New Job

[Tally]

I am pleased to say that I survived my first 3 night shifts in my new job over the weekend.

 

I am not sure whether I like it though

 

I have found it really hard to talk to people and I'm sure they have already judged me as a really quiet person.

 

The person I have been working with is really bossy. She has good intentions and is only trying to be helpful, but I'm finding it really hard to cope with her and I feel like she is telling me off all the time. She likes to take the trolley close to the product she is filling. I can see that makes sense but I cannot always find something else on the top that goes close to the same place and then she tells me I shouldn't walk so far with heavy things, I should pick something that goes closer. Sometimes there have been 3 of us working off the same trolley and if she is unwrapping something off the front of the trolley, someone else is unwrapping something off the back, and I just have to stand there doing nothing while I wait for one of them to finish. I don't want people to think I am lazy and will stand around doing nothing while other people are working hard, but that is what I've spent a lot of time doing so far.

 

There are extra staff due to Christmas, so maybe we will not be working in groups all the time and it will be easier. The aisles are really narrow and it's difficult to work with more than one person in an aisle. Once I know what I am doing I will not need to work with other people either. So maybe it will get better. I deliberately chose to work in a bigger shop so that I will be working with other people and might make some friends there, so I'm disappointed that it's not working out that way.

 

It's very different to the supermarket work I've done before and they seem to have much lower standards. It's horrible not being allowed to do things "properly" (as I see it). Even if it is only filling shelves, I like to go home feeling like I have made it look good for the customers and it's frustrating to think I have left it looking messy. And there are things like emptying the cardboard compactor. It crushes the cardboard and then when it is full you tie it up into a bale and empty it. Apparently that's a man's job but it doesn't involve heavy lifting as the machine does that for you. It feels wrong to walk away and leave it for someone else when I can manage. I've worked with broken ones before that you have to lever it out with a crow bar so I'm perfectly capable of using a fully functioning one.

 

Anyway, I'm going to wait until Christmas is over and start looking for another new job at the end of January if I still feel the same way.

[oxgirl]

Sorry you're feeling like this, Tally, but it's such early days, give yourself some time. The lady might just be being bossy because you are new and she feels she has to be showing you the ropes all the time, once you've been there a while maybe she'll calm down and let you get on. It's bound to feel strange at first, but you've only been there a few days and, like you say, after Christmas things might change and you might feel more settled. Hope so. <'>

 

~ Mel ~

[Tally]

I'm trying to convince myself it will get better. That's why I'm putting off looking for something else until the end of January, I want to give myself a chance to see how it goes when everything gets back to normal.

 

I don't think she means to come across bossy. I think she's just been working there a long time and knows she is really good at her job, and wants to help the new person by sharing her experience. It's just that she's telling me lots of little things and I feel a bit picked on, but I know it's not like that really. She does seem nice and always helps me if I ask a question so I think it's all well-intended. I think it will be better after Christmas as with less staff I won't be working with her all of the time so she won't notice the little things.

 

It's 10-hour shifts, which is a long time to spend with someone who is a bit annoying!

[chris54]

When I first started in my present job about 20 months ago, I had some of the same feelings. Now I am one of the more experienced night staff, and am classed as a level 3 which puts my only one behind the team leaders and out rank most of the day staff.

Still haven't got a clue what I'm doing and make most of it up as I go along.

 

Stick with it, I'm sure it will get better.

[justine1]

sorry Tally <'> I agree its early days so don't give up just yet.It could be because of all the snow trouble etc you are a bit tired as well which may affect how you feel.

 

I did a similar job about 5 years ago,I did it alongside my care night shift,it was in a supermarket and I packed the cold foods shelfs,which was horrid!! My hands were frozen and if I wore gloves I stuck to everything.As you mention I seemed to work alone most of the time,only saw the other stuff at out tea break but nobody spoke to me I eventually managed to get more shifts at the care home and so quit at the shop,I did'nt enjoy it at all,I was there for 2 months though.

I know people who had been working there for 15-20 years,so it must be okay for them to be there that long!

 

 

I hope you begin to like it,it is a pain having to look for work.

[bid]

Hang in there...I'm sure things will settle down after Christmas and you'll get a more realistic picture of what the job is really like. I hated it when I first transferred to nights from days, I thought I'd made a huge mistake. Within a month there was a big change of staff, and I've never looked back!

 

Bid <'>

Edited December 23, 2010 by bid

[dana]

I am sorry you are not very happy with your new job. <'>

 

Still, I think it is a good idea to wait a bit longer before you decide to give it up. Maybe this is how it is at Christmas time. Probably after the holiday the things will be different.

 

Wish you good luck.

 

Danaxxx

[Kathryn]

Sorry it's not working out so well, but give it time to make sure. It took me several weeks to get used to my job and start to like it - for weeks I wondered if I'd done the right thing.

 

K x

[Tally]

It's been 3 weeks now and I'm still not really enjoying it at all. We are still working 3 people to an aisle, and the aisles are really narrow because it's such a small shop. We're just tripping over each other the whole time.

 

The person I've been working with is still very annoying. She keeps snatching things out of my hands and saying, "we haven't got time to do that." She likes to fill the shelves by opening a wrapper and then passing me the tins 1 by 1, but it would be much easier to pick up the whole lot in the cardboard tray, because they are much easier to stack that way. Without the cardboard they all fall over. I think half the shop is out of date. I've found lots of things that went out of date in mid-2010 and even one item from 2009.

 

My manager has told me that he is going to do my new starter assessment next week. For it I have to work an aisle all by myself and he is going to see how I get on. He gets a print out telling him how much stuff has come in, so he can tell from that how long it should take me. My colleague was telling me these print outs are never accurate anyway, my manager will add extra stuff and expect me to do it just as fast, if the shop is very empty it will take longer, etc, and the manager will not take any of these things into consideration. I don't think I've got too much to worry about though. At the interview they said I'd have a probationary period, but that they've never had to sack someone at the end before, so I really don't think I need to worry too much about this! You would expect a new person to work a bit slow, so if it's a problem I think he will just set me that as a target.

 

But I was talking to the person who does Fresh Foods this morning and he says he hates it. I've always worked on Fresh Foods before and liked it best. So I'm going to say at my assessment next week that I've always preferred Fresh Foods. It would resolve the problem of working with other people as he has to work by myself. It can't hurt to say anyway.

[oxgirl]

Sorry to hear you're still not very happy, Tally. Good luck with your assessment. Maybe, if you do get moved to fresh foods, you will feel happier and more settled. <'>

 

~ Mel ~

[Kathryn]

Hope it gets better. It must be frustrating when you can see better ways of doing things.

 

It's illegal to sell out of date food, isn't it?

 

K x

[Tally]

It's illegal to sell out of date food, isn't it?

It's a bit of a grey area with "best before" dates (rather than use by or sell by). But most people do think it's illegal, so it looks really bad. Some of the fizzy drinks were even discoloured compared to the in-date ones.

[Beth_]

I do hope it gets better for you. It can take a while to adjust to new ways of doing things (especially when your way makes more sense) but if you're miserable maybe it's not the right job?

[Tally]

I'm still not really liking it.

 

Ever since I was asked to work an aisle by myself for the new starter assessment, I have just gone and done the same aisle by myself and that's a lot, lot better. Once I am finished I have to work with other people at the end, but that is OK. Being able to work on my own for most of the time is making a big difference. My aisle has all the tins or soup and baked beans, and Indian/Chinese/Italian sauce jars and things, and I also do pickles, oils and vinegars.

 

I am getting to know where the short-dated items are now, and I pull them all to the front and they seem to be selling through, which is making me happy. I think I have cleared most of the out of date things now. From my aisle anyway, I am not so worried about the others any more.

 

I found some Heinz beans out of date and some very close. That annoyed me because they sell so fast there really is no excuse for it.

 

This woman I have been working with is still quite annoying. Her name is Tina. There is also a young lad called Terry who is interested in quantum physics, and she winds him up all the time. She asks him questions and does not listen to the answer and then keeps saying, "answer the question." He speaks very formally and she just does not seem to like him because he seems to be quite clever, but also quite naive. On all our breaks though, Tina just basically shouts at Terry for the entire break and it is not relaxing to go for a break.

 

Tina's motto seems to be "we haven't got time for that." This morning we were filling up the freezers together and I was tidying some chips up so I could fill them and she just grabbed them out of my hand and started throwing them up, telling me we don't bother with that because it will damage your hands and cause arthritis if you keep them in the freezer long enough to tidy things up.

 

I was really annoyed and just stood there while she took the chips from me and threw them. I wanted to say something but I don't want to fall out with anyone so I didn't say anything. I think she realised though because later she told me about all these times when she has gone the extra mile to help out and not been thanked for it, or other people have even taken the credit for her work. She said that after I have worked here a while I will develop a bad attitude as well, and that if I do things properly they will expect it all the time. But I have worked in similar kinds of places before and had similar things happen, but it just makes me happy if I can feel like I did my bit properly, even if no one else realised.

 

I'm not sure whether she is worried I will be taken advantage of, or whether other people (including her) will be expected to do things properly if I am seen to be having the time to do so.

[Kathryn]

She said that after I have worked here a while I will develop a bad attitude as well, and that if I do things properly they will expect it all the time.

 

Oh dear, it's demoralising to work with someone who has that kind of approach. You may be right, she probably realises she isn't doing things as they should be done and feels a teeny bit guilty about it. I suppose you can only do your best, and hopefully the job will become bearable, if not exactly likeable.

 

K x

[Shrinking Violet]

Hope it gets better. It must be frustrating when you can see better ways of doing things.

 

It's illegal to sell out of date food, isn't it?

 

K x

 

 

Yes and no. It's illegal to sell foods after the 'use by' date (found on perishables) but 'best before' is simply a guideline.

 

See Food Standards Agency Labelling Rules for more info...

 

Hope I'm not coming across as a right smartarse here... I don't mean to, it's just that I know a lot of stuff about a lot of stuff (not working means I have a lot of time to read) and I have to do something with all the useless info in me skull - or me brain's gonna explode!

[Tally]

OK, I think I have worked out what the problem is. How to solve it is quite another matter though!

 

There is not a lot of job satisfaction in this job. We don't get thanked by our manager whether we do a good job or not. Mostly we get complained at either way. Our shop is a small shop, so this is where all the incompetent managers get demoted to when they have made mistakes. So it's easy to see why people get demoralised and can't see any benefit in doing a good job.

 

Tina thinks I will be unhappy because no one appreciated my work. So she does not want me to waste my effort because she thinks it will make me unhappy when no one thanks me. Because this is how she feels.

 

But I like to make my own job satisfaction by doing my job well. When it's home time I feel happier if I can think to myself that I did my job well and the customers will be happy. Then it doesn't matter if no one else appreciates it because I feel happy anyway.

 

The shouting I am not going to take personally. It is not intended that way, she does it to everyone else as well. She has come back and apologised every time and explained (albeit not very well) what I did wrong. Maybe I will eventually work out for myself what specific kind of rubbish gets chucked in the doorway, because apparently that is indeed the correct place for certain types of rubbish.

 

She likes cats, so she is definitely not all bad

[oxgirl]

It sounds like you and Tina are getting on well, so that's a good thing, I think. If I were you, I'd just carry on doing the job to the best of my ability. At the end of the day, it's what makes the job worthwhile for you. I'd be the same, I couldn't do a shoddy job, I'd have to feel I was doing it correctly and making a difference in a small way, so you have to do what's right for you. Maybe your attitude will rub off on them a bit, rather than the other way around, and others might start to take a bit more pride in their work as well and it might lead to a better atmosphere and morale and higher standards, which, in turn, might make the management feel more content with staff.

 

~ Mel ~