WalMart’s Three Step Program

Just about everyone’s heard of twelve step programs. The Twelve Step Program is a set of guiding principles for recovery from addictive, compulsive or other behaviorial problems and was originally designed by the fellowship of Alcoholics Anonymous. I have no opinion one way or the other on whether it works or not. But it leads me to the “three step program”, aka “coaching” that WalMart Corp. imposes on it’s wayward associates. Allow me to explain.

First, a little disclaimer. I’m just putting this process out there. What anyone else makes of it is entirely their opinion. I will not venture to either advocate this process nor condemn it because I don’t want anyone coming after me for disclosing any deep, dark insider secrets. But anyone who works at WalMart or has a friend/relative working for WalMart might already be privy to the process.

As I said, WalMart calls this “coaching”. Sounds sort of fun, doesn’t it? Go team, go! Go out there and win one for Sam! But, no, contrary to the supportive, encouraging term, it’s more of a punishment than anything else. Let’s say an “Associate” calls in repeatedly (repeatedly is basically anything over 3 days, not excessive some may say) or an associate goes over their “scheduled” hours (not overtime, or over 40 hours, but over their own individual hours for the week) or basically anything contrary to WalMart’s particular set of rules/regulations/policies/blah, blah  (which these seem to be arbitrary and at the discretion of each individual Assistant Manager). The first step of coaching is what they call a “verbal coaching”. You’re called into the office and advised of your infraction and you get a talking to. Not too bad I suppose. Now, if after that verbal coaching you are naughty again, you then receive what’s affectionately known as a “written coaching”. Once again you’re brought into the office, advised of your naughtiness and how it adversely affects the company and you are given a paper to sign. Then, if you are still an insolent and naughty child (oops, I mean adult) you receive what’s called a “D” day. I’m not sure what the “D” stands for. Dummy, Dope, Doo-Doo Head. Anyway, you are sent home (with pay) to write a letter explaining what you did, why it was wrong and why you should be allowed to keep your job. Once the I-Am-A-Doo-Doo-Head letter is written, you are allowed to return to work and a committee (maybe just the Assistant Manager, I don’t know) decides whether or not you’re sincere enough to maintain your job. I think your Mom might have to sign it, but I’m not sure. The final step, of course, is instant termination, where upon you are escorted out of the store flanked between two members of management. Just a tad humiliating.

So, basically WalMart has adopted the three-strikes-and-you’re-out philosophy (four if you count the personal escort service). I’m not saying poor work performance should go unchallenged. But, this process often creates an environment of fear among associates. Making a mistake, going over one’s hours, calling in sick, can all be behaviors warranting coaching. And the fact that many Managers seem to have their own ideas on what requires coaching leaves associates worried when rotation time rolls around (when Assistant Managers change department assignments). Some hold their breath and hope they don’t get so-and-so overseeing their department. But, such is life. We all need jobs in order to pay the bills. Perhaps WalMart’s associate policies aren’t far off from what other employers impose upon employees. I just had the need to disclose this important information, but in the meantime I’ll say, “Go team, go!”

***This post (and all others, including those not published here) can be read on my new blogging site, http://www.mylovesleftovers.com. Thanks for checking it out!

Getting Some Head, Umm Ahead, At Work…

 Yes, the title is crass and inflamatory, but I wanted to make an impacting statement. THE most famous workplace “romance” is, of course, Bill and Monica. Bill was obviously confused as to what constituted sex (perhaps he had never experienced oral sex with Hillary and had no idea it existed), but the fact remains the relationship not only began at work, but took place at work as well. Maybe Bill can auction off the famous blue dress and donate it to Hillary’s presidential campaign, but that’s a whole other story.

The workplace has become a meeting place and a sort of singles club for men and women. Afterall, we spend over one third of our time at our jobs and we develop strong connections with our co-workers. As long as it’s mutually agreeable there’s basically no problem. Even if the relationship ends, as long as the two parties are capable of behaving like adults, there is usually no conflict spilling over into job performance. Issues come in when one party isn’t interested and the other party is persistent and harassing. This could become a sexual harassment issue and companies need to be very careful when it comes to this.

When I worked at a major retail company I was bothered constantly by another employee. Despite the fact that I told this person I wasn’t interested, he continued to insist I go out with him and managed to be wherever I was at any given time. I found myself on edge and spending more time dodging this guy than completing my work properly. It finally got to the point that I had to say something to my supervisor on an informal basis. I didn’t wish to file a formal complaint, as the other employee had never been lude or sexually explicit. He was merely a pest. He was spoken to by his manager and he finally left me alone. On the other hand, this very same employer has a policy stating that there is to be no dating between employees and their superiors, for obvious reasons. However, most of us knew there were several cases of managers and employees dating and sleeping together and the company was willing to look the other way.

Studies show that over 40% of all employees between the ages of 25 and 40 have engaged in at least one workplace romance. At one point, many employers had a “no dating” rule for their employees, but found this was hard to enforce, nor was it legal. Romance at work can be disruptive to work and job productivity. When dating employees spend more time flirting at the proverbial watercooler than getting actual work done it can affect employee moral. It’s also likely that an office affair will stir up gossip and this also interferes with job performance.

Then we have the extramarital affairs. How many of us has seen this scenerio play out? Extramarital affairs are a disaster and a one way road to nowhere to begin with, but add to the fact that the affair is going on in the workplace brings up a whole new set of problems.

Companies almost always have a sexual harassment policy in affect, but often neglect to go over it with their employees. Handing out a booklet along with a hundred other pamphlets and piles of paper stuffed into file folders is not enough. Periodic trainings either in groups or on computers is necessary to keep employees informed as to what constitutes sexual harassment and what behaviors are expected of them at work. In addition, as office romance increases, companies should, if they don’t already, have policies for dating and romance. Then again maybe we should all do what a former co-worker used to say, “Don’t fish in the company pond.”

Confessions of a Runaway Nanny: Mrs. S. and Her Nanny Search Profile.

I couldn’t resist. I just had to share Mrs. S’s nanny search profile. Take note of the extensive  background requirement. Mrs. S. did none of these. I know this because she never asked for my social security number and had no way of getting it. Since Mrs. S. put me in the same bedroom as her 2 boys it is a darn good thing I’m not a convicted child molester. I certainly didn’t have my own bathroom. I shared a lockless kiddie bathroom with a transparent shower curtain, and, yes, one of the boys walked in on me while I was showering. I was also forced to dress in the bathroom since I had no privacy in my shared bedroom.The housekeeper who does “the BIG cleaning” never existed or perhaps she was hiding from Mrs. S. the whole time I was there. As for the “loving parents” I did not see one display of affection from Mrs. S. towards any of the children. I emailed the nanny service to advise them that Mrs. S’s profile is in no way honest or truthful. They responded by telling me they’d “look into it and put a notation in the family’s file”, whatever that means. So, obviously this woman will continue to scam unsuspecting nannies. As for pay…to this date I have not received one dime from Mrs. S. even after emailing her asking her to do the right thing and pay me for my time and expenses. She has yet to respond to my email.

I am looking for a Permanent nanny (one willing to work 6 months or more) I prefer a Live in I need someone to work Full-time Monday-Friday I am paying the following full-time weekly salary $501 or more per week I need someone who can start to work on 8/28/2007 I have the following number of children Three children My child(ren) are the following age(s) School-age My family is the following At home parent (working or not) My family lives in A suburb of a large city My family is Non-Smoking I prefer a Non-smoker I need a nanny who drives Yes This job Requires that the nanny own a car On this job there is Light travel I would like my nanny to do the following tasks Light housekeeping Cook for the children The family laundry The child’s laundry Run errands Grocery shopping Carpooling Tidy up kitchen Help with homework I offer the following accommodations Private room Private bath

Family’s Experience Level Requirements

I would like someone who has the following amount of paid child-related experience 2 years or more full-time paid experience I am looking for someone with the following experience Babysitting experience Daycare center Part-time nanny job Preschool teacher Full-time nanny job Certified teacher I prefer that my nanny has experience with the following age groups of children Young school-age I prefer a nanny who has the following experience or interests Musical abilities Tutor child Arts and crafts Computer literate Swimming Driving experience in a large city Lived away from home for more than 6 months Special Needs child I would like the nanny to provide the following Work references Social Security Number verification Drivers record printout Personal references Criminal record search Medical Testing

About the Family

I would like my nanny to have the following characteristics Warm & loving Responsible Upbeat & positive Outgoing Well organized Quiet & reserved Compassionate Energetic I would like my nanny to have the following level of education High school graduate More information about my family We are happy and lively and high spirited. The three children, ages, 5,7 and 8 are each totally different from one another. They are sweet and kind and smart, and open-hearted. I like a slightly more formal form of child-rearing– respectful, old fashioned, polite. I like an organized, neat, clean home. My husband and I are very affectionate with our children and they in turn are loving. I am looking for the following in a nanny We are looking for someone who is a good role model, who is kind and fun, but also very responsible, organized, self motivated, neat, and clean. We want someone who can see herself as a parent surrogate when we are not there, and who can help share our values with our children. We would like some housekeeping, mainly keeping the kitchen in order, doing all the household laundry, and cleaning up after the kids..but not exclusively kid cleaning. we have a housekeeper for BIG cleaning, but want the nanny to be willing to pitch in to keep the house nice and neat.

 

**This post and all others (included posts not published on here) can be read at my brand-new blog site: http://www.mylovesleftovers.com. Thanks for checking it out!

To Ink or Not to Ink…

I was scheduled to go for a job interview the other day. My youngest son delicately advised me to be sure I wore long sleeves to cover my tattoos. He informed me I’d look more “professional”.This seemed unnessary to me because I never even think about my tattoos. I’ve had them so long they’ve become a part of me. Just as I don’t think about the scar on my lip from a fall as a toddler, I don’t give a second thought to my tattoos. I’d never consider covering my lip, so why would it occur to me to cover my tattoos?

My son’s comment, however, got me thinking. Are tattoos becoming more mainstream and accepted? How about tattoos in the workplace? When I worked at WalMart as a cashier I received alot of comments about my tattoos. Most of them favorable. People often asked me where I had them done, what the initials stood for and what the celtic symbols meant. Women in particular often told me how much they admired my “tats”. It was never an issue at WalMart, a company considered to be ultra-conservative. In fact, WalMart only requires employees to cover tattoos if they’re offensive.

Employers still continue to turn down prospective employees because of their tattoos. Many workers are required to cover up their tattoos on the job. Although many employees are beginning to challenge the legality of appearance policies, companies usually end up winning. Companies can continue to impose these policies as long as they don’t discriminate. But employers must implement policies uniformly for both men and women to avoid gender discrimination.

When you consider that approximately half of all people in their 20′s have at least one tattoo/and or an untraditional body piercing you know there will come a point when employers will have to become more open minded about hiring employees with tattoos. Or maybe we’ll just have to wait until these 20 somethings become managers and lighten things up on body art. 

So, no, I did not cover my tattoos for my interview. I confess I did tug at my shirt a few times to attempt to cover them with my short sleeve shirt. After a few tugs, my perspective employer said, “You know, you don’t have to worry about your tattoos. I know you have them, they don’t bother me and I respect your right to express yourself.” Of course I was fortunate to interview with such a free thinking employer and I ended up getting the job despite the tats.