Iv been moved departments! Can they do that?

flyboy235

Hi there,

I have been working in the electrical department in Tesco Extra for about 3 and a half months (15 weeks) now and today i got a phone call to say I have been moved to the phone shop. I have never asked nor expressed any interest in working in the phone shop and I am pretty displeased about being moved there.
My question is can they simply move you without asking you if you would like to be moved? Although its pretty much the same pay and hours, I do like the people I work with and the variety of work in my section. Is it worth going to my union about this? When I asked my manager she said it was not her decision and that I would be fine! That was'nt really the response I was looking for.

Any insight would be greatly appreciated!

Ryan.

MyKeyG

Do you have a contract? I would imagine Tesco entered a clause that allows them to use you wherever they want in the store. I'm not sure put you may well be still within a probationary period which means they can move you where they like.

flyboy235

Yes I have a contract. I says nothing here about my department it just says the store location and my job description which reads "Your job title is General Sales Assistant. Your role and duties are defined in the employment regulation order for the retail Grocery and Allied Trades Joint Labour committee".
It also talks about the 13 week probation period that all staff are under when they first start, at the end of which you have a meeting to discuss weather they are kept on or let go. That period ended 2 weeks ago for me however i did not have a meeting!

CIARAN_BOYLE

flyboy235 wrote: »

Yes I have a contract. I says nothing here about my department it just says the store location and my job description which reads "Your job title is General Sales Assistant. Your role and duties are defined in the employment regulation order for the retail Grocery and Allied Trades Joint Labour committee".
It also talks about the 13 week probation period that all staff are under when they first start, at the end of which you have a meeting to discuss weather they are kept on or let go. That period ended 2 weeks ago for me however i did not have a meeting!

A general sales assistant can be assigned at the pleasure of the company usually. You are not an electrical specialist (or some other similar title) so you can be moved.

flyboy235

Ye I suppose but I think its quite unsporting that they do that without even asking me if I would like to go, considering there's a line of people who do want to work in the phone shop. I may argue that point with them!

flyboy235

In addition to that the my section is largely understaffed at the minute anyway so I dont see why there taking people away from there.

MyKeyG

flyboy235 wrote: »

Ye I suppose but I think its quite unsporting that they do that without even asking me if I would like to go, considering there's a line of people who do want to work in the phone shop. I may argue that point with them!

In addition to that the my section is largely understaffed at the minute anyway so I dont see why there taking people away from there.

The chances are they have a hire freeze in place. They have to make do with what they have and for the moment that includes you working in the phone shop.

This is the world of working in a shopping centre. In their eyes you're a resource roughly on the same par as a shelf except you have arms and legs. I'm not trying to sound mean it's just the reality. I'm not sure what exactly you expected.

MagicSean

Are you in some kind of management position?

MyKeyG

MagicSean wrote: »

Are you in some kind of management position?

Well he claims his contract states "Your job title is General Sales Assistant. Your role and duties are defined in the employment regulation order for the retail Grocery and Allied Trades Joint Labour committee".

nuac

imho store manager can assign you within the shop as long as the work and condition are similar.

odds_on

OP, would you not consider it a good move as you will now get experience in another department - it's a learning curve which may look good on a CV at a later date, to say you have experience in several areas rather than just one area.

Personally, I'd go with it - the more experience the better.

ResearchWill

I in no way wish to sound like a prat. But you say a few important things, the first is your length of service, the second is that there is a quee of people who want to work in phone area.

If I was your manager, and you asked me in these circumstances that you did not want to change to phone. I would personally say fine, but for ever more you would more than likely be passed over for any promotion.

These large shops rightly or wrongly require flex ability, they want people especially if the persons is looking to progress, that they are happy to work in any section of the company. You must ask yourself is Tesco really the company for you, also must ask yourself are you looking to progress in the company or not.

You also risk losing your job as you are not there for a year you have no protection except for certain circumstances, from the unfair dismissals legislation. If you are then relying on common law employment rights you are only entitled to your notice period.

Also it may be that they want to move you because they think you are good and have promise, considering Tesco mobile is newish I would think they are only putting people they think are good in there hence quee to get job in that section.

Del2005

flyboy235 wrote: »

Hi there,

I have been working in the electrical department in Tesco Extra for about 3 and a half months (15 weeks) now and today i got a phone call to say I have been moved to the phone shop. I have never asked nor expressed any interest in working in the phone shop and I am pretty displeased about being moved there.
My question is can they simply move you without asking you if you would like to be moved? Although its pretty much the same pay and hours, I do like the people I work with and the variety of work in my section. Is it worth going to my union about this? When I asked my manager she said it was not her decision and that I would be fine! That was'nt really the response I was looking for.

Any insight would be greatly appreciated!

Ryan.

My contract means I can work anywhere in the company at any time, so I can be told that I will be changing shift and working in a totally different area tomorrow and there's very little I can do.

You can contact your union rep and ask to be kept in your current department. But since you're only out of probation and already rocking the boat I can't see management looking too favourably on your requests in future if you kick up a stink now.

Most large companies now give generic roles in contracts so they can move staff around where needed. It's more cost affective for the company to have flexible staff.

flyboy235

Thanks for all your views guys, all your points are valid and I think I'll see how I get on in the in my new department.

Ms Minnie Mouse

I'd take it as a compliment - it would look as though they consider you to be quite tech-savvy. This is your chance to prove just how good you really are.

Opportunity knocks - it's up to you to open the door :-)

Vanbis

Unfortunately your a sales assistant so they can move you how they like unless you have a medical condition which might stop you carrying out some duties. I was in a similar position many years ago and was moved one evening. I ended up walking out that night and never returned. Best decision i ever made for me, not saying you should do the same. Change is good and maybe you were recommened for that position by someone so try looking at it from a positive point of view.

Squall19

Ms Minnie Mouse wrote: »

I'd take it as a compliment - it would look as though they consider you to be quite tech-savvy. This is your chance to prove just how good you really are.

Opportunity knocks - it's up to you to open the door :-)

Agree with this.

It's a good opportunity to gain skills and knowledge, most people love a change and a challenge.

If you were in your department for 10 years or something like that, it would be a shock to the system and I could understand your displeasure.

Your young and fresh, you'll be fine;)

TheOldSeaDog

I suspect the OP is only getting their back up because working in the phone shop would involve more work. Ok, but tesco in fairness is only a piss ass job anyway so I wouldn't get too worked up about it.

Squall19

TheOldSeaDog wrote: »

I suspect the OP is only getting their back up because working in the phone shop would involve more work. Ok, but tesco in fairness is only a piss ass job anyway so I wouldn't get too worked up about it.

Your mother had no complaints, dirty whore loves a good tesco sausage :D

nuac

Squall, crude remark, delete before mod sees it.

MyKeyG

nuac wrote: »

Squall, crude remark, delete before mod sees it.

I agree squall. That could get you a red card. The 's don't make it acceptable.

odds_on

Definitely out of order. Yellow card, red card and sinbin, all together.

FreudianSlippers

Report the posts you have problems with; sometimes these things get overlooked and when you report them we get nice little email reminders

ellen27

I work in tesco too. Basically you can be move any dept as in your contract tesco try make most staff multi skilled ie if check outs is mad busy they call ie red team to help

nuac

Freudian S, how does one report matters to mods, pls?

MyKeyG

nuac wrote: »

Freudian S, how does one report matters to mods, pls?

See the exclamation sign underneath the posters tag and place name and all that. Just click it and the rest is as easy as being moved departments in Tesco.

FreudianSlippers

MyKeyG wrote: »

See the exclamation sign underneath the posters tag and place name and all that.

Yep.

Just click it and the rest is as easy as being moved departments in Tesco.

Bold! :P

nuac

Thanks Freudian S| and Mykays