Please register to participate in our discussions with 2 million other members - it's free and quick! Some forums can only be seen by registered members. After you create your account, you'll be able to customize options and access all our 15,000 new posts/day with fewer ads.
I would be happy to be outside cleaning the front of the store and taking a break from customers. I would not use my own equipment though. My philosophy is I get paid the same no matter what I do, so I am willing to help in any way possible.
OK, maybe flabbergasted was a bit strong. Perhaps surprised or chagrined would have better conveyed my thought, reaction.
They've always had their building and sidewalk professionally cleaned. Have they been ordered to cut expenses? I think my son felt rather frustrated because he was supposed to accomplish this task with the old kitchen mop, a small bucket and some Mr Clean. He'd been scrubbing away for over an hour when he called, said he could do a half decent job if he had a scrub brush and a hose.
This manager is known to be rather harsh; the supervisors usually run interference. The supervisor on duty today is new to the job and this location, so no help from him.
This brought to mind, as if it's ever far away, that people are being asked to do more and more just to keep a job - not to get a raise or promotion, just not be laid off or fired. On the other hand, I have a friend who would like to be laid off. The small company she works for keeps, one by one, getting rid of people and assigning their jobs and tasks to those remaining. She said that she can't take it any more and wonders what she can do to be the next to be asked to leave.
Quote:
Originally Posted by chiroptera
Personally I'd way rather be outside washing the front of a chain store building instead of being a cashier inside one, but that's just me.
Why "flabbergasted?" Do you think manual work is somehow beneath him? I imagine as a sales associate he is pretty much at the bottom of the food chain anyhow, so he'll get those kinds of tasks. Somebody's got to do it.
If he needs the work and wants to go full time, I imagine the smart thing to do is do whatever is asked of him (as long as it's ethical, legal, etc) cheerfully and well. If he doesn't want the job, or wants to stay part time, he won't.
But even if he decides to move on to something else, getting a good referral from previous employers will stand him in good stead.
OK, maybe flabbergasted was a bit strong. Perhaps surprised or chagrined would have better conveyed my thought, reaction.
They've always had their building and sidewalk professionally cleaned. Have they been ordered to cut expenses? I think my son felt rather frustrated because he was supposed to accomplish this task with the old kitchen mop, a small bucket and some Mr Clean. He'd been scrubbing away for over an hour when he called, said he could do a half decent job if he had a scrub brush and a hose.
This manager is known to be rather harsh; the supervisors usually run interference. The supervisor on duty today is new to the job and this location, so no help from him.
This brought to mind, as if it's ever far away, that people are being asked to do more and more just to keep a job - not to get a raise or promotion, just not be laid off or fired. On the other hand, I have a friend who would like to be laid off. The small company she works for keeps, one by one, getting rid of people and assigning their jobs and tasks to those remaining. She said that she can't take it any more and wonders what she can do to be the next to be asked to leave.
Maybe he should consider going to college so he doesn't have to do this kind of work the rest of his life. Of course he should go to college for something that is in demand or he will end up back in retail. Maybe he should try to go to vocational school to be trained to do something else. It is extremely tough to find a good job right out of high school anymore.
I used to work in retail. I think washing the front of the store isn't a big deal. I had to clean toilets, sweep the floor, clean old soda out of the bottom of a refridgerator, push carts, pull pallets. I am a petite female by the way so pushing carts and pulling pallets was very difficult.
What do I do at work? I run a cash register, and when I work closing I clean bathrooms, vacuum, and sweep. Heck, I'll even windex the sunglasses case! I certainly think I deserve something more challenging than my job, but I do it with a smile because I know I am lucky to have any job right now.
You bringing down a pressure washer doesn't seem very "mommy to the rescue" to me. You are bringing something by to help him out.
His being asked to clean may seem like something a janitor *should* do, but companies are cutting costs left and right. He is lucky if they give him some soap to clean with
...in this economy? My son's employed by a pharmacy, a national chain, as a sales associate. He called from work asking if he could borrow the pressure washer?! It seems that he's been tasked with washing the (large) front of the building using a mop and bucket. I'm flabbergasted. I asked if he was being punished for something.
The power washer is broken, but that's not the point. He's over 18, so Mommy running over there will not look good. He currently works part-time, and was told that a full-time position will be available in about a month; current employees are considered first for those slots. He said, "I wish that I could just quit". Yeah, but, it took a while to find this job.
He knew several employees, among them a supervisor and pharmacy tech, before starting this job. I asked son what they thought of this and as it turns out, none of them are working right now. I really do wonder if he's being targeted.
How much do you put up with to keep a crummy minimum wage job? I guess it depends on how desperately you need the cash. Would any of you be out there washing the building or would you be telling the manager what they could do with the mop?
The one out there pressure washing is called an employee. The one who will not do it is called unemployed.
Seriously, he's barely an adult and in an entry-level position. This is a good life lesson for him that we must do whatever it takes in our jobs. This has always been the case, but never more so than in this economy. Hopefully he will do it with a positive attitude and it will be remembered by the manager. If not, that's okay, too. When I hear someone say "it's not my job", it tells me that they are the type of person that will do the bare minimum. Not someone I would hire or even want to work with.
I am a property manager. But when the trash chute in a condo that I managed got clogged, I spent several hours bent over to my waste in a stinky, 2 X 3 foot wide filthy metal tube pulling out bags of trash, dirty cat litter and old diapers. You do whatever it takes.
"On the other hand, I have a friend who would like to be laid off. The small company she works for keeps, one by one, getting rid of people and assigning their jobs and tasks to those remaining."
Welcome to the new corporate america... I see a serious increase in stress related illnesses coming.
He should do it, but he should mention to his manager that he could do a much better job if he had better equipment. Perhaps mentioning they should purchase a pressure washer or rent one even. I would do anything, unless you do not have the proper equipment and by not using proper equipment you put yourself in bodily harm. You should let him know that he should never feel bad about telling a manager he will not do something without proper safety equipment! Better to PO the manager than be dead, or lose a limb or your eyes or something... this happens all the time in workplaces BTW.
Say Yes, Sir, anything else I can do? Hold his head up and act like a prince while doing so! I washed dishes while going to college, but I was a princess washing dishes, no one is better than I!
I need a job badly enough that I would be more then happy to wash the front of the store. In fact as someone else said, a break from customers who can be a real pain wouldn't be a BAD thing.
Someone has to clean the outside of the store, it might as well be me. In fact I would volunteer for it.
I used to work for a durable medical equipment company, my job was dealing with patients, sales, reps, insurance companies and doctors office. If there wasn't anything else to do, I would go out and clean the warehouse, clean the bathroom, empty the shredders, vacuum etc. I would rather do that then sitting at my desk, getting paid and doing nothing. The people in charge will remember you sitting there doing nothing before they will remember anything else.
I was always well thought of because I did MORE then was asked of me, not less or just enough to get by.
By asking to borrow your pressure washer, it sounds like your son was being resourceful and just trying to find a way to wash the outside of the building more efficiently/ effectively- good for him. In stores like that, there generally are no janitorial/ maintenance staff and it's left to the hourly sales associates to do this type of work. Same thing as most other hourly position-dependent operations- when I was a "warehouse associate", in addition to stocking, inventorying, shipping, etc., we were responsible for performing all of the janitorial work of the building.
AFTER obtaining a BA from a highly-regarded university, for a while I wiped a**es for a living (OK, I did a lot of other education-related things on that job as well, but I did have to wipe a**es regularly), and this wasn't even the worst job I've had. I honestly don't see what's so wrong about washing the outside of a building, and if I was the manager of that store and a young kid gave me gruff about having to do this, I would seriously question his work ethic, attitude, and drive/ motivation. The fact that his friends are out of jobs might say something about their attitudes, and by implying to your son that it's justifiable to quit over something like this, you run the risk of becoming an enabler/ coddler and having to put him on your payroll for a long time to come.
Please register to post and access all features of our very popular forum. It is free and quick. Over $68,000 in prizes has already been given out to active posters on our forum. Additional giveaways are planned.
Detailed information about all U.S. cities, counties, and zip codes on our site: City-data.com.
Please register to participate in our discussions with 2 million other members - it's free and quick! Some forums can only be seen by registered members. After you create your account, you'll be able to customize options and access all our 15,000 new posts/day with fewer ads.
