Shop assistant who has to do cleaning!!

rose28454

My daughter has been working in an expensive young persons clothes shop for about 9 months part time while she does an online degree. She really enjoys it and applied for a supervisor's job last September. Tiem went on and no decision was made about the job so she approached the area manager and re submitted her cv. In the meantime the manager left quite suddenyl and it appears he was not doing his job properly. Anyway a couple of others applied for the 2 positions and one girl got one of the jobs but my daughter and the other person were told they were putting the other job on hold. My daughter has had a couple of days sick and a few days after the interview went to work even though she had bad flu but was sent home again as she was so poorly. However the new manageress used this as an excuse not to give her the job. Also when it snowed recently she could not get to work for 3 days but was not the only one but the manager kept calling her to hassle. The staff have to wear the clothes from the shop although they get large discount and this was always a perk as they are trendy clothes.
A lot of the assistants are uni students and a few weeks ago my daughter was asked to show them how to clean up the rest room as it was a mess. She was also asked to clean the toilet which she did but only after getting rubber gloves. She works 3 half days a week and all she seems to do now is tidy the stock room. kitchen or toilet. I told her she should refuse to do it as that is not what she is employed for.
She went in today and was down on the rota for cleaning and was told to clean the basement , which she tells me is damp and scary. She said she did not want to do it but was told she could have the door open .Anyway she cut her hand quite badly and had to have it bandaged.
She is going to London to do a months work experience and has asked for 2 weekends off and will return home for the other 2 to work her contracted hours ( which are 4 per week!!! ). However her boss has already put her down for one of the weekends she had asked to have off which she had ageed to.
I know it sound like I am being overprotective but I just want some advice as what to suggest she does. She would not mind cleaning occassinally but she seems to be the only one who does it.
She does not really want ot leave but feels that she is being unfairly treated. Also her clothes were filthy when she got home tonight!!!

HappyMJ

quits and finds something better...

PocoLocoCoco

I think your right to be concerned.
If I was in the position of your daughters I simply would not stand for it.
I suggest she has a word with the manageress and tell her how she feels, stand up to her in other words cause she sounds like a bit of a bully. Explain that she is employed as a sales assistant not a cleaner, if she has to do cleaning duties then so should all staff and a rota should be made.
If your daughter tells her the boss she will not treated like a mug she might back off.
The best thing for her to do is find another job and try and stick it out in the mean time, which I know is not the easiest thing to do when your being treated badly at work.

ceridwen

I understand your concern - and I would be too (furious in fact!). One isnt a cleaner unless one is employed specifically as a cleaner. Sounds like they are trying to make her resign - so I guess she has two choices:

1. fight back and refuse to do cleaning tasks - as that isnt what she was employed for.

2. resign (even though they want her to).

She is entitled too to be concerned about wearing standard work clothes whilst doing a cleaning job - obviously those clothes are likely to be damaged by doing those other duties - and why should she put up with that. Particularly considering she had to pay 30% of the cost of them - a fact that is rather cheeky on her employers part in the first place. The clothes should have been provided for free - since she has no option but to wear their clothes. I recall a friend of mine years ago had a job as the manageress of a clothes shop. She was told she had to wear their clothes on duty - but she was given several free outfits per season of her choice to enable her to do so at no cost to herself.

kazwookie

I would also get your daughter to write to the H&R department / or regional manager at Head Office and point out her grieveance with the manager, and see if they can help resolve it.

I agree it looks like the manager is trying to get her to resign, which to me is constructive dismissal.

GrammarGirl

I think your daughter should expect to do a reasonable amount of cleaning (hoovering the shop floor, tidying the stock room, dusting, cleaning mirrors etc) but cleaning toilets and the basement sounds out of order to me. I worked in many shops throughout college and uni and was always expected to pitch in with general cleaning, but for anything intensive (like toilets) they should employ a proper cleaner. Is the shop on a high street or part of a shopping centre?

The point about having to buy the uniform, albeit at a reduced price - unfortunately this is common practice in retail. I worked in a designer jeans shop and we got 50% off the uniform but had to buy pieces from each new collection so we always looked up to date. Annoying but necessary.

I would agree with the idea of writing to Head Office - if it's a well-established chain she should see some action taken by them. Is it possible for her to have a word with her boss? Although it sounds like the boss is being malicious, it might just be a misunderstanding or crossed wires.

At the end of the day, your daughter won't be working at this place for the rest of her life. If she needs to move on it should be relatively easy for her to do so. She might think this place is too much hassle than it's worth, so looking around for something else could be her next step.

rose28454

GrammarGirl wrote: »

I think your daughter should expect to do a reasonable amount of cleaning (hoovering the shop floor, tidying the stock room, dusting, cleaning mirrors etc) but cleaning toilets and the basement sounds out of order to me. I worked in many shops throughout college and uni and was always expected to pitch in with general cleaning, but for anything intensive (like toilets) they should employ a proper cleaner. Is the shop on a high street or part of a shopping centre?

The point about having to buy the uniform, albeit at a reduced price - unfortunately this is common practice in retail. I worked in a designer jeans shop and we got 50% off the uniform but had to buy pieces from each new collection so we always looked up to date. Annoying but necessary.

I would agree with the idea of writing to Head Office - if it's a well-established chain she should see some action taken by them. Is it possible for her to have a word with her boss? Although it sounds like the boss is being malicious, it might just be a misunderstanding or crossed wires.

At the end of the day, your daughter won't be working at this place for the rest of her life. If she needs to move on it should be relatively easy for her to do so. She might think this place is too much hassle than it's worth, so looking around for something else could be her next step.

She would not have an issue with just general cleaning but asking her to clean the kitchen, toilet and basement is a step too far. Regarding the shop it is high end fashion chain for Uni and public school kids with plenty of money. With hindsight she is not desperately upset about not getting the supervisors job as it is only £1.00 extra per hour and the girl who got one of the positions was in tears when it snowed as she had to drive on treacherous roads and run the shop on her own as the manager was off and the assistant manager could not be bothered to walk in!! I agree that she should maybe ride it out as she finishes her degree in June and already has a paid year's internship lined up when she finishes Uni in June I keep telling her she should look ahead and once she comes back from her month in London think about leaving. I know she will have a great career as she is smart, very knowleagable about fashion and styling and is a good kind person. She has gone in today and I have bandaged up her hand and told her to ask to be the greeter on the door today as then she wont hurt her hand or get it dirty. See what happens today.

JoeBreakdown

Oh, do tell us the name of the store and it's location?!

rose28454

JoeBreakdown wrote: »

Oh, do tell us the name of the store and it's location?!

Better not you never know who is reading this. Suffice to say it is South West and I have virtually named the store in one of my previouys posts.

GrammarGirl

I can work out which store you mean and now I really feel for her re - buying the uniform... ouch! That must be expensive!

I think you've got the right idea with what you're telling her. Sounds like she's got a great career ahead of her, she just needs to hang on until she can escape her current situation! I remember working with some awful people and at the time it was horrendous, but once you're out of there they're long forgotten!

rose28454

GrammarGirl wrote: »

I can work out which store you mean and now I really feel for her re - buying the uniform... ouch! That must be expensive!

I think you've got the right idea with what you're telling her. Sounds like she's got a great career ahead of her, she just needs to hang on until she can escape her current situation! I remember working with some awful people and at the time it was horrendous, but once you're out of there they're long forgotten!

Thats what I tell her. She was bullied at school and one girl continued with it until about 1 month ago ( when I called her father and told him to sort it-which he did) and as I tell her she will leave here soon and get a great job and forget them all. The clothes are expensive but when the season changes she just sells them on ( often for more than she actually paid). She just text me and said she is unpacking the delivery and I said I hope she does not get blood on it!!