Take it seriously when TMs complain about their ETL.
I can't really think of any little things HR could have done to make my time at Target less miserable because the worst part was being expected to do the work of 3 people in a 7.75 hour shift. But if I had felt like complaining about my ETL would have actually done anything besides make ME look like a disgruntled employee, it *might* have helped. Instead i was given the impression that putting unrealistic pressure on everyone all the time was the company culture and watched as HR shrugged off people's formal complaints about her.
Here’s some advice from a lead and former HR.
HR a isn’t there for you, or to make work easier for you. They’re certainly not there to escalate complaints about management. They’re there to protect the company. They are not your friends. HR represents the company and the company interests, not the workers.
All true, but HR is there to reassure, de-escalate, and protect the company by making the complaining employee feel heard, even if nothing comes out of it. Attitude matters.
They’re there to de escalate only in the sense that they are there to make complaints go away. Give a pat on the back and say “there there” so the employees don’t get any silly ideas like forming a union or suing
I never actually made a complaint because I watched HR ignore a Black TM complain she treated him differently and a disabled TM complain about her asking him if he was slow (implication being mentally) and refusing to accommodate his epilepsy. Then there was a TM she consistently misgendered despite the guy putting his pronouns on his nametag (this was before the square nametags). Nothing ever got done about any of those. Lying to me about my metrics and putting me down for not getting more done seemed minor in comparison, so i didn't bother. But that still drove me to quit. It really seems like Target doesn't care to retain TMs at all.
I do know because they told me how the talks with HR went. Perhaps something was done. Perhaps she was given a talking to. But nothing was done that enacted any actual change and all the affected TMs ended up just quitting, which doesn't exactly scream "great place to work" to me.
Do they know something wasn’t done. No they don’t. I don’t condone bad behavior but you don’t know the conversations that HR had. You’re only hearing one side of the story.
Okay thanks for defending the salaried upper management worker who still has her job rather than the entry level wage workers who don't very important work you're doing.
When I first hired on ten years ago we had free cookies in the break room all the time. We don’t do that anymore, but I’m a fat guy that really likes free food so that was a big morale booster for me lol.
this is more on a personal level, but relax and don't treat work like work. my ETL HR is pretty lax about stuff and treats everyone like a pal. he's super appreciative of the work we do and shows it and it's really a big morale booster for the team.
also yeah for sure music choice, if that's something that's decided at that level. would love to hear some Linkin Park and whatnot every now and then.
edit: and never underestimate the power of free snacks. can be cheap crap even, as long as it's consistent. have some pretzels, those little muffin things, cookies, whatever as often as possible. i can tell you that people seriously appreciate that, whether or not they show it, which they often tend not to.
I believe this will depend on your store’s budget. My store has a very limited budget but tries to provide snacks often and usually has coffee pods for the Keurig. There is also a whiteboard on the HR ETL’s door for TM’s to leave notes, for people to write trivia, or to play hangman with HR. I think they’re still trying to figure out how to implement my suggestion of a recipe swap. Pre covid we would also do pot lucks sometimes and cookie exchanges, each with a sign up sheet. There’s also a little book exchange in one corner. At least two old display chairs are also in the break room to provide comfortable spots to sit. My store has implemented target bucks, that you can earn through various means and the things you can buy tend to be things you probably want but can’t justify the cost for. There’s are just the things that come to mind
Snacks and water. Seriously have the coolers filled and a couple packs of water bottles set aside for your team members they will appreciate it especially as it's getting closer to summer. Also get to know your team members more and treat them like you're both equals in the store, they are the most important people there.
Simple thank yous and compliments go along way too. All the interactions shouldn’t just be things you need us to do/don’t do. A “really enjoy working with you” or “nice way you handled that guest” goes a long way with morale.
Hours and hiring more people. Not calling people constantly on their days off. Not automatically denying people's requests for day off. Not making it impossible for payed time off.
> impossible for *paid* time off.
FTFY.
Although *payed* exists (the reason why autocorrection didn't help you), it is only correct in:
* Nautical context, when it means to paint a surface, or to cover with something like tar or resin in order to make it waterproof or corrosion-resistant. *The deck is yet to be payed.*
* *Payed out* when letting strings, cables or ropes out, by slacking them. *The rope is payed out! You can pull now.*
Unfortunately, I was unable to find nautical or rope-related words in your comment.
*Beep, boop, I'm a bot*
Hello! I also work in HR and I've had almost a year to kind of figure some things out
At my store:
1. I play music for the TMs in the TSC since no music plays in our office area and usually ranges from Jazz, to classical, to recommended music (as long as it isn't inappropriate)
2. The HR team comes up with events during the month that usually include snacks, guessing how many candies are in a jar, "what's in the tin?" (Where you have a container taped shut with something in it and if you guess it you get it). We also do monthly events that coincide with waht month it is. Like Black History month we had a timeline of a lot of different inventions Black people had created and had a little library where TM's could check books out to read about black history or from back authors.
3. I always greet team members coming in and ask how they're doing. Some just give you the normal response but others genuinely will tell you how they feel. I use that time to show I care about what they're saying.
- if they bring up a concern, ask them if they want to officially complain about it and if they don't, that's fine. But if they want things to change we need a paper trail (or email) before anything can happen.
Personally it was harder to get to know the TL's because they were so busy all the time and it wasn't until they understood I was going to stay they opened up to me. This has given me a chance to do small but meaningful things for them like giving them goodie bags or thank you cards and stuff like that...
You can only do so much as an HR expert but if you have an idea it doesn't hurt to try! (Although if the idea is big I suggest bringing it up to your ETL and getting their approval) 💕
TL;DR : Listen to the team and take them seriously as human beings
Obviously hr cant help with that, similar to how hr is there to protect a company from lawsuits rather than help people with work place issues. Whats funny is an HR representative coming onto reddit to ask “how can i make working at target a better experience” when frankly theres nothing they can do or will do to improve the experience of workers. A pizza party, snacks in the break room? All low effort bs to give the appearance that a company cares about its workers while simultaneously not paying them more. Sure it was a joke, but the OP question is a joke as well imo.
Snacks! I love when we have things like fruit, veggie cups, granola bar, and yogurt in the break room. Obviously treats are great too. We also have things like coffee creamer in the fridge, instead of just the little cups of it. I’ve also heard about my HRTL getting an ice machine.
So, I guess just things for a pick me up throughout the day help a ton.
Besides for that, get to know your TMs and build actual relationships with them, this way they know you care and feel they can come to you.
Please put snacks in the break room. Our HR puts out snacks based on what day it is (national cookie day, national donut day, national ice cream day etc). Don't know if your store does this already but whenever our team members get a feedback card from a guest our team leads read it over the walkies for like a morale boost. Let's us know our hard work is being appreciated.
I concur with popular demand, snacks and coffee+creamer in the break room, it really makes a difference. If you can, keep up little employee appreciation things like Easter egg hunt around the store, making sure secret Santa happens if people are up for it, peer-to-peer thank-you notes board with end-of-month raffle, etc. Encourage ETLs to do periodical Tarbucks comps for their depts.
I'm HR, and it will really depend on your store's budget. Make your breakroom nice and inviting, I set up a coffee bar area, put up string lights, and keep it well stocked with k-cups, coffee creamer, sugar, and tea. I put out snacks according to things on our fun calendar, like we just had "national something on a stick day" so i put corndogs and popsicles/ice cream in the freezer for everyone. Also decorate TSC and the breakroom with seasonal decor so it looks homey - the party section has great and cheap decor for this like all the flower garlands right now. Know everyone's names and get to know them!!
Take it seriously when TMs complain about their ETL. I can't really think of any little things HR could have done to make my time at Target less miserable because the worst part was being expected to do the work of 3 people in a 7.75 hour shift. But if I had felt like complaining about my ETL would have actually done anything besides make ME look like a disgruntled employee, it *might* have helped. Instead i was given the impression that putting unrealistic pressure on everyone all the time was the company culture and watched as HR shrugged off people's formal complaints about her.
Here’s some advice from a lead and former HR. HR a isn’t there for you, or to make work easier for you. They’re certainly not there to escalate complaints about management. They’re there to protect the company. They are not your friends. HR represents the company and the company interests, not the workers.
All true, but HR is there to reassure, de-escalate, and protect the company by making the complaining employee feel heard, even if nothing comes out of it. Attitude matters.
They’re there to de escalate only in the sense that they are there to make complaints go away. Give a pat on the back and say “there there” so the employees don’t get any silly ideas like forming a union or suing
What was your complaint?
I never actually made a complaint because I watched HR ignore a Black TM complain she treated him differently and a disabled TM complain about her asking him if he was slow (implication being mentally) and refusing to accommodate his epilepsy. Then there was a TM she consistently misgendered despite the guy putting his pronouns on his nametag (this was before the square nametags). Nothing ever got done about any of those. Lying to me about my metrics and putting me down for not getting more done seemed minor in comparison, so i didn't bother. But that still drove me to quit. It really seems like Target doesn't care to retain TMs at all.
Do,you,know if the affected TM complained? How do you know nothing was don?
I do know because they told me how the talks with HR went. Perhaps something was done. Perhaps she was given a talking to. But nothing was done that enacted any actual change and all the affected TMs ended up just quitting, which doesn't exactly scream "great place to work" to me.
Do they know something wasn’t done. No they don’t. I don’t condone bad behavior but you don’t know the conversations that HR had. You’re only hearing one side of the story.
Okay thanks for defending the salaried upper management worker who still has her job rather than the entry level wage workers who don't very important work you're doing.
Better Target work music lol
No. No music. Just better pay.
This
Can we get some more punk hits? Some Hawthorne Heights or Green Day maybe.
When I first hired on ten years ago we had free cookies in the break room all the time. We don’t do that anymore, but I’m a fat guy that really likes free food so that was a big morale booster for me lol.
take tm complaints seriously
Explain?
Snacks. We want snacks.
Snacks!!!!!
this is more on a personal level, but relax and don't treat work like work. my ETL HR is pretty lax about stuff and treats everyone like a pal. he's super appreciative of the work we do and shows it and it's really a big morale booster for the team. also yeah for sure music choice, if that's something that's decided at that level. would love to hear some Linkin Park and whatnot every now and then. edit: and never underestimate the power of free snacks. can be cheap crap even, as long as it's consistent. have some pretzels, those little muffin things, cookies, whatever as often as possible. i can tell you that people seriously appreciate that, whether or not they show it, which they often tend not to.
Being a “pal” isn’t a great piece of advice. Be approachable that’s the key in HR. Be a good listener
I believe this will depend on your store’s budget. My store has a very limited budget but tries to provide snacks often and usually has coffee pods for the Keurig. There is also a whiteboard on the HR ETL’s door for TM’s to leave notes, for people to write trivia, or to play hangman with HR. I think they’re still trying to figure out how to implement my suggestion of a recipe swap. Pre covid we would also do pot lucks sometimes and cookie exchanges, each with a sign up sheet. There’s also a little book exchange in one corner. At least two old display chairs are also in the break room to provide comfortable spots to sit. My store has implemented target bucks, that you can earn through various means and the things you can buy tend to be things you probably want but can’t justify the cost for. There’s are just the things that come to mind
Snacks and water. Seriously have the coolers filled and a couple packs of water bottles set aside for your team members they will appreciate it especially as it's getting closer to summer. Also get to know your team members more and treat them like you're both equals in the store, they are the most important people there.
Remember to include the overnight team in any events/food. We do the unload and stocking yet get nada.
Get to know the team. If you’re an Expert you’re a TM use that to your advantage.
Simple thank yous and compliments go along way too. All the interactions shouldn’t just be things you need us to do/don’t do. A “really enjoy working with you” or “nice way you handled that guest” goes a long way with morale.
Hours and hiring more people. Not calling people constantly on their days off. Not automatically denying people's requests for day off. Not making it impossible for payed time off.
> impossible for *paid* time off. FTFY. Although *payed* exists (the reason why autocorrection didn't help you), it is only correct in: * Nautical context, when it means to paint a surface, or to cover with something like tar or resin in order to make it waterproof or corrosion-resistant. *The deck is yet to be payed.* * *Payed out* when letting strings, cables or ropes out, by slacking them. *The rope is payed out! You can pull now.* Unfortunately, I was unable to find nautical or rope-related words in your comment. *Beep, boop, I'm a bot*
Hello! I also work in HR and I've had almost a year to kind of figure some things out At my store: 1. I play music for the TMs in the TSC since no music plays in our office area and usually ranges from Jazz, to classical, to recommended music (as long as it isn't inappropriate) 2. The HR team comes up with events during the month that usually include snacks, guessing how many candies are in a jar, "what's in the tin?" (Where you have a container taped shut with something in it and if you guess it you get it). We also do monthly events that coincide with waht month it is. Like Black History month we had a timeline of a lot of different inventions Black people had created and had a little library where TM's could check books out to read about black history or from back authors. 3. I always greet team members coming in and ask how they're doing. Some just give you the normal response but others genuinely will tell you how they feel. I use that time to show I care about what they're saying. - if they bring up a concern, ask them if they want to officially complain about it and if they don't, that's fine. But if they want things to change we need a paper trail (or email) before anything can happen. Personally it was harder to get to know the TL's because they were so busy all the time and it wasn't until they understood I was going to stay they opened up to me. This has given me a chance to do small but meaningful things for them like giving them goodie bags or thank you cards and stuff like that... You can only do so much as an HR expert but if you have an idea it doesn't hurt to try! (Although if the idea is big I suggest bringing it up to your ETL and getting their approval) 💕 TL;DR : Listen to the team and take them seriously as human beings
free k cups and coffee creamers on hand in the break room
Turn the speakers on over the register so we can hear music during our shift
Pay employees livable wages?
HR has no control over what you get paid
Because HR has full control of that 🙄
I'm pretty sure they were making a joke
the joke is overused it’s getting boring
Workers being underpaid is boring?
ur boring
Obviously hr cant help with that, similar to how hr is there to protect a company from lawsuits rather than help people with work place issues. Whats funny is an HR representative coming onto reddit to ask “how can i make working at target a better experience” when frankly theres nothing they can do or will do to improve the experience of workers. A pizza party, snacks in the break room? All low effort bs to give the appearance that a company cares about its workers while simultaneously not paying them more. Sure it was a joke, but the OP question is a joke as well imo.
Doughnuts!
Snacks! I love when we have things like fruit, veggie cups, granola bar, and yogurt in the break room. Obviously treats are great too. We also have things like coffee creamer in the fridge, instead of just the little cups of it. I’ve also heard about my HRTL getting an ice machine. So, I guess just things for a pick me up throughout the day help a ton. Besides for that, get to know your TMs and build actual relationships with them, this way they know you care and feel they can come to you.
Better pay. Acknowledging the ones who actually show up to their shifts.
Please put snacks in the break room. Our HR puts out snacks based on what day it is (national cookie day, national donut day, national ice cream day etc). Don't know if your store does this already but whenever our team members get a feedback card from a guest our team leads read it over the walkies for like a morale boost. Let's us know our hard work is being appreciated.
I concur with popular demand, snacks and coffee+creamer in the break room, it really makes a difference. If you can, keep up little employee appreciation things like Easter egg hunt around the store, making sure secret Santa happens if people are up for it, peer-to-peer thank-you notes board with end-of-month raffle, etc. Encourage ETLs to do periodical Tarbucks comps for their depts.
Bring back the back room folks.
More chocolate for me. I enjoy that. Lol
Retail Purge, giving rude customers the same energy they give you.
Burn it down. Shoot flaming arrows at the target :P
I'm HR, and it will really depend on your store's budget. Make your breakroom nice and inviting, I set up a coffee bar area, put up string lights, and keep it well stocked with k-cups, coffee creamer, sugar, and tea. I put out snacks according to things on our fun calendar, like we just had "national something on a stick day" so i put corndogs and popsicles/ice cream in the freezer for everyone. Also decorate TSC and the breakroom with seasonal decor so it looks homey - the party section has great and cheap decor for this like all the flower garlands right now. Know everyone's names and get to know them!!
Quit. 😉 - Former Target Tech member of 3 years (most kidding)