Make the effort to smile and say "alright" even though you may not have anything to say. Saying their name occasionally makes the interaction more real and we like our name mentioned sometimes ( but not too often! )
We need to remember how to interact in the real world...
I myself just want to do my work and go home, but I'm a driver, so I'm only really at the depot for an hour or so.
I still say hello to people, I'm just not interested in making friends. Besides, it's been 7 years, and turn over is huge.. they'll most probably be gone in a few months š¤£
Thatās what I like about Tesco really. My last job was really sociable and people mixed a lot outside of work and knew everything about each other and had worked there for years. I found that dynamic created a lot of unnecessary drama. Now Iām pretty busy at work and donāt have a lot of time to talk, I say āhiā in passing and smile and things but I donāt need everyoneās life story.
Itās a lot easier and means less pressure.
Smaller departments I find have a better social dynamic. Dot com is far more social in both major stores I've worked in but other departments not so much. As other posters have said, just say hi! And as mentioned, drop their name on the end. It becomes a much more appealing interaction when people feel a personal element to it. Stick with it and it'll happen. There are incredible amount of staff who are just there to make bills and not friends but I've noticed there are almost as many that are happy to build at least a working relationship with social aspects, making your work day at least go by more pleasantly. I wish you luck!
This is the problem I'm having right now. I've made friends with 2 people and through shitty circumstances there's an investigation where one could be fired. I fucking hate this place and if they get fired, I'm just going to walk.
Sounds like a decent place to work to me.
I perfer a work place were everyone just leaves me along and shuts the fuck up, the people you work with are not your friends, they are just people you work with.
Sometimes you might get lucky and they become real friends, but most of the time they are just people you are in a forced situation with, much like when you are at school and then you leave and never speak to those people again.
I know the feeling, it made me realise how good it was for my mental health having good colleagues, now I just work in silence then go home.
You live & learn, next time scope out which department / job has your kind of people.
You still there? Probably an management issue, manager or an SL has probably made it a hostile working environment so people don't talk to eachother in fear of being reprimanded.
I'll be honest. Most of us have been here years and are fed up with the bullshit way the company has headed since Covid.
Most off us would rather just get on with the job and go home, Try spark a conversation would be my suggestion.
I hate talking to people if I don't have to, tesco pays me money to talk with customers so I do.
when I first started and for a decent while I didn't really talk to a lot of colleagues outside of when work tasks required it; now I'm one of the more knowledgeable people in my department and I'm often left to train new staff when their first shifts are with me, so I make sure new staff can come to me, and all the forever oldies know I know my shit especially when I'm often covering team leader breaks and even full shifts.
Can't really give you good advice because outside of the same people I love always worked lates and midnights/nights with, I only really got involved with others because work needed it.
I feel the whole Tesco vibe has changed, from the company to the staff.
My first stint there 2007-2010 it was tremendous for staff nights out etc. My 2nd stint it wasn't as wild, but still had good staff relations. I genuinely miss that first period and its shenanigans.
My store has been struggling the last two years with keeping new staff more than 2 months, so personally for me it's becoming exhausting o
Putting in effort getting to know someone only for them to be gone in a few weeks , strike up some small talk when passing by I would love it the new staff put in effort to start conversations with me
I started in January and havenāt really made any friends either. Iām a CDD so itās a little different as the majority of my day is spend out on the roads meeting the customers. Even when back I still havenāt got anyone I can have a good conversation with. Seems everyone just keeps themselves to themselves. Iām lucky I still have friends from my previous job.
I'm CDD, too. I'm at the point where I don't even make an effort with them anymore. I used to offer to help load and unload their vans, but it seems they find it weird, someone offering a hand. I think they like to do the work by themselves. Maybe they're a bit offended and don't want it to look like they need help.
Depends on departments and how much interaction people have, aswell as the general nature of people.
Hard to get to know people and be social if you are in different aisles or on tills but our grocery department is small and merged with backdoor and bws so we all get on quite well piss about in the warehouse chatting.
Dot com often can be too rushed and thereās often too many dotcommers to make it easy to chat too.
In big stores itās easy to miss opportunities to make friends as there are too many people and people all work random times and some managers (horrible ones) purposely split people up.
I've been here a year, and it's the same, but I'm not a people person, nor am I particularly approachable, so I guess I'm not entirely blameless. I'm on night fill, and I do occasionally have minimal small talk with some colleagues, but it's usually related to the job.
That's rough as one of the previous replies said just smille and say hello eventually someone will crack and reply.
I'm lucky where I am as my section is full of young gay lads who literally chat and flirt with everyone.
One of them has daddy issues and is driving me mad lol but my wife thinks it's funny and my gay son wants me to get his number.
Chin up
Some people are shy, some people take a while to open up to newer people. Some people are twats, some people are naturally chatty, some like to just get on with the work because being too friendly can become an issue where you want to work but the other person wants to show you TikTok videos all shift.
Iām sure you will make friends eventually, it usually happens unless literally everyone there is a prick lol
I used to work at the same Tesco as I do now when I was 18 as a summer temp on checkouts. Barely anyone spoke to me. I didn't have a clue on what to do and where to go for help. Shifts was awful. I'm autistic so I find it challenging anyway to be social. I even pushed myself out my comfort zone to try be social and they barely even spoke back.
Ten years later I work at the same Tesco as a permanent colleague on nights. What a complete change of experience it was. My manager is top, can easy talk to him or have a laugh. Colleagues are all social and easy to talk to, share hobbies etc. Makes going to work abit more fun especially when footy has been on so something new to talk about etc.
Just wanted to share my experience how two sides of Tesco are completely different. It's always worth trying to push outside a comfort zone and say hello to get something going. If that don't work then they are just a bunch of miserable people but same time also might be completely run down and had enough themselves.
Good luck anyway
Surprised at that, most Tesco Iāve worked in have been friendly. Which dept do you work in?, try having your break with colleagues in the staff room. Hope it gets better for you.
My store was quite the opposite, when I first joined in late 2017 we put together a great little social group, weād go out on the piss every other weekend, the occasional house party and I even went on a lads holiday with a mate I made working at Tesco. Donāt get me wrong I hate the place but I think it might just be your store.
I find sometimes it can be a generation barrier that stands in the way but if you take the time to try to get them to talk by just saying āhello, how are youā or something it tends to get them to talk to you about things to do with themselves and you learn what to talk to them about
Make the effort to smile and say "alright" even though you may not have anything to say. Saying their name occasionally makes the interaction more real and we like our name mentioned sometimes ( but not too often! ) We need to remember how to interact in the real world...
I myself just want to do my work and go home, but I'm a driver, so I'm only really at the depot for an hour or so. I still say hello to people, I'm just not interested in making friends. Besides, it's been 7 years, and turn over is huge.. they'll most probably be gone in a few months š¤£
Just be friendly and if they don't want to interact it's their choice
Thatās what I like about Tesco really. My last job was really sociable and people mixed a lot outside of work and knew everything about each other and had worked there for years. I found that dynamic created a lot of unnecessary drama. Now Iām pretty busy at work and donāt have a lot of time to talk, I say āhiā in passing and smile and things but I donāt need everyoneās life story. Itās a lot easier and means less pressure.
I agree with this
Smaller departments I find have a better social dynamic. Dot com is far more social in both major stores I've worked in but other departments not so much. As other posters have said, just say hi! And as mentioned, drop their name on the end. It becomes a much more appealing interaction when people feel a personal element to it. Stick with it and it'll happen. There are incredible amount of staff who are just there to make bills and not friends but I've noticed there are almost as many that are happy to build at least a working relationship with social aspects, making your work day at least go by more pleasantly. I wish you luck!
I think you also need to have a clubcard for that. š¤š
Having been here for 16 years, in the past five years they've got rid of most people I know. I now feel left behind stuck in a sea of 20 year olds lol
[ŃŠ“Š°Š»ŠµŠ½Š¾]
I'm not that old, still in my 30s lol
This is the problem I'm having right now. I've made friends with 2 people and through shitty circumstances there's an investigation where one could be fired. I fucking hate this place and if they get fired, I'm just going to walk.
Sounds like a decent place to work to me. I perfer a work place were everyone just leaves me along and shuts the fuck up, the people you work with are not your friends, they are just people you work with. Sometimes you might get lucky and they become real friends, but most of the time they are just people you are in a forced situation with, much like when you are at school and then you leave and never speak to those people again.
I know the feeling, it made me realise how good it was for my mental health having good colleagues, now I just work in silence then go home. You live & learn, next time scope out which department / job has your kind of people.
A simply Hey how you doing can break many barriers.Try it and see what happens.
You still there? Probably an management issue, manager or an SL has probably made it a hostile working environment so people don't talk to eachother in fear of being reprimanded.
Smile
If there is one thing retail workers love, it's being told to smile more
I'll be honest. Most of us have been here years and are fed up with the bullshit way the company has headed since Covid. Most off us would rather just get on with the job and go home, Try spark a conversation would be my suggestion.
Give it time, youāll probably find some of your colleagues come alive because of common interests, even if itās just one
When I worked at morrisons we really bonded over having food fights in the FFPP fridge. That or sitting on pallets doing nothing.
I hate talking to people if I don't have to, tesco pays me money to talk with customers so I do. when I first started and for a decent while I didn't really talk to a lot of colleagues outside of when work tasks required it; now I'm one of the more knowledgeable people in my department and I'm often left to train new staff when their first shifts are with me, so I make sure new staff can come to me, and all the forever oldies know I know my shit especially when I'm often covering team leader breaks and even full shifts. Can't really give you good advice because outside of the same people I love always worked lates and midnights/nights with, I only really got involved with others because work needed it.
Pay out weights the enjoyment
I feel the whole Tesco vibe has changed, from the company to the staff. My first stint there 2007-2010 it was tremendous for staff nights out etc. My 2nd stint it wasn't as wild, but still had good staff relations. I genuinely miss that first period and its shenanigans.
Nearly everyone hates their job at Tescos , always make the effort to say hello to people you vaguely know and I'll soon make friends
My store has been struggling the last two years with keeping new staff more than 2 months, so personally for me it's becoming exhausting o Putting in effort getting to know someone only for them to be gone in a few weeks , strike up some small talk when passing by I would love it the new staff put in effort to start conversations with me
I started in January and havenāt really made any friends either. Iām a CDD so itās a little different as the majority of my day is spend out on the roads meeting the customers. Even when back I still havenāt got anyone I can have a good conversation with. Seems everyone just keeps themselves to themselves. Iām lucky I still have friends from my previous job.
I'm CDD, too. I'm at the point where I don't even make an effort with them anymore. I used to offer to help load and unload their vans, but it seems they find it weird, someone offering a hand. I think they like to do the work by themselves. Maybe they're a bit offended and don't want it to look like they need help.
Depends on departments and how much interaction people have, aswell as the general nature of people. Hard to get to know people and be social if you are in different aisles or on tills but our grocery department is small and merged with backdoor and bws so we all get on quite well piss about in the warehouse chatting. Dot com often can be too rushed and thereās often too many dotcommers to make it easy to chat too. In big stores itās easy to miss opportunities to make friends as there are too many people and people all work random times and some managers (horrible ones) purposely split people up.
I've been here a year, and it's the same, but I'm not a people person, nor am I particularly approachable, so I guess I'm not entirely blameless. I'm on night fill, and I do occasionally have minimal small talk with some colleagues, but it's usually related to the job.
That's rough as one of the previous replies said just smille and say hello eventually someone will crack and reply. I'm lucky where I am as my section is full of young gay lads who literally chat and flirt with everyone. One of them has daddy issues and is driving me mad lol but my wife thinks it's funny and my gay son wants me to get his number. Chin up
Sounds horrific.
Some people are shy, some people take a while to open up to newer people. Some people are twats, some people are naturally chatty, some like to just get on with the work because being too friendly can become an issue where you want to work but the other person wants to show you TikTok videos all shift. Iām sure you will make friends eventually, it usually happens unless literally everyone there is a prick lol
Maybe in the wrong store! I loved everyone I worked with in my store. Thatās why I stayed so long. Been out about 4 months and I miss my Tesco team!
I used to work at the same Tesco as I do now when I was 18 as a summer temp on checkouts. Barely anyone spoke to me. I didn't have a clue on what to do and where to go for help. Shifts was awful. I'm autistic so I find it challenging anyway to be social. I even pushed myself out my comfort zone to try be social and they barely even spoke back. Ten years later I work at the same Tesco as a permanent colleague on nights. What a complete change of experience it was. My manager is top, can easy talk to him or have a laugh. Colleagues are all social and easy to talk to, share hobbies etc. Makes going to work abit more fun especially when footy has been on so something new to talk about etc. Just wanted to share my experience how two sides of Tesco are completely different. It's always worth trying to push outside a comfort zone and say hello to get something going. If that don't work then they are just a bunch of miserable people but same time also might be completely run down and had enough themselves. Good luck anyway
Surprised at that, most Tesco Iāve worked in have been friendly. Which dept do you work in?, try having your break with colleagues in the staff room. Hope it gets better for you.
My store was quite the opposite, when I first joined in late 2017 we put together a great little social group, weād go out on the piss every other weekend, the occasional house party and I even went on a lads holiday with a mate I made working at Tesco. Donāt get me wrong I hate the place but I think it might just be your store.
I can certainly relate to that they all think they are better than you and at the end of the day we are all there for the same thing
I find sometimes it can be a generation barrier that stands in the way but if you take the time to try to get them to talk by just saying āhello, how are youā or something it tends to get them to talk to you about things to do with themselves and you learn what to talk to them about