i got written up at work today! help!

[lizer]

okay, never in my life have i been written up. i am almost 25 years old.

i work for a high end retailer. i have an art degree and am only there to 'get my foot in the door' for a better position within the company. something that utilizes more of my skill, interest, and talent.

 

so, i got written up today for..

switching lunch breaks with another coworker! (because i was literally starving verging passout and she wasnt)...

who a. consented to it 100%

and b. it was acknowledged by a manager.

 

HERE IS THE ISSUE:

previously in the day i had asked another manager if the switch could happen. she says "i dont know, she got here an hour before you.."

meaning, her break should be before mine, not the other way around.

 

so i asked the actual worker if she wouldnt mind switching and she graciously said 'no problem'... this manager at the end of the day apparently felt that her authority was being challenged and wrote me up. there was never anything stating that break times couldnt be changed. in fact, ive done it before with no qualms!

 

during our little powwow in the back, she went on to say that i need to stop looking so ready and raring to go when its the end of the day. ahahah. she straight up said that i need to look like i love my job more. and basically that when my time is up, that i need to slowly walk over to a manager and ask if they need me to stay for anything else, and then ask if i can go.

is this not totally backwards? am i wrong for wanting to leave my job when im assigned to leave? i am not a manager. i am not paid enough as it is. so what gives????

 

another question, i had to sign the bottom of this write up. she said this was just to verify that we did indeed have this little chat about the horrible awful thing i did.

 

at this point, can i not go above to corporate people, say the district manager, and question this entire issue and give my two cents? i'd hate to just lay down and roll over when i fully 100% dont agree that this was worth getting written up for.

i have this BLACK MARK on my file now, and its totally uncalled for.

 

opinions!!

[DN]

Ask to see the corporate policy or rule that forbids switching lunch breaks.

[itsallgrand]

You signed it. doh. Why sign it if you don't agree? You have a choice - and that would be the time to fight it if you want.

 

No, don't go up. Are you kidding?!

 

It's a game. Not something to freak about. The "written up" about switching lunch breaks isn't even a big deal. It's just a warning, to put some fear in you to start doing some of the things she is asking.

 

Why not just start being a better worker?

-it's not unreasonable for your manager to want some respect from you, earn her trust and you'll get much further than taking it up every time you are thwarted

-it's not unreasonable that you not make a production, change your work pace simply because the hours are coming close for you to go home

-it's not unreasonable that she may be upset about the switching...it's a pain to the manager to have people switching without them knowing

 

Give a little, get a little.

 

This doesn't sound like an abuse of power by the manager to me at all.

[lizer]

they scheduled my lunch break 6 hours into my shift. i got there at 7am. which meant that i was being screwed out of breakfast and lunch. low blood sugar=nauseous and dizzy. how does the fact that i "handled" the situation by finding someone to switch with me have any reflection on my being a good hard worker.. who happens to be freakin starving. how does this lunch swap have any bearing on whether i can do a job well? it doesnt. it just means that i needed food to be productive. and i utilized my problem solving skills to come to a solution.

[lizer]

please refrain from using 'doh' in sentences. im not a child and im not an idiot. i signed the paper because she said it meant that the conversation happened. it didnt mean that i agreed with it. thank you for your input.

 

p.s. the manager on duty, did know about the switch. she changed us up with no questions asked.

i did not go behind anyones back. i would've never done it without at least SOMEONES consent.

[JadedStar]

Signing it is more than likely just what she said - acknowledging the conversation.

 

I think she was probably within her right to do this.....and I would actually take the advice as constructive criticism about being raring to go at end of day. While I would not have written up an employee for this i would have been ticked that I had already given an answer on the lunch switch and they ask a different manager.

 

I really wouldn't make a stink about this. This is just my humble opinion - I think the blackmark on you will be far worse if you make a big issue out of it. Most write ups like that are only in force for six months so it would be better IMO to take the feedback constructively and put it to use in the future. Every workplace has their own culture and now you know that the culture where you are at favors people who don't jog out the door and ask if there is anything else that you can help with.

[itsallgrand]

I agree with Carrie.

 

I think she was attempting to address some things with you. That's the purpose of write ups.

 

I think what she said upset you, but learning to take criticism whether it is reasonable or not is actually a big part of work anyhow.

 

good luck.

[JadedStar]

Thats not their problem. Bring a snack that you can eat while on the floor. During your 15 min break go to the back and eat something. I think that your work wasn't up to par and they used the lunch swap to warn you about your actions.

 

I was thinking the same thing - it was probably an excuse to call her to task for other things that were less tangible.

[NR498E]

I worked for a company a couple years ago that did the same sort of thing. I started getting written up for the the most ridiculas infractions.

They were doing this because they wanted me to quit and if I didnt quit they could then fire me after 3 write ups and then they would not have to pay unemployment.

So be careful.

Never sign the write up paper either, what you are doing there is admiting guilt.

I btw managed to get myself fired in a very creative way and still get my unemployment, that I then milked for 48 week's.

[Amore]

she straight up said that i need to look like i love my job more. and basically that when my time is up, that i need to slowly walk over to a manager and ask if they need me to stay for anything else, and then ask if i can go.

 

It seems like this is the true problem here, and the lunch break switching was just adding fuel to the fire. A huge part of a sales position is attitude and looking like you love your job! Have you ever heard the saying "don't dress for the job you have, dress for the job you want?" Take that saying, but apply it not only to your clothing, but to your attitude and appearance as well. You're not going to be able to move up in the company when you can't wait to get out of there.

 

At the same time, if there's no corporate rule stating the switch of lunch breaks, you technically could take this up with a district manager, but I think this would only get you noticed in a bad light. Like carriebradshawny said, I'd take this as a warning and start showing commitment to the company.

[lizer]

Thats not their problem. Bring a snack that you can eat while on the floor. During your 15 min break go to the back and eat something. I think that your work wasn't up to par and they used the lunch swap to warn you about your actions.

 

no food is allowed on the floor. we dont get 15 minute breaks.

 

concernig my work not being up to par, i go above and beyond for customers. i bend over backwards to make sure they are taken care of. i love my coworkers. maybe the problem is that im still not sure what i did wrong in terms of work ethic. and i'll probably never know. if its because i like to go home and want to go home when my hours are up, then im afraid i will continue to be written up.

[lizer]

"don't dress for the job you have, dress for the job you want?".

 

i like that. i'll run with it. for the record, i did stay a half hour later today to make sure customer needs were fully met.

[lizer]

I worked for a company a couple years ago that did the same sort of thing. I started getting written up for the the most ridiculas infractions.

They were doing this because they wanted me to quit and if I didnt quit they could then fire me after 3 write ups and then they would not have to pay unemployment.

So be careful.

Never sign the write up paper either, what you are doing there is admiting guilt.

I btw managed to get myself fired in a very creative way and still get my unemployment, that I then milked for 48 week's.

 

so by writing you up thats pretty much saying they dont want you working there?

 

also, im sure if i hadn't signed the paper it would've looked even more poorly on me. thats almost admitting guilt more. may as well fess up that the incident took place, but that certainly doesnt mean i agree that it was wrong. not sure what i can do about it at this point. i guess nothing.

[Amore]

i did stay a half hour later today to make sure customer needs were fully met.

 

That's always a good start! As for wanting to go home at the end of the day, if you had your dream "high up creative" job, would you be showing to your boss how badly you want to get out of there? Most likely not, because even if you're exhausted , you love your job and want to keep it. You might not love your sales job now, but you should apply the same attitude towards it as you would if you had your dream job. Does that make some sense?

 

Best of luck to you

[Weeblie]

I think the write up was stupid and made no sense. In fact, you should've mentioned that you had been there for six hours already and I don't know if this is the law everywhere else, but where I live...that means you're entitled to a half hour break. And I wouldn't have signed it either. BUT since you've already signed it, it's not worth stressing over. To take it further up would cause more drama than necessary. And if you want to move up in the company it's not worth it.

 

In the future, I would check your schedule when you come in and make sure to take note of when your breaks are scheduled. That way if something weird like that happens again, you can say something in advance. Like ask them if there was a mistake on the schedule. Also if you're one of those people with the low blood sugar problem, make it known to the managers. I'm sure they'd allow you to bring a snack or something so you can last till lunch.

 

Also, while I think your manager was wrong about the lunch thing, I think she's right about offering to help and staying a little later. That kind of stuff will get you to the job you want faster. When you're willing to help them out like that, they're going to be willing to do the same for you.

[JadedStar]

"don't dress for the job you have, dress for the job you want?".

 

LOL this has been my motto for twenty years and I have given it to many a young person.

[annie24]

Ask to see the corporate policy or rule that forbids switching lunch breaks.

 

exactly. i doubt it exists. and i would never want to work for a company that did not allow me to do that.

 

i met a woman who worked for a major company that wouldn't let her go to the hospital when she had a stomache ache. they said they would fire her if she did so. well, she went after work, it turned out her appendix ruptured, and she had major complications as a result of not having immediate medical attention - she has severe problems now. such companies are completely evil. i suggested she sue them.

[JadedStar]

But she DID get a lunchbreak. The law in some places states you get a break but it doesn't mandate exactly when.

 

Signing it was acknowledging the conversation took place. Not signing it probably would have led to her termination. No, she didn't HAVE to sign it but most company policy requires a signature to acknowledge those types of conversations so she quite frankly could have lost her job.

 

The last company i worked for made it clear you didn't HAVE to sign papers acknowledging that you read and agree to certain policies but if you didn't sign it the fine print stated that your employment would be terminated.

 

I agree with you about picking your battles and this wouldn't be one of them if it were me. They obviously have other fish to fry with her and this was a means to an end. I would have been very cordial and courteous during the conversation and stated that I would definitely take the advice to heart (about not jumping out the door at quitting time).

 

In the manager's defense if her lunchbreak was an hour later than the other person's I don't think anyone ever died or was hospitalized from hunger for that duration. If there were a blood sugar problem it is the onus of the employee to make those things known so that reasonable accommodations can be made. Employers don't have to make accommodations for conditions they do not realize exist.

[DN]

As a general rule (and you should check with your local laws) most jurisdictions require at least a 15 minute break usually before six hours of work is completed. There should be some sort of schedule. However, employers usually have the right to set the schedule.

 

If it is usual practice among employees to switch lunch times, then she is out of line in calling you on it - particularly as she didn't specifically forbid it when you asked earlier.

 

And signing a write up is usually simply an acknowledgment that you have read it - it is not any sort of admission.

[lizer]

Everyone likes to go home, but when you are always the first one out the door that shows something to the mgmt. That you will never stay late for the team, you dont take this job seriously, and it just shows poor work ethic.

.

 

again, so because i leave when my time is up that shows im not taking the job seriously? how about noticing when i take the job seriously the 9 hours previous to that? and about this staying late for the team business, they asked me YESTERDAY if i could stay an extra hour to help with all the 'busyness'.. and i agreed! when the store manager has asked me a day in advance if i can close instead of work a middle shift, i agree! i bring in cupcakes, and ive even given words of encouragement to managers before. i was even planning on getting them all gift cards for christmas! good lord. whatever. thanks for all your help.

[sandyv]

This thread just brought something to mind for me.

 

I worked for the Provincial Government at the time, and I still do.

 

My mother was very ill a few years ago (I received a call telling me this), I told the Supervisor I needed to leave to tend to my mother..... she told me I would be written up and I was....

 

Apparently the upper Management didn't agree with her decision. I can't believe how human decency can go out the window in the name of a job.... doesn't make alot of sense to me?

[HellFrost666]

Lizer, I think some of the people in this thread are being too hard on you. The only advice I can give is don't worry too much about it. I have been written up a few times in my life. One write up isn't going to affect your chances of any kind of promotion.

 

PS, my girlfriend has an art degree too, and she tends bar at night and works in an office during the day. Neither of her jobs have anything to do with her degree. Art majors have a really hard time breaking into the field.

[annie24]

As a general rule (and you should check with your local laws) most jurisdictions require at least a 15 minute break usually before six hours of work is completed. There should be some sort of schedule. However, employers usually have the right to set the schedule.

 

If it is usual practice among employees to switch lunch times, then she is out of line in calling you on it - particularly as she didn't specifically forbid it when you asked earlier.

 

And signing a write up is usually simply an acknowledgment that you have read it - it is not any sort of admission.

 

i wonder if she has it 'in for' lizer and just wants to get her fired, and is starting the paper trail now....?

[lizer]

i wonder if she has it 'in for' lizer and just wants to get her fired, and is starting the paper trail now....?

 

lovely!!

[annie24]

i hope not - i hope i am just overly paranoid. it just seems like an unusual thing to be written up for - i mean, has she done the same thing to employees who have asked the same thing?