Day 167 - 02 Oct 95 - Page 38


     
     1        presenting the complaint to the successive levels of
     2        management and ultimately to the Human Resources
     3        Department.  The restaurant management receives queries
     4        related to scheduling from Crew Members every week.  These
     5        can be anything from requests for extra hours or extra
     6        shifts to requests not to work weekends or night shifts.
     7        All requests are taken into consideration and accommodated
     8        as far as possible.  I cannot find any record of a formal
     9        complaint over the last four years made by a crew member
    10        with a grievance over allocated hours, nor do I recall any
    11        such incident.
    12
    13        Logan's comment that Managers' meetings will be called
    14         'partly to discuss unsatisfactory employees' is
    15        inaccurate.  These meetings are held at the restaurant on a
    16        weekly or occasionally fortnightly basis to discuss matters
    17        affecting the store, for example, sales and the progress
    18        and promotion of employees.  Individual employees'
    19        performances may occasionally be discussed, for example, in
    20        connection with a promotion or with a forthcoming award,
    21        such as crew member of the quarter.  A list of performance
    22        reviews due to be completed may be allocated among the
    23        Managers and satisfactory as well as unsatisfactory aspects
    24        of an employee's progress may be discussed for the purpose
    25        of preparing these reviews.  I do not recall any 'hit
    26        lists', either verbal or written, of unsatisfactory
    27        employees.
    28
    29        I do not recall any instances of employees being allocated
    30        shorter or 'unsocial' hours on the understanding that the
    31        hours would improve with their performance.  Hours are
    32        allocated on the basis of a number of factors reflecting
    33        suitability for each particular shift.
    34
    35        I would disagree with Logan's claim that it was perceived
    36        to be 'easier to make someone resign rather than sack
    37        them'.  If an individual crew member's performance is not
    38        satisfactory, a Manager will concentrate on improving that
    39        individual's performance, for instance, by teaming him or
    40        her up with a 'buddy' (a fellow crew member) who will
    41        provide constant advice and support.
    42
    43        I am surprised by Logan's allegation that certain employees
    44        would be harassed until their performance improved.  This
    45        has certainly never been my experience of colleagues nor my
    46        person approach.  A Crew Member who continually makes
    47        mistakes will be corrected by his Manager.  It is the
    48        Manager's role to discuss an individual Crew Member's poor
    49        performance with that individual and to help improve it by
    50        guidance and training.  As far as I am aware, during my 
    51        seven years employment at Bath, no employee has resigned as 
    52        a result from harassment from a Manager.  Moreover, the 
    53        restaurant has not received any complaints from Crew
    54        Members to that effect either directly or via the Human
    55        Resources Department.
    56
    57        Logan states that he did not know of any system for
    58        checking inconsistencies in schedules.  In fact, schedules
    59        are checked every week by the direct superior of the
    60        manager who prepared the schedule, usually the Store

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