New Job Concerns

**jinx** · 11-30-2006, 09:54 AM

End of summer, my dh told me that his job situation may be changing. He will be changing jobs at the end of Feb, the catch, no health benefits for at least a year. Salary at the beg. would be nominal, but would definitly increase.

I was working full time at a high end retail store when this came up, the benefit package was extremely expensive and not very good. Another place opened up not far from where I was working. I interviewed, and was offered a job at much higher pay, and the benefit package would only cost about 1/2 and was a better plan. (also less than what my dh was paying) I took the job. 40 hours a week plus benefits. Benefits are going to start Jan 1, dh cancelled his as off Feb l.
Everything was going fine until about a month ago. This new job started to announce (not every day but close) at morning meeting, that they needed volunteers to leave early, that they over scheduled, that if they didnt get volunteers they would ask people to leave. I did agree twice to leave early ususally 2 hours. One day they asked me and a others to leave a 1pm, even though our shift didnt end till 6:30pm. Week before last, they started calling people not to come in at all. They did this to me on Tuesday, yesterday they asked me to leave at 4pm, (i was sched. until 7:30) I said no, because they called me on tuesday not to come in and I didnt want to loose more pay. It is not just me, they sent 5 people home early yesterday, and on Tuesday they called 6 people not to come in. Even now with the xmas season in full swing, they continue to call people and ask for volunteers to leave early. the store is extremely busy, far exceeding all projections for sales, and yet even though they are seeking volunteers to leave early, they are still hiring.
When I was telling dh he asked me if they were asking the full time people to leave early, He said it could be that too many people signed up for benefits, and they are trying to disqualify some by not letting them work enough hours. If you dont meet the required hours (32) for a period of a month, you can loose your benefits.
He also suggested that I go and talk to the store manager about the situation. To try to find out what is happening. Saying that does this store plan to keep up their end by giving me 40 per week plus benefits. I am keeping up my end by working hard for 40hrs every week, I have already recieved two complementary letters from customers.
I dont get it. Has this every happened to anyone else? What do you think I should do? I dont want to start looking for another job again.

**lottaLove** · 11-30-2006, 10:04 AM

This happened at my DH job a few years ago. They started sending him and some other people home early all the time, or calling them not to come in. Then, a month later, I went to mail in a prescription receipt, and voila, apparently he hadn't worked enough in the month before to qualify for benefits. There was nothign we could do about it, because he wasn't under any contract that said he would work a certain number of hours per week. They also continued to hire while they were sending people home (they said it was because their turnover was so high....well duh stop sending people home and maybe they wont quit!!)

In the end, he had to quit this job. There was nothing we could do to get them to stop sending him home, because he wasn't under a contract that said he was guaranteed a certain number of hours of work.

**Cricket1** · 11-30-2006, 01:16 PM

I am wondering if we work for the same company. This happens all the time where I am, although not in my department. If we do work for the same place, when I signed all of my paperwork, they put down a range of hours that I would be working. Do you have an HR person in your store? Again, if we work for the same place, the Christmas season, although very busy is still the slowest time of the year.

Have you talked to your supervisor, yet? Also, is there another department where you could fill in so you could make up your hours?

**jinx** · 12-01-2006, 09:51 AM

Yesterday when I showed up at work the boss gathered us around and made a speech about sending people home and telling others not to come in. He said that although sales are high and we are busy, we are not as busy as he would thought. He is staffing the store above what sales projections, and when we dont meet the figure that he came up with the staffing is overbudget. he also said, that he has heard the employees loud and clear about the following concerns
this was due to benefits, he absolutley denied that. Saying the benefits had nothing to do with cutting hours.
Still hiring, yet still cutting hours. He said that there is a high turnover with xmas help, and begining yesterday they are no longer hiring anyone else.
He then went on to say that when we really get the xmas rush, there will be times when we will be asked to work overtime.

I am going to wait and see. Keep you posted.