I am a salaried office administrator for a privately owned convenience store chain of 18 stores. Like all companies, they are struggling with hiring and keeping “good” employees for $12 per hour.
Today the HR director sent out an email titled “Sunday Funday” that states in an effort to support our stores in these unprecedented times of low staffing, all company employees can show up on Sundays and help one store stock, clean and organize in order to help lift spirits and connect to each other. The email states “you will be paid and fed.” Followed with “this has the potential to be the greatest team building EVER!”
My coworker who is another department manager asked what salaried employees will be paid. The response was a passive aggressive “well I (HR Manager) was planning on going without being paid to support the greater good, but I will find out if we plan on paying salaried employees extra.”
I am all about helping where it is needed to support the company but business owners expect customers to pay for their goods, so why do they expect employees to volunteer their Sundays away to help a for profit company be successful. I just don’t understand!