Home Depot may be one of the biggest home improvement stores, but it certainly needs to improve its employee conditions, especially when it comes to paying overtime.
Home Depot also hires as many temporary personnel as possible so it doesn't have to pay overtime or insurance. (This might explain lack of qualified customer service).
Melinda Devries (not her real name due to a pending lawsuit) helped open a Home Depot store in Vienna, West Virginia in January, 2004. She gave up a good managerial job in a "Mom and Pop" operation to join the Home Depot team and she worked hard. She was promoted in February 2005 by the management team who originally hired her. Little did she know that everyone was leaving, including her operations manager.
"This was bad news because I really liked my old team," says Devries. "When the original team left, the place fell apart.
"I was promoted to front end supervisor and that was the position I was also trained to do, but the new management had other ideas. I ended up working as a cashier, five days a week but about 10 hours per day. However, I was being paid a supervisory salary with no overtime. But I couldn't do this job for that many hours as I have a back condition.
"I talked to HR and wanted to step down from the position, but they told me that I would have to quit in order to step down. My doctor filled out a form saying that I could not do any lifting and only work a 4-6 hour shift because I couldn't stand on my feet longer than that.
"The new manager said if I quit he would put me in training to do something else but I didn't believe him. I didn't get a dime of overtime on my checks as a cashier, so why would I believe anything they told me?
"At Home Depot, the HR department has a third party phone line where employees can call if you feel that something is wrong. You can complain anonymously or not. I gave my name: that was a mistake. There is supposed to be no retaliation but on June 21st, my manager pulled me off the register and said that, because I called the 'aware line', I had to be re-evaluated and there was currently no position left for me.
"What he did is against company policy and state law. This guy said that he would put me on personal leave. I wasn't requesting to be off work without pay. He wouldn't put anything in writing so I retaliated and called the district manager of HR.
"I have been out of work since December 7th. I called HR again and asked for my job back. The new district HR manager told me that I was 'making a mountain out of a molehill' and I could take my old job back but I wasn't owed any overtime payments.
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READER COMMENTS
LEONARD HARMON
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Bullied@homedepot
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I am also aware that he deals drugs on company property and from his home, which is close by. If I was a vindictive person, I would call a crime hotline for his neighborhood and report him.
What would most of you do if you were in my shoes?
Donna Taylor
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Awareness
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I love home improvement and have done extensive remodeling on my own as I bought a fixer upper. I spent so much money at my local Home Depot and thought it would be a good place to work. Big mistake.
There are people who have been there just way too long. Their kids work there. Their boyfriends work there. You get the picture. There's one woman who has three children working at the same Home Depot. These kids don't need full-time jobs when there are so many people out there with families to support who could use a break.
There is a ridiculous high school culture here. There is such a division between the full-time employees and it affects all employees no matter how hard you try to stay out of it.
There's a new manager, but I don't really know if that will fix the problems here. They should get rid of the ASMs who have been running the store however they like. Especially the one who has had corporate called on him several times for sexual harassment.
It's just not a healthy place to work. Employees fear retaliation if they open their mouths. Cutting hours or other ways of screwing with your schedule is one way. (The scheduler here should really be moved to another position because she abuses her seniority to push around people that she doesn't like.)
I should have gone to Lowe's. At least they don't hire family members and they're a little more professional from what I hear.
Just beware of people who have been in their position too long at the same Home Depot store--there's a reason why they've lasted so long and it's not a pretty realization.
Goddess0719
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In regard to the OT issue I would suggest the following. Subpoena every conference call note from the District Manager / Store Manager for the timeframe in question. RVP's and DM's tell their SM's NO OT on conference calls on a weekly basis. The SM will be punished if they do not follow the direction. SM's are expected to cut 100 hours or more out of their daily schedules to pull payroll back in line regardless of the circumstances. You get a phone call at 9:00 a.m. and you are told to go out and send everybody home. This basically gives poor service to your customers due to a lack of help, but it also stresses the remaining employees that end up skipping breaks and lunches due to the lack of help in the building. This is apparent when you review daily payroll reports. They have a report that projects OT by associate by day. I have seen associates come in on their day off to help resolve a costly customer issue ( kitchen install $20 or $30K) and then be told that they have to trim the 5 to 6 hours they spent saving the company $30K because OT isn't permitted????? Cross clocking is the real deal. In order to massage payroll reports to meet scorecard expectations the ASDS moves hours worked by employees from one department to the other. The employees DO NOT actually work there, the hours are just reported that way. I can imagine the problems that that type of accepted practice could create throughout the enterprise, can't you?
yes, greed is there game
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I can relate!!
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I do have some ideas of how the organization can remedy their organizational shortcomings but I want to see what happens when the %$@# hits the fan and consumers begin to find out what we are doing to our own economy.
HD employs over 300,000 associates. But not all are American. You have China, Canada, and Mexico to account for. On a side note HD closed its expo centers and eliminated 7,000 jobs nationwide. How many of these jobs could have been sent abroad? I wonder!!!
I guess I am a sucker...
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I was hired 3/2012 as a temp seasonal employee, with the possibility for hire at the end of the 120 day commitment. I worked my A&$ off for them. They said jump I said how high... blah blah blah.... When I wasnt hired close to the end of the 120 days, ALL EMPLOYEES , (with the exception of about 5 people) WOULDNT EVEN LOOK AT ME, LET ALONE TALK TO ME! I would blatantly speak very loud to say Hello, or How are you... and they would turn around and look me in the face and keep on walking. Even my DH. UNFREAKINGBELIEVABLE! This is the most unprofessional thing I have ever seen. So many policies ignored. Even very serious policies such as HAZMAT issues. I am just really shocked by the whole thing.... I take comfort in knowing that even though I didnt get hired (by the end I wouldnt have accepted the position anyway) I still have my work ethics intact as well as my self respect. Which is alot more than I can say for THE HOME DEPOT.
chux
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so you can sue their a## hard and they don't pull bullsh&t like that ever again on other employees
Look everyone the law says if you work overtime you get paid overtime money no questions asked period !!!
I suggest you guys that have or are getting screwed with overtime do something about it that is totally wrong and illegal what these company,s are doing.
That's bullsh&t I don't personally do not work there at home depot but from reading this review it ticks me off how this stupid company takes advantage of the little guy
when they are making millions
And people are just trying to earn a living on $10 dollars an hour or so then they ask you can you stay wee need you for a little while
Then sacrifice yourself to work overtime for these guys when it's your time to go home and enjoy your family
and they don't want to pay What the F*ck is That People !
Sue their A## call the better business bureau put it on the news paper blog about it get the word out there that these bastards don't want to pay what you earned .......
If I ever get screwed like that by any employer believe me People you will see post on wiki pages , blogs , ezines , yahoo answers , youtube videos you know what i mean just get the word out there to let people know what these fools are all about ...
well i hope this post helps everyone good luck !
Railroaded atTHD
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Don't contact the aware line if you love your job.
If you report a shrink consern to MANAGEMENT, and watch as they do nothing, there really is nothing to do about it. Nelson(LP), has been in my store numerous times, since I called. And still they associate who steals time, is still a TOP associate.
I have not seen any change in her regularly scheduled 12 o'clock disappearing act, or her 2hour lunch, or her 30 minute, 15minute breaks(PAID)twice a day!!.Or in her, "I am leaving early", to cut overtime,(on a MONDAY, really?), soooo in a 8hour shift she gets to be paid 2hours for not working , she isn't even on THD property.
I repoted her.(to the awareline, I used me real name) I got a department transfer.!!!! I refused the interview for the transfer, but still was transfered/cross clocked.
I am a part time employee with an availabilty o f 20-25 hours per week. I currently work 40+ hours per week.
No STATIS CHANGE, which means I pay the inflated rate for health insurance.
EZE
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