I was recently added into a manager group chat (against my will, but I figured it was coming) after being promoted to a low level, hourly manager position. I was told this group chat was a pain to deal with by one of my coworkers, but now that I’m finally in it, I can see why it’s so notorious for being toxic. It’s obnoxious and most of the texts are all from one person, the store manager. I constantly get texts on my days off, multiple times a day, with my SM usually telling us about all of the mistakes we’ve made or sending us pictures of stuff that needs to be fixed or done around the store. She’s chewed out me and a few others in the group chat before for very minor mistakes, though she usually never directly says our name. Everyone would know who did it though since we usually only have one manager on at a time. Tbh, I’m afraid to check my phone in the morning after a close just in case they find something small I’ve done around the store that they don’t like. Their store policies also change on a whim and aren’t communicated with everyone effectively. We had another manager quit recently since she basically got thrown to the wolves by the SM with zero training. SM talks bad about her in the group chat when it was her fault for not properly training her.
I don’t know how much longer I’ll be here. I’m a loyal employee and have been working at this s***hole for years. I’m reliable, always willing to cover shifts on my days off, and will drop everything to help the SM and my coworkers if they need it. I know I have more added responsibility now as a leader, but I’m definitely not salary and I’m not getting paid off the clock for these constant work texts. I’ve muted it, but still check it for the occasional bit of useful information that pertains to my job (merchandizing and stocking). I just feel like the stress and paranoia of making any kind of mistake and getting publicly shamed in the group chat is not worth it for my measly promotion raise.
Anyone else had to deal with something similar? I hate it here.