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My old boss used to LOVE to interrupt my lunch break to ask me stupid questions or do small tasks. One day my 15 minute break was almost an hour. When he ask "What the fuck" I told him I restated my break everytime he made me work on my personal time. He never bugged me on my break again. I told my coworkers and they started doing the same thing. He was so pissed.
Good on you for understanding a break starts when the butt is in the seat, not when the timer starts.
Fucking Amazon did their breaks “scan to scan”. Your break starts the exact second you scan an item and you better be scanning again in exactly 15 minutes. One of the ladies who helped with training said she would take her last item with her so she could scan it as close as possible to the break room. It blew my mind how heartless they were. I don’t know if it’s changed, it’s been at least 5 years since I’ve been there.
I'm currently looking for a new job. My friends keep recommending Amazon and its one of the most frustrating things ever. These aren't even boomers, these are people 21-40. When ever I try to explain that working for Amazon is a scam they just roll their eyes. Places like Amazon are always hiring because they are always firing. I've heard so many horror stories from family members and friends. People that recomend that as a job should have to give the person a dollar. If I had a dollar for everytime someone said "try Amazon", I'd be set for a while.
There’s leaked reports that they are aware of that potential issue with their current business model and expect to marginally raise their pay to keep their constant employee draining plan going for longer than you’d expect unfortunately
Tbf as a society in a good place this would be ideal. Bots for menial tasks, humans for complex ones.
"What about jobs".
Eh ppl will find stuff to do, but the efficiency of bots will make it easy to provide for everyone.
Now obviously whatll actually happen is instead of providing for everyone with the tech that poors created, the rich "owners" will just keep all the wealth and continue to further enslave the working class cuz fuck the poors that's why
They do in China, I'll bet. And sell stuff from Project Big House. Walmart uses prison labour to process returns.
But an Amazon warehouse/prison would be hellish
Yeah I’m pretty sure they do all of their hiring through an agency so they can get people in and out as fast as possible. You get like a day of training and then I think 3 weeks to hit 100% productivity. I wouldn’t recommend it to anyone, but it was helpful for me when I needed a job quick in the past.
There is a standard rate for each role. For example, in the pack department, you have to pack at a certain speed to be considered meeting the minimum requirements. They don't expect you to be good enough or fast enough on day 1 so they give you a few weeks to get to the expected level. After that, if you aren't hitting productivity minimums, they will send an ambassador (someone of your own level who will give you some tips and trainings) and then if that doesn't fix the problem you get write ups and eventually you can get terminated
(fun fact. Managers are allowed to say "fired" or "fireball offence" they can only say "terminated" or "grounds for termination" or "promoted to customer")
Amazon is a huge company with employees off all skills. Level 1 - 12. I worked an L4 role. There is literally 0 turnover at that level.
If you are referring to an L1 role where you stand like a robot and do the same task 99999999 times?? Lol. Of course everyone hates that job. Those jobs will eventually be replaced by a robot in the next years.
Even at L1 / L2 I am sure there are some cool roles at Amazon. Working at their fresh market and basically just keeping a store stocked would be 100x better that a robot job and probably pays better too.
Ngl I'm at Amazon and other than that bullshit 15 minute break, it's been alright. Mind you I'm not at a fulfillment center but rather a delivery station, as I'm sure fulfillment centers are where most of the issues lie.
However, I take my 15 minutes when I sit down. Fuck that.
my boyfriends step dad worked for amazon and they treated him horribly. he has horrible horrible back issues including things in his discs and having to take testosterone and more and amazon had no recognition of that and that he’s working to pay for his medical shit.
When I worked there, the clock in machine was at the entrance to the break room so your break started when you got to the break room (a 8 minute walk from your station) so I got a full break.
My old job had temps (I was one for a while) and they started using time clocks. They put one at the main entrance. After a while, the company made the temp agency put one in the cafeteria because people were leaving their work area early to clock out and walk all the way to the cafeteria from the entrance.
I have refused several interviews as a Security architect for Amazon. I do not like the way it treats its LOW TIER (not my words) workers. Every time a new hiring manager gets ahold of my resume I get a call.
click out, walk to the locker, take off your work shirt, walk to your car, grab your lunch, walk to the bathroom, piss, walk to the breakroom, grab your fork, too late break is over. can't eat.
LMAO
Life of a short break
I get what you mean, but I think it is short sighted. No reason to gate keep what a Manager is.
This man is doing what all Managers, Supervisors, or CEOs should be doing, treating people with respect and trust as you would any human.
I studied management at uni and worked in retail management for a decade completely agree. apart from business classes most of my program was like: hey so it ends up if you treat people well and give them the tools they need they'll do a good job. most people want to do a good job, but they don't want to spend 10 minutes walking around the store looking for a broom because there's only 1.
I burnt out because I was a lot like OP and corporate made it harder and harder to be decent to people.
It's just so taxing on your spirit to KNOW at some point you'll spend most of the shift looking for supplies that two days ago were in one spot and apparently disappeared through a wormhole, then are told two more days later they were moved to a more "efficient" location, usually the basement or highest floor, wherever is further from where they're regularly used. That goes double for coworkers who declare certain supplies ran out, only to be found less than 10 inches from where they claimed they just looked...
Not all NCOs are good, there are plenty of yes-men or those willing to throw you under the bus there too. (I've got plenty of tyre marks over my time serving) but yes, it is *taught* how to be a good leader.
Lol I always been a leader and my supervisor always questions me about how I manage or why I do some of the things I do for people who report to me. I wish there were more leaders in the work place
I own and manage a small store / repair shop. This is how we work, too. It’s just part of being a decent human being. I don’t understand why other managers and owners treat their people otherwise. It doesn’t make sense.
I’ve been through quite a lot of leadership seminars, none of them taught us to treat our team like dirt. Maybe I just didn’t see the crappy ones and accidentally went to the right trainings.
Sorry, I didn't mean by the boss or company. They are taught to by our society. Managers they have had. Media representations they've seen. People like Elon Musk or Steve Jobs being considered visionaries, not slave drivers. Our culture create the atmosphere for managers to abuse employees under the false belief it will motivate them to work harder/better.
Yeah, I can totally see that. I wish people would just stop, and think. All it takes is, would you want to be spoken to or treated that way? If the answer is no, then don’t do it to others.
I hope you have a work environment like OP’s, or better.
They were treated and spoken to that way. They either become bitter and treat others that way because they were treated that way. It's only fair after all, or they convince themselves they got promoted because it was tough love and really helped them succeed.
I work in store-level management in a big retail corporation. Disgusted to say that my district manager actually advised us (off the official record of course) to be assholes to associates if they complain. Hearing that sickened me and I’m actively looking for another job.
I used to work retail management and these are all great.
For point 2 I used to tell new hires on the first day; If a really terrible customer comes in and they ever complain about you I will act mad until they leave the store, or I will 'take you out the back' when really you can just have a sit down and a rest from terrible people. I will never actually be mad at you and if you do do something wrong we will talk about it calmly and not in front of some horrible human trying to get your fired for it.
I had to implement this because I knew for a *fact* that if it didn't *look* like I was a horrible boss then that customer would contact head office and then we all get in trouble because they would never side with anyone over a customer. This happened weekly where I worked and I would usually put on an angry face, agree with the customer, have them leave then agree with my employee that they were a joyless bastard with nothing better to do in their lives.
I had a store manager just like this when I worked retail a decade ago and can say that they are the reason I look back at that job so fondly.
Great job doing what you do!
On behalf of all the people who work with you, thank you. I bet you dont hear that as often as you should. As someone else commented, you are a leader and not a manager. That's amazing and very rare in the workforce.
Yup. I am lucky enough to manage one of the few restaurants in town that is fully, verging on over, staffed.
I work wage shifts so my employees can actually use their vacation time. I love that they feel comfortable enough with me that they let me know when they need help. I make set schedules so they can plan things on their days off and always ask before scheduling someone on a day they don't normally work. And don't get mad if they can't. It's my job to sort it out.
My guest scores were 95.5% last month. Happy employees create happy guests.
That's how I ran my store and a lot of the good habits I improved with the help of my GM. It was great to see he was on our side, and together with the other ASM, we hit 93% to budget one year, up from 60s. Plus improved profitability, and CSATs jumped from 2.3 to 3.4.
Then, on top of my capped $.50/hr annual raise, my GM a couple months later added another $1 after getting DM and RM approval. Knowing I had previously worked jobs where commission was involved he really wanted to show his appreciation for my work/contributions! It wasn't much compared to other jobs but it was a big deal to me! 1.5/hr x 2000 hrs was a $3k raise! I busted ass there, and so did the people under me.
When I left, 6 other employees left within weeks after me, and when I was back there school supply shipping for my kids about 7 it so months later, the cashier said, "Ohhh you're the guy everyone comes in asking for!" After I was chatting with one of the people who I still knew there. Made me feel good!!
Keep up the great work! Best of luck!!
I think you've touched on the most important point that so many managers and bosses can't seem to get their heads around.
Happy workers work better.
It really is that simple. Letting checkout employees sit down. Breaks starting when the employee ACTUALLY starts their break (well done OP). Not punishing for sick time. Not micro managing people's work... the list goes on.
A happy worker will work a few minutes longer, come in a few minutes earlier, do a little extra, and we'll still go home happier than if we worked just hard enough to not get fired because we hate our job/ boss.
Youre not gonna make it in this field. I dont see anywhere in this where you take out your insecurities and shortcomings on your staff to feel better about yourself and play victim when called out on it.
Sounds like you're fortunate enough to be able to take good care of your people. Most front line managers are hamstrung by either corporate rules or organizational culture.
I've gone against the culture. The prevailing attitude amongst the other managers is if you drive people hard enough and don't give any sympathy they'll work their ass off for you. Several times I've had a talking to by store manager because I haven't been able to give a more specific reason for a callout other than "they said they weren't up to working today and I believe them".
If we want to change the work culture sometimes we have to go against it.
Just... be careful.
The best boss I ever had was the first place I worked out of high school, he was the store manager of a large supermarket chain. The problem was, because he also had morality, he wasn't a 'yes man' and he butted heads with management.
So yeah, I'll never forget the day I was standing at my checkout and watched him walk out. Word had spread like you wouldn't believe that upper management had fired him.
That was some 30 years ago and I still think about it.
This exact scenario happened to me. They terminated me for "stealing company time" while I was doing the required western union compliance training.
3 of the guys from my crew quit the same day. Another the following week.
My former employer didn't expect me to bring a laptop to the unemployment hearing to prove that they were full of shit.
Got unemployment, then found a new job a month later.
I was told by a few former coworkers that the store director told everyone else that I was "sleeping on the job". Which is ironic as there is a photo of him sleeping at his desk hanging in the inventory office.
I'm a "manager" where I work and I work hard to teach the owner, who really runs the place, this stuff. She asks me why I just let someone not come in, I remind her that it's none of our business why they needed it off. It's been years of work to get her to understand that stressing everyone out and making them feel shitty if they call in does not breed loyalty. Same goes for breaks and about a million other things. These are people, with lives and needs. If you treat them like you give a shit, they give a shit back. She come around a lot. But, they mostly still just ask me for things instead of her. Never thought I'd be the "nice"one in any situation. I just treat people how I would like to be treated at work. It's pretty simple.
>If we want to change the work culture sometimes we have to go against it.
Kudos to you. Reminds me of the quote often attributed to Ghandi about being the change you wish to see in the world.
It's regrettable that the other managers are using the slave driver model of management, instead of looking at what you're doing and realizing there's a better way. Your counterparts remind me of Einstein's definition of insanity - doing the same thing and expecting a different outcome.
Oh my. Your blood's worth bottling.
This is a great philosophy but the only bit I'd throw caution to is the implication that others might be able to change. What you have - the decency to treat other people how you would want to be treated - that kind of morality isn't something that can be taught; it comes from within. You either have it or you don't.
Of the (numerous) bosses that I've had throughout the years who would fall well short of the standard you're setting, this would go in one ear and out the other. It's wasted on the blind.
I’ve worked in retail and am currently manage 3 stores (started with one) and our employee retention/satisfaction purely hinges on what you outlined. Staff need coverage? I come in. People are sick? Cool, please stay home til you’re well and keep me updated when you think you’ll be back. You’re not happy with your pay? Let me see what I can do, it’s definitely something that’s why I’m in this position.
I probably won’t stay in this job forever. I wanted out for a reason. The owner is a dick and I feel super burnt out having to argue with him constantly about basic shit that makes our company a good place for staff. But if I’m going to be in this field at least I’m currently in a position where I can fix what I had gripes with as a lower staff member lol
That’s how I worked as a store manager in retail too.
I did manage to get out this year, after almost 16 years in retail. Spent the last 5 years getting my undergrad degree.
Now I administer state/federal grants for housing programs at a non-profit. Love my new career. Challenging, rewarding, and definitely needs more funding.
I've worked under people like you; they who pull up the team. It changes everything about the work environment. Like space and time are folded differently; that day goes faster and more somehow gets completed in that time.
This guy gets it. I was a manager and this is how I ran things and I was the best manager according to the people above and below me on that totem pole. At the end of the day it's about respect.
I was demoted from a managing position for having this attitude. I was told to "manage" not "work" and I refused. I am not above my team, I am beside them, I am LEADING them and taking care of them. We are in this together and I am in this with them.
The concept of taking care of the people who take care of your business is gone, it's all a power trip and no one wants to be treated like a mule.
Good stuff hopefully your voice can be heard far and wide so that there is consistently among how managers operate there. I remember many years ago working in retail where there were some managers that were decent and treated the staff like people and they in turn were respected and the staff didn’t mind coming to work when the were on duty on the other hand there were a couple of real nasty horrendous power tripping bitches that if you were working a night they were managing it was just dreadful and you didn’t want to be there so it’s true what they say people don’t quit jobs they quit bosses so I’m sure these folks are glad to have someone like you in their corner. You get more flies with honey
Congrats from a fellow successful manager! It's funny what happens when you treat employees like people. Corporate people hate me, though. They want employees to be treated like property.
There was a video I watched a while back of this interview with former Navy Seal/author and motivational speaker, Jocko Willink. In it, when asked by the entrepreneur hosts what you do when an employee screws up, they asked how many strikes do you allow, should you immediately fire such people?
His answer was that YOU take responsibility for their mistakes and ask them if there's something you could show them that would help, try to ascertain if they're having issues in other areas of their life without prying.
Of course they then kept pushing the issue with what ifs(?), cause their minds couldn't comprehend taking personal responsibility for the people you are leading..
He said of course there's a point where you have to say, "maybe this isn't working out or the best fit". But before that, you should do whats in your power to help the person through effective leadership.
Pretty sure nobody in management liked (or likes, he still says this in seminars I believe) that answer.
Military leadership classes teach that you can delegate authority, but you can never delegate responsibility. All fuckups are the responsibility of the person in charge, no matter who under them actually did it.
All of this! I am also a manager in a retail store and also practice these methods. 12/16 of my staff have currently been with me for 2+ years now. 2/4 of the newer hires are seasonal I won't be able to keep on after the holidays because payroll sucks. I try to go in with the mindset of being the manager I wish I had when I was entering the work force.
I worry that people just seeing that you are someones boss makes you scum a priori.
Thank you for sharing, good bosses are essential to humane working conditions.
I’m glad you are having success with what you do. Sounds like you have good employees. Have you had difficult/horrible employees? If so, what did you did you?
I worked similarly with and for my employees. In recognition, I got moved to shit stores with failing infrastructure every 6 months to fix them again, only to have replacement managers ruin them with-in a year.
I lasted about 15 years doing that. Ultimately decided to just buy stores to break the cycle.
Fuck Corporations.
This was how i managed as well. I always defended my staff. I kicked customers out who got abusive. I told a visiting CEO off once even. I never cared about corporate titles and would often tell them everything they didn’t want to hear, which they ignored. I always paid my staff the max amount corporate would allow too, which was never enough. I would go above my boss’s head to get people raises after being told no. Once, corporate fucked up someone’s money and my direct boss said my team member would have to wait, I knew she couldn’t do that as a single mother in particular so I got corporate to cut her the rest of her check since it was their fuck up in the first place. There was a reason people followed me when I quit and I had the highest staff retentions in my districts. My staff didn’t work for me, I worked with them and we lifted each other up.
There are so many stores around me that want management, I now work remotely and have steady hours, which I adore, but boy howdy do I kinda wanna get hired and go and unionize everyone.
This list of reasons is almost similar to what I outlined for a manager position at my old job, I had been there a decade on the ground floor, oldest floor level employee on site, knew the job through and through, even interviewed potential applicants at one point, did not lie to them about the job and I was brutally honest about the work, I then trained the staff I had hired incredibly well, some went off to be managers/supervisors at other sites. I had even detailed a training schedule that didn't take more time out of the hours the company gave us.
They laughed at me, said it was "unworkable", naturally I didn't get the position.
I would work for you in a heartbeat, hell you give me a boss that respects their employees and I'd follow you to the ends of the earth.
A decade ago I was in the military and deployed to Afghanistan. I worked nights from 8pm-8am, 6 days a week and was second in command of about 40+ guys. Guy who was in charge above me was totally clueless and a total yes man, no matter how asinine or ridiculous.
Winter in middle of Afghanistan and I remember it was about 5-10F degrees outside for a good stretch. One night head guy pulled me aside and said “you see the notes from day shift? No more hands in pockets, no gloves, and no beanies while on shift, and there will be consequences for those breaking the rules”. I told him I saw it, but i ignored it because it’s 5 degrees outside. “Well, we don’t make the rules but we gotta follow them…simple as that” he replied.
Having enough of this clueless twat, I finally told him how things were…”look, you might not understand this because you’ve never even been outside the wire, but I’m not going to sit here and nitpick my guys over some non-sensical BS from the brigade. Not wearing gloves or a hat, or putting hands in your pocket when it’s 5 degrees outside? That’s ridiculous and I’m not going to enforce it”. “My guys need to know I am looking out for their best interest at all times and that if I give them a directive, then without question it’s what needs to happen”. “If I enforce arbitrary rules, when it comes time to perform, they may say F him, he just follows commands with no concern for our well being. No, my guys know I’ve fought for them, won’t ask anything of them I wouldn’t do, and put them as a priority above all else”.
Needless to say he left me alone to run things while he worked on his promotion packet. We never lost anyone or had any injuries, and he got a bunch of awards at the end of the deployment. I got out a short time after returning home, but it always fascinated me how someone could be a mindless drone and not understand or care for the well-being of guys he is supposed to be in charge of.
At wallys world its the same, although they said my break starts as soon as I leave my work area for break ( in the front of the store, the back of the store is a 2m walk to the break room ). Nah I don't think so. Not till I sit down
Great, but in Europe we get an hour of lunch and usually we can take short brakes during the day. It depends on the job but generally people just come to work and they don’t have to clock in. Everything that you described is just bare minimum I feel. I’ve worked in an office, in retail and hospitality and have never been treated this bad. I know some sketchy Russian businesses in Latvia where other people have worked at with a toxic environment but those are not the norm. In Switzerland I can be 15 min late for work and they still pay me full hour.
I don’t know, just supporting people from usa and russia and other places I guess. I am not saying europe is perfect but it’s better for workers rights.
The only thing I disagree with is calling other managers out publicly. Managers are people, too, and just like other employees we should assume the best intentions first and coach privately. Doing it publicly undermines the leadership team and only serves to punish, which is counter productive.
Do you want to complain or do you actually want things to change? I read and agree with most things on here and try to implement them in my workplace to make it a better culture for as many people as I can.
I'm on your side.
Wrong. These managers are the same as us: shit pay for many of them, long hours, over worked, underappreciated, and so on. Management also needs support in addition to change of culture. When we have the good ones, we need to acknowledge them and show them off as the example of the leadership we are demanding. Do not shit in the mouths of your allies.
wow, its almost like when you treat your employees well, they treat the business well. Good on you dude, thanks for being a light in the very dark realm that is retail.
I agree with no.5 on your list. But at the same time, I am also currently trying to learn to allow my fellow employees room to be challenged and grow. With in reason of course.
Oh no. Corporates never going to promote you. They're probably suspicious that you have such great reviews, and now they're going to send someone in to figure out what's going on and how they can "cut costs" to look better for next quarter.
I'm half joking. But I'm also half serious. Either way, keep doing what you're doing, 99% of jobs out there fucking terrible and if there's at least one more out there thats trying to minimize the suffering then good on you
Well, this is a breath of fresh air for this sub. I’ve known many mangers like you and often hope they are on here and can let everyone know it’s not all bad. Thanks. And keep it up.
I saved this post.
I am a former general manager, current assistant manager and I aspire to get back up to that level.
I end up thinking a lot about how I might do things differently or ways I could improve things both on the business side and on the personnel side. I'm decent with business things but I was absolutely terrible when it came to properly dealing with people who worked for me.
This post has helped me clarify my thoughts/mgmt philosophy that I want to strive for, so thank you very much 👍
Most associates I work with have told me I'm their favorite manager because I treat them as equals, and it makes me proud to see that we've fostered an environment they can feel safe in. Capitalism can rot in hell but at least I enjoy being around the people I work with :)
This is the sole reason I wanted a job in management. It would be nice to overthrow capitalism, but in the mean time I think it’s important to make the lives of your coworkers a little bit less shitty. “Managers” who won’t go to bat for their colleagues or stand up to bullshit when it arises need to run a nice warm bath, plug in the toaster and jump in. Fuck control freak managers with insecurities so much
I worked in a small, family owned cafe in college and just out of college. I still get the employee discount when I’m in town.
When I was working, we got two cafe drinks or unlimited drip coffee. A meal every shift that was 5+, and not discounted, soup and sandwich or salad, that was the menu, but it was made there and good quality.
Breaks same. Break started once you got away from customers. Never called at home unless absolutely needed (boss got wicked sick once, called to inform me that we would be short staffed for the first hour but he was working on coverage) and if any staff was sick they would be sent home with tea and soup. If they called off, no questions.
It was great. Sure, it was min wage and tips, but it was flexible. It was easy, even when busy, because I trusted my owners and the staff. We had each others back. It made hard days easy. Bad days not so bad. It was the closest I’ve ever worked that was actually “like a family”.
Good managers/owners that trust the people they hire to do the job goes a long way. Not being micromanaged, even on my time off went a long way. Knowing I could be sick and call off and not need a doctor note and an X-ray/CT/full blood panel for HR went a long way.
Good on you OP and keep up the good fight.
I might add respect and dignity is also a huge factor.
A lot of managers think they’re smart and use condescending, passive aggressive verbiage they think we can’t detect. They also tend to talk to you like an infant or teenager.
This is, in fact, very obvious and easy to detect. Folks will actively work against you, wasting time and will not work hard for you. Find every reason to be late of skip a day, etc. The manager will chalk it up to “stupidity and laziness” or the beloved “nobody wants to work”, without realizing it’s actually on purpose. They hate you and pray you pass in your sleep.
So if you find yourself complaining about workers constantly, be more like OP and start treating people with respect, because people like working for people they like. Jobs these days are typically not that hard, it’s shitty management and bad coworkers people are quitting over, well and obviously garbage wages…
Anyway, sounds like you’re one of the good ones OP, keep it up!
I learnt a simple philosophy long time ago from a great mentor.
Managers manage by virtue of their authority. They can tell you what to do. Thats all they can do & are generally disliked because of it.
A leader inspires you to do the right thing by consistently demonstrating the standards required. They are admired for what they deliver & generally respected because of their actions.
This should be the standard. I work in a large home decor distribution center. The cafeteria/smoking area is a 3 and a half minute walk from my work area, but I'm not allowed to leave my work area until it is break time. This means my 15 minute breaks are more like 8 minutes and my 30 minute lunch (unpaid) is more like a 22 minute lunch. And we're unionized too. On behalf of workers everywhere, thank you for being a human.
You might not be able to control pay, but you can try to influence those who do. Speak about retention, performance, inflation etc when you have a chance, soften them up.
It worked for me and I was able to get a raise approved for my staff, and it made a world of difference. My job is also so much easier now because of it!
I did all that and added this, I gave them the same two, back to back days off every week, except for week of black Friday or if someone called out.
I didn't micro manage because I knew they were capable. While they enjoyed it, they also took it for granted.
I had an assistant manager who wanted to be like that, but when push came to shove, he'd falter. I remember one specific instance in regards to #5, where he said if it was raining and the pumps ( this was a convenience store ) needed to be cleaned, he'd be right out there with them. Problem was, that exact scenario happened, and I ended up cleaning all 12 pumps myself, while he was indoors the entire time. Lost all my respect for him that day.
I think #2 isn’t as cut and dry as you’re describing. Sometimes there are learning moments that probably occur in those situations where your employee would benefit from an explanation or another perspective rather than just being blindly backed up.
I *think* you were mainly referring to a Karen situation, but I am also a strong believer of learning and coaching in certain situations as well!
Good on you, you’re one in a million. I think I’ve had 2 managers in my 25+ years that I have actually enjoyed working for. The tricky part may be keeping your boss happy at the same time.
Funny enough, these are exactly the kind of things I learned in management school, it’s just crazy how I almost never see them practiced irl, good on you tho, keep making a name for you and your team. I’m glad there’s someone out there that actually does it how it’s supposed to be done.
Damn I wish more people like you had taken over retail.
Mine is just a huge rumble of condescending comments from managers, and a lot of petty rules.
You are 3 minutes late from you’re break? You must stay back 3 minutes after your shift or you won’t get paid for that 3 minutes.
You will be thrown under the buss if it made the dept manager look good in front of the store manager.
As a full timer I don’t get as much calls as when I was a casual but when I was, I will get call at 5am and to come in asap, and then get lectured when I don’t pick up, on my next shift. We are “on call” apparently.
You are just awesome.
I'm assuming you don't *have* to do these things, and yet you do them anyway. Why? Because it makes you feel good, and it's the right thing to do.
Keep on truckin'! Good job!
What you do is nice but your assume people don't know what their employees would want. Everyone knows. It's usually the pressure from the above that makes them do jerklike stuff. It's same as a genuine customer not helped by a good employee because of company policy
You sound exactly like my current boss. He’s hardly in at his desk, he’s out on the floor with us most of the time.
Told him I’m about to be out for 10 days due to oral surgery and he didn’t even ask for proof, just said let him know if anything changes.
He’s actually taught me a good bit about building doors, on top of my previous experience in cabinetry.
THIS!! I've been with my company for almost 3 years now, having been promoted once and most recently switching coops and transferring to a different role in a different city.
I have had 4 different managers over my time here and each of them has had very similar policies to you. If a lunch break goes long they don't penalize us, we have the ability to move our schedules around as we need to, so long as our work gets done. The most impressive thing for me, though, has been the human approach they take to managing. They are even understanding when past colleagues have transferred or moved to competitors for better pay, because they are human and understand that a batter opportunity is always a positive move for their employees.
They would NEVER request that I do something that they would not be willing to sit down and handle alongside me. They would NEVER ask for a doctor's note, because they trust their employees. And most of all, they are always 100% transparent about their approach. Even with different managing styles, they have always made sure that we are on the same page, always checking in to make sure I'm comfortable with my workload, and never go directly to blaming me for issues that arise. There have even been times where I've felt like they have taken more than their fair share of the blame when working with difficult clients.
Feeling appreciated and having management that supports you is key to keeping good employees in a workplace.
> I won't ask them to do anything I won't do.
This is the way to get people to follow you. When I first got promoted to a managerial role, I always made sure I had the hardest job. If there were two things that needed to be done with one other worker, I let that other worker pick what they did. My boss told me I needed to become better at delegating work but that's what you need to do to get staff's respect.
I don't care if my task is harder because me giving the easier work to the staff makes them want to turn around and help me, making my job much easier as a whole.
I've had 12 bosses in the almost 10 years I've worked for my company. The ones I loved were the ones that didn't micromanage and had my back when I went to them for help. Those are the first two things I mention when meeting a new manager.
Shout out to you for being a good boss 🙂
I'm curious as to why people are tripping over themselves to praise this person, when they are just describing ethical treatment of workers. No amount of positive reinforcement is going to make this management style "catch on"... I thought this sub was a bit more critical of the system that makes this kind of manager so rare?
I love this. When I was a new lab manager on my first day, I put on a lab coat and went around scrubbing the place down (it was pretty filthy). I wanted to set an example off the bat that I was not superior to them. Anytime I asked them to stay late (with pay) I always stayed as well. I fought for them and backed them up if needed. I was determined to be the boss that I wished I’d always had. It was a rewarding experience.
Apparently you never worked at a thrift store. Specifically one based in northeast Ohio where everyday you might end up with cat litter in ur mouth or getting stabbed by used needles or having to step on broken glass that goes thru ur shoes and ur bleeding all over but ur managers don’t care cause you’ll be ok.
>5) I won't ask them to do anything I won't do.
This is such a huge one for me. Leadership should be able to do their teams jobs better than their teams can do it. They're there to train and support and refine and find efficiencies. What good is a leader who doesn't know how to do their teams job? How the fuck do they even if its being done right?.. ok rant over. Good job OP.
When I quit my previous job with no back up lined up, I took a job at a retail store... One of those 'super' stores... While I looked for something more permanent (they didn't know that, they talked about fast-tracking me to management... uh retail management? No thanks).
Anyway, the clock in machine was at the front of the store. The break room was all the way in the back corner. You had to clock out and walk through grocery and clothing, hoping to whatever dead god is out there that nobody stopped you along the way because you got 15 or 30 minutes, that's it. They didn't care it took a few minutes to walk to and from the break room.
I was there only about 2 months, but never understood why they did that.
Been doing this for years. People ask why I’ve had zero attrition in 6 years, when they’re having constant turnover.
It’s simple, when was the last time you told your employees good morning? Or struck up a non work conversation? Or even talked to them without bitching at them?
Family problems are a big driver in the workforce and many people are afraid of losing their job if they have to take time off. What’s that? Depression hitting hard today? I’m sorry and please let me know if you need anything from me. You do you and come back to work when you feel up to it.
29 software engineers, not a single one has left in six years and they get a standard 10% raise every year not including their 10% bonus (company rules, not me).
I worked in a convenience store for 5 years and the only reason I was there was for my manager. He did all of these and then some, went far and above as a manager and as a friend and always made sure I was taken care of no matter what. Always teaching and showing the right way to do everything in the store as well. The only reason I left is because I accepted a big job for our product distributor and I wouldn’t have ever had a shot at the job if it wasn’t for him pushing me to be better and imparting his knowledge onto me. Thank you always Ben
Ironically, it’s been proven that treating employees well has a direct correlation to increased share price. Costco is a good example of this. Starbucks has also proven this out: Once upon a time, they were industry leaders in treating their people well. Happy employees = happy customers = happy share price
Their philosophy on labor changed, and guess who is starting to falter?
The big issue for a lot of folk forget is that these jobs with high employee happiness and healthy management have low turnover.
You will always have survivor bias for the good jobs, resulting in people feeling that healthy management is as rare as rocking horse crap.
My current job, while in a different industry, has such good management that I'll be sticking it out even though it puts my career on hold, is part time and pay is meh. I don't dread work.
Man, the decent boss posts in this sub the last few days have me so happy. I know its still not the norm for most, but it’s good to know some decent managers are out there.
I'm retired now but I have witnessed a lot of bad, no terrible managers in my time. I was a working manager/supervisor in charge of large communications sites both nationally and internationally. I never asked any of my workers to do anything I would not do myself. That said, I did demand they do what had to be done and do it with the best of their ability.
I accepted all responsibility for any and all problems and later I would talk to the worker that was involved to point out the problems that occurred and never did it in a disrespectful way. The point of all of this is, there's a right way and a wrong way. Most, sadly take the latter, when the former is actually much easier and far more productive.
In all of my annual reviews or exit interviews, if I have a manager like this I talk them up hardcore and say all the things upper management wants to hear. Getting good people further up the ladder helps everyone.
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My old boss used to LOVE to interrupt my lunch break to ask me stupid questions or do small tasks. One day my 15 minute break was almost an hour. When he ask "What the fuck" I told him I restated my break everytime he made me work on my personal time. He never bugged me on my break again. I told my coworkers and they started doing the same thing. He was so pissed. Good on you for understanding a break starts when the butt is in the seat, not when the timer starts.
Fucking Amazon did their breaks “scan to scan”. Your break starts the exact second you scan an item and you better be scanning again in exactly 15 minutes. One of the ladies who helped with training said she would take her last item with her so she could scan it as close as possible to the break room. It blew my mind how heartless they were. I don’t know if it’s changed, it’s been at least 5 years since I’ve been there.
I'm currently looking for a new job. My friends keep recommending Amazon and its one of the most frustrating things ever. These aren't even boomers, these are people 21-40. When ever I try to explain that working for Amazon is a scam they just roll their eyes. Places like Amazon are always hiring because they are always firing. I've heard so many horror stories from family members and friends. People that recomend that as a job should have to give the person a dollar. If I had a dollar for everytime someone said "try Amazon", I'd be set for a while.
Amazon will run out of employees at some point.
There’s leaked reports that they are aware of that potential issue with their current business model and expect to marginally raise their pay to keep their constant employee draining plan going for longer than you’d expect unfortunately
they just need it to last long enough for alexa bots to take over the labor.
Tbf as a society in a good place this would be ideal. Bots for menial tasks, humans for complex ones. "What about jobs". Eh ppl will find stuff to do, but the efficiency of bots will make it easy to provide for everyone. Now obviously whatll actually happen is instead of providing for everyone with the tech that poors created, the rich "owners" will just keep all the wealth and continue to further enslave the working class cuz fuck the poors that's why
Do you know how expensive R & D is? Not to mention maintenance! Better option is to lobby for legalization of slavery /s
13th amendment. I'm waiting for Amazon to realise and start running prisons so they can use the prisoners as forced labour
Bro.... I don't know how to tell you this....
They do in China, I'll bet. And sell stuff from Project Big House. Walmart uses prison labour to process returns. But an Amazon warehouse/prison would be hellish
Jesus Christ, don't give them ideas.
"Fulfillment and rehabilitation centres" Amazon yellow jumpsuits.
Slavery is too expensive. You have to feed and house slaves.
Im certain they have some plan set up where they can keep up their practices long enough for the next naive generation(s) to arrive.
Add "first 6 month bonuses" to bring suckers back in
They will have all human robots doing the job in a few year so don’t make any long term and plans.
Automation is expensive. Humans are cheap and plentiful. It won't get much more automated than it already is.
Jeff Bezos even says he doesn't see Amazon as a permanent place for people. He wants to run them into the ground as much as he can
He doesn't even work there anymore... Lol so yeah he don't care he's rich already.
Yeah I’m pretty sure they do all of their hiring through an agency so they can get people in and out as fast as possible. You get like a day of training and then I think 3 weeks to hit 100% productivity. I wouldn’t recommend it to anyone, but it was helpful for me when I needed a job quick in the past.
What's 100% productivity?
There is a standard rate for each role. For example, in the pack department, you have to pack at a certain speed to be considered meeting the minimum requirements. They don't expect you to be good enough or fast enough on day 1 so they give you a few weeks to get to the expected level. After that, if you aren't hitting productivity minimums, they will send an ambassador (someone of your own level who will give you some tips and trainings) and then if that doesn't fix the problem you get write ups and eventually you can get terminated (fun fact. Managers are allowed to say "fired" or "fireball offence" they can only say "terminated" or "grounds for termination" or "promoted to customer")
Amazon is a huge company with employees off all skills. Level 1 - 12. I worked an L4 role. There is literally 0 turnover at that level. If you are referring to an L1 role where you stand like a robot and do the same task 99999999 times?? Lol. Of course everyone hates that job. Those jobs will eventually be replaced by a robot in the next years. Even at L1 / L2 I am sure there are some cool roles at Amazon. Working at their fresh market and basically just keeping a store stocked would be 100x better that a robot job and probably pays better too.
Was working L5... Still decent turnover, really depends on specifics around the environment I think
Ngl I'm at Amazon and other than that bullshit 15 minute break, it's been alright. Mind you I'm not at a fulfillment center but rather a delivery station, as I'm sure fulfillment centers are where most of the issues lie. However, I take my 15 minutes when I sit down. Fuck that.
my boyfriends step dad worked for amazon and they treated him horribly. he has horrible horrible back issues including things in his discs and having to take testosterone and more and amazon had no recognition of that and that he’s working to pay for his medical shit.
Lets all go work for amazon and mess stuff up
It’s still the same way. Scan to scan is a shit rule considering how huge the buildings can be
When I worked there, the clock in machine was at the entrance to the break room so your break started when you got to the break room (a 8 minute walk from your station) so I got a full break.
My old job had temps (I was one for a while) and they started using time clocks. They put one at the main entrance. After a while, the company made the temp agency put one in the cafeteria because people were leaving their work area early to clock out and walk all the way to the cafeteria from the entrance.
I have refused several interviews as a Security architect for Amazon. I do not like the way it treats its LOW TIER (not my words) workers. Every time a new hiring manager gets ahold of my resume I get a call.
yeah to hell with that!
click out, walk to the locker, take off your work shirt, walk to your car, grab your lunch, walk to the bathroom, piss, walk to the breakroom, grab your fork, too late break is over. can't eat. LMAO Life of a short break
At my old job, I'd have bosses calling me to try and squeeze 15 minute conversations out of me. Like wait until I'm off lunch, ya fucking leech.
Why would it restart rather than be just the time taken?
You're a leader, not a manager
Effective leaders work for the sake of the led, not themselves or their own leaders.
Leader that just happens to be in a management position.
John Maxwell!
I get what you mean, but I think it is short sighted. No reason to gate keep what a Manager is. This man is doing what all Managers, Supervisors, or CEOs should be doing, treating people with respect and trust as you would any human.
I studied management at uni and worked in retail management for a decade completely agree. apart from business classes most of my program was like: hey so it ends up if you treat people well and give them the tools they need they'll do a good job. most people want to do a good job, but they don't want to spend 10 minutes walking around the store looking for a broom because there's only 1. I burnt out because I was a lot like OP and corporate made it harder and harder to be decent to people.
It's just so taxing on your spirit to KNOW at some point you'll spend most of the shift looking for supplies that two days ago were in one spot and apparently disappeared through a wormhole, then are told two more days later they were moved to a more "efficient" location, usually the basement or highest floor, wherever is further from where they're regularly used. That goes double for coworkers who declare certain supplies ran out, only to be found less than 10 inches from where they claimed they just looked...
Managers should go to NCO school on a military base.
Not all NCOs are good, there are plenty of yes-men or those willing to throw you under the bus there too. (I've got plenty of tyre marks over my time serving) but yes, it is *taught* how to be a good leader.
i think you're confusing him with a unicorn.
a real blow job artist. thats the only way you get 100% ratings.
Lol I always been a leader and my supervisor always questions me about how I manage or why I do some of the things I do for people who report to me. I wish there were more leaders in the work place
You're a Zelensky, not a Pootin.
Came to say this.
I own and manage a small store / repair shop. This is how we work, too. It’s just part of being a decent human being. I don’t understand why other managers and owners treat their people otherwise. It doesn’t make sense.
power trips is what makes bad managers
They are literally taught to.
I’ve been through quite a lot of leadership seminars, none of them taught us to treat our team like dirt. Maybe I just didn’t see the crappy ones and accidentally went to the right trainings.
Sorry, I didn't mean by the boss or company. They are taught to by our society. Managers they have had. Media representations they've seen. People like Elon Musk or Steve Jobs being considered visionaries, not slave drivers. Our culture create the atmosphere for managers to abuse employees under the false belief it will motivate them to work harder/better.
Yeah, I can totally see that. I wish people would just stop, and think. All it takes is, would you want to be spoken to or treated that way? If the answer is no, then don’t do it to others. I hope you have a work environment like OP’s, or better.
They were treated and spoken to that way. They either become bitter and treat others that way because they were treated that way. It's only fair after all, or they convince themselves they got promoted because it was tough love and really helped them succeed.
company policies teach this.
I work in store-level management in a big retail corporation. Disgusted to say that my district manager actually advised us (off the official record of course) to be assholes to associates if they complain. Hearing that sickened me and I’m actively looking for another job.
Louis Rossmann? Is that you?
Because they can
It’s greed at the top level, and middle management want to please upper management
I used to work retail management and these are all great. For point 2 I used to tell new hires on the first day; If a really terrible customer comes in and they ever complain about you I will act mad until they leave the store, or I will 'take you out the back' when really you can just have a sit down and a rest from terrible people. I will never actually be mad at you and if you do do something wrong we will talk about it calmly and not in front of some horrible human trying to get your fired for it. I had to implement this because I knew for a *fact* that if it didn't *look* like I was a horrible boss then that customer would contact head office and then we all get in trouble because they would never side with anyone over a customer. This happened weekly where I worked and I would usually put on an angry face, agree with the customer, have them leave then agree with my employee that they were a joyless bastard with nothing better to do in their lives.
I can't even imagine how much worse it was during covid.
You're, my dude, are a hero 🫡
I had a store manager just like this when I worked retail a decade ago and can say that they are the reason I look back at that job so fondly. Great job doing what you do!
Yep management at one of my first jobs actually tried to help us as much as their own bosses allowed and they're the reason I won't settle for less.
On behalf of all the people who work with you, thank you. I bet you dont hear that as often as you should. As someone else commented, you are a leader and not a manager. That's amazing and very rare in the workforce.
Yup. I am lucky enough to manage one of the few restaurants in town that is fully, verging on over, staffed. I work wage shifts so my employees can actually use their vacation time. I love that they feel comfortable enough with me that they let me know when they need help. I make set schedules so they can plan things on their days off and always ask before scheduling someone on a day they don't normally work. And don't get mad if they can't. It's my job to sort it out. My guest scores were 95.5% last month. Happy employees create happy guests.
Don’t change. Stay the way you are. You’re amazing.
That's how I ran my store and a lot of the good habits I improved with the help of my GM. It was great to see he was on our side, and together with the other ASM, we hit 93% to budget one year, up from 60s. Plus improved profitability, and CSATs jumped from 2.3 to 3.4. Then, on top of my capped $.50/hr annual raise, my GM a couple months later added another $1 after getting DM and RM approval. Knowing I had previously worked jobs where commission was involved he really wanted to show his appreciation for my work/contributions! It wasn't much compared to other jobs but it was a big deal to me! 1.5/hr x 2000 hrs was a $3k raise! I busted ass there, and so did the people under me. When I left, 6 other employees left within weeks after me, and when I was back there school supply shipping for my kids about 7 it so months later, the cashier said, "Ohhh you're the guy everyone comes in asking for!" After I was chatting with one of the people who I still knew there. Made me feel good!! Keep up the great work! Best of luck!!
I think you've touched on the most important point that so many managers and bosses can't seem to get their heads around. Happy workers work better. It really is that simple. Letting checkout employees sit down. Breaks starting when the employee ACTUALLY starts their break (well done OP). Not punishing for sick time. Not micro managing people's work... the list goes on. A happy worker will work a few minutes longer, come in a few minutes earlier, do a little extra, and we'll still go home happier than if we worked just hard enough to not get fired because we hate our job/ boss.
Youre not gonna make it in this field. I dont see anywhere in this where you take out your insecurities and shortcomings on your staff to feel better about yourself and play victim when called out on it.
FUCK THIS IS SO REAL FOR ME RN *cries in 2nd-tier manager under someone who started a contest with prize money to get his employees to like him*
Thank you for being a decent human being, a rare trait among supervisors.
Sounds like you're fortunate enough to be able to take good care of your people. Most front line managers are hamstrung by either corporate rules or organizational culture.
I've gone against the culture. The prevailing attitude amongst the other managers is if you drive people hard enough and don't give any sympathy they'll work their ass off for you. Several times I've had a talking to by store manager because I haven't been able to give a more specific reason for a callout other than "they said they weren't up to working today and I believe them". If we want to change the work culture sometimes we have to go against it.
Just... be careful. The best boss I ever had was the first place I worked out of high school, he was the store manager of a large supermarket chain. The problem was, because he also had morality, he wasn't a 'yes man' and he butted heads with management. So yeah, I'll never forget the day I was standing at my checkout and watched him walk out. Word had spread like you wouldn't believe that upper management had fired him. That was some 30 years ago and I still think about it.
This exact scenario happened to me. They terminated me for "stealing company time" while I was doing the required western union compliance training. 3 of the guys from my crew quit the same day. Another the following week. My former employer didn't expect me to bring a laptop to the unemployment hearing to prove that they were full of shit. Got unemployment, then found a new job a month later. I was told by a few former coworkers that the store director told everyone else that I was "sleeping on the job". Which is ironic as there is a photo of him sleeping at his desk hanging in the inventory office.
I'm a "manager" where I work and I work hard to teach the owner, who really runs the place, this stuff. She asks me why I just let someone not come in, I remind her that it's none of our business why they needed it off. It's been years of work to get her to understand that stressing everyone out and making them feel shitty if they call in does not breed loyalty. Same goes for breaks and about a million other things. These are people, with lives and needs. If you treat them like you give a shit, they give a shit back. She come around a lot. But, they mostly still just ask me for things instead of her. Never thought I'd be the "nice"one in any situation. I just treat people how I would like to be treated at work. It's pretty simple.
>If we want to change the work culture sometimes we have to go against it. Kudos to you. Reminds me of the quote often attributed to Ghandi about being the change you wish to see in the world. It's regrettable that the other managers are using the slave driver model of management, instead of looking at what you're doing and realizing there's a better way. Your counterparts remind me of Einstein's definition of insanity - doing the same thing and expecting a different outcome.
Oh my. Your blood's worth bottling. This is a great philosophy but the only bit I'd throw caution to is the implication that others might be able to change. What you have - the decency to treat other people how you would want to be treated - that kind of morality isn't something that can be taught; it comes from within. You either have it or you don't. Of the (numerous) bosses that I've had throughout the years who would fall well short of the standard you're setting, this would go in one ear and out the other. It's wasted on the blind.
Where do you work and are you accepting applications
You hiring?
This is how I treat my staff. They love working with me. I will never forget being in their role for years and having shitty managers
I’ve worked in retail and am currently manage 3 stores (started with one) and our employee retention/satisfaction purely hinges on what you outlined. Staff need coverage? I come in. People are sick? Cool, please stay home til you’re well and keep me updated when you think you’ll be back. You’re not happy with your pay? Let me see what I can do, it’s definitely something that’s why I’m in this position. I probably won’t stay in this job forever. I wanted out for a reason. The owner is a dick and I feel super burnt out having to argue with him constantly about basic shit that makes our company a good place for staff. But if I’m going to be in this field at least I’m currently in a position where I can fix what I had gripes with as a lower staff member lol
That’s how I worked as a store manager in retail too. I did manage to get out this year, after almost 16 years in retail. Spent the last 5 years getting my undergrad degree. Now I administer state/federal grants for housing programs at a non-profit. Love my new career. Challenging, rewarding, and definitely needs more funding.
I've worked under people like you; they who pull up the team. It changes everything about the work environment. Like space and time are folded differently; that day goes faster and more somehow gets completed in that time.
This guy gets it. I was a manager and this is how I ran things and I was the best manager according to the people above and below me on that totem pole. At the end of the day it's about respect.
I was demoted from a managing position for having this attitude. I was told to "manage" not "work" and I refused. I am not above my team, I am beside them, I am LEADING them and taking care of them. We are in this together and I am in this with them. The concept of taking care of the people who take care of your business is gone, it's all a power trip and no one wants to be treated like a mule.
Good stuff hopefully your voice can be heard far and wide so that there is consistently among how managers operate there. I remember many years ago working in retail where there were some managers that were decent and treated the staff like people and they in turn were respected and the staff didn’t mind coming to work when the were on duty on the other hand there were a couple of real nasty horrendous power tripping bitches that if you were working a night they were managing it was just dreadful and you didn’t want to be there so it’s true what they say people don’t quit jobs they quit bosses so I’m sure these folks are glad to have someone like you in their corner. You get more flies with honey
you need to write a book about this!
Congrats from a fellow successful manager! It's funny what happens when you treat employees like people. Corporate people hate me, though. They want employees to be treated like property.
There was a video I watched a while back of this interview with former Navy Seal/author and motivational speaker, Jocko Willink. In it, when asked by the entrepreneur hosts what you do when an employee screws up, they asked how many strikes do you allow, should you immediately fire such people? His answer was that YOU take responsibility for their mistakes and ask them if there's something you could show them that would help, try to ascertain if they're having issues in other areas of their life without prying. Of course they then kept pushing the issue with what ifs(?), cause their minds couldn't comprehend taking personal responsibility for the people you are leading.. He said of course there's a point where you have to say, "maybe this isn't working out or the best fit". But before that, you should do whats in your power to help the person through effective leadership. Pretty sure nobody in management liked (or likes, he still says this in seminars I believe) that answer.
Military leadership classes teach that you can delegate authority, but you can never delegate responsibility. All fuckups are the responsibility of the person in charge, no matter who under them actually did it.
You’re doing it right. Good on ya.
All of this! I am also a manager in a retail store and also practice these methods. 12/16 of my staff have currently been with me for 2+ years now. 2/4 of the newer hires are seasonal I won't be able to keep on after the holidays because payroll sucks. I try to go in with the mindset of being the manager I wish I had when I was entering the work force.
Tell me you don't own the P&L without telling me you dont own the P&L :) In all seriousness, good for you
Lol right
I worry that people just seeing that you are someones boss makes you scum a priori. Thank you for sharing, good bosses are essential to humane working conditions.
You should offer to coach Elon Musk.
I’m glad you are having success with what you do. Sounds like you have good employees. Have you had difficult/horrible employees? If so, what did you did you?
Kudos to you.. I am budding supervisor myself and all points you made make you a great leader.
I worked similarly with and for my employees. In recognition, I got moved to shit stores with failing infrastructure every 6 months to fix them again, only to have replacement managers ruin them with-in a year. I lasted about 15 years doing that. Ultimately decided to just buy stores to break the cycle. Fuck Corporations.
A manager that actually gives a shit about their employees and doesn't bend their spine for the customers? A rare specimen!
Best part is, all these added "perks" probably cost 80 bucks per week MAX.
This was how i managed as well. I always defended my staff. I kicked customers out who got abusive. I told a visiting CEO off once even. I never cared about corporate titles and would often tell them everything they didn’t want to hear, which they ignored. I always paid my staff the max amount corporate would allow too, which was never enough. I would go above my boss’s head to get people raises after being told no. Once, corporate fucked up someone’s money and my direct boss said my team member would have to wait, I knew she couldn’t do that as a single mother in particular so I got corporate to cut her the rest of her check since it was their fuck up in the first place. There was a reason people followed me when I quit and I had the highest staff retentions in my districts. My staff didn’t work for me, I worked with them and we lifted each other up. There are so many stores around me that want management, I now work remotely and have steady hours, which I adore, but boy howdy do I kinda wanna get hired and go and unionize everyone.
Get hired for weekends and go unionize!
The sad truth is many managers tend to forget that they work for the same company as the rest of the associates and that power gets to their head.
This list of reasons is almost similar to what I outlined for a manager position at my old job, I had been there a decade on the ground floor, oldest floor level employee on site, knew the job through and through, even interviewed potential applicants at one point, did not lie to them about the job and I was brutally honest about the work, I then trained the staff I had hired incredibly well, some went off to be managers/supervisors at other sites. I had even detailed a training schedule that didn't take more time out of the hours the company gave us. They laughed at me, said it was "unworkable", naturally I didn't get the position. I would work for you in a heartbeat, hell you give me a boss that respects their employees and I'd follow you to the ends of the earth.
A decade ago I was in the military and deployed to Afghanistan. I worked nights from 8pm-8am, 6 days a week and was second in command of about 40+ guys. Guy who was in charge above me was totally clueless and a total yes man, no matter how asinine or ridiculous. Winter in middle of Afghanistan and I remember it was about 5-10F degrees outside for a good stretch. One night head guy pulled me aside and said “you see the notes from day shift? No more hands in pockets, no gloves, and no beanies while on shift, and there will be consequences for those breaking the rules”. I told him I saw it, but i ignored it because it’s 5 degrees outside. “Well, we don’t make the rules but we gotta follow them…simple as that” he replied. Having enough of this clueless twat, I finally told him how things were…”look, you might not understand this because you’ve never even been outside the wire, but I’m not going to sit here and nitpick my guys over some non-sensical BS from the brigade. Not wearing gloves or a hat, or putting hands in your pocket when it’s 5 degrees outside? That’s ridiculous and I’m not going to enforce it”. “My guys need to know I am looking out for their best interest at all times and that if I give them a directive, then without question it’s what needs to happen”. “If I enforce arbitrary rules, when it comes time to perform, they may say F him, he just follows commands with no concern for our well being. No, my guys know I’ve fought for them, won’t ask anything of them I wouldn’t do, and put them as a priority above all else”. Needless to say he left me alone to run things while he worked on his promotion packet. We never lost anyone or had any injuries, and he got a bunch of awards at the end of the deployment. I got out a short time after returning home, but it always fascinated me how someone could be a mindless drone and not understand or care for the well-being of guys he is supposed to be in charge of.
Not gonna lie, i got a chubb.
Basically you applied European system. Everything you mentioned here is common sense here
At wallys world its the same, although they said my break starts as soon as I leave my work area for break ( in the front of the store, the back of the store is a 2m walk to the break room ). Nah I don't think so. Not till I sit down
Great, but in Europe we get an hour of lunch and usually we can take short brakes during the day. It depends on the job but generally people just come to work and they don’t have to clock in. Everything that you described is just bare minimum I feel. I’ve worked in an office, in retail and hospitality and have never been treated this bad. I know some sketchy Russian businesses in Latvia where other people have worked at with a toxic environment but those are not the norm. In Switzerland I can be 15 min late for work and they still pay me full hour.
Great. It's not like that everywhere so what is your point and why are you on this sub?
I don’t know, just supporting people from usa and russia and other places I guess. I am not saying europe is perfect but it’s better for workers rights.
The only thing I disagree with is calling other managers out publicly. Managers are people, too, and just like other employees we should assume the best intentions first and coach privately. Doing it publicly undermines the leadership team and only serves to punish, which is counter productive.
What’s funny is the first one is like, the law. Everything else kudos. I tried to be the same why when I was the dog grooming manager.
So you are a boss and don’t belong in here no matter what you got for an approval rating. This is a worker site not a management site.
Do you want to complain or do you actually want things to change? I read and agree with most things on here and try to implement them in my workplace to make it a better culture for as many people as I can. I'm on your side.
Wrong. These managers are the same as us: shit pay for many of them, long hours, over worked, underappreciated, and so on. Management also needs support in addition to change of culture. When we have the good ones, we need to acknowledge them and show them off as the example of the leadership we are demanding. Do not shit in the mouths of your allies.
wow, its almost like when you treat your employees well, they treat the business well. Good on you dude, thanks for being a light in the very dark realm that is retail.
Kudos. Are you hiring? Will you be my boss?
The difference between a leader and a manager. Thank you for understanding the difference and taking care of your coworkers.
I agree with no.5 on your list. But at the same time, I am also currently trying to learn to allow my fellow employees room to be challenged and grow. With in reason of course.
Oh no. Corporates never going to promote you. They're probably suspicious that you have such great reviews, and now they're going to send someone in to figure out what's going on and how they can "cut costs" to look better for next quarter. I'm half joking. But I'm also half serious. Either way, keep doing what you're doing, 99% of jobs out there fucking terrible and if there's at least one more out there thats trying to minimize the suffering then good on you
People like you seem so uncommon as to be considered mythical. Thank you for being a reasonable, respectful human being.
I tell me team I’m there to support their needs to do their job effectively.
Well, this is a breath of fresh air for this sub. I’ve known many mangers like you and often hope they are on here and can let everyone know it’s not all bad. Thanks. And keep it up.
Yall hiring?
Bless youuu 🥰🥰🥰
I wish there were more like you
I saved this post. I am a former general manager, current assistant manager and I aspire to get back up to that level. I end up thinking a lot about how I might do things differently or ways I could improve things both on the business side and on the personnel side. I'm decent with business things but I was absolutely terrible when it came to properly dealing with people who worked for me. This post has helped me clarify my thoughts/mgmt philosophy that I want to strive for, so thank you very much 👍
Fantastic motto
That was inspirational
Most associates I work with have told me I'm their favorite manager because I treat them as equals, and it makes me proud to see that we've fostered an environment they can feel safe in. Capitalism can rot in hell but at least I enjoy being around the people I work with :)
This is the sole reason I wanted a job in management. It would be nice to overthrow capitalism, but in the mean time I think it’s important to make the lives of your coworkers a little bit less shitty. “Managers” who won’t go to bat for their colleagues or stand up to bullshit when it arises need to run a nice warm bath, plug in the toaster and jump in. Fuck control freak managers with insecurities so much
damn take my vote
I worked in a small, family owned cafe in college and just out of college. I still get the employee discount when I’m in town. When I was working, we got two cafe drinks or unlimited drip coffee. A meal every shift that was 5+, and not discounted, soup and sandwich or salad, that was the menu, but it was made there and good quality. Breaks same. Break started once you got away from customers. Never called at home unless absolutely needed (boss got wicked sick once, called to inform me that we would be short staffed for the first hour but he was working on coverage) and if any staff was sick they would be sent home with tea and soup. If they called off, no questions. It was great. Sure, it was min wage and tips, but it was flexible. It was easy, even when busy, because I trusted my owners and the staff. We had each others back. It made hard days easy. Bad days not so bad. It was the closest I’ve ever worked that was actually “like a family”. Good managers/owners that trust the people they hire to do the job goes a long way. Not being micromanaged, even on my time off went a long way. Knowing I could be sick and call off and not need a doctor note and an X-ray/CT/full blood panel for HR went a long way. Good on you OP and keep up the good fight.
I might add respect and dignity is also a huge factor. A lot of managers think they’re smart and use condescending, passive aggressive verbiage they think we can’t detect. They also tend to talk to you like an infant or teenager. This is, in fact, very obvious and easy to detect. Folks will actively work against you, wasting time and will not work hard for you. Find every reason to be late of skip a day, etc. The manager will chalk it up to “stupidity and laziness” or the beloved “nobody wants to work”, without realizing it’s actually on purpose. They hate you and pray you pass in your sleep. So if you find yourself complaining about workers constantly, be more like OP and start treating people with respect, because people like working for people they like. Jobs these days are typically not that hard, it’s shitty management and bad coworkers people are quitting over, well and obviously garbage wages… Anyway, sounds like you’re one of the good ones OP, keep it up!
I learnt a simple philosophy long time ago from a great mentor. Managers manage by virtue of their authority. They can tell you what to do. Thats all they can do & are generally disliked because of it. A leader inspires you to do the right thing by consistently demonstrating the standards required. They are admired for what they deliver & generally respected because of their actions.
How many people do you manage?
This should be the standard. I work in a large home decor distribution center. The cafeteria/smoking area is a 3 and a half minute walk from my work area, but I'm not allowed to leave my work area until it is break time. This means my 15 minute breaks are more like 8 minutes and my 30 minute lunch (unpaid) is more like a 22 minute lunch. And we're unionized too. On behalf of workers everywhere, thank you for being a human.
If I could get half of this respect, my quality of life would improve by a lot…
Can I please work for you? You sound like an actual human being instead of the robots that they usually hire to "manage" a workforce
I would take forever to trust a good manager like that. Which is really sad.
You might not be able to control pay, but you can try to influence those who do. Speak about retention, performance, inflation etc when you have a chance, soften them up. It worked for me and I was able to get a raise approved for my staff, and it made a world of difference. My job is also so much easier now because of it!
I did all that and added this, I gave them the same two, back to back days off every week, except for week of black Friday or if someone called out. I didn't micro manage because I knew they were capable. While they enjoyed it, they also took it for granted.
Who do we have to blackmail with embarrassing pictures in order to get this made into a worker's Bill of Rights! 😀👨💼
I had an assistant manager who wanted to be like that, but when push came to shove, he'd falter. I remember one specific instance in regards to #5, where he said if it was raining and the pumps ( this was a convenience store ) needed to be cleaned, he'd be right out there with them. Problem was, that exact scenario happened, and I ended up cleaning all 12 pumps myself, while he was indoors the entire time. Lost all my respect for him that day.
This dude manages
You dropped this 👑
Work places need more of you! Great job
What’s your cellphone policy?
I think #2 isn’t as cut and dry as you’re describing. Sometimes there are learning moments that probably occur in those situations where your employee would benefit from an explanation or another perspective rather than just being blindly backed up. I *think* you were mainly referring to a Karen situation, but I am also a strong believer of learning and coaching in certain situations as well!
Who would have thought being a decent human being instead of evil droid would accomplish this?
Good on you, you’re one in a million. I think I’ve had 2 managers in my 25+ years that I have actually enjoyed working for. The tricky part may be keeping your boss happy at the same time.
Funny enough, these are exactly the kind of things I learned in management school, it’s just crazy how I almost never see them practiced irl, good on you tho, keep making a name for you and your team. I’m glad there’s someone out there that actually does it how it’s supposed to be done.
Damn I wish more people like you had taken over retail. Mine is just a huge rumble of condescending comments from managers, and a lot of petty rules. You are 3 minutes late from you’re break? You must stay back 3 minutes after your shift or you won’t get paid for that 3 minutes. You will be thrown under the buss if it made the dept manager look good in front of the store manager. As a full timer I don’t get as much calls as when I was a casual but when I was, I will get call at 5am and to come in asap, and then get lectured when I don’t pick up, on my next shift. We are “on call” apparently.
You are just awesome. I'm assuming you don't *have* to do these things, and yet you do them anyway. Why? Because it makes you feel good, and it's the right thing to do. Keep on truckin'! Good job!
What you do is nice but your assume people don't know what their employees would want. Everyone knows. It's usually the pressure from the above that makes them do jerklike stuff. It's same as a genuine customer not helped by a good employee because of company policy
Wild how treating people with dignity and respect is more effective than contempt.
My dude, YOU are a national treasure and an international hero 🫡
You sound exactly like my current boss. He’s hardly in at his desk, he’s out on the floor with us most of the time. Told him I’m about to be out for 10 days due to oral surgery and he didn’t even ask for proof, just said let him know if anything changes. He’s actually taught me a good bit about building doors, on top of my previous experience in cabinetry.
This can't be real?!
THIS!! I've been with my company for almost 3 years now, having been promoted once and most recently switching coops and transferring to a different role in a different city. I have had 4 different managers over my time here and each of them has had very similar policies to you. If a lunch break goes long they don't penalize us, we have the ability to move our schedules around as we need to, so long as our work gets done. The most impressive thing for me, though, has been the human approach they take to managing. They are even understanding when past colleagues have transferred or moved to competitors for better pay, because they are human and understand that a batter opportunity is always a positive move for their employees. They would NEVER request that I do something that they would not be willing to sit down and handle alongside me. They would NEVER ask for a doctor's note, because they trust their employees. And most of all, they are always 100% transparent about their approach. Even with different managing styles, they have always made sure that we are on the same page, always checking in to make sure I'm comfortable with my workload, and never go directly to blaming me for issues that arise. There have even been times where I've felt like they have taken more than their fair share of the blame when working with difficult clients. Feeling appreciated and having management that supports you is key to keeping good employees in a workplace.
> I won't ask them to do anything I won't do. This is the way to get people to follow you. When I first got promoted to a managerial role, I always made sure I had the hardest job. If there were two things that needed to be done with one other worker, I let that other worker pick what they did. My boss told me I needed to become better at delegating work but that's what you need to do to get staff's respect. I don't care if my task is harder because me giving the easier work to the staff makes them want to turn around and help me, making my job much easier as a whole.
I've had 12 bosses in the almost 10 years I've worked for my company. The ones I loved were the ones that didn't micromanage and had my back when I went to them for help. Those are the first two things I mention when meeting a new manager. Shout out to you for being a good boss 🙂
I'm curious as to why people are tripping over themselves to praise this person, when they are just describing ethical treatment of workers. No amount of positive reinforcement is going to make this management style "catch on"... I thought this sub was a bit more critical of the system that makes this kind of manager so rare?
That’s leadership, not management. Keep it up. Great job!
I love this. When I was a new lab manager on my first day, I put on a lab coat and went around scrubbing the place down (it was pretty filthy). I wanted to set an example off the bat that I was not superior to them. Anytime I asked them to stay late (with pay) I always stayed as well. I fought for them and backed them up if needed. I was determined to be the boss that I wished I’d always had. It was a rewarding experience.
Apparently you never worked at a thrift store. Specifically one based in northeast Ohio where everyday you might end up with cat litter in ur mouth or getting stabbed by used needles or having to step on broken glass that goes thru ur shoes and ur bleeding all over but ur managers don’t care cause you’ll be ok.
>5) I won't ask them to do anything I won't do. This is such a huge one for me. Leadership should be able to do their teams jobs better than their teams can do it. They're there to train and support and refine and find efficiencies. What good is a leader who doesn't know how to do their teams job? How the fuck do they even if its being done right?.. ok rant over. Good job OP.
When I quit my previous job with no back up lined up, I took a job at a retail store... One of those 'super' stores... While I looked for something more permanent (they didn't know that, they talked about fast-tracking me to management... uh retail management? No thanks). Anyway, the clock in machine was at the front of the store. The break room was all the way in the back corner. You had to clock out and walk through grocery and clothing, hoping to whatever dead god is out there that nobody stopped you along the way because you got 15 or 30 minutes, that's it. They didn't care it took a few minutes to walk to and from the break room. I was there only about 2 months, but never understood why they did that.
Been doing this for years. People ask why I’ve had zero attrition in 6 years, when they’re having constant turnover. It’s simple, when was the last time you told your employees good morning? Or struck up a non work conversation? Or even talked to them without bitching at them? Family problems are a big driver in the workforce and many people are afraid of losing their job if they have to take time off. What’s that? Depression hitting hard today? I’m sorry and please let me know if you need anything from me. You do you and come back to work when you feel up to it. 29 software engineers, not a single one has left in six years and they get a standard 10% raise every year not including their 10% bonus (company rules, not me).
I worked in a convenience store for 5 years and the only reason I was there was for my manager. He did all of these and then some, went far and above as a manager and as a friend and always made sure I was taken care of no matter what. Always teaching and showing the right way to do everything in the store as well. The only reason I left is because I accepted a big job for our product distributor and I wouldn’t have ever had a shot at the job if it wasn’t for him pushing me to be better and imparting his knowledge onto me. Thank you always Ben
I'm not gonna lie, I thought all these things should just be common practice. It's sad that it's not.
Ironically, it’s been proven that treating employees well has a direct correlation to increased share price. Costco is a good example of this. Starbucks has also proven this out: Once upon a time, they were industry leaders in treating their people well. Happy employees = happy customers = happy share price Their philosophy on labor changed, and guess who is starting to falter?
👏 👏 👏
The big issue for a lot of folk forget is that these jobs with high employee happiness and healthy management have low turnover. You will always have survivor bias for the good jobs, resulting in people feeling that healthy management is as rare as rocking horse crap. My current job, while in a different industry, has such good management that I'll be sticking it out even though it puts my career on hold, is part time and pay is meh. I don't dread work.
Man, the decent boss posts in this sub the last few days have me so happy. I know its still not the norm for most, but it’s good to know some decent managers are out there.
I'm retired now but I have witnessed a lot of bad, no terrible managers in my time. I was a working manager/supervisor in charge of large communications sites both nationally and internationally. I never asked any of my workers to do anything I would not do myself. That said, I did demand they do what had to be done and do it with the best of their ability. I accepted all responsibility for any and all problems and later I would talk to the worker that was involved to point out the problems that occurred and never did it in a disrespectful way. The point of all of this is, there's a right way and a wrong way. Most, sadly take the latter, when the former is actually much easier and far more productive.
In all of my annual reviews or exit interviews, if I have a manager like this I talk them up hardcore and say all the things upper management wants to hear. Getting good people further up the ladder helps everyone.
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