I’ve been working at a video store this summer. Saturday, we had a meeting in which the manager went over some basic guidelines about running the store. Apparently, this was too much for some of the employees to handle. My shift leader quit last night, never to return, leaving at least three shifts unattended this week and probably more already scheduled for next week. There was also a plan for the only other CSR over eighteen (aka the only person other than me who can work nights) to come into today and quit his job without notice, but I didn’t work today so I don’t know if he went through with it.
The word of the day, kids? Courtesy. I had to quit work because I have college full-time and a university job, but you know what? I gave my boss two weeks notice. It was amazing! All it took was two minutes in the office with my manager! No castration involved! Thanks to your thoughtless actions, asshats, the manager (who’s the only full-time worker) and the one remaining shift leader will have to cover your shifts! Without notice! I’ll probably have to pick up shifts, too! You fucktards also picked the worst possible time: 1)we’re doing inventory, 2)we just lost one CSR and I’m leaving Saturday, 3)I’m moving on-campus tomorrow and I need to spend as much time as possible for the next few days getting to know my roommate/dormmates, unpacking, attending orientation classes, and buying books, 4)the remaining (underage!) CSRs begin class Monday, thus unable to cover day shifts.
To my (ex)co-workers: fuck you. Learn to think about other people for two seconds and give our manager two weeks to find replacements for you. You’re behaving poorly toward the CSRs (especially me, now the only one who can work nights), the one remaining shift leader, and, most of all, to our manager. We have an incredibly easy, fun job and a really nice guy for a manager. Get over yourselves. I hope the only jobs you assholes can ever get are at the Jack in the Box next door.
While I sympathize with your plight, and the fact that you’ll now have to cover extra shifts while you’ve got a ton of other things to worry about, I must say that I’ve never really understood the concept of the two weeks notice. Especially in low paying service jobs. If your boss were to decide he didn’t like you as an employee would he give you two weeks notice before firing your ass? Or even two weeks severence pay? I’m doubtful. In my experience, people unhappy with their job don’t really do very good work anyway.
If your position truly is easy and fun, it shouldn’t be too hard for management to find new workers and those who quit and left you in the lurch will probably regret their decision when they’re working somewhere less laid back.
As for you–good luck with school! Hope your roommate doesn’t talk to the television, eat foul-smelling cheeses, permanently “borrow” your socks on a regualr basis, or noisily snort nasal sprays like they’re going out of style. [sub]I had freshman roommate issues, can you tell?[/sub]
Well, I think the OP managed to explain in gory detail exactly why two weeks’ notice is a necessary minimum, even in a low-level position. In a professional job, like the last one I resigned from, four weeks is more the minimum - and more than that if possible because of the complexity of finding a replacement. The fundamental thing is that you don’t leave your employer in the lurch.
May not be fair in the other direction, but that’s life.
It can depend on the job. If its an office atmosphere, most times its just 2 weeks of training people to do your job followed by an exit interview. Professionals treat other professionals with respect.
But I’ve seen the other type of job too…the ones where managers take ‘2 weeks notice’ to mean ‘Give me every shyte job you don’t want to do and piss all over me while I’m doing them just because I’ve found a better job & will leave your ass in the dust’.
The summer job I had after graduation was an example of the latter. The Fucktards running the place, on my last day, ran me around the state on pointless errands until 7pm at night, just so I couldn’t say good-bye to people. But they stuck around to say ‘yeah, your cake was delicious; too bad there isn’t any left.’
I say there’s another side to this story that we’re not hearing.
JuanitaTech, that’s what I don’t understand. The meeting seemed to cover basics–dress code, assisting customers, etc. It seemed to go pretty well. That’s why I was so surprised that it pissed so many people off (a third guy, who may or may not have already quit). There could be more going on like quietman1920 suggested, but if there is, I haven’t heard it, and my shift leader didn’t mention anything else to me…except…
Sunday night, the two guys who quit decided that they wouldn’t check the outside drop box for the whole shift–eight hours. Revenge, I suppose. When my manager checked the box Monday morning, it was overflowing. I was still putting away movies from Sunday night at 5:30. Many people probably have false late fees on their accounts because of this. My manager had a talk with them, and it must have pissed them off so much they decided to quit. Before this, the other CSR showed up to work wearing the wrong shoes (right after we had the meeting on dress code) and was sent home to change, so he became angry over this.
Since I gave my two weeks notice, I haven’t noticed any change in my duties. I get the same hours a week as I usually do. Actually, this week I have 40 because we’re doing inventory. I don’t know what I’ll do if the manager asks me to pick up another shift.
So your workplace staffing is so precarious that if a couple people quit, the whole thing comes crashing down? Not to support the guys who quit without notice, but we are talking about a business staffed almost entirely by young, part-time employees who have no vested long-term interest in the company’s success. If you’ve got that, expecting 2 weeks’ notice is probably unrealistic, and your business needs to be prepared and able to replace employees quickly.
I think JerH is saying your staff size was too small before they quit & that the manager is to blame for not forecasting & implementing a hiring program before all this happened.
Every such place I’ve worked (not many, admittedly) has been composed of about 1/3 guys-who-will-work-there-until-they-die, 1/3 are folks who want the steady job while they’re planning to do something else with their life, and 1/3 dumb-ass slackers who don’t fully understand the difference between “being at work” and “being at daycare.” The last group generally doesn’t last more than a couple months, but they’re the ones that create chaos for everyone else there.
Anyhow - I don’t know your manager, but it doesn’t sound like he’s got a good handle on the whole staffing situation. Or maybe there’s a bit more to the story. (Labor shortage in your area, etc.)
My girlfriend works for the same video store company you do (I think) and they have huge turnover (and last minute quitters, too). The reason for this? Shitty pay and shitty treatment. If the company gave a FUCK, they’d treat their employees better. They get out of it what they put into it. Yes, you’ll have to pick up the slack, and that’s unfortunate. But blame your employer for making unskilled labor feel even shittier about themselves than they already do. Fuck 'em, I say.
Something similar happened at my job a few months back. We normally have three managers, each working from 10 AM to 10 PM, about 5 days a week. There must be at least 1 manager there on any given day, and on busy days during the week all 3 are needed. Well, it just so happened 2 managers quit out of the blue. Which meant the remaining manager had to pick up the slack, as well as the rest of the staff.
JerH, some employers cannot hire more than a certain number of people because of budgeting. I know that in the tutoring center I work for, they can only afford to have the minimum number of staff on hand to get the job done. The managers also have to go out of their way to train new staff, which takes time. This is why it is very courteous to give a 2-week notice. In my job, I would certainly give a 2-week notice. As it stands, the only reason I would quit my job right now is if I was unable to continue to do it, because of school (I too am a full-time student with 2 part-time jobs). My employer is more than willing to re-hire former employees of good standing (because they don’t need to be trained, and the process takes less time than hiring someone new).
I remember when I gave notice at one restaurant I was working at. Thought I was being nice. Next time I come in for work I see they’ve cut all my shifts. This is pretty standard practice in this biz. More so with servers(cooks take more trouble to find/train). Why waste good shifts on someone who’s leaving anyway?
The happy part was a week and a half later they were desperate to cover a shift and called me up. That was the sweetest no-fucking-thank-you I’ve had the pleasure of giving.
A lot of the problem is that many grunt workers feel this is the only way to “punish” the business for percieved wrongs. I’ve had my share of co-workers quit mid-shift. It’s a bitch but that’s one of the reasons they are called “crappy jobs”.
Not only are people quitting right and left out of the blue, but they’re leaving behind “booby traps” too?
Either the manager needs to do a little bit better job screening applicants. Or these people were getting treated like dirt already and the meeting enforcing even MORE crap on them was the last straw.
If only one person just quit, then I’d think it had to do with that person’s own lack of a good work ethic, but so many of them? I don’t know your co-workers, but it sounds as if there might have been something going on to cause them to act this way.
Otherwise, IMHO, what a lot of other posters here said.
You get what you pay for, and bully for those that would rather quit than get treated like dirt.
I also agree with the poster that said that in these low paying low skill jobs, giving a two week notice is akin to saying “I’m a scapegoat, crap all over me”.
I feel bad for you that you’re having to bear the brunt of it, but until businesses like this start treating their employees with common decency and courtesy, they can hardly expect the same in return.
Well, apparently both of the guys still work there.
My shift leader was going to tell me why he’s still there tonight, but customers kept interrupting him, so I missed why. He said he had a talk with the regional manager and with our store manager. He still hates his job, but for whatever reason, isn’t quitting again. What I could figure out was that he had to work all day today because the second shiftleader had to pick up one or two of his shifts. Bizarrely enough, shift leader called my mom at work yesterday wanting me to pick up his shift that night. Ha, ha. (I couldn’t anyway, I’m a CSR!)
I haven’t seen the other CSR, but I’m sure he’s still working (we never have the same shifts). I think he may have been sent home on Tuesday to change clothes (his plan was just to go in there in his street clothes and let our manager throw him out, or something).
It may help to note that these guys were buddies before they started working here. The other CSR has only been working here since June, and the shift leader started either the same week as I did, or the one after that.
To all those asking: we have a small staff: one store manager, 2 shift leaders, and 6 CSRs, although one of them doesn’t have any hours this week, although whether he requested no hours or if he is being “punished” is unknown to me.
Oh well, all appears to be well for the time. I wasn’t stuck with any extra shifts (nor with the jackass second shift leader who would accompany them). I hope I have seen the last of Creepy Coworker. Oh, yeah, tomorrow’s my last day.
I want to clarify what I had said beforehand. Only the shift leader and the other CSR were going to (try to) quit. The CSR who already left did so because she was moving to another city, and I’m leaving because I have a job on campus that was prearranged months ago. If there’s one thing I don’t like about working there, it’s the crappy customers. 95% are cool and nice, but then you have that 5% that yell, argue, insult, dawdle, and keep you there 15 minutes after the store closes. The management (for me, anyway) is not a problem.
Speaking of management, I think the regional manager (who I’ve only met once) may be the target of my coworkers’ vitriol, as he’s the one who issues most of the rules, arranged the meeting (although he didn’t himself attend), etc.
I worked in a Casino as a 21 dealer in Tunica between 1994-1996. The company had a policy that if you gave notice to quit the company, you were immediately dismissed.
So, I just worked until my last day without telling a soul. Two hours or so before the end of shift, my supervisor was giving me my yearly evaluation. I told him that I was leaving at the end of shift. The lovable twit gave me my evaluation anyway, called the shift boss, and I was removed from my game and let go.
Fast forward to 2001, I tried to get a job with the same company at a different property as a survaillance officer. The man hired me then pulled his offer back, I feel because of the above situation. Oh well.
Harrah’s Casino! The Better People Place! (Unless you work for those assholes)
The workers themselves don’t give the finds. They run the movies through the computers and the computers automatically make them fines. So the workers have to go back and erase that fine.
What will probably happen regarding the late fees is that if someone complains about them, we’ll check to see the date the movies were returned, and the manager will erase them if they occured on the day the guys decided not to check the box. We already have to do that sometimes when movies are marked only one day late. The store opens at 10am, but the manager comes in 8 or 9ish to ready the store. This includes checking in movies that were dropped off since our store closed the night before. If he can’t get all the movies checked in by 10am (which doesn’t happen very often, by the way), false late fees will show up on the account. If a customer complains, we can check the time the movies were scanned. If the ovie was checked in at, say 10:12am, we cancel the fees.
The moral of the story: bring your movies to the inside counter.
