The LOD announced at huddle that management will not be calling no-shows anymore. This announcement was made along with a reminder that 3 NC/NS in a row is voluntary job abandonment, and automatic termination.
I can understand that it might be labor-intensive to call people who can't properly keep track of their work schedules, especially if it happens very often, and at least part of the motivation for the change in policy might be to reduce payroll, and possibly staff, this time of year. However, I personally know of at least two examples where calling or following up on the unexplained absence of an otherwise reliable worker either saved someone's life or helped solve a crime. At the very least, even reliable workers who write down and double-check their schedules each week can get mixed up now and then, especially TM's who can have highly variable schedules from week-to-week.
I can predict that the first time Spot fails to follow up on someone who is living alone, doesn't have many close friends or relatives looking after them, and is later discovered to be face down on the kitchen floor knocked unconscious, with a broken hip, or even dead, there will be serious bad publicity, possibly even a lawsuit. Even worse than an accident or illness, someone might have been murdered or kidnapped, and abandoning that person to their fate without any followup would allow the investigative trail to go cold.
What is the policy and practice at your store?
Our store started this same policy around a year ago. At first no one liked it because as you said it does save peoples jobs if you call them but now we all just accept it. In fact I had completely forgot that we used to call people until this thread came up. A side effect of this policy is that if you have some good friends at spot they will call/text you instead if they know you should be there with them.
During one really heavily shopped/understaffed holiday season, I missed half of a shift because I overslept. When you work till 1-2am and are scheduled to be back by 9-10am, it helps to know the store cares to call you.
And there was a 3 month period, on multiple occasions, where I was supposed to be off on the printed schedule. But somehow I was scheduled on the computer. The only way I knew I was schedule was the LOD calling me.
To me this is going to lower morale even more and show that management doesn't care about its team members.
I know there were a couple incidents at my store that the reason why a TM didn't show up for their shift was that they were in the ER either overwhelmingly sick or injured in a car crash. If someone from the store didn't call, they wouldn't have known.
Our store is the same way. I am sure that if there was a legitimate reason as to why it happen that MAYBE it would slide. There is one thing that does concern me. In the mornings when the over night LOD opens the door for the 7am & 7:30am TM's... Sometimes they open it late and I know that you have 5 mins to clock in or it counts you as late. But if the door isn't opened at the right time or if the time clock is offline, you will be counted as late. I have had a few TM's mention this to me and it has happen to to also. On my 6 month evaluation, I was "clocked in" as being late 16 times. When my ETL-GE told me this I started laughing. Seriously I did. I was never given a verbal warning, a written or a CCA for this so called "16" times and im sure if I was I would have been terminated seeing as how I run the front and am considered to be a roll model for our team. I did my own little investigating and those 16 times, 7 out of them were punch corrected, 5 were because the LOD was late to the door and the other 3 I was actually late, one being because I was in a car accident on my way to work.. Should I have been spoken to about this on my evaluation as if I was doing something wrong because that is exactly how it was made out to be.?
it's to get rid of team members plain and simple. My store quit doing it around a year ago as well.
It's also to minimize favoritism.
it's lame though, it definately came in handy a few times when the etl called and woke me up. It was also nice having a tl who gave a **** enough to text and wake me up. But of course he had to be fired!
Even though I feel that there are time's when we should call. For instance, if it's not like a team member to not show-up, or to be late. Then I'd probably give them a call. But I'm not calling someone who is consistently late or has attendance issues. Ultimately, if I call you your being coached anyways for not showing up. But it is the Team Members responsibility to show up for their scheduled shifts.
Exactly, my store still calls NCNSs, but we don't call people who have clear attendance issues. People make mistakes, it's called "being human".
However, even if my store adopted this stupid policy, I'd still shoot a text to any TMs that I knew didn't have attendance issues. I'm all about following the rules, but some rules are stupid. I'll coach you for being late, but I'm not going to just lose good TMs b/c they're human beings.
Walking the plank for ncns is good thing!
We've rolled this out like 3 years ago. We were told it wasn't brand to call actually anybody whether it's a NCNS or if their 15 minutes late. If it's someone I know and I have their number in my phone, I'll sneak off and give a shout, but that's it.
Same here. We aren't allowed call either.
We don't call anyone - from my point of view it's not brand to remind someone to work.
I have been with Target going on 10 years, and it has always been our policy, that it is "NOT BRAND" to call. I was always told it was Target policy and they were not allowed to. even if it was someone who has never missed a day for 2 or 3 years, and then fails to show up for work. NO Call from TARGET management.
If it's someone I know and I have their number in my phone, I'll sneak off and give a shout, but that's it.
I can't count the number of times I've had the Starbucks TL do this for a team member, or I've done it myself. I wonder if there would be any repercussions from leadership if they knew you did this though. Sure it would be very hard for them to find out, but still.
The other morning our new ETL-AP was supposed to be LOD and didn't come in and they called him..wonder if that applies to ETL's...probably not.
this is our policy but it's not strictly followed. I will say that the tm's who have attendance issues are never called if they're late or NCNS but if it's someone that is ALWAYS on time or ALWAYS there then they will call them.
At my store we're never supposed to call. I think it's ridiculous, especially if the TM in question normally has very good attendance.
Then set an alarm? Seriously, I stay up pretty late every night (usually go to sleep between 2:30 and 4) and I've never missed an opening shift. Heck, I've never missed a PA shift that starts at 6. I set my main alarm and my phone alarm.
We do not call either.... However I'm lucky enough to have had a smart etl who decided to call and check to see if everything was ok. As a diabetic I am so grateful there was someone to help me or the situation could have been much worse. Other than these extreme circumstances though, I'm on board with not calling no shows. Let's get the irresponsible team member out of here.
If it's someone who hasn't had prior attendance issues, we'll call because it may've been an honest oversight or to see if something's wrong.
If it's a regular offender, either they'll call just to hear their latest excuse/leave a message so as to coach 'em out the door.