View my comments about challenges of work and the so-called "comprehensive benefits package" at
http://www.starbucksunion.org/node/99
There, you can find information about how, if you work as a barista (=latte maker/janitor) or shift supervisor, you are likely to have your hours cut to below the minimum 20 hours per week so that you are not eligible for health insurance, stock options.
Even if you were to work 20 hours per week and qualify for benefits, you have to pay for the health plan out of your pocket, and with wages of $7 per hour, you won't be able to afford it. Oh, and if you get and have to miss work to use the benefits, your hours will be cut so that you no longer are eligible for benefits.
A lot of the bullshit I experince at my store is due to the management. Although the company knows how to grow, and how to suck up to customer, they have an army of very poor mangers.
My manager treats us like shit. He often has temper tantrums. He throws things and should seek help about his anger. A lot of it is due to the way starbucks and most corporations are organized. We are voiceless and powerless. We do all the grunt work and receive little compensation for it.
We are promised we are going to be promoted but that rarely happens. The company hires more and more managers from the outside and it is a big hassle for us to transfer.
On top of that , there is tons of day to day bullshit we have to put up with, from managers going and changing time clock (reducing real hours worked, which lowers labor cost and makes them look good) to schedules being given Sunday when we have to work that Monday. Day after Day we have to deal with this while keeping a smile, sucking up to customers and receiving low wages that can barley pay the bills.
And just in case we aren’t doing what we are told there are cameras everywhere, undercover starbucks agents who pretend to be shoppers and a list of managers who are a bunch of failed entrepreneurs trying to make money at any expense, even if that means exploiting us workers.
Just so you know...i have had positive experience with all management..I had one bad manager, who I reported to the district manager and that person was soon no longer working at the store.
Transferring is not a hastle at all. That is just a lie. I have transferred twice across country. You just call the store you want to transfer to and talk to the mananger. Your managers email eachother...capiche, it's done.
As far as promotions go, you have to push it...when you do, you get promoted.
If you can't pay your bills, get a new job or reduce your expenses.
If you are receiving schedules early enough repeatedly (we received ours on Tuesdays) talk to your manager about it. If that doesn't work, call your DM.
As far as your last rant.
There are cameras everywhere focused on the customers, or they should be. If their not, talk to your manager/DM about adjusting them. If you'd rather not have protection against theft, leave the company. All retail establishments have [quote]undercover agents[/quote] known at secret shoppers. That's the only definitive way to get an idea of how the store is going.
First of transfering is different depending on which region you are transfering into. When I first made my transfer request I was told basically that all I would have to do is find a store, fill out the form and turn it in and it would be done. This all turned out to be misinformation.
First of all when I moved to my new location I did not even know where I would be working and this is after giving the company SIX MONTHS notice that I would be transfering and giving the district manager of the area I was moving 2 MONTHS notice.
After being in town for about a week or two I finally had to go through an extensive interview with two managers at once that was exactly the same as one I had been given over the phone two months or so prior.
So lets break it down. Three interviews, almost three weeks without pay and a whole lot of hassle to remain in my position with the company. The company which I had been working for a year and a half at the time.
As far as cameras and secret shoppers I think you should read Nickel and Dimed by Barbara Eherinreich drance. It would appear as though you need to learn about the detrimental effects that employer surviellance has on the minds of workers. Cameras, drug testing, secret shoppers, and the like are just as much surviellance tools as they are tools to make workers feel small and subservient, kind of like children on a playground that need constant supervision.
People who feel small rarely stand up to their employer, people who feel small are scared of their boss (maybe not outwardly but subconsciously yes), people who feel small don't complain, people who feel small don't worry when a saftey issue is ignored by management because if they get hurt its their own fault, people who feel small don't care if their rights are violated, and people who feel small do not ever under any circumstances even think of organizing unions.
So drance201 please try to see the double use of all management surviellance techniques because they DO exist. As much as I detest their use I do see them as a necessary evil in some circumstances. Management is just watching its back. But understand when we organize a union we are just watching ours.
It all depends on your store, I think. It's very hard to do an expose on all of Starbucks just checking on the comments at this little site. Each of us reports to a different manager and each manager may have a different style even though Starbucks, itself, tries to promote a more positive attitude between the employees.
Because Sbux does NOT pay a lot, there is a disproportionate amount of people who are hired into high places (if you consider supervisor, assistant manager, and manager as a "high place") who may not be your typical management material, so to speak. These people can get a really inflated sense of self-importance and become like small kings ruling the serfs. If one is wise, they can manipulate the situation to their advantage and maintain a humble attitude while still, actually, getting what they need from their manager or their job. If the barista has issues of their own, however, then there's sure to be a clash. People like to feel important. If you walk into Starbucks willing to give that up and allow the OTHER person to feel important, you can do very well there. Just chill out and be cool. If you can't do that, you're going to bump heads with SOMEBODY.
View my comments about challe
View my comments about challenges of work and the so-called "comprehensive benefits package" at
http://www.starbucksunion.org/node/99
There, you can find information about how, if you work as a barista (=latte maker/janitor) or shift supervisor, you are likely to have your hours cut to below the minimum 20 hours per week so that you are not eligible for health insurance, stock options.
Even if you were to work 20 hours per week and qualify for benefits, you have to pay for the health plan out of your pocket, and with wages of $7 per hour, you won't be able to afford it. Oh, and if you get and have to miss work to use the benefits, your hours will be cut so that you no longer are eligible for benefits.
A lot of the bullshit I exper
A lot of the bullshit I experince at my store is due to the management. Although the company knows how to grow, and how to suck up to customer, they have an army of very poor mangers.
My manager treats us like shit. He often has temper tantrums. He throws things and should seek help about his anger. A lot of it is due to the way starbucks and most corporations are organized. We are voiceless and powerless. We do all the grunt work and receive little compensation for it.
We are promised we are going to be promoted but that rarely happens. The company hires more and more managers from the outside and it is a big hassle for us to transfer.
On top of that , there is tons of day to day bullshit we have to put up with, from managers going and changing time clock (reducing real hours worked, which lowers labor cost and makes them look good) to schedules being given Sunday when we have to work that Monday. Day after Day we have to deal with this while keeping a smile, sucking up to customers and receiving low wages that can barley pay the bills.
And just in case we aren’t doing what we are told there are cameras everywhere, undercover starbucks agents who pretend to be shoppers and a list of managers who are a bunch of failed entrepreneurs trying to make money at any expense, even if that means exploiting us workers.
Hey, Just so you know...i
Hey,
Just so you know...i have had positive experience with all management..I had one bad manager, who I reported to the district manager and that person was soon no longer working at the store.
Transferring is not a hastle at all. That is just a lie. I have transferred twice across country. You just call the store you want to transfer to and talk to the mananger. Your managers email eachother...capiche, it's done.
As far as promotions go, you have to push it...when you do, you get promoted.
If you can't pay your bills, get a new job or reduce your expenses.
If you are receiving schedules early enough repeatedly (we received ours on Tuesdays) talk to your manager about it. If that doesn't work, call your DM.
As far as your last rant.
There are cameras everywhere focused on the customers, or they should be. If their not, talk to your manager/DM about adjusting them. If you'd rather not have protection against theft, leave the company. All retail establishments have [quote]undercover agents[/quote] known at secret shoppers. That's the only definitive way to get an idea of how the store is going.
First of transfering is diffe
First of transfering is different depending on which region you are transfering into. When I first made my transfer request I was told basically that all I would have to do is find a store, fill out the form and turn it in and it would be done. This all turned out to be misinformation.
First of all when I moved to my new location I did not even know where I would be working and this is after giving the company SIX MONTHS notice that I would be transfering and giving the district manager of the area I was moving 2 MONTHS notice.
After being in town for about a week or two I finally had to go through an extensive interview with two managers at once that was exactly the same as one I had been given over the phone two months or so prior.
So lets break it down. Three interviews, almost three weeks without pay and a whole lot of hassle to remain in my position with the company. The company which I had been working for a year and a half at the time.
As far as cameras and secret shoppers I think you should read Nickel and Dimed by Barbara Eherinreich drance. It would appear as though you need to learn about the detrimental effects that employer surviellance has on the minds of workers. Cameras, drug testing, secret shoppers, and the like are just as much surviellance tools as they are tools to make workers feel small and subservient, kind of like children on a playground that need constant supervision.
People who feel small rarely stand up to their employer, people who feel small are scared of their boss (maybe not outwardly but subconsciously yes), people who feel small don't complain, people who feel small don't worry when a saftey issue is ignored by management because if they get hurt its their own fault, people who feel small don't care if their rights are violated, and people who feel small do not ever under any circumstances even think of organizing unions.
So drance201 please try to see the double use of all management surviellance techniques because they DO exist. As much as I detest their use I do see them as a necessary evil in some circumstances. Management is just watching its back. But understand when we organize a union we are just watching ours.
It all depends on your store,
It all depends on your store, I think. It's very hard to do an expose on all of Starbucks just checking on the comments at this little site. Each of us reports to a different manager and each manager may have a different style even though Starbucks, itself, tries to promote a more positive attitude between the employees.
Because Sbux does NOT pay a lot, there is a disproportionate amount of people who are hired into high places (if you consider supervisor, assistant manager, and manager as a "high place") who may not be your typical management material, so to speak. These people can get a really inflated sense of self-importance and become like small kings ruling the serfs. If one is wise, they can manipulate the situation to their advantage and maintain a humble attitude while still, actually, getting what they need from their manager or their job. If the barista has issues of their own, however, then there's sure to be a clash. People like to feel important. If you walk into Starbucks willing to give that up and allow the OTHER person to feel important, you can do very well there. Just chill out and be cool. If you can't do that, you're going to bump heads with SOMEBODY.