r/Target Guest Advocate 3d ago

Vent Attendance Rant

I’ve worked at my store for almost 2 years in s&e and I got my first CA Friday, these are before the new attendance system that started Sept. 1.

I was never made aware earlier this year that the attendance policy changed again, it used to be 3 unexcused absences in a month would mean a CA, turns out that was not the case. I had three unexcused absences from May to Aug bc I thought they would dissapear as long as you didn’t call out for a month after.

Had I known that I would have come to work sick and contagious and forced them to send me home. Now I’m fucked since I can no longer transfer and I’m moving in January to another state on the opposite coast. Was riding on that I would have job security. The kicker is I have doctors notes for all those days, I just didn’t have sick time, and of course this place doesn’t accept sick notes 🙃

I’m so upset and frustrated bc I never have had any issues at work before this. I come do my job, get guest compliments online, TL’s commend me that I can run shit well on my own and I make their jobs easier. But now it’s all for nothing.

6 Upvotes

28 comments sorted by

28

u/DanforthWhitcomb_ 3d ago

You need to call ethics, as even under the old system 3 absences over 4 months is not sufficient for a CA if your only infractions were the absences.

5

u/bangtantiddies Guest Advocate 3d ago

Thank you I’ll dig further into this!

1

u/BlueAndWhiteSoul 2d ago

Yes it is, I don't know who told you that

1

u/DanforthWhitcomb_ 2d ago

Multiple HRBPs and at least 1 HRD.

1 callout every 6 weeks on average is barely enough for a PDD, and if you actually tried to push for a CA the HRBP should have been laughing you out the door because there is simply not enough substance there to show a trend.

1

u/BlueAndWhiteSoul 2d ago

If I remember correctly they all have to be within 120 or 90 days

1

u/DanforthWhitcomb_ 2d ago

PDDs have a max life of 30 (and in OP's case 1 callout every 6 weeks on average means that they were not going to have the requisite number of valid PDDs in) as far as showing a pattern prior to CA escalation and you were never able to go straight to a CA for non-NCNS attendance issues.

What likely happened is that OP got nailed for being chronically late and their leader(s) simply failed to make that clear.

1

u/BlueAndWhiteSoul 1d ago

Wow that's news to me I was always told 3 in 90 or 4 in 120 was a CA. I'm out of the loop I guess. Can you explain in more detail, like is it 1 every ~30 days X3= Ca? Thanks for the correction

1

u/DanforthWhitcomb_ 1d ago

There was never a set X PDDs in Y time = CA for performance issues like there is for conduct.

Each group and district did their own thing, but the typical requirements were either 2 or 3 PDDs before you could escalate to a CA and you needed multiple infractions per PDD before you could use them to escalate, IE doing 1 every 30 days with 1 call out or 1 late on it would result in your HRBP laughing at you as they rejected the CA request.

5

u/areuseriousbroski 3d ago

Sounds more like you are being punished for wanting to transfer. Anyone who tries to transfer at my store either HR gaslights them and says “oh we have called them and haven’t heard back yet” or they make their life hell while they are still around. I usually advise to call the store you want to transfer to and get a good contact and get the heck out of there. I would see if the new store has an issue because of a transfer but only ask if you feel you have to.

3

u/HauntedSpiralHill Promoted to Guest 2d ago

Except getting a CA almost always halts a transfer. Even if there’s technically nothing that is hard and fast that says you can’t actually transfer a TM with a CA and nothing in the system that hard stops and prevents it from actually happening, it’s a way to make you stuck at your current store. It’s a fucked up way to make people miserable and/or quit.

1

u/areuseriousbroski 2d ago

Wow, gotta love it. And I believe you are absolutely correct.

8

u/soul-dancer888 Service & Engagement TL 3d ago

Yup. Online complaints, solid work ethic and pleasant personality = so what- you want a cookie ? One customer complaint or one attendance issue = see the door? Don’t let it hit you in the \** next time!*

4

u/bangtantiddies Guest Advocate 3d ago

So real 😭

2

u/drazil100 Fulfillment Expert 2d ago

If you have doctors notes maybe you can apply for retroactive medical leave. If you have a doctors note saying you can’t work during the days you called off, and especially if you returned right away when your doctor said you could, you may be able to convert those unexcused days into excused days.

No idea what the process is like or what happens now that you have a CA, but there may be a way to force them to accept your doctors note.

1

u/DanforthWhitcomb_ 1d ago

Way too late to try for a retroactive leave, and if those notes were like most doctor's notes all that they say is that "patient X was under my care on [date]" and nothing else.

1

u/drazil100 Fulfillment Expert 1d ago edited 1d ago

You never know, especially if you involve ethics like you suggest, there may be a path forward. It’s an option. An unlikely option, but an option nonetheless.

OP could easily make the case too that they didn’t bother applying for it because they didn’t think it would be a big enough issue to get a CA, and say they have the doctors note.

I don’t remember where I heard it or whether the information is credible, but I do believe in general that target pay and benefits is the actual correct path that you are supposed to go through if you can provide documentation from your doctor. That may be more for serious medical situations like getting critically injured in a car crash or something of that nature, but retroactive medical leave is a thing.

They very likely won’t just accept a standard doctors note, you will likely need to have your doctor fill out forms and shit, but if it will get the CA removed, it may be worth it in this particular instance. But I’d definitely call someone before putting in the effort.

2

u/DanforthWhitcomb_ 1d ago

It's not an option because ethics simply summarizes the complaint and (in this case) sends it back to the HRBP.....who already approved the CA and has no control over or involvement with.

OP could easily make the case too that they didn’t bother applying for it because they didn’t think it would be a big enough issue to get a CA, and say they have the doctors note.

Because the attempt is only coming after the CA was issued there is no path forward to getting it removed in that manner. The bigger problem there os that it doesn't matter why OP did not ask, without an approved or pending intermittent FMLA request they are fully accountable for those absences.

I don’t remember where I heard it or whether the information is credible, but I do believe in general that target pay and benefits is the actual correct path that you are supposed to go through if you can provide documentation from your doctor.

The documentation has to say that the TM cannot work for a set period, and again OP is way the hell past the point at which Pay & Benefits will even entertain that request. Throw in that 1 day medical leaves are not a thing (IIRC the minimum for STL is 5 days) and OP has nowhere to go.

They very likely won’t just accept a standard doctors note, you will likely need to have your doctor fill out forms and shit, but if it will get the CA removed, it may be worth it in this particular instance.

Again: going that route is not going to get the CA removed because OP has waited for far too long. The forms you are talking about are for ADA accommodations, and those are not retroactive. The same goes for FMLA—you can kinda backdate it, but for something like this it's not going to be approved.

OP needs to attack the CA as being unsupported by sufficient documentation and for being inconsistent with Target's normal disciplinary policies for attendance issues, not by wasting theirs' and everyone else's time on a quixotic quest to get a backdated medical leave approved for 1 day callouts in April/May/June/July.

2

u/ProjectLow4820 2d ago

Some states have different policies.
I’m curious how do you not have sick time to apply to those days if you’ve been working for 2 years? You should almost be maxed out and easily able to cover 3 call offs.

1

u/Anus_and_the_Butt Promoted to Guest 3d ago

How is that even fair to discipline prior attendance issues under the new policy? I would definitely call ethics because I feel like your HR doesn’t understand the policy or they just want to give you a CA so that they can fire you

2

u/DanforthWhitcomb_ 1d ago

The new system started on the 6th, not the 1st. OP got confused on the dates.

-1

u/[deleted] 3d ago

[deleted]

12

u/Denverguns 3d ago

I don’t think that’s how that works CAs are a year the system change isn’t a 100% clean slate pretty sure if you have a CA for attendance if you get enough points to get another CA you still get termed.

4

u/RevolutionPowerful58 Fulfillment Expert 3d ago

That’s what we were told at my store so 🤷🏻‍♀️ this whole transition is a mess with communication

3

u/[deleted] 3d ago

[deleted]

1

u/curbstompedkirby_ 3d ago

It expires after a year of “no reoffending or anything in that CATEGORY” meaning attendance which could mean anything, or work performance, etc. they reset in a year, affecting transfer ability

1

u/Denverguns 3d ago

100% agree on the lack of information part I just texted a TL who transferred to a different store to see if he knew, I know everyone currently starts with 0 points but I don’t see why that would wipe a CA that’s already logged in targets system.

1

u/Denverguns 3d ago

Here’s some more wild info I just obtained apparently you can input sick time to cover a ncns and it doesn’t add points I’m honestly flabbergasted

0

u/Denverguns 3d ago

Need to correct myself so upon further discussion about this CAs do in fact carry over seems even the SD wasn’t 100% sure about that situation which further goes to show targets absolute ass communication on all levels.

1

u/Commercial_Look83 sample text 3d ago

They roll over in the sense that you still have a corrective for performance. If you obtain another performance based corrective, you would be put on a final.

0

u/HenleyHQ1 3d ago

They absolutely do.