my electronics TL was really nice to me. Stuff like that makes me want to work harder when certain people are there.

 

[redeye58]

After 3 of us hit compliance during the holidays, I did as suggested & set my phone alarm for 15 minutes prior to compliance. I set it right after I've clocked in.
I started drilling it into each & every one of my team mates at SB & FA, with each & every new hire.
The last 2 months we've been the only dept to be compliance-free but it takes persistance.

 

[Bosch]

The GSTL not sending coverage is not your problem it's their problem. Push comes to shove you will win that argument.

You take care of you, and you handled yourself correctly. I set up my alarms so that I know at that 20min til I have time to play with in case like what happened to you comes up. Your TL was right to praise you, you kept your time correct and helped out. He wouldn't have been mad if you had to go either, cause he would not want to hear "why did you let pinkp2pie hit compliance?" One of my best friends is a TL so I hear things like how he has to coach people for not going to lunch on time after they have been told umpteenth times..

 

[Leo47]

As a cashier, I'd always just think "ok I need to take my lunch before x o'clock" and then constantly look at the time and about 15-20 minutes before if no one has come over to cover my line then I would turn on my light and tell the GSTL/GSA/whoever that I need to go to lunch. Never hit compliance

 

[signingminion]

You can keep shift breaks to 2-4-2 to avoid compliance. Redwire to remind TMs if they get close as well.

I'm not sure why, but some people are really reluctant about not hitting people with corrective action. If something is mandatory, like taking meals are, and you, for some reason, refuse to take it on time, I'd drop a CA on you. I wouldn't let my ETL-HR take heat because my TMs can't follow simple instructions.

My pog team lives to wait till the last minute. We are a 5hr state and they prefer we take meal at 4.5 as a team. Couple of us do, one will go at quarter til, one will go at twenty til, and one or two might wait till five til.

They talk til they are blue in the face and I've warned them that corrective action will come eventually. No shits given. I'd also them all myself.

On the other hand we have to wait 3 hrs to take first break because of 4x4, so it makes it annoying to go to lunch like an hour later... we used to go right after huddle.

 

[smashandthrash]

Wear a watch

 

[Deli Ninja]

Wear a watch

I can't. Food safety.

 

[Kartman]

I buy the cheapest, smallest analog watch I can find, cut off the wristbands and carry it in my pocket.

 

[Pale]

How many times have you guys compliance if any?
Is it really, really a $10k fine!?

There's a reason they're so strict with lunches. It's labor laws.

 

[Kartman]

Stupid shit, silly shit...

 

[Castagnier]

At my store, some of the TLs are watchful of their department's TMs that tend to get near compliance. It helps cement the fact that they're leading their team and goes a rather long way by doing so little. Of course, that doesn't include backroom. My team tends to take hours with minutes left. In my case, I've done it with a minute left a couple of times. Because of this, for a few months, I thought it was up to the TM to remember when to take their meals. It surprised me when a softlines TM who was working with us had her ETL remind her of her lunch on our channel.

Honestly, I've legit gone into compliance once when I got busy backstocking and lost track of time. I just did a trick one of our overnight TMs taught me, though, and didn't clock in for my meal and just clocked out. Seemed to work, but I felt really guilty about doing that and I've made sure to keep track of time after then.

 

[Kartman]

Any TM that doesn't have the brains to take their 'lunch' when it's time is a TM I'd like to see gone.

It ain't rocket science...

 

[Unsilent]

I just did a trick one of our overnight TMs taught me, though, and didn't clock in for my meal and just clocked out. Seemed to work, but I felt really guilty about doing that and I've made sure to keep track of time after then.

The system doesn't differentiate between meal start and end work when it comes down to it. It's just an in/out punch. Or so I've heard an HRTM say; doing so shouldn't be a workaround for compliance, since the system would still show that 5/6 hours has passed from shift start to clocking out.