Working Conditions and Ability to Complete Daily Tasks:
The work place safety at my location was (and may well still be) appalling.
There were broken pallets with merchandise stacked haphazardly on them. The concrete floor in the stock room is so uneven that you can feel the valleys and slopes as you walk; there are portions of concrete missing, creating very serious trip hazards, and there are a few places where rebar is coming through the concrete. There are stairs leading to additional storage, for merchandise, which are patched here and there but are questionable in structural soundness. The top shelves of most of the aisles are stacked so high with boxes that when down-stocking it is, and has been, a safety hazard to associates and customers.
It is completely impossible to complete any of the necessary tasks that are required on a daily basis. As an associate, you are stretched so thin and given so many additional tasks due to being constantly understaffed that it is vastly overwhelming, even to the seasoned retail employee.
There was also a great deal of "departmental rivalry" between many associates as well as a whole lot of passive aggressive behavior, which management constantly turned a blind eye to.
Advancement Opportunities:
There are next to no opportunities for advancement with OSJL. During my interview process I made it clear to the interviewing/hiring manager that I was looking for a position with the opportunity for advancement. I was told, promised, and sold, that once I was aboard the advancement opportunities for me would be endless based on my resume and interview. I worked hard, received exemplary reviews, meager but acceptable and appreciated raises, and inquired several times about several positions open in our store, and other stores, for which I am more than qualified to handle. I was always led on a wild goose chase for approval that never seemed to come.
I've also been witness to this same thing happen to several other hard working associates who were seeking to advance within the company.
Additional Side Notes:
Upon being hired the group I was orientated with and myself never received employee handbooks outlining policies and procedures. We were given an oral presentation of the company rules and regulations, then given a paper to sign off on stating we had read and understood them. We were also given a paper to sign waiving our rights to a 30 minute break, it was advised that if we didn't sign the waiver and missed our 30 minute break, due to whatever reason, that we would receive points and receive disciplinary action because we had failed to sign the waiver.
Often times elderly or disabled customers would ask for a place to sit while waiting for the rest of their party to finish their shopping, and many associates had asked, begged and pleaded for benches either in the front of the store near check out, or outside near the entrances but were told by "the powers that be" it is a safety liability and cannot be allowed...
There is also an employee of the month program, which is a complete joke. The people who always seem to win, are the ones who've not earned it. Why? Because management is not picking the EOM, the other associates are voting to decide.
