I am fuming.
You must all remember the snow we've had,I say had because it's gone here now, and apparently we are not going to have anymore, or so they say.LOL
Well, the week before christmas, on the wednesday, I could not go into work because of the amount of snow that had fallen.
Asda opened an hour earlier christmas week, 7.00am instead of 8.00a.m. and I agreed, along with many others, to start work an hour earlier.
So, on monday, I got up at 4.30 a.m. and at 5.00a.m. I was out getting all the snow of my car and just preparing myself for the days work.
I left at 6.am. and arrived at Asda at 6,45a.m. it is only two miles away, so you can imagine what a dreadful drive that was.
Tuesday is my day off and it did nothing but snow all day. So I new what to expect on wednesday.
Wednesday morning, I got up at 4.30a.am. and at 5.30a.m. I was getting the snow off my car, it took me a good half an hour.
At 6.00a.m. I drove off to go to work, or at least I tried.
I had to reverse out and the car was going everywhere, slipping and sliding and no matter how hard I tried I could not get the car out.
Eventually , I managed it and drove off, straight into the curb, because my car just slid into it. I persevered and got it, very gently I may add, to the end of the road. It was then I turned back and drove home.The snow was so deep.
My car just would not go straight, slipping and sliding everywhere. This was on fresh snow and it was dreadful.
I told geoff and even tried to go in his car but no, it was as bad.
At 7.ooa.m. I phoned into work and explained what had happened and told them I could not make it that day. They were very understanding and said not to worry about it as others had got the same problem, they were many of us that could not go to work that day.
The day went on and about 3.oop.m. I received a phone call from Jane (thats not her real name) Jane is the Peoples mananger or personnel manager if you like.
She started saying about not turning up for work and I started to say how terrible it is, however, I never got a word in.
She continued to TELL me to come back to work NOW. I told her I couldn't because of the snow.I explained that it was actually snowing while she was talking to me.She asked me in a very demanding way whether I was REFUSING to come to work, I was so irate by this time I said YES!!!!! I wasn't refusing to go back to work for any other reason other than the snow problem.
She also said that my husband could drive me to work(very kind of her) I tried to explain that geoff had tried too but he couldn't do it. However I could not get a word in.
She started to raise her voice and told me I had let Asda down and that it was sunshine and blue skies.
There was more to this but I have cut it down because it was so dreadful, all she kept telling me was that I had let Asda down.
Eventually, her last words to me were, in a very sarcastic manner:
"DO HAVE A LOVELY AFTERNOON ANNETTE, DO HAVE A LOVELY AFTERNOON ANNETTE, DO HAVE A LOVELY AFTERNOON ANNETTE"
To which my reply was:"I will."
And I put the phone down.
She does keep repeating her sentences, I don't know why, she just does.
What concerned me was the fact there was no concern from her, she didn't care how anyone was going to get to work as long as we did.
Thursday morning came and the it was a little better. I managed to get the snow off the car and I did drive to work but it took me nearly and hour.
When I arrived at work everyone was in bits because they too had had a phone call from her and it was just as bad, in fact she had had some in tears.
We all went down and clocked in and I went straight to the GSM General store manager, told him I wanted to make an official complaint about the phone call I had received the day before. The first thing he asked me was , "did she ask you to come back to work?"
I said "yes, and more!"
He could see I was mad and we went upstairs to an office.
I told him excatly what I have told you, how long it took me get the snow off the car and how I had tried to come to work. I also reminded him that I had worked here for 20 years and NEVER have missed a day for this reason.
Then I told him about the call, what she had said to me, letting asda down, geoff could drive me into work, and that it was bright sunshine and blue skies although it was snowing at the time.
I couldn't understand why she had said "blue skies and sunshine" actually,and I said I wasn't sure what planet she was on because it wasn't this Earth!
It was that night we were on Midlands Today about the amount of snow we have had!
He was very good actually, he listened patiently, rarely spoke,(probably because he couldn't get a word in!!!) and was very professional.
He wrote a few things down as well.
At the end he said that I deserved an apology and that they do not expect any manager to speak or behave in that way.
He promised he would look into this but asked me to be a patient as it was christmas and new year,because the shop will be closed for a few days,I willingly agreed to this.
However, that is not all, Jane has come down onto the shop floor and yelled at some of us,even in front of the customers,not me I must add, and she has been very, very abusive.
Two others have now made official complaints about her behaviour,and everyone has told the manager about their phone calls they recieved and even what she has said to them on the shop floor.
So he knows the full picture now.
Jane is a young lady (??) about 30ish and very attractive actually,so why she has to behave like this god knows. No-one has ever had a cross word with her first. Nededless to say she is not liked, which is a shame.
Anyway, we will see what happens, but everyone asks me if the manager has done anything yet and I have to remind them that it has only been a couple of weeks and you have to give him time.
I really think she's in the wrong job as I have never known a peoples manager who doesn't like people.
I will let you know how it goes.
