Before I get into my review, I just want to say that this is one of the hardest reviews I’ve had to write. Aside from the team I was placed on, I have met some wonderful people and some great leaders.
I’m writing this review not because I am a flustered ex-employee, but simply because I wish I had the same advice before I accepted this role. I ALSO WANT TO MAKE NOTE THIS IS ONLY SPEAKING FOR THE WOMENS TEAM NOT THE MENS.
Do not believe what you are told in the interview process. This role is a heads down, headphones in, little socialization with team members type of role. The company culture that they preach does not apply to this position. They will tell you all sorts of things that will get you excited about the role. Do not be as naive as I was.
When I accepted this role, I was ecstatic to join the Clarks family. Being interested in footwear, I could not wait to start my position as a planner. Within my first month I had minimum training, and no knowledge of how to perform my day to day job functions. Sometimes I did not even understand what my role entailed. I would ask for training, but managers felt that showing you once during your first week should be enough, or blew off trainings for other reasons.
I wouldn’t have been hired to begin with if management believed I did not have the right skill sets to perform this job well. As I slowly progressed in this role, I realized that I would never be good enough for my managers. Every time that something was done incorrectly, my fault or not, I was called to meetings (weeks later I may add from when the mistake was made) to be asked “what my thought process was when making that decision.” (The somewhat polite way to ask “why did you do that.”) I was also told that I “don’t know what I’m doing” and “I don’t know how to do my job.”
Don’t be surprised that managers will play favorites, as I was told I needed to be more like my counterpart. My work most days would have very small changes with little to no mistakes, but somehow those changes were blown out of proportion. However, when the “favorites” would make a mistake or have changes in their work, those mistakes would be swept under the rug, or I would be blamed for their work. And to no surprise, be asked my thought process for their problems.
Trying to stand up for myself became a nightmare. I would ask for more training, but what was the point of that, I was never going to be shown how to do my job correctly anyways. How are you supposed to know when a mistake is made when you were never set up for success to begin with? My managers took my self esteem, my confidence, and my hope away from me. They made me feel so inadequate and that I was an idiot.
Do not put yourself through this torture. Please please please take this advice seriously or you will go through the same emotional abuse that I did, as well as the people previously to me. There’s a difference between being tough versus being a mean, miserable manager. In order to get respect you have to give it. If you want real planning experience look elsewhere - you can do it!
