What Should I do about my Job that I am losing?

Jesse1993

I work on a concession within Debenhams, as we all know its closing and I'll be out of a job Jan/Feb. Anyway my company is being the absolute worse since the announcement. They have put so much extra work on top of me that I am physically unable to do in the amount of time and are acting like nothing is wrong and that Debenhams is safe. I also work on my own so I get zero help and the area managment dont even live in my county nor do they answer my questions or queries. Nothing is selling well and I'm not hitting targets.I think all the stress is getting to me and I'm causing myself to feel ill. Ive always been a hard worker and this is the first time I've properly felt like this. At times I feel like doing the bare minimum and have zero motivation. Obviously I am looking for a new job but its difficult being December and there not being much out there. Should I be worrying over this if I'm going to be out of a job after Christmas? And what would you do? 

Diamandis

You can only do what you can do within the hours you work. Just do the best you can without stressing too much. Providing you're not doing completely awful to the point of being dismissed you'll be fine for a couple of months. And get every application you can sent out in the meantime. 

TELLIT01

Do what you can and leave what you can't.  Do not allow them to pressure you into working beyond contracted hours and do not worry about the stuff you can't accomplish.  That worry is one for management to deal with.

[Deleted User]

Try to keep calm knowing it is coming to an end and there might be somewhere even better for you. New chapter, new job. Something will be out there, it may take a load of applications but something will be there. I felt stressed in recent times but I can't change the company only go elsewhere so some applications later I am offered an interview with a company who would turn me down at the first hurdle when I used to be a real job hopper, so I take some comfort in knowing this last year and I might not have anything in common with my present employer, as much as I'm pushed to my limits hasn't been in complete vein. Lastly I notice a fair few staff reviews on job boards are of other people geting stressed and less then satisfied at these times so appears we're not alone.

Brynsam

Jesse1993 said:

I work on a concession within Debenhams, as we all know its closing and I'll be out of a job Jan/Feb. Anyway my company is being the absolute worse since the announcement. They have put so much extra work on top of me that I am physically unable to do in the amount of time and are acting like nothing is wrong and that Debenhams is safe. I also work on my own so I get zero help and the area managment dont even live in my county nor do they answer my questions or queries. Nothing is selling well and I'm not hitting targets.I think all the stress is getting to me and I'm causing myself to feel ill. Ive always been a hard worker and this is the first time I've properly felt like this. At times I feel like doing the bare minimum and have zero motivation. Obviously I am looking for a new job but its difficult being December and there not being much out there. Should I be worrying over this if I'm going to be out of a job after Christmas? And what would you do? 

Given that you've only been in the job for a matter of months and will lose your job within the next couple of months, why are you allowing yourself to be put in a position where you are making yourself ill? What is that going to prove to anyone? Do the best you can within the time available, but beyond that, you can't do more. As for hitting targets...forget it. Nobody is.

sassyblue

Do the best you can and ignore the rest. I cannot stress to you enough it’s not worth making yourself ill over, the lack of motivation is obviously coming from the knowledge that your job is going soon.

My sister also lost her job with Debenhams earlier this year, kings lynn branch.  The workers found out it was closing when an ex colleague was taking her hours exercise one evening and saw it being emptied, with a lorry being loaded, she messaged her friend and told her what she’d seen. A few went up there and were told by the manager of another branch overseeing it all “I’m so sorry you found out like this”.  From that they knew their jobs were going.

Debenhams hastily contacted their employees late that evening and cobbled together a zoom meeting for the next day. At the meeting they asked everyone to turn their microphones off and read out a statement, they then took a few questions and even told one employee that the job centre would help them with the redundancy process which is completely untrue, they are supposed to do that. 

My sister worked for a concession like you and concessions weren’t even invited to that meeting as they were not Debenhams employees.  

At the time This Morning and a national newspaper were supposedly interested in interviewing some of them but it came to nothing which surprised me because Debenhams treated their employees like dirt and without sympathy, it was shocking.

The reason I’m telling you this is because when your employment comes to an end you'll no doubt be treated the same. Debenhams was a lovely place to shop but could be an awful employer at times. My sister was there 29 years and put her heart and soul into her counter yet was cast aside when the shop shut.   Nobody should be treated like that, so don’t go busting a gut for them and making yourself ill they don’t deserve it.  Targets can be helpful and serve a purpose to get you motivated but how on earth are you meant to hit your targets when we're in the middle of a pandemic?

Please take care of yourself and I really wish you the best of luck in finding something else or that your concession can open somewhere else. 

ACG

I had a job I hated. 
I put a date in the diary which was my last day and worked out how many working days I had left. Say you work 5 days a week and you have 8 weeks left, 40 days looks better than 60. 

I would just ride it out, do what you can and dont break your back. IF on the odd chance you go through disciplinary etc, you could always say in future interviews that they were actively trying to manage people out in order to cut the redundancy bill as everything had been fine up until closure was announced. 

yksi

As someone who used to work for Debenhams... Network. Debs is a close-knit company of humans who look out for one another. So turn up for work, do your allotted hours, and don't do anything above & beyond that for your own employer. They are not going to bail you out here, so forget them. All you're required to do is to meet your contracted hours. If you don't achieve targets, so what? Do you think they are going to fire you - they haven't got the time to train a replacement and they can't hire anyone for a job that's about to disappear! Your job is safe for another 3½ months, so use the time to make friends.

And by friends I mean every regular client you see, get personal when you chat with them and get to know them, offer your insta/web page when they ask what you'll be doing after Debenhams. Add them on Linked In. Socialise with them online. Most importantly make friends with the Debenhams staff, particularly your store manager and department managers. If you possibly can, ask the store manager to add you as a 4h contracted Christmas temp to help cover the weekend shifts on the tills or stocking the shelves. Even if it's just one weekend afternoon, you're showing you are willing to work.

The reason is this, they are also faced with moving to a new job and when they eventually do, you want them to remember you. Give them a hand with things that aren't your job - help that old lady find the elevator, clean up the spilled milkshake, do anything and everything to get their attention as the person with the "can do" attitude. When their new workplace needs a reliable employee they might just speak up and say, Jesse1993 would be perfect.

Jesse1993

Thank you for all the replies, you've made me feel a lot better than what I was. So I'm not the only one feeling like this which has helped. My debenhams have actually been so nice & supportive (little fyi I have actually worked for this debenhams for 6 years) but only worked for concessions in the last year or so and this particular company I am with now has to be the worst I've ever worked for and I now think I'm going to get dropped at the end so I guess it doesnt matter about the targets etc. They have been quite insulting at times in their emails which is really baffling me, they could of been atleast a little sympathetic to the 30 odd staff possibly losing their jobs. But that aside ive decided to just soak up as much experience as I can and spend as much time with my work friends and not worry so much.

Jesse1993

sassyblue said:

Do the best you can and ignore the rest. I cannot stress to you enough it’s not worth making yourself ill over, the lack of motivation is obviously coming from the knowledge that your job is going soon.

My sister also lost her job with Debenhams earlier this year, kings lynn branch.  The workers found out it was closing when an ex colleague was taking her hours exercise one evening and saw it being emptied, with a lorry being loaded, she messaged her friend and told her what she’d seen. A few went up there and were told by the manager of another branch overseeing it all “I’m so sorry you found out like this”.  From that they knew their jobs were going.

Debenhams hastily contacted their employees late that evening and cobbled together a zoom meeting for the next day. At the meeting they asked everyone to turn their microphones off and read out a statement, they then took a few questions and even told one employee that the job centre would help them with the redundancy process which is completely untrue, they are supposed to do that. 

My sister worked for a concession like you and concessions weren’t even invited to that meeting as they were not Debenhams employees.  

At the time This Morning and a national newspaper were supposedly interested in interviewing some of them but it came to nothing which surprised me because Debenhams treated their employees like dirt and without sympathy, it was shocking.

The reason I’m telling you this is because when your employment comes to an end you'll no doubt be treated the same. Debenhams was a lovely place to shop but could be an awful employer at times. My sister was there 29 years and put her heart and soul into her counter yet was cast aside when the shop shut.   Nobody should be treated like that, so don’t go busting a gut for them and making yourself ill they don’t deserve it.  Targets can be helpful and serve a purpose to get you motivated but how on earth are you meant to hit your targets when we're in the middle of a pandemic?

Please take care of yourself and I really wish you the best of luck in finding something else or that your concession can open somewhere else. 

Thank you. I'm sorry that your sister was treated that way. Sounds awful how they found out. I have actually worked for Debenhams itself for 6 years but moved to the concessions in the past year / 2. My debenhams have been lovely so far but this concession company have been the worst, not sympathetic and probably holding onto us so they can make more money before we are dropped. I'm just trying to soak up as much experience now for my cv & I'm spending as much time with my work friends before it all closes. I will definitely watch out though just incase the same happens to us. Thank you again