Supportive team but overwhelming managerial responsibilities
Pros
The support from my team and other store managers. Old ‘areas’ still keep in touch despite the new cluster structure. The new uniform allocation works better for full time staff.
Cons
Teams are so overstretched that sickness and annual leave regularly need to be covered by colleagues from other stores. This is not sustainable and creates additional pressure across the wider business. Managers are regularly expected to take on additional responsibilities without any corresponding increase in support, payroll hours, pay or recognition. New responsibilities seem to be added continually, but very little is ever taken away. Head Office teams also appear overstretched, and it shows. Communications are often issued at the last minute, and there is so much outdated, conflicting or duplicated information on the Tearoom that it can be difficult to establish what the correct process actually is. There is simply no realistic way for a Store Manager to fulfil all aspects of the role within 37.5 hours per week when around 15 of those hours are spent lone trading. The result is a culture where managers start early, finish late and work outside of their contracted hours just to keep up. Because lieu time requires approval, much of this extra work goes unpaid. When concerns are raised, the response is often that managers need to "manage their time better", despite many working extremely hard and being highly organised. This is not an isolated issue — speak to managers across the business and you will hear the same feedback repeatedly. I have always been loyal to this business and genuinely care about the brand. However, after five years, I am now actively applying for other roles. Unfortunately, I am not alone in reaching that conclusion.