Day 195 - 04 Dec 95 - Page 13
1 records." Where did you see the records?
2 A. The records of per cent staff, staffing percentages was
3 on a chart which was stuck on a wall above where the
4 Managers worked downstairs in the back room.
5
6 Q. "I was also told by the Managers, but I am not entirely
7 sure that I remember correctly, that the target set for the
8 store was 17 per cent. I learned from management, in the
9 course of time, that the lower they pushed their staff
10 costs as a proportion of the sales the more praise they got
11 from Head Office.
12
13 In my store, they had electronic tills. At any time of the
14 day a printout could be obtained from these tills which
15 contained information about volume and value of sales. So
16 that sales and labour costs could be monitored accurately.
17 Management used to obtain a printout at the end of the day
18 and calculate their manning levels in that way daily.
19
20 There was definitely a great deal of pressure on the store
21 to keeping staff levels low. This was plainly obvious from
22 the fact that Managers were generally happy on days when
23 they had managed to keep their staff costs low compared to
24 turnover." That is sales turnover, is it?
25 A. Yes, that is sales.
26
27 Q. "... and were generally unhappy on days when the staff
28 costs had been high compared to turnover.
29
30 Management often used to send people home early, sometimes
31 as much as two or four hours early. This would occur where
32 the store would go unexpectedly quiet and management had
33 plainly become worried that their turnover/salary ratio
34 would be poor for that day. Most people were quite happy
35 at the time to be sent home, but generally regretted it
36 once pay day came around. At the time they were just happy
37 to get out of the place.
38
39 However, whenever sending people home became too regular
40 over a period of time, most people refused to go. Some
41 people who were asked too often to go home did in fact get
42 quite cross and refused to go. Even if they refused, they
43 were sent home nevertheless. I often overheard Managers
44 instructing their deputies to pick on a particular crew
45 member to be sent home, for example, a person who had a
46 creased uniform or needed a hair cut". Which Managers are
47 you referring to there?
48 A. Any Manager -- I cannot remember any particular Manager
49 in this case, but any Manager, any shift running Manager,
50 would have done that or would have been under pressure to
51 do that.
52
53 Q. You do not remember the names of any particular Managers
54 that you overheard saying that? It does not matter.
55 A. No, not really.
56
57 Q. "These people were sent home even if they did not want to
58 go, but they were certainly allowed to stay and work in the
59 store with a creased uniform or long hair when the store
60 was busy.
