r/Glasgow Tools

Hello,

I am a supervisor working in Starbucks in Glasgow, UK
I want to share with you my experience over the covid pandemic working for Starbucks.  When we returned in early summer, there was a meeting, where the district manager stated if we felt anxious or unhappy about returning, not to contract HR but to contact her directly and she would relay any issues if she felt them necessary.  This was to create an atmosphere were we all felt deeply uneasy to return and giving our district manager the chance to limit the returning staff by “managing them out of the business” as we had too many staff and not enough hours. Our district manager Eleanor Leighton has had so many complaints about bullying and driving staff to leave, Starbucks don’t even acknowledge them anymore.

Our HR contact, which most of us have never met or heard from, Nicola Jackson, who is based in Manchester, stated when we reopened in the summer, that all new hires were to be temporary contacts to help us manage or labour better (basically to make it easier to fire new staff) sending out temporary contracts to be completed instead of normal ones. In December this was changed, to upgrading the contracts to permanent but based on a lot of conditions, with a new “lay off clause” which actually made the temporary workers worse off, this doubling our contract, just to make it easier to get rid of people. Friends of mine who have reached out to her have ether been ignored or dismissed by her, directing us to our district manager.

There is a lot of pressure on keeping labour low, making Starbucks UK as a whole was deeply understaffed. Resulting in some members of staff working in as many as 5 different stores a week, sometimes multiple stores a day.  This was the only way for some staff to get hours, and with the idea that a lot of them are now ether on temporary contracts or updated permanent contracts with the “lay off clause” they just had to do what they were are told. They even made us a sheet to show authorities to say we are traveling for work, to make sure if we were stopped it wouldn’t impact the business. Covid be damned, If one of us was to get sick, the whole city would get sick, unlike working in an office where you can distance yourself and it is a small group, some stores have 50 members of staff all working close proximity then off to multiple stores with another 50 people. I’ve included some emails that we get everyday asking for cover, also compounded by the district manager “reminding” managers that they only have to give staff a week’s notice before giving them a holiday, forcing staff to take time off to make up their hours and to reduce labour.

With the added pressure of HR looking after the company before the welfare of its staff and the district manager pressuring us to leave, we also have managers who just don’t care about covid or the rules.  One manager Stephanie Morrow who is the manager of the Forge Drive thru, even had a flat party with 10-15 staff all from different stores, who would be made to work in multiple stores thereafter. Super spreader party. Great.

Right now we have a district manager who has had a number of complaints for bullying, who has created an environment where we are deeply under staffed and scared to speak out, HR has pushed to make it easier to fire us, and the managers just don’t care about our safety. She even won an award after this party.

As I have said, there are a huge number of people who have been treated terribly by this district manager and a company that look to protect her.  I’m sure if you put out a call for more info or stories a number of people will come out to tell you more ho