More GW cut backs.Nick Huge; Bugman's Brewery wrote:All key time positions will be made redundant as of September 5th.
It's the end of an era.
I think the key timers will return at some stage in some capacity as the '0' hour key timer contract is really what the company wants to eradicate.
There has been in the past, some folk who have been able to abuse the discount privilege because they have had good external (of the store)friendships with their managers and they have been able to do a shift once a month or even two months and so still retain their mail order discount. There used to be quite a few of those fellows about but nowadays after all the terminations in GW UK over the last six months they are pretty thin on the ground.
GW legislates that if you do not fulfil at least one shift every three months you drop off the payscale and become unemployed.
This however falls flat when you consider that 'key timers' are on a zero hour contract, and if they don't do any hours they are fulfilling their contractual obligations.
To terminate someones employment for not working when they are on a 'zero' hour contract is in breach of their contract and results in 'constructive dismissal'. That spells big problems for the company.
The company developed the zero hour contract to create flexibility in the hours but in some ways it has come back to bite them on the behind.
The 20 hour a week contract that is being mooted is unlikely to be workable for a great many of the current key time employees. They will move on and a 'lot' of gaming/hobby experience will go with them.
It means the noobs will be expected to work EVERY Saturday and Sunday and at least 4 hours mid-week on a Vets night as a minimum.
However the really difficult part will be finding a part timer who can do a shift during the daytime midweek to allow the fulltimer/manager a day off and also be available to work all weekend which is when the company really make their money from the stores. Unfriendly and awkward hours.
The three month probation period is still in place, no mail order discount until probation is passed. You do however get 50% off Retail price of all products in store as soon as you have worked a shift. In some cases like hobby tools and materials it doesn't do you any favours because the retail prices are inordinately high. e.g. as a staff member you pay ?5 pounds for a large paintbrush instead of ?10. Thing is you can get a better bigger paintbrush for ?2.38 down the road at the paint store.
Obviously w ith figures it works out a lot better though.
The new system will work well for the company financially and thats why it's coming in. Understandable really.
It will also reduce the number of folk able to access mail order discounts. That is good for the company long term.
However in terms of it working in a store, well thats a very different kettle of fish.
Before the 'Great Sundering' , (read as Shareprice value plummetting 4-5 months ago) at Christamas last year when everything was still deemed to be rosy there was a declaration from HQ that all stores were to have 2 full timers and at least 2 key timers with a Manager. Now many stores are down to one full timer one active key timer and a manager. That puts a lot more hours on the staff.
Even with the two hour morning reduction from Mon-Friday there are many stores that will only have one person working all day, on theior own during the week.
This means that new releases do not get painted or they are done quickly and look shabby in the cabinet. The list of models mounts up very quickly, cleaning doesn't get done, shoplifters are harder to watch out for, the store has to close for banking to be done during the day and there is less flexibility in getting days off where and when you may need them.
At the moment stores have 2 , sometimes 3 key time staff and they float and remain flexible to fill the gaps on the weekend and when full timers fall ill etc.
With the new contracts many stores will be reduced to one key timer only to perform the role of the 2-3.
Now if that one person falls ill etc. then the weight of the hours goes back onto the full timer or manager etc, and then the problems really begin. Some stores have already been reduced to one full timer and one manager to cover all the opening hours with two key timers sharing around 20-30 hours a week.
As the roles are generally filled by 18-23 yr old male Uni students etc. then more problems occur when they go on summer break or exams kick in and their obligations/commitments take them away.
I'm not saying the new format will not work, I'm sure it can, but it will place more pressure on the staff members in the working environment.
In a hobby selling situation that can have negative effects that fall out in other areas. For instance, full timers very rarely stay with the company for long. They do not get remunerated very well and the company doesn't do a lot for the cog that makes the wheel turn. There is a company mug that is awarded after 5 years service. Full timer has always been the hardest role to keep employed in the company. Now part-time will most likely join them in that role unles the company relaxes the restrictions a little.
Key time wages are ?5 pounds an hour and the company makes it very clear to newcomers that they are 'very privileged to be working for the company' and that in some measure makes up for the low wages. *cough*
New part time positions will have to learn and teach LotR to the customers as well as the obvious two core games.
It makes for interesting viewing and it also will bring to an end my time in the company as I cannot justify working the weekend away from my wife for a pittance.
Four years + key time is plenty for an old geezer like me, it's time.
I was with two other key timers on Thursday at a local store, all three of us have already handed our notice in. There will be many more to come.
KU
