[Anih27]

Hi all, first time poster. I'm a manager in a small pharmacy with a few other stores in the chain. And putting it honestly it's grinding me down week by week. At the start of each week I go to work with a positive attitude to try again for the week ahead but within an hour or two of being there that goes out the window. There are a number of factors in the job that make me feel as thought I'm trapped & can't get out.

After all, a job is a job in these times & I'm lucky to have one & it's pays the bills yadda yadda yadda! I work 40 hours per week, 8-9 hour days, have a ton of responsibility laid upon my shoulders, I'm on a small wage for a mangers role & the work load I do (a little above minimum wage). We don't get the usual 15 minute break in the morning as it was struck out before I started working there. Some days we don't get a lunch break, and are told when we ask for these hours in lieu that they won't be granted nor paid for.

We are watched 24/7 on cameras as to what we do & quite frankly I feel as though I am in a prison or a school child. Nothing would give me more pleasure than to tell my boss that I do not want to work there any longer. I want to be my own boss as I am qualified in beauty therapy & would love to do this from home. I also want to further my knowledge & do more courses such as hair extensions, spray tan etc etc.

I can't talk to anyone about this as when I do I'm told 'don't quit' you need to pay bills, it's your career. But I'm not happy simple as!! Any advice anyone may have would really be greatly appreciated! I'm really at the end of my tether! Loads of thanks in advance!

[Mrs OBumble]

Are you job-hunting?

TBH, I think cameras are pretty standard in that sort of retail, for your protection as well as the manager's.

Are there any factors in your control that you can use to make the workplace better?

I can understand not getting paid in-lieu for breaks (I think it's illegal) - is there any way you could try taking them instead? (If you get another job, you could try sueing for the cash ...)

[mikemac1]

Well first thing is the money, have you asked the managers above you for a wage rise? If you don't ask then you don't get

Little more then minimum wage and you manage a store??
The staff in Dunnes earn more then you and they don't have to manage anything

A manager should be on a somewhat decent salary

[Anih27]

I am job hunting all of the time however there are not a lot of jobs out there for my relevant sector. I have worked in retail for 12 years & I have never been watched under a microscope like this. If we are seen wearing something that they don't approve of we get a phone call, it is the likes of this that I find suffocating. I was hired because of my experience & knowledge yet I feel as though I am not trusted to do a job they hired me to do. I lost a family member quite recently after only a few weeks of illness & this has taught me a lot in life. To be happy being one & I'm not happy.

I want to be doing something that I love but I would be takin a risk doing this. Life is too short & life is about taking risks. Should I just take the bull by the horns & quit, and start doing what I am trained in & what I really love to do?

I would be making more money than what I am earning now by doing treatments & would have a lot of other pro's to go along with that. I cannot ask for a pay rise as I don't feel I can approach them & ask this question. Thank you for the feedback.

[mikemac1]

Originally Posted by Anih27

I cannot ask for a pay rise as I don't feel I can approach them & ask this question.

Keep with the job hunting but if it's not working out for you and you can't find anything new well you need to address your pay

As they are taking advantage of you.
You are a manager and very experienced and it's insulting what they are paying you.

As a manager you can deal with difficult staff and awkward customers so having this conversation with the other managers should be something you can handle.
Your post is about not hesitating and taking risks so here you go

[looksee]

As well as your actual skills, being self employed requires a fairly thick skin and a willingness to accept challenges and deal with people. If you are not prepared to stand up for yourself in your job you should consider whether you will be able for fighting your corner as a self employed person.

Remember as well as doing all the very positive things you are trained to do, you will also have to fight with landlords over premises, persuade suppliers to give you credit, deal with customers who take the treatment then discover they can't pay you, customers who don't want to pay the full amount. You will have to talk to banks about loans, accountants, people who do advertising and publicity for you, sort phones and esb and vat and rent and insurance and so on. You will also have to persuade a dwindling market to come to you rather than go to anyone else. You have to figure out how you can answer the phone to make appointments while giving your customers your undivided attention, pay bills and do the paperwork, clean the salon. Will you need an employee, will they run rings round you?

None of this is impossible, and you could go for it, but if you are backing away from demanding your breaks and looking for a reasonable wage for yourself, you might want to consider whether you have the 'neck' to cast yourself adrift in these difficult times.

[OldNotWIse]

One thing not to focus on is "I am lucky to have a job". I am sick and tired of people saying this to me. Since the recession started people have been using this as a justifcation for putting up with shyte from employers etc. Just because jobs are hard to come by does not mean you have to put up with substandard pay and conditions. Hope things improve.

[Anih27]

I don't plan on opening a new salon as there are so many here where I live it would just be a total waste of time & money. What I do want to do is go mobile & offer treatments at a cheaper cost than going to a salon & having these treatments done in the comfort of people's homes.

Thank you oldnotwise! Someone who agrees with me & is also sick of listening to the same thing over & over!! This week as I am on a few days off, I'm throwing myself into researching courses & putting the feelers out to see what treatments most attract customers & who to target. Thank you all for the feedback!

[OldNotWIse]

Originally Posted by Anih27

I don't plan on opening a new salon as there are so many here where I live it would just be a total waste of time & money. What I do want to do is go mobile & offer treatments at a cheaper cost than going to a salon & having these treatments done in the comfort of people's homes.

Thank you oldnotwise! Someone who agrees with me & is also sick of listening to the same thing over & over!! This week as I am on a few days off, I'm throwing myself into researching courses & putting the feelers out to see what treatments most attract customers & who to target. Thank you all for the feedback!

Cool hope it all works out for you

[Gmol]

Could you get a loan and do a night course while still working? It does sound as if you need a change.

[massey168]

Ask for a rise. Whether they give you a rise or not, for your health's sake take it a lot easier at work from now on, and do the job the way it is supposed to be done, not the way some jumped up bully on a power and control trip wants it done.

If they give you the sack, or make you redundant, then at least you'll get the dole (unlike self employed people, or people who walk out of their own accord)

I would start as soon as possible doing some BT jobs in the evenings outside work to see if its viable to go full time at it.

Might be a gap in the market for working women and mothers who do not have time to go for treatments during day time, and/or who cannot afford full salon prices anymore.
You'll save a fortune on the massive overheads of maintaining fancy premises etc. (rents, rates etc. etc.)

Best of luck.

[notsobadinc]

Originally Posted by mikemac1

Keep with the job hunting but if it's not working out for you and you can't find anything new well you need to address your pay

As they are taking advantage of you.
You are a manager and very experienced and it's insulting what they are paying you.

As a manager you can deal with difficult staff and awkward customers so having this conversation with the other managers should be something you can handle.
Your post is about not hesitating and taking risks so here you go

its not that simple as regards wages for managers-up until recently i was in the same boat as the OP-working as a store manager for irish sports company-50+ hours a week sometims 6 days -had to cancel holidays or worse come in and work during hols as other mgmt cover let me down..and the money was paltry-there was staff there pre 2009 wages and were earning more than me and working against me plus my AM was a complete ????? and heaped pressure on me on a daily basis..considered quitting several times as tbh honest when you earn so little its demoralising to have that pressure put on you..is your pharmacy company sites in the north west as sound similar to a company im aware of..
best wishes with the job

[Anih27]

Your absolutely right, it isnt that easy to ask for a pay rise, especially with the crowd I have to deal with. It is demoralising & I have no motivation left in me whatsoever. If I have to motivate my staff when I have nothing but negative feelings how am I supposed to run the shop. I've have a plan devised as to what I'm going to do next.

I have surgery in 3 wks time & I have not told them, because if I do then i 100 know that they will be disgusted with me. After this I won't be working for the company. I do not want to say who they are on such a public domain.

[Lola92]

I worked in a pharmacy for 4 years. It is standard practice to have CCTV cameras around the shop floor and dispensary in case of drug robberies etc. Over the time I worked in the sector the small company I worked for was robbed twice. It really is for your own safety.

With regard to the wages unless you are qualified as an OTC assistant or Pharmacy technician you will only every really get a standard retail wage. I am unfamiliar with managers pay rates in this area. It would be worth approaching your employer about this.

[Anih27]

Glorified technican might I add also! I know the same if not more than a technician, not by choice. I thoroughly enjoy dispensing medicine, it's not necessarily the things I do in work, it's the unappreciation that I can't stand. Plus the dire wages!