I recently accepted a job offer as a shift supervisor with a company that is not in retail but works quite closely with retail. I accepted this position about a month ago, and after a few days of finalization I began working. During the interview stage of the process the manager made note that the area manager might not allow this subsection to have another supervisor, and I kindly remarked back that I was applying for the supervisor position. The offer I had received from the company was for the supervisor position, at the supervisor hourly rate, so I assumed that it was cleared. (Keep in mind that the job posting was for a supervisor role, not the entry role.)
I started shifts performing the same duties as the entry position with manager orientation and training days scheduled. I truly wanted to understand the position and how I could best support them in their work, and what concerns they might have.
On my first day of manager/supervisor orientation, I arrive and shadow the manager on duty to learn the opening duties. During this process I did receive compliments on my attention to detail and a few other compliments from the supervisor I was shadowing. When the first shift arrives for the day, there is a call out, so I take over for the call out and we move the training days back.
The manager of our subsection goes on holiday for about ten days. During this time the supervisor in charge gradually gets more and more snappy with me and other associates. On one of the days I get snapped at for “not taking dishes back to the sink once my chore was done” and get reminded to ask everyone if they need help with their chores when I finish my own chore early (I had asked multiple associates multiple times if they needed help but that is besides the point.) The day the manager is supposed to return from her holiday, she is sent to the ER in an ambulance early in the morning with a high heart rate and high blood pressure. The supervisor from before has to come in to help set up and run everything even though it is her day off. I ask the supervisor how I can help and she snaps “get out of my way” at me.
Fast forward a few days, to today, which is the first day I am working with the manager who was released from the hospital and is in good condition. The manager makes comments to me about calling the area manager to see if our subsection is allowed another supervisor (me) or not. I ask her to please keep me informed. We did discuss that if I were to be demoted that my pay would also be demoted (from $16/hr to $15/hr) which makes sense given no longer being expected to perform supervisor duties. I go along with my day, take my lunch, come back and the manager shows up to tell me that if I have a moment we can discuss what the area manager said in her office when I have a moment.
I take a bathroom break (which apparently was too long for my managers liking since she commented on it) but when I go back to my area of the store the manager is waiting and we decide to just go to her office and discuss. When the office door closes it immediately becomes an issue of “this is what this supervisor is saying and she isn’t comfortable with y leaving you in a supervisor position as well as these other matters.” The only reasons I got were the other matters, which were inappropriate jewelry, and coming back from breaks a minute or two late. The company does have a no jewelry policy, which includes my small internally threaded ear studs. I will admit that I do tend to easily forget steps like taking out my ear studs and I sometimes come back a minute or two late because I lose track of time. I do have ADHD and these are things that just happen. I was talked to twice about the studs, once in the interview and once in an online orientation.
The first thing I am wondering is why did this go from a “we don’t know if we have room for the position” conversation to a conversation about not being ready for a supervisor with reasons that have not had any communicated warnings. At this point I tank the manager for the opportunity to work with the company but that it might be in my best interest to take a step away from the company. I finish out by cleaning up after myself and clocking out. I think it was fairly clear that they weren’t allowed another supervisor and were finding reasons to demote me. In that case, why post the job and why hire for that role if it wasn’t approved? I did get HR’s contact number and will be giving them a call in a day or two.