seasonal here - chances of being kept on with covid?

[cat cat]

hi there! i already did everything correctly through target pay & benefits so i am in the system for COVID leave until the 28th. i want to stay on after mid january (that is the letting-go date for our store) because i really like working at target and need this job to pay the bills. at orientation, one of my HR people said that at our store they might keep a large percentage of seasonals and it just depends on showing up for every shift and doing well/learning all the time.

i wanted to know if my 10 day absence will affect my chances at all because to my understanding and after talking to a couple of team leads, it is attendance and performance based. as for performance, because of my hurting feet, i cant do general batches for extended periods of time. i can only do grocery batches, prep & stow, and bulky but i get these done very quickly. i also do RTS occasionally to make sure im always busy. i also hop into a check lane whenever they need me, and i havent had anyone critique me yet.

i wanted to talk to my ETL about being kept on and also being cross trained. he told me fulfillment hours are being dropped, so i want to be as useful as i can and ask to be trained in other things like self checkout, guest service desk, and maybe re-shop.

if i get let go during the 2nd or 3rd week of january, when could i apply again? would it be permanent? do i have to go through the whole virtual interview process again?
edit: also when they ask me what roles i'd prefer, can i put fulfillment and cashier again?

thanks to anyone who can answer these questions

 

[MrT]

The biggest thing with keeping seasonal is your stores needs. If you don't have other attendance issues and are doing a good job it wouldn't effect you. Likely your store has made up its mind on who is worth keeping, so being out with covid now won't effect there decision. They are going through how many tms are needed at this point. You could be put into a different area or cross trained if the do keep you. If you are having issues with doing general merch batches I doubt they keep you in fulfillment if I'm being honest. If they do not keep you you can look back and apply in a few months when hours pick up a bit and likely they have people who have quit and are looking to refill the positions. Edit to add: open availability is a big thing and being flexible with your hours may allow you to fill in a gap. If your availability is limited you are probably not going to be kept unless that is a serious need in your store.

 

[Anelmi]

10 days? Now, it's 5 days for Covid leave. Unfortunately if you are seasonal for fulfillment or cashier, your odds of staying on are pretty slim even without a Covid-related absence....unless you have a specific availability that the store needs, i.e. closing. Even then if you have feet issues, cashier shifts aren't the easiest and you 100% won't be put into GS until you are proven as a cashier. Putting back abandon largely falls under closing expert so again, if you have open availability you might have more options.

 

[Nauzhror]

10 days? Now, it's 5 days for Covid leave. Unfortunately if you are seasonal for fulfillment or cashier, your odds of staying on are pretty slim even without a Covid-related absence....unless you have a specific availability that the store needs, i.e. closing. Even then if you have feet issues, cashier shifts aren't the easiest and you 100% won't be put into GS until you are proven as a cashier. Putting back abandon largely falls under closing expert so again, if you have open availability you might have more options.

We almost never get rid of seasonal cashiers at my store unless they are completely horrible - and even then, we usually keep them. Seasonal Fulfillment though is a whole other story.

 

[cat cat]

10 days? Now, it's 5 days for Covid leave. Unfortunately if you are seasonal for fulfillment or cashier, your odds of staying on are pretty slim even without a Covid-related absence....unless you have a specific availability that the store needs, i.e. closing. Even then if you have feet issues, cashier shifts aren't the easiest and you 100% won't be put into GS until you are proven as a cashier. Putting back abandon largely falls under closing expert so again, if you have open availability you might have more options.

i forgot to mention that my covid leave period started 12/18. i'll talk to my TL and ETL when im able to return to work. i have been trying to ask about trying other departments, but it seems like they don't have anywhere else to put me

 

[cat cat]

We almost never get rid of seasonal cashiers at my store unless they are completely horrible - and even then, we usually keep them. Seasonal Fulfillment though is a whole other story.

i love fulfillment (other than how tiring it is on my body) but yeah, i've seen a handful of fellow TMs who are quick and have great metrics. i probably wont be as good as them because i did only start working at target mid november. i do like cashiering more so i hope i can stay in that department.

 

[cat cat]

The biggest thing with keeping seasonal is your stores needs. If you don't have other attendance issues and are doing a good job it wouldn't effect you. Likely your store has made up its mind on who is worth keeping, so being out with covid now won't effect there decision. They are going through how many tms are needed at this point. You could be put into a different area or cross trained if the do keep you. If you are having issues with doing general merch batches I doubt they keep you in fulfillment if I'm being honest. If they do not keep you you can look back and apply in a few months when hours pick up a bit and likely they have people who have quit and are looking to refill the positions. Edit to add: open availability is a big thing and being flexible with your hours may allow you to fill in a gap. If your availability is limited you are probably not going to be kept unless that is a serious need in your store.

Thank you for the honest answer.
yeah, i wasnt prepared for the onslaught of pain in my ankles and steps taken per day.
i hear on walkie all the time that they need someone in a check lane. we are also one of the only targets in our area so a lot of guests come here. so i am hoping to be cross trained anywhere up front to help.
i wanted to be put in style attendant a while back but my ETL told me there wasn't a huge demand for them so he didn't.
if i applied again in a few months, would it be a seasonal period again or would i be considered as a permanent?

 

[MrT]

Thank you for the honest answer.
yeah, i wasnt prepared for the onslaught of pain in my ankles and steps taken per day.
i hear on walkie all the time that they need someone in a check lane. we are also one of the only targets in our area so a lot of guests come here. so i am hoping to be cross trained anywhere up front to help.
i wanted to be put in style attendant a while back but my ETL told me there wasn't a huge demand for them so he didn't.
if i applied again in a few months, would it be a seasonal period again or would i be considered as a permanent?

It would most likely be a permanent position.

 

[IWishIKnew]

At my store pretty much nobody gets kept from seasonal fulfillment, at least in years past. Staffing has been much more of a problem this year, so they may keep more, but historically fulfillment is one area that gets all the hours they want in Q4 and pretty much none in Q1.

Let them know you're interested in cross-training, but being out and having issues with performance make it more challenging (unless you've requested formal ADA accommodations, then it gets more difficult for them to let you go for performance issues due to those accommodations, but not impossible).

 

[cat cat]

At my store pretty much nobody gets kept from seasonal fulfillment, at least in years past. Staffing has been much more of a problem this year, so they may keep more, but historically fulfillment is one area that gets all the hours they want in Q4 and pretty much none in Q1.

Let them know you're interested in cross-training, but being out and having issues with performance make it more challenging (unless you've requested formal ADA accommodations, then it gets more difficult for them to let you go for performance issues due to those accommodations, but not impossible).

Is it appropriate or too late to talk about this on the phone to my ETL? or should i wait until i can go back to work on Wednesday to catch him?
i'm feeling anxious and i don't want to bother anyone, but i reckon this is about the time seasonal TMs might be getting talked to about it in person

 

[DBZ]

They have already decided who is staying and who isn't. They will not give you much notice either way. If you get cut, let them know you are interested in coming back. If they have a position they are allowed to fill and you are trained for it, they will call you. In years past, they haven't been able to replace people until March, so be patient until then.

 

[HInbound]

There's always a ODTM position if not, depending if your store offers it.

We already let our seasonals go, but we kept 10+ this year as we were running lean prior to Q4 seasonal hires.