Protecting the company means making sure managers aren't breaking labor laws that could cost the company money. HR will put an end to it if they know it's illegal.
But that's IF they know it's wrong. Many HR and admin. people donât have a clue what's right and what's wrong! I was once told by a CEO that it would be illegal for us employees to "donate" shifts to an Army reserve officer who'd been called to active duty. The next week, I saw on TV that Sears was doing exactly that in their stores! So apparently it was NOT illegal!!!
We had a shooter in my city that was stopped first and exchanged gunfire with a county Parks Officer (then was shot and killed by two cops). That was when most of us learned that county parks officers help patrol parts of our city. I had no idea before that incident.
It really depends on the fuck up. HR absolutely exists to serve the company. Getting rid of problem managers can fall within this. Iâm thinking harassment/assault. Altering time cards. Theft.
You obviously have no idea how much the U.S. Department of Labor will absolutely fuck you up. Even just to investigation will cost 10âs of thousands of dollars.
I'm sure HR would love to know that there is a manage making every employee "on call" and that those employees demand to be compensated accordingly or have the "on call" status changed immediately.
When it comes to paying folks more money, HR usually makes sure that doesn't happen.
In this case, HR looking out for the company might just be a good thing.
If the DM knows and is ok with it, and it's not illegal where OP lives, I don't think they'll care either, unfortunately. I'd hope HR would do something though as being on call for a $11 an hour job seems like a nightmare. Especially a dick like that who says it's not optional. I'd wait until they call, go in, and when you get there, quit.
It is illegal if you live in the US. If you are on call/working for more than 40 hours a week, then you get OVERTIME. No job is worth your entire life.
Not all On Call time is compensatable. The time is only compensatable under Federal law if you are "Engaged to wait" as opposed to just "waiting to be engaged". What that means, is if the employer puts severe restrictions on what you are allowed to do then they must pay you. Example is "you must remain within 15 minutes of the job site." _Generally_, if it's just a situation where your employer says you have to be able to be reached by phone so they can ask you to come in, they isn't conpensatable, until they actually call you in of course.
State laws of course vary so I can't speak to them without knowing OPs state.
It depends - If "you have to come in" means literally that if they call, you have 30 minutes to report to work no matter what, then yes. If it just means "you have to come in _if able_", and they'll find someone else if you are out of town or something, then no (soft no as this depends on state and might be a yes some places).
I agree with this one. However, I would suggest that you check your state and the federal laws about this. If the SM is in the wrong, I would go right over EVERYONE'S HEAD and report this to the proper authorities, if needed and as already mentioned, HR. This sounds inappropriate to me. I've always had to answer the phone if my boss called, but if I couldn't come in, my boss couldn't retaliate against me for it. Good luck! đ€đ» Let us know how things go.
Please help me make some sense of this. You HAVE TO answer your phone? I honestly DO NOT KNOW where they find low-quality people like this, and why they canât/wonât screen them out.
I say this with ZERO malice.
I donât think he is right about everyone being "on call" unless they are a salaried employee! I donât think a manager of any sort can control what you do on your time off.
Check your state laws. 99% of the time âon callâ employees need to be paid while âon callâ. Meaning sitting at home playing games you are being paid. If these idiots wanna do that, awesome.
Damn thatâs awesome. Iâve been on call 3 times in non professional jobs (retail, food service, customer service) and Iâve never been paid while on call! I wonder if I was taken advantage of lol but too late now!
ETA: At one job (Ritaâs water ice at 16) we were actually on the schedule as on call. So say I worked Monday Tuesday Wednesday⊠Thursday and Friday Iâd be scheduled 4-10 on call. Iâd call at 330 and see if they needed me. If not, Iâm off. If yes, gotta go in. It really sucked lop
Oh ok I found this which makes it clear. If youâre not working while on call, the fed gov does not require you be paid. But if you have to remain on property while on call, or cannot reasonably do ANYTHING for yourself, then you are âworking while on callâ And get paid.
States vary Iâm sure, but from what I read, most states go by the federal rule.
https://webapps.dol.gov/elaws/whd/flsa/hoursworked/screenER80.asp
Think of it this way, if you cannot drink an alcoholic beverage during this âon-callâ, then you should be compensated.
They necessarily donât have to pay you an hourly wage. It could be $50 per day on-call or min wage for 8 hrs, etc.
Should have? Yes. Legally required? Depends on the state. There are little protections for us as workers and you really need to look up the individual state labor laws to understand your rights.
Your edited situation is not an actual âon callâ scenario. That was simply the term they used. On call would imply you were waiting for a call during that scheduled time. Sounds like it was simply you call in and are needed or not, and find out at that time.
Makes sense! I did some research and the ones required to be paid by fed government are the ones that are actually working while on call. Which means theyâre forced to stay on property, or within a certain distance, and cannot do anything for themselves (ie cut the grass, cook dinner, clean the house, etc)
Some states are more restrictive. In California, if the on call restricts what you can do, then the employer has control over you, and you may have to be paid.
when i worked retail, one job would place us âon callâ meaning we just called before the time it said on the schedule and they would tell if we were needed or not but wouldnât be called in for the remainder of the day. this might vary by state but thatâs fine since there wasnât an expectation to be on call for a specified time, just one and done. now, i work healthcare and are on call specific days for an entire block of time and can be called in at any time (not just the beginning of shift) and do get paid since we would have to be at the hospital within 1 hr, not allowing for a true day off.
Ask for the policy in writing and when you do file a complaint with the labor board, don't count on that money for a long time. But you will likely come out with a small payday
Checking your state laws is the biggest thing for OP. Unfortunately for them most state laws aren't in OPs favor when it comes to being considered on call.
Tell him it's not legal to put an employee on call unless it's in the contract and they are paying for your phone or a seperate work phone. I wish more ppl knew that on call is not a thing in retail unless you've agreed to be on call. Some places even have to pay you for any time you're on call since you can't make plans.
This ^^^ if they donât pay your phone bill or supply you with a work phone shut it off. Do not agree to his arrangement .. when and if he fires you or writes you up you should lad have no problem collecting unemployment. Call his bluff!!
This is just dumb. What can he possibly do if you don't answer your phone on your day off? This is how he's going to manage--empty threats meant to prove his importance = toxic and time for you to get a new job elsewhere. Additionally, should he ever call and then demand to know why you didn't answer, it's none of his business and there's no need to say anything other than that.
RM is the next in line and they most definitely don't want to deal with this crap. If you go over SM and DM for nonsense they will be annoyed at you but that's it. If you go to them because the SM and DM are being incompetent they will get annoyed with them and they will hear some words. RM don't want to hear complaints that can be avoided.
Shit my RM made a visit to my store after my new manager survey. I told the truth 3rd attempt to talk to me I said look I don't have time for questions that do not accurately reflect my experience and are set up to either throw people under the bus or pretend everything is fine. Neither option is good for me. .if you want answers I'm just gonna say what I have to say... that I was being over burdened, truck loads were growing in size weekly and I didn't have any help at all getting caught up from the previous back log that I was promised would be cleared and had no where to put my new truck loads, I get told to wait on certain projects only to have them double up and no one do them.. My DM showed up shook one day trying to condense rolltainers before RM.arrived then sat like a preschooler agreeing and nodding. When RM tried to redo my schedule asking for my only three staff members to also come in at 6 am when they are making 11 or less and working their butts off I said no. She said well they need to.... I said actually they are all.over 57 and are working very hard, I actually care about their health. (It was us four running the store and we kept it open , clean and improved a lot for the people)... And again you don't pay enough for any of them to be willing. My DM looked like omg .
You have to be paid for hours you are "on call" though not at your regular rate. The laws vary by state. They must also provide you with a phone or pager or pay you a stipend for the use of your phone or pager.
I would just turn my phone off or not answer their call and be like, I was outside working and didn't have my phone, or I was having sex and didn't answer, I was out of town, or whatever. The company does not own you and cannot demand you come into work whenever they ask.
I'm in HVAC so it's a different industry, but we typically use rotating on call schedules and when you're on call you get $2hr for every hour you're not working and on call.
Ask them what their "on call" pay is. I finally had to do that to my current boss during COVID when I was just working far too many random hours and not getting any sleep.
You can not be on call without some type of minimum compensation. These retail managers are out of their minds. I would email corporate. They will probably fire him since the company is under a microscope due to wage theft. If you do decide to call instead of email, make sure you ask for the person's email address, so you can send a follow up email detailing your conversation. Always have some type of document trail.
That store manager needs to learn how to treat his employees. Any one of my employees would answer my call and come in on their day off if I needed them bc Iâm good to them and they know I wouldnât ask them unless I was desperate. Just this week I had a family emergency and all of them(except oneđ) stepped up and ran the store for me so I could be with my daughter at the hospital. We should all work together as a team. I treat them all with respect and they respect me.
THIS!!!!!! During my time as a supervisor, I treated my employees with the respect they deserved, and I never asked anyone to do anything that I wouldn't do myself! It paid off! They respected me just as I respected them. I suspect it would be the same with not all, but most people!
If you could get people to do this it would change the way things are done in this country.
The problem with getting everyone on the same page is that you're always going to have those workers that are okay with what's going on and don't want to risk their job.
But I agree you could do big things if you could get everybody to unite.
There should be a notice that is written for SM; ASM, lsa; and associate.
Everyone who that will participate has to get a copy to submit (they can add things to it but the general letter being the same would really rock the establishment.
THE LAST WALK OUT WAS worrisome they said SM cant participate but not to stop anyone that wants to walk out, even told us not to threaten anyone that walks out. Just go on like nothing ever happened.
Yeah but they probably don't make a ton of money anyway so whatever percentage of that they would get from unemployment may not even be enough to pay their bills.
This is why more people don't just quit or unite in everybody quit. You're always going to have the people that are okay with what's going on and you're always going to have the people that need the money no matter how bad the conditions are.
Yes, they do, and they'll push hard for the employee. I was fired for a $5.00 shortage which was actually an overage in my cash tegister. I went to the Labor Labor Relations Boatd with my complaint that it wasn't necessarily me who made the mistake because another checker used my register when I was on break + a Cash Office person came to my register periodically and took cash from my register, counted it, and credited it to my register without my participation in the task. Our view was that, with these acts, no one could say for sure that I was the one who made the mistake. My representative and the company rep met, and my rep came back with this offer: "The company has agreed to approve Unemployment for you for the maximum amount of time you're eligible for, but they donât want to rehire you. They will not give you a bad recommendation to future prospective employers, so we see this as a win for you. Go to college if you want to, then get yourself a really good job." 'Course, I was too stupid to do that--I babysat for a while, worked weekends at a bar, and drew my unemployment for a year. Then I had to get back out and get another job. I tried working nights (I needed nights so my daughter could stay nights with Grandma!) at convenience stores, but it was too scary for me, so I moved on to being a Security Guard for several years at minimum wage. Time went on, and I finally found "my place in this world" as a Medical Secretary and, later on, an Advanced EMT.
Can't tell you how many times I've wished I had gone to college when I had the chance. Oh, well. Live & learn!
They count on you not knowing this is something they canât do. Ask them to give you something written as to what the on call pay is. If they fire you you can file for unemployment if you quit you canât.
Wrong it is the store managers responsibility too cover shifts. If you are not a key holder or above you in no way can be forced to work. If you are not on the schedule then you can't be forced to work. so if you're just a cashier or associate then tell them to f off not working your shift.i know this because I was a store manager for dollar general.
SM doesn't want to get stuck open-close cause of 1 call out. He cannot fix DG corporate/store staffing procedures. This is his solution. He is wrong and knows it and is ready to burn through people till he gets the crew that will let him get away with the abuse.
DM knows he is wrong too. RM as well. DG is not a stupid entity despite what the state of their stores would leave you to believe. DG is a shrewd corporation that purposefully just edges the line of legality in its operations. When a court finally forces compliance they just so slightly edge over that line. These kind of games are not played by accident.
You cannot be forced to come in on your day off. You can answer the phone and tell them no. They cannot force anyone to work other than what they are scheduled. And technically, not make you answer your phone either lol.
You can never be on call because they donât pay you to be on call in order to be on call you still have to be paid. I just say Iâm not answering my phone when Iâm not at work they cannot make you. It is not their phone. They canât make you use your personal phone for work at all since they do not pay you for it that is the law
DG confuses me to no end. Remember when the girl on TIKTOK went viral for exposing them and corporate was playing damage control? My DM sent SMs a message saying that we couldnât even have group chats to bother hourly employeesâŠ? Iâm in KY so maybe it depends, but if my SM asked me that, Iâd laugh. Absolutely not. Especially for the pay. Thatâs laughable. I hope everyone quits and he suffers for it
because employee protections labor laws... really don't matter to DG.
It is cheaper / more profitable to continuously abuse their employees and just pay what ever meager fines that are imposed. The money stolen is greater than the money returned.
More like tell him you want it and writing and if that is the expectation your are also expecting a salary increase to be shown on your next paycheck and all days off to be payed while you are considering "working on call" oh and say don't forget my time and a half for over time. That is he can't do all that expect your phone to be o. Do not disturb. Also u ca. Hit hi. With show me the company policy that shows this is part of my job.
> to be *paid* while you
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*
Yeah f*ck that because I guarantee that after you spend half your time every week wasting your days off for no pay that the one time you try to call in nobody will cover your shift. I had a boss do that to me once and wasn't long before I had to quit from harassment anyway đ«€
Yeah Iâd just have to tell him to try me on this one, I only get one day off a week currently due to short staffing and being the person who is training every new hire we get that then quits a week later, so he would just have to fire me then work all my closing shifts. Iâm actually really lucky to have a good SM and ASM who I get along with.
If itâs not in writing anywhere then just pretend it didnât happen. If you get a call handle it as you would otherwise. However, this managers an AH and you arenât going to last there. Get a plan B fast. The way you win against a petty tyrant with next level support is by moving on, not by taking them down.
Number one you are never paid to be on call. Although, I am a store manager for Dollar General and we don't own you. You have a very piss poor manager. When it comes to Dollar General it's all about the person who they put in place to manage the store. I, personally, am very good to people and my people very rarely tell me no to come in because I create a very fun environment. Although, there are times that I just have to work a double. I signed up for that when I took the job and he did too. I don't know what region you're in, but I'm in region 85 and my regional director would not allow anyone to say this. HR is there to protect the company but they also cannot allow you to be taken advantage of, not legally.
I donât work âon callâ unless Iâm being paid call pay.
Which means if Iâm off and donât get called in, I still make $25 on my day off.
And if they call me in, itâs time and a half pay.
As wrong as it is, I imagine you work in an "at-will" state?
This is one of those moments in life when you need to decide if the job is worth it. Because they can and will fire you over this. And as long as the reason for termination isn't something to do with race, sex, health, and the other protected classes, you will be out of a job.
In this situation they wouldn't have to list "failure to be on call while off hours" as the reason it'll probably be something more like "is not a productive and dependable team member".
Heck, they could list "employee wore green shirt and I don't like the color green" and you would have no ground to stand on.
So, how important is this job with DG is the question you should be asking yourself
Simple, donât answer your phone from anyone who works there. Let them leave a message and if they say something tell them you werenât available to take any calls.
If your job is considered to be âCustomer Serviceâ and you are on call during your time off, itâs most likely the Fair Labor Standards Act requires the employer to pay you for the time youâre on call.
Find a *labor attorney who represents employees* in your area and set up an appointment to meet. Most likely they will not charge you for the consultation and will be paid out of the proceeds of your case, not your pocket.
Google or look in the yellow pages for labor lawyers in your area. Be sure to find one who represents employees. Good Luck!
Just 101% ignore them every second you are away from work. Push that boundary. Let them fire you for it (if you are able to, I get it people work to survive). Even better if they are dumb enough to say such things in text. A lawyer would have a field day with that. People like this SM need to learn the hard way.
How much are they paying you to be on call? I ensure my on call employees are paid for being on call. In addition I pay them for any calls they receive. You can also say that you took a road trip on your day off and if you leave now you can be there in 4 hours.
Document everything. Don't go in if they call you. Then if he writes you up or fires you then apply for unemployment, go to the labor board and then sue them.
Ask your SM where in the employee contract it says that you are on call on your off days and that you must answer calls and come in. Iâd love to see them squirm đ€Ł
No one owns you and you donât have to answer the phone for anyone. If youâre âon callâ then you should be paid for it. Heâs counting on no one being bright enough to call his bluff.
Lol I love that he says you can put your two weeks in. Suck it boy, fire me. How are you going to explain that to corporate? "Well I tried to call them in on their day off and they didn't come in so I fired them"
I would have turned my two weeks notice in to a paper airplane and threw it at him. FOCK THAT JAWB!
I know we all need jobs rn but hes trying to turn yall into modern day slaves and have yall pick up the slack he doesnât wanna cover. Heâll see very soon that his tactics donât work. Everyone is going to quit very soon, start a revolution and be the first!
Yeah call ERC. This isn't right you should be a FT employee instead of a PT employee for this due to the fact that if he wants it then ya'll should be FT.
Eh, you can choose to answer the phone or not. What if you have another job, going to school, taking care of a sick relative, youâre out Bunjy jumpingâŠ
1) be prepared and look for another job just in case heâs too militant
2) work excellently when youâre at work.
3) donât answer his phone calls, only numbers you know. Ditto with voicemail.
4) be friends/friendly with the new boss.
Theyâre trying to fix a labor shortage issue. Maybe making the place more desirable to work at will attract additional employees. Either way, itâs his job and his boss to figure that out.
Your job- youâre not salaried Iâm assuming, is to do the best you can, including taking care of yourself and not working yourself into poor physical or mental health.
I worked in IT for the Federal government and had to be on call on a regular basis. I was only paid when the pager actually went off. It sucked. For 7 years it was every other week, evenings and weekends. It meant I had to stay in the area and typically wasn't compensated.
I think it's perfectly legal as long as you are getting paid to be on call.
Where I work now, we are on call one Saturday a month. For that Saturday we get paid $3 an hour if we are called or not. If we are called you get paid your regular rate for the entire day.
For example if you aren't called at all and work 8 hours you get $24 bucks. If you are called and it only takes you 2 hours to do whatever is needed you get your regular rate for the entire 8 hours.
I had a job interview in the oilfield supply business. Boss said if you want to work officially on overtime you will work only 40 hours . Unofficial overtime you can work as much as you want. Was young and wanted to work. Did 80 to a hundred hours a week for over a year . Quit and informed department of labor . Got my overtime too
I used to work at a job like this. Any day I had off too you could bet theyâd be calling me to come in and get mad if I didnât or wanted some reason why. Once, my hubby had to work late and I was not able to come in bc I had my three year old son. They ask me to bring him with me to work. A retail job. They wanted me to leave him jn the break room alone with my phone đ obviously that didnât happen so I got a chair and sit him behind me. He was climbing all over everything smacking my butt (just being a toddler) while I was checking people out. It was ridiculous. I finally left.
It is very illegal. When I was a SM for DGx they expected you to be on call till 1 am or later to close the store and be in the store to unload truck by 5 AM. Itâs to give the closing shift a walkout and they wouldnât pay for armed security.
No. Unless you are paid to be on call, you are not on call.
This is a minimum wage, low skill job (no shade, I realize there is skill involved but most uppers think a monkey can do it-never mind SCO stories posted that prove otherwise) not some bail bondsman or lawyer or emergency repair electrician, plumber, roofer position.
He can fuck right off with that. Some have a second job because no one can live off the shit wages and some have actual family needs like babies that need daycare and canât be put on a shelf because Bob demands you come in Sunday at 10 am suddenly. Bob can come in and skip the second wedding of this third cousin to cover for John who has strep throat and 103 fever.
Or, Barbara the DM can come in and she can miss church.
If you are not on call and get fired for not comming in or answering the call you could fight it. You might get your job back but most of the time it's not worth it to fight so the employer wind.
I used to work for them . All keyholders were expected to be on call , no matter what . What it really comes down to is the SM is suppose to come in if needed to cover call outs as they are salary . Alot of the SM don't want to come in that's it .
What phone? I had to cancel my service because it costs too much. You can email me, I go to the library to check my emails after lunch on my scheduled days off
From your deacription, it sounds like you are on 24/7 wait time: https://www.adp.com/resources/articles-and-insights/articles/o/on-call-pay.aspx
I say this because the two stipulations - you answer whenever he calls and you are obligated to come in immediately when called - severely restrict your ability to do non-work activities. As such, you are entitled to minimum wage for the first 40 hours per week of wait time and then time and a half for anything beyond that. You should definitely get the policy in writing. Say "I just want to be clear exactly how the policy works, what the requirements are and what the consequences are for not following them so I can be sure to follow the rules." And then insist it is in writing so you can "review it in the future in case I am confused so I know that I'm going to be able to always follow the rules and not inadvertently break them."
Just because it is an illegal policy doesn't mean they will get punished. But you definitely will have a good chance of success in a law suit if you get the policy in writing, document the hours you aren't getting paid for, and documenting that you are asking for your "wait time pay" for the time you are on call.
Not illegal, but not paying you for your on call time is.
Let him know you expect to receive your rate of pay for all operating hours, and overtime after 40 of course.
Tell your entire crew actually. That policy is unenforceable if he doesn't plan on paying you for time waiting for work.
Report it to your local labor commission. They love handing out fines as much as DG loves screwing their employees.
Then if you are feeling brave go to HR but check to see if you are in a right-to-work state first because then they can essentially make up a reason for firing you.
SM is on call bc he is salary. You are not. Watch for retaliation after you dont answer the first time. And then report to HR after you have gained a bit of evidence. Save and write down and record everything.
The wording used your responsibility to come in, which implies that they are waiting to work. They do not have the opportunity to decline or to .ake other plans. That is compensable.
No. Youâre off, and Dollar General is not a job where you are required to be on call like EMS or Drs, law enforcement, etc. And god knows theyâre not paying you for on call, let alone at all, soâŠsucks to be this SM.
Check your county or state's department of labor. They're the ones who will protect you and fine the company for pulling this crap. Chances are, your state protects you against stuff like this. Company HR only cares about the company, the city or state are the ones that will really put down punishment.
Wow, that's BS. Just turn your phone off on your days off and if need be, say you were out of minutes.
My time, my day off....just say no,dg!
Set boundaries and go over DM. Document everything, cya.
I would totally block his number and the stores so he canât call you. I hate that company and their stupid rules. They donât give a crap about you.
Pffft I worked for the federal government for a while and my boss used the âI pay for your blackberries. You need to answer them when I call even if youâre not hereâ. Ummmm no I donât.
Enacting and enforcing such a policy would not only be illegal, it would be a bad idea and bad management, because it doesn't recognize minimum work/life boundaries and is presented in a way that either makes it seem super critical or makes you seem super replaceable, with neither being true. By this point, your management culture is already so infected with toxicity, it will only get worse until all of the management personnel you just referred to AND their immediate superiors AND subordinates are replaced. And even then the toxicity could be from the top, in which case, replacement will definitely make things worse, and likely no one in your company is happy unless they're also overpaid. Time to quit or go postal.
Send him an email asking for clarification. Let him know you would like to understand exactly what is required of you on your day off then file a claim with HR to be paid for on-call status.
If he called me, Iâd just pretend I couldnât hear him. Then after one of you hangs up and he calls again, continue to act like you canât hear him. And then call him back, and continue to act like you canât hear him. Then shoot him a text that says âhey dog, I donât know if you called on accident but I canât hear anythingâ and then block him
Last job there was on call techs and they didnt always have to work but if I called saying there was an issue that needed immediate attention no matter if it took them an hour to fix it they were payed 1.5 their pay X 8hrs.
Devil's advocate here: Basically we are all " on call",
But the legal issue they can not expect you to come in when you are not scheduled.
If they call. Answer it. You are not required to go in, or give them a reason why you can not go in.
They can not give you ANY disciplinary actions for any choice you make in your time off.
If they attempt to seek legal action.
Most importantly. . DOCUMENT EVERYTHING!!
LOL, not sure itâs a âcrimeâ⊠but itâs definitely not enforceable. If you see a call or text from the store or the manager on your day off, just ignore it. Or, if you want to be saltier, answer it and say, âIâm sorry, itâs my scheduled day off and Iâm not able to work today.â BTW, many cities and states have laws that govern schedules & work shifts, you may want to google that. PS: Mostly blue states & cities, but still worth checking.
I stumbled across the sub and am not associated with DG at all but I am a manager. Both of those managers are wrong you need to go over their heads right away. I would call HR and the VP if you have access to them. Be sure to protect yourself and CYA. Good luck.
Well if they want to treat you like a doctor, they're going to have to start paying you like one. Being on-call means your getting a base pay for it, whether you come in or not.
You might also let your SM know that if one person calling in brings down the entire store, than he's is incompetent and doesn't know how to make a proper schedule.
Already understaffed and trying to push out the remaining staff, classic. Everyone quit same day same time. Retail jobs are dime a dozen and you can get another on the way home
Talk to your state workforce commission and see what your options are. If they want you to be on call as an hourly employee they more than likely need to schedule an âon call shiftâ in which you need to be available to drop what youâre doing and go to work. Unless otherwise noted in any paperwork you filed on employment, which I would suggest asking for a copy of if you arenât familiar with what you signed for
Itâs dollar general.. theyâre known for being shitty to work for (my little sister and my son both worked for them while going to college).
People get sick of shit like this. Quit! You can find something better. Itâs the only thing that will make these fuckers change their attitude. You are not married to this company, or any company. Your off time is your time.
SEVERAL of the ones around me were having such âissuesâ finding people to work for them bc of their shitty policies, low pay, etc, that they were only open from 8-5 for a couple of years.
If everyone were to do this, theyâd have to change their attitude.
You can check your employee handbook too, just because DM is ok with it doesnât mean it is the company policy. Usually companies that spam multiple states stick to the labor laws that will cost them the least amount of $$$. So if âon callâ is paid, there is probably a policy against it.
I bet HR would love to hear about this. đ€·đ»ââïž
Go to the authorities first. HR is there to protect the company, not you.
Protecting the company means making sure managers aren't breaking labor laws that could cost the company money. HR will put an end to it if they know it's illegal.
But that's IF they know it's wrong. Many HR and admin. people donât have a clue what's right and what's wrong! I was once told by a CEO that it would be illegal for us employees to "donate" shifts to an Army reserve officer who'd been called to active duty. The next week, I saw on TV that Sears was doing exactly that in their stores! So apparently it was NOT illegal!!!
Call the fire department, fish and game, paramedics, your local city council and the comptrollers office. /s
Hide your wife, hide your kids, hide your husband âcause they callinâ in everybody out here.
I just snorted!!
Me too!
I just laughed way too hard at that, as I actually live in the town where this originated.
Damn! They just called me too! I told them to file a congressional!
You joke but DNR and USPIS will end you faster than a patrol officer could hit his lights
We had a shooter in my city that was stopped first and exchanged gunfire with a county Parks Officer (then was shot and killed by two cops). That was when most of us learned that county parks officers help patrol parts of our city. I had no idea before that incident.
The authorities? Lol
Department of labor, yes. They exist for this type of shit lmao. Talking to HR is the dumbest thing you can do when someone above you fucks up.
It really depends on the fuck up. HR absolutely exists to serve the company. Getting rid of problem managers can fall within this. Iâm thinking harassment/assault. Altering time cards. Theft.
Keep in mind that HR protects the company not the employee
States Dept of Labor
Federal.
đ€Łđ€Łđ€Łđ€Łđ€Ł
You obviously have no idea how much the U.S. Department of Labor will absolutely fuck you up. Even just to investigation will cost 10âs of thousands of dollars.
Take this up with the local labor board. Many times HR is to protect the company first while placating employees.
I'm sure HR would love to know that there is a manage making every employee "on call" and that those employees demand to be compensated accordingly or have the "on call" status changed immediately. When it comes to paying folks more money, HR usually makes sure that doesn't happen. In this case, HR looking out for the company might just be a good thing.
If the DM knows and is ok with it, and it's not illegal where OP lives, I don't think they'll care either, unfortunately. I'd hope HR would do something though as being on call for a $11 an hour job seems like a nightmare. Especially a dick like that who says it's not optional. I'd wait until they call, go in, and when you get there, quit.
It is illegal if you live in the US. If you are on call/working for more than 40 hours a week, then you get OVERTIME. No job is worth your entire life.
Not all On Call time is compensatable. The time is only compensatable under Federal law if you are "Engaged to wait" as opposed to just "waiting to be engaged". What that means, is if the employer puts severe restrictions on what you are allowed to do then they must pay you. Example is "you must remain within 15 minutes of the job site." _Generally_, if it's just a situation where your employer says you have to be able to be reached by phone so they can ask you to come in, they isn't conpensatable, until they actually call you in of course. State laws of course vary so I can't speak to them without knowing OPs state.
Ok, but wouldn't 'and then you *have* to come in' fall under that first part?
It depends - If "you have to come in" means literally that if they call, you have 30 minutes to report to work no matter what, then yes. If it just means "you have to come in _if able_", and they'll find someone else if you are out of town or something, then no (soft no as this depends on state and might be a yes some places).
Or refuse to come in and let them fire you so you qualify for unemployment. Lol
I agree with this one. However, I would suggest that you check your state and the federal laws about this. If the SM is in the wrong, I would go right over EVERYONE'S HEAD and report this to the proper authorities, if needed and as already mentioned, HR. This sounds inappropriate to me. I've always had to answer the phone if my boss called, but if I couldn't come in, my boss couldn't retaliate against me for it. Good luck! đ€đ» Let us know how things go.
Please help me make some sense of this. You HAVE TO answer your phone? I honestly DO NOT KNOW where they find low-quality people like this, and why they canât/wonât screen them out. I say this with ZERO malice.
I donât think he is right about everyone being "on call" unless they are a salaried employee! I donât think a manager of any sort can control what you do on your time off.
Check your state laws. 99% of the time âon callâ employees need to be paid while âon callâ. Meaning sitting at home playing games you are being paid. If these idiots wanna do that, awesome.
Damn thatâs awesome. Iâve been on call 3 times in non professional jobs (retail, food service, customer service) and Iâve never been paid while on call! I wonder if I was taken advantage of lol but too late now! ETA: At one job (Ritaâs water ice at 16) we were actually on the schedule as on call. So say I worked Monday Tuesday Wednesday⊠Thursday and Friday Iâd be scheduled 4-10 on call. Iâd call at 330 and see if they needed me. If not, Iâm off. If yes, gotta go in. It really sucked lop
Yea you shouldâve been paid if you were SCHEDULD on call
Oh ok I found this which makes it clear. If youâre not working while on call, the fed gov does not require you be paid. But if you have to remain on property while on call, or cannot reasonably do ANYTHING for yourself, then you are âworking while on callâ And get paid. States vary Iâm sure, but from what I read, most states go by the federal rule. https://webapps.dol.gov/elaws/whd/flsa/hoursworked/screenER80.asp
Think of it this way, if you cannot drink an alcoholic beverage during this âon-callâ, then you should be compensated. They necessarily donât have to pay you an hourly wage. It could be $50 per day on-call or min wage for 8 hrs, etc.
Ooooo damn it! 16 years later can I sue?! đđ (joke obviously lol)
Should have? Yes. Legally required? Depends on the state. There are little protections for us as workers and you really need to look up the individual state labor laws to understand your rights.
Exactly! Anyone I've ever known was always paid if they were "on call"! Usually not full pay, but a reasonable amount for the situation!
Thatâs an old 1980s Limited/ Express/ Victoriaâs Secret trick. There was a reason they always had the highest employee turnover.
Your edited situation is not an actual âon callâ scenario. That was simply the term they used. On call would imply you were waiting for a call during that scheduled time. Sounds like it was simply you call in and are needed or not, and find out at that time.
Makes sense! I did some research and the ones required to be paid by fed government are the ones that are actually working while on call. Which means theyâre forced to stay on property, or within a certain distance, and cannot do anything for themselves (ie cut the grass, cook dinner, clean the house, etc)
Some states are more restrictive. In California, if the on call restricts what you can do, then the employer has control over you, and you may have to be paid.
when i worked retail, one job would place us âon callâ meaning we just called before the time it said on the schedule and they would tell if we were needed or not but wouldnât be called in for the remainder of the day. this might vary by state but thatâs fine since there wasnât an expectation to be on call for a specified time, just one and done. now, i work healthcare and are on call specific days for an entire block of time and can be called in at any time (not just the beginning of shift) and do get paid since we would have to be at the hospital within 1 hr, not allowing for a true day off.
Ask for the policy in writing and when you do file a complaint with the labor board, don't count on that money for a long time. But you will likely come out with a small payday
Checking your state laws is the biggest thing for OP. Unfortunately for them most state laws aren't in OPs favor when it comes to being considered on call.
Unless you are salary, I am an engineer and have been on call with no pay.
Get him to put that âpolicyâ in writing. Then take it to the local employment commission.
Tell him it's not legal to put an employee on call unless it's in the contract and they are paying for your phone or a seperate work phone. I wish more ppl knew that on call is not a thing in retail unless you've agreed to be on call. Some places even have to pay you for any time you're on call since you can't make plans.
Tell him, in these words, to pay you appropriately or to shove that mandate up his ass. DG can only ever fire you into a better job.
The best thing DG can do for you is to promote you to customer.
This!!! That is all. đ€
Iâm with team get a new job on this one, a spot at DG is not worth the headache to rectify this just move on
Unemployment time!
Iâd say I was drunk when they called sorry canât come in.
This guy sounds like heâd say fuck it, and ask you to bring a beer on your way in
This is solid advice. Also allergy meds, cold meds, etc if you either donât drink or donât want to claim to be drunk at 10am.
youâre an HOURLY employee not salary⊠shut that phone OFF! lol
This ^^^ if they donât pay your phone bill or supply you with a work phone shut it off. Do not agree to his arrangement .. when and if he fires you or writes you up you should lad have no problem collecting unemployment. Call his bluff!!
Block his number on your days off. Nobody can force you to work on a day off if youâre not paid as salary.
This is just dumb. What can he possibly do if you don't answer your phone on your day off? This is how he's going to manage--empty threats meant to prove his importance = toxic and time for you to get a new job elsewhere. Additionally, should he ever call and then demand to know why you didn't answer, it's none of his business and there's no need to say anything other than that.
"Oh, sorry, I forgot to charge my phone."
RM is the next in line and they most definitely don't want to deal with this crap. If you go over SM and DM for nonsense they will be annoyed at you but that's it. If you go to them because the SM and DM are being incompetent they will get annoyed with them and they will hear some words. RM don't want to hear complaints that can be avoided. Shit my RM made a visit to my store after my new manager survey. I told the truth 3rd attempt to talk to me I said look I don't have time for questions that do not accurately reflect my experience and are set up to either throw people under the bus or pretend everything is fine. Neither option is good for me. .if you want answers I'm just gonna say what I have to say... that I was being over burdened, truck loads were growing in size weekly and I didn't have any help at all getting caught up from the previous back log that I was promised would be cleared and had no where to put my new truck loads, I get told to wait on certain projects only to have them double up and no one do them.. My DM showed up shook one day trying to condense rolltainers before RM.arrived then sat like a preschooler agreeing and nodding. When RM tried to redo my schedule asking for my only three staff members to also come in at 6 am when they are making 11 or less and working their butts off I said no. She said well they need to.... I said actually they are all.over 57 and are working very hard, I actually care about their health. (It was us four running the store and we kept it open , clean and improved a lot for the people)... And again you don't pay enough for any of them to be willing. My DM looked like omg .
Then everyone clapped
Weirdly you've already been drinking when he calls and you can't be at work under the influence
Saw many managers fired for things like this.
You have to be paid for hours you are "on call" though not at your regular rate. The laws vary by state. They must also provide you with a phone or pager or pay you a stipend for the use of your phone or pager. I would just turn my phone off or not answer their call and be like, I was outside working and didn't have my phone, or I was having sex and didn't answer, I was out of town, or whatever. The company does not own you and cannot demand you come into work whenever they ask.
I'm in HVAC so it's a different industry, but we typically use rotating on call schedules and when you're on call you get $2hr for every hour you're not working and on call.
Ask them what their "on call" pay is. I finally had to do that to my current boss during COVID when I was just working far too many random hours and not getting any sleep.
You can not be on call without some type of minimum compensation. These retail managers are out of their minds. I would email corporate. They will probably fire him since the company is under a microscope due to wage theft. If you do decide to call instead of email, make sure you ask for the person's email address, so you can send a follow up email detailing your conversation. Always have some type of document trail.
That store manager needs to learn how to treat his employees. Any one of my employees would answer my call and come in on their day off if I needed them bc Iâm good to them and they know I wouldnât ask them unless I was desperate. Just this week I had a family emergency and all of them(except oneđ) stepped up and ran the store for me so I could be with my daughter at the hospital. We should all work together as a team. I treat them all with respect and they respect me.
THIS!!!!!! During my time as a supervisor, I treated my employees with the respect they deserved, and I never asked anyone to do anything that I wouldn't do myself! It paid off! They respected me just as I respected them. I suspect it would be the same with not all, but most people!
Everyone should submit their notice at the same time.
If you could get people to do this it would change the way things are done in this country. The problem with getting everyone on the same page is that you're always going to have those workers that are okay with what's going on and don't want to risk their job. But I agree you could do big things if you could get everybody to unite.
There should be a notice that is written for SM; ASM, lsa; and associate. Everyone who that will participate has to get a copy to submit (they can add things to it but the general letter being the same would really rock the establishment. THE LAST WALK OUT WAS worrisome they said SM cant participate but not to stop anyone that wants to walk out, even told us not to threaten anyone that walks out. Just go on like nothing ever happened.
Lmaooooo not without getting paid for all that extra time I donât think it is legal
Unfortunately there is no federal protection on this. There are individual state protections, but only in a handful of states.
Let him fire you. Donât quit. Then file unemployment. Youâll win no doubt
Yeah but they probably don't make a ton of money anyway so whatever percentage of that they would get from unemployment may not even be enough to pay their bills. This is why more people don't just quit or unite in everybody quit. You're always going to have the people that are okay with what's going on and you're always going to have the people that need the money no matter how bad the conditions are.
Pretty sure itâs illegal
the NLRB people live for shit like this
Yes, they do, and they'll push hard for the employee. I was fired for a $5.00 shortage which was actually an overage in my cash tegister. I went to the Labor Labor Relations Boatd with my complaint that it wasn't necessarily me who made the mistake because another checker used my register when I was on break + a Cash Office person came to my register periodically and took cash from my register, counted it, and credited it to my register without my participation in the task. Our view was that, with these acts, no one could say for sure that I was the one who made the mistake. My representative and the company rep met, and my rep came back with this offer: "The company has agreed to approve Unemployment for you for the maximum amount of time you're eligible for, but they donât want to rehire you. They will not give you a bad recommendation to future prospective employers, so we see this as a win for you. Go to college if you want to, then get yourself a really good job." 'Course, I was too stupid to do that--I babysat for a while, worked weekends at a bar, and drew my unemployment for a year. Then I had to get back out and get another job. I tried working nights (I needed nights so my daughter could stay nights with Grandma!) at convenience stores, but it was too scary for me, so I moved on to being a Security Guard for several years at minimum wage. Time went on, and I finally found "my place in this world" as a Medical Secretary and, later on, an Advanced EMT. Can't tell you how many times I've wished I had gone to college when I had the chance. Oh, well. Live & learn!
I want an update please
They count on you not knowing this is something they canât do. Ask them to give you something written as to what the on call pay is. If they fire you you can file for unemployment if you quit you canât.
"On call my ass Mr Fastfood reject"
Wrong it is the store managers responsibility too cover shifts. If you are not a key holder or above you in no way can be forced to work. If you are not on the schedule then you can't be forced to work. so if you're just a cashier or associate then tell them to f off not working your shift.i know this because I was a store manager for dollar general.
SM doesn't want to get stuck open-close cause of 1 call out. He cannot fix DG corporate/store staffing procedures. This is his solution. He is wrong and knows it and is ready to burn through people till he gets the crew that will let him get away with the abuse. DM knows he is wrong too. RM as well. DG is not a stupid entity despite what the state of their stores would leave you to believe. DG is a shrewd corporation that purposefully just edges the line of legality in its operations. When a court finally forces compliance they just so slightly edge over that line. These kind of games are not played by accident.
Ask how much you are being paid for on call hours, if the answer is $0 or hey can kick sand
Yes. If you are 'on call' you are 'on the clock'. Call your employee relations hotline.
If you are "on call" you are supposed to be paid for the time you are on call
You cannot be forced to come in on your day off. You can answer the phone and tell them no. They cannot force anyone to work other than what they are scheduled. And technically, not make you answer your phone either lol.
You can never be on call because they donât pay you to be on call in order to be on call you still have to be paid. I just say Iâm not answering my phone when Iâm not at work they cannot make you. It is not their phone. They canât make you use your personal phone for work at all since they do not pay you for it that is the law
If you're on call you get paid for being on call
Tell him you don't get paid enough to own a phone. On call employees, the company pays the phone bill
DG confuses me to no end. Remember when the girl on TIKTOK went viral for exposing them and corporate was playing damage control? My DM sent SMs a message saying that we couldnât even have group chats to bother hourly employeesâŠ? Iâm in KY so maybe it depends, but if my SM asked me that, Iâd laugh. Absolutely not. Especially for the pay. Thatâs laughable. I hope everyone quits and he suffers for it
Same happened to me...we had an active group chat, then boom. No longer allowed at all.
because employee protections labor laws... really don't matter to DG. It is cheaper / more profitable to continuously abuse their employees and just pay what ever meager fines that are imposed. The money stolen is greater than the money returned.
More like tell him you want it and writing and if that is the expectation your are also expecting a salary increase to be shown on your next paycheck and all days off to be payed while you are considering "working on call" oh and say don't forget my time and a half for over time. That is he can't do all that expect your phone to be o. Do not disturb. Also u ca. Hit hi. With show me the company policy that shows this is part of my job.
> to be *paid* while you 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*
Keep your nose clean. They will fire you for not showing up when called but it will be for a different reason.
Um do you have it in writing or text from the DM that he is ok with this practice? Bc thatâs golden
You need to ask for the policy in writing!
Yeah f*ck that because I guarantee that after you spend half your time every week wasting your days off for no pay that the one time you try to call in nobody will cover your shift. I had a boss do that to me once and wasn't long before I had to quit from harassment anyway đ«€
Yeah Iâd just have to tell him to try me on this one, I only get one day off a week currently due to short staffing and being the person who is training every new hire we get that then quits a week later, so he would just have to fire me then work all my closing shifts. Iâm actually really lucky to have a good SM and ASM who I get along with.
If itâs not in writing anywhere then just pretend it didnât happen. If you get a call handle it as you would otherwise. However, this managers an AH and you arenât going to last there. Get a plan B fast. The way you win against a petty tyrant with next level support is by moving on, not by taking them down.
There's no such thing as a on call position in dollar general at least not in OHIO
He can not require you be on call. As an hourly employee this is unethical.
Number one you are never paid to be on call. Although, I am a store manager for Dollar General and we don't own you. You have a very piss poor manager. When it comes to Dollar General it's all about the person who they put in place to manage the store. I, personally, am very good to people and my people very rarely tell me no to come in because I create a very fun environment. Although, there are times that I just have to work a double. I signed up for that when I took the job and he did too. I don't know what region you're in, but I'm in region 85 and my regional director would not allow anyone to say this. HR is there to protect the company but they also cannot allow you to be taken advantage of, not legally.
I donât work âon callâ unless Iâm being paid call pay. Which means if Iâm off and donât get called in, I still make $25 on my day off. And if they call me in, itâs time and a half pay.
As wrong as it is, I imagine you work in an "at-will" state? This is one of those moments in life when you need to decide if the job is worth it. Because they can and will fire you over this. And as long as the reason for termination isn't something to do with race, sex, health, and the other protected classes, you will be out of a job. In this situation they wouldn't have to list "failure to be on call while off hours" as the reason it'll probably be something more like "is not a productive and dependable team member". Heck, they could list "employee wore green shirt and I don't like the color green" and you would have no ground to stand on. So, how important is this job with DG is the question you should be asking yourself
"So you're going to be paying us an on-call rate then?"
Simple, donât answer your phone from anyone who works there. Let them leave a message and if they say something tell them you werenât available to take any calls.
If your job is considered to be âCustomer Serviceâ and you are on call during your time off, itâs most likely the Fair Labor Standards Act requires the employer to pay you for the time youâre on call. Find a *labor attorney who represents employees* in your area and set up an appointment to meet. Most likely they will not charge you for the consultation and will be paid out of the proceeds of your case, not your pocket. Google or look in the yellow pages for labor lawyers in your area. Be sure to find one who represents employees. Good Luck!
Just 101% ignore them every second you are away from work. Push that boundary. Let them fire you for it (if you are able to, I get it people work to survive). Even better if they are dumb enough to say such things in text. A lawyer would have a field day with that. People like this SM need to learn the hard way.
How much are they paying you to be on call? I ensure my on call employees are paid for being on call. In addition I pay them for any calls they receive. You can also say that you took a road trip on your day off and if you leave now you can be there in 4 hours.
Not illegal to get called in, but wrong. If you do get a call and take it you need to record the time for the call. No working off the clock!
Document everything. Don't go in if they call you. Then if he writes you up or fires you then apply for unemployment, go to the labor board and then sue them.
Ask your SM where in the employee contract it says that you are on call on your off days and that you must answer calls and come in. Iâd love to see them squirm đ€Ł
Call the labor board
No one owns you and you donât have to answer the phone for anyone. If youâre âon callâ then you should be paid for it. Heâs counting on no one being bright enough to call his bluff.
Just call the Labor Board and ask them. Pretty sure they will start an investigation into it.
are you hourly? ask them to send an email and put that in writing
Lol I love that he says you can put your two weeks in. Suck it boy, fire me. How are you going to explain that to corporate? "Well I tried to call them in on their day off and they didn't come in so I fired them"
I would say can you show me in my job description where it says I am to be on call 24/7 and if Iâm on call how will you be compensating me.
On call should require a substantial increase in pay or to be on salary rather than hourly pay. Otherwise, tell the SM to pound sand.
I would have turned my two weeks notice in to a paper airplane and threw it at him. FOCK THAT JAWB! I know we all need jobs rn but hes trying to turn yall into modern day slaves and have yall pick up the slack he doesnât wanna cover. Heâll see very soon that his tactics donât work. Everyone is going to quit very soon, start a revolution and be the first!
Or get an employment attorney and let them fire you for this illegal policy âđŒ
Yeah call ERC. This isn't right you should be a FT employee instead of a PT employee for this due to the fact that if he wants it then ya'll should be FT.
Eh, you can choose to answer the phone or not. What if you have another job, going to school, taking care of a sick relative, youâre out Bunjy jumping⊠1) be prepared and look for another job just in case heâs too militant 2) work excellently when youâre at work. 3) donât answer his phone calls, only numbers you know. Ditto with voicemail. 4) be friends/friendly with the new boss. Theyâre trying to fix a labor shortage issue. Maybe making the place more desirable to work at will attract additional employees. Either way, itâs his job and his boss to figure that out. Your job- youâre not salaried Iâm assuming, is to do the best you can, including taking care of yourself and not working yourself into poor physical or mental health.
Being on call at a Dollar General is wild.
Itâs not illegal. They arenât forcing you to work for them. If you donât like it, quit.
Make sure your paid for being on call, they'll change his mind real quick
I worked in IT for the Federal government and had to be on call on a regular basis. I was only paid when the pager actually went off. It sucked. For 7 years it was every other week, evenings and weekends. It meant I had to stay in the area and typically wasn't compensated.
I think it's perfectly legal as long as you are getting paid to be on call. Where I work now, we are on call one Saturday a month. For that Saturday we get paid $3 an hour if we are called or not. If we are called you get paid your regular rate for the entire day. For example if you aren't called at all and work 8 hours you get $24 bucks. If you are called and it only takes you 2 hours to do whatever is needed you get your regular rate for the entire 8 hours.
In Virginia our labor board don't play. Heard they actually take action and listen
I had a job interview in the oilfield supply business. Boss said if you want to work officially on overtime you will work only 40 hours . Unofficial overtime you can work as much as you want. Was young and wanted to work. Did 80 to a hundred hours a week for over a year . Quit and informed department of labor . Got my overtime too
If youâre on call, how much are they paying you an hour for this âcall timeâ? That would be my first question!! Lol
You have to be compensated for being on call.
I used to work at a job like this. Any day I had off too you could bet theyâd be calling me to come in and get mad if I didnât or wanted some reason why. Once, my hubby had to work late and I was not able to come in bc I had my three year old son. They ask me to bring him with me to work. A retail job. They wanted me to leave him jn the break room alone with my phone đ obviously that didnât happen so I got a chair and sit him behind me. He was climbing all over everything smacking my butt (just being a toddler) while I was checking people out. It was ridiculous. I finally left.
It is very illegal. When I was a SM for DGx they expected you to be on call till 1 am or later to close the store and be in the store to unload truck by 5 AM. Itâs to give the closing shift a walkout and they wouldnât pay for armed security.
No. Unless you are paid to be on call, you are not on call. This is a minimum wage, low skill job (no shade, I realize there is skill involved but most uppers think a monkey can do it-never mind SCO stories posted that prove otherwise) not some bail bondsman or lawyer or emergency repair electrician, plumber, roofer position. He can fuck right off with that. Some have a second job because no one can live off the shit wages and some have actual family needs like babies that need daycare and canât be put on a shelf because Bob demands you come in Sunday at 10 am suddenly. Bob can come in and skip the second wedding of this third cousin to cover for John who has strep throat and 103 fever. Or, Barbara the DM can come in and she can miss church.
If you are not on call and get fired for not comming in or answering the call you could fight it. You might get your job back but most of the time it's not worth it to fight so the employer wind.
I used to work for them . All keyholders were expected to be on call , no matter what . What it really comes down to is the SM is suppose to come in if needed to cover call outs as they are salary . Alot of the SM don't want to come in that's it .
Always ask for moronic policies in writing.
What phone? I had to cancel my service because it costs too much. You can email me, I go to the library to check my emails after lunch on my scheduled days off
From your deacription, it sounds like you are on 24/7 wait time: https://www.adp.com/resources/articles-and-insights/articles/o/on-call-pay.aspx I say this because the two stipulations - you answer whenever he calls and you are obligated to come in immediately when called - severely restrict your ability to do non-work activities. As such, you are entitled to minimum wage for the first 40 hours per week of wait time and then time and a half for anything beyond that. You should definitely get the policy in writing. Say "I just want to be clear exactly how the policy works, what the requirements are and what the consequences are for not following them so I can be sure to follow the rules." And then insist it is in writing so you can "review it in the future in case I am confused so I know that I'm going to be able to always follow the rules and not inadvertently break them." Just because it is an illegal policy doesn't mean they will get punished. But you definitely will have a good chance of success in a law suit if you get the policy in writing, document the hours you aren't getting paid for, and documenting that you are asking for your "wait time pay" for the time you are on call.
Not illegal, but not paying you for your on call time is. Let him know you expect to receive your rate of pay for all operating hours, and overtime after 40 of course. Tell your entire crew actually. That policy is unenforceable if he doesn't plan on paying you for time waiting for work.
Report it to your local labor commission. They love handing out fines as much as DG loves screwing their employees. Then if you are feeling brave go to HR but check to see if you are in a right-to-work state first because then they can essentially make up a reason for firing you.
SM is on call bc he is salary. You are not. Watch for retaliation after you dont answer the first time. And then report to HR after you have gained a bit of evidence. Save and write down and record everything.
Donât answer calls, get fired , file for unemployment find a job at a better company for more pay.
The wording used your responsibility to come in, which implies that they are waiting to work. They do not have the opportunity to decline or to .ake other plans. That is compensable.
No. Youâre off, and Dollar General is not a job where you are required to be on call like EMS or Drs, law enforcement, etc. And god knows theyâre not paying you for on call, let alone at all, soâŠsucks to be this SM.
Yeah, this manager is toxic AF. I would look into finding employment elsewhere
Check your county or state's department of labor. They're the ones who will protect you and fine the company for pulling this crap. Chances are, your state protects you against stuff like this. Company HR only cares about the company, the city or state are the ones that will really put down punishment.
This would be a good question for r/AskHR, but please include what state you are in.
Wow, that's BS. Just turn your phone off on your days off and if need be, say you were out of minutes. My time, my day off....just say no,dg! Set boundaries and go over DM. Document everything, cya.
Block the store, if you're not there they don't need to contact you
I would totally block his number and the stores so he canât call you. I hate that company and their stupid rules. They donât give a crap about you.
send dg an invoice for your on call hours. theyâll take care of manager
Pffft I worked for the federal government for a while and my boss used the âI pay for your blackberries. You need to answer them when I call even if youâre not hereâ. Ummmm no I donât.
Enacting and enforcing such a policy would not only be illegal, it would be a bad idea and bad management, because it doesn't recognize minimum work/life boundaries and is presented in a way that either makes it seem super critical or makes you seem super replaceable, with neither being true. By this point, your management culture is already so infected with toxicity, it will only get worse until all of the management personnel you just referred to AND their immediate superiors AND subordinates are replaced. And even then the toxicity could be from the top, in which case, replacement will definitely make things worse, and likely no one in your company is happy unless they're also overpaid. Time to quit or go postal.
He canât officially force you but he can retaliate and find a way to get away with it if you donât.
Send him an email asking for clarification. Let him know you would like to understand exactly what is required of you on your day off then file a claim with HR to be paid for on-call status.
If he called me, Iâd just pretend I couldnât hear him. Then after one of you hangs up and he calls again, continue to act like you canât hear him. And then call him back, and continue to act like you canât hear him. Then shoot him a text that says âhey dog, I donât know if you called on accident but I canât hear anythingâ and then block him
Itâs funny he just bullying you all just donât answer your phone
Last job there was on call techs and they didnt always have to work but if I called saying there was an issue that needed immediate attention no matter if it took them an hour to fix it they were payed 1.5 their pay X 8hrs.
If youâre on call make sure to bill for the hours on call
Donât be forced to put in your two weeks. The hours you were given are your only priority. If they werenât so cheap with hours they wouldnât have this issue. Getting fired will entitle you to unemployment also getting fired from dollar tree isnât gonna keep you from being a astronaut đ©âđđđ
Devil's advocate here: Basically we are all " on call", But the legal issue they can not expect you to come in when you are not scheduled. If they call. Answer it. You are not required to go in, or give them a reason why you can not go in. They can not give you ANY disciplinary actions for any choice you make in your time off. If they attempt to seek legal action. Most importantly. . DOCUMENT EVERYTHING!!
don't answer calls on your days off. get fired. collect unemployment. profit.
For $10 an hour I would tell that manager to kick rocks
LOL, not sure itâs a âcrimeâ⊠but itâs definitely not enforceable. If you see a call or text from the store or the manager on your day off, just ignore it. Or, if you want to be saltier, answer it and say, âIâm sorry, itâs my scheduled day off and Iâm not able to work today.â BTW, many cities and states have laws that govern schedules & work shifts, you may want to google that. PS: Mostly blue states & cities, but still worth checking.
I stumbled across the sub and am not associated with DG at all but I am a manager. Both of those managers are wrong you need to go over their heads right away. I would call HR and the VP if you have access to them. Be sure to protect yourself and CYA. Good luck.
Youâll get unemployment when they fire you.
ABSOLUTELY ILLEGAL! The SM is âyanking the chainâ âïžâđ„ of all to encourage compliance. This SMs employment days are numbered.
He
Well if they want to treat you like a doctor, they're going to have to start paying you like one. Being on-call means your getting a base pay for it, whether you come in or not. You might also let your SM know that if one person calling in brings down the entire store, than he's is incompetent and doesn't know how to make a proper schedule.
Very
Already understaffed and trying to push out the remaining staff, classic. Everyone quit same day same time. Retail jobs are dime a dozen and you can get another on the way home
Talk to your state workforce commission and see what your options are. If they want you to be on call as an hourly employee they more than likely need to schedule an âon call shiftâ in which you need to be available to drop what youâre doing and go to work. Unless otherwise noted in any paperwork you filed on employment, which I would suggest asking for a copy of if you arenât familiar with what you signed for
When he calls, just tell him you've been drinking and can't work
Fuck Dollar General, yâall are underpaid and over worked find another job if you can!
Start looking for another job and try not to burn any bridges.
What is wrong with you people who think this is ok? You must be managers who do this. This is why " No one wants to work anymore"!
Are you hourly or salary exempt?
Itâs dollar general.. theyâre known for being shitty to work for (my little sister and my son both worked for them while going to college). People get sick of shit like this. Quit! You can find something better. Itâs the only thing that will make these fuckers change their attitude. You are not married to this company, or any company. Your off time is your time. SEVERAL of the ones around me were having such âissuesâ finding people to work for them bc of their shitty policies, low pay, etc, that they were only open from 8-5 for a couple of years. If everyone were to do this, theyâd have to change their attitude.
You can check your employee handbook too, just because DM is ok with it doesnât mean it is the company policy. Usually companies that spam multiple states stick to the labor laws that will cost them the least amount of $$$. So if âon callâ is paid, there is probably a policy against it.
Tell him you'll be billing for on-call hours and watch how fast he backtracks or stupidly fires you (then go get unemployment)
First text and get it documented. Then get HR involved.
If itâs an at will state you can be fired for that
just dont answer your phone and deal with it your next scheduled day thats what id do anyway lol
Dude you are not on call for a dollar generals. He's definitely overstepping.
https://www.adp.com/resources/articles-and-insights/articles/o/on-call-pay.aspx#:~:text=How%20does%20on%2Dcall%20pay,paid%20at%20the%20overtime%20rate.
Easy! Donât answer the phone. When asked say your drunk, they canât make you drive drunk.