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After I quit my hotel job where I was an assistant general manager I had no intention of jumping back into a managerial role anytime soon. And I made that clear when I started with my new employer as I just wanted to be an ordinary gas station cashier with normal duties and responsibilities, although I did include my management experience on my resume and it was discussed a bit when I first started. I let my store manager know that if he wanted to pick my brain for any ideas when it came to handling staff or other management things that he was more than free to ask - he's a young manager and knows that he's got a lot to learn, and I was willing to point him in the right direction.
Due in part to his assistant manager turning into a complete flake - not showing up for shifts at all, coming in late and leaving early while writing down that she worked her entire shift, and just so much more - and not being at all reliable, my boss approached me about becoming a keyholder and being trained in doing the daily office paperwork. By that time I could see what sort of a boss he was and I knew that I would not be treated the way I was at the hotel, so I agreed. In part it was also due to the fact that the assistant manager was unreliable and the store needed somebody who took their role seriously. Not to mention that the last person they tried to train in that role simply didn't work out and was trying to pull similar stunts as the assistant manager.
Now, the actual store manager has been on leave for over two year and her assistant manager stepped into the role of acting manager, which meant that the lead CSR effectively stepped into the role of acting assistant manager with the keyholder basically filling in the gaps for days that neither of the other two were able to do the daily paperwork. We're still waiting to see what the final outcome with the actual store manager is, but for now the assistant manager is, for all intents and purposes, the store manager.
The first week of November the lead CSR advised the manager that she had booked a trip to another province, leaving us with two weeks to get me trained in the daily paperwork as I would be doing her job while she was gone. Keep in mind that I'd only been with the company for a month at this point. Thank goodness I'm a quick learner...especially when she couldn't be bothered to show up in time on those days she was supposed to be training me, and then zipped through everything without letting me actually do the paperwork on my own with her beside me if I ran into any issues. And then I was thrown into the deep end, where I managed to flourish surprisingly well despite her lack of effort.
Not to mention that prior to her even buying her plane ticket that she hadn't been showing up on days when she was expected to cover for our manager while he was helping another store who'd had their manager straight up fired. So, with the manager's approval I adjusted the schedule so that I'd be running our store during the two days he was at the other store as well as running the store on the weekends, especially as this extended into the time frame that the lead sales rep was supposed to be away.
And then....she didn't come back when she was supposed to. And when the manager contacted her she freaked out, saying she was feeling pressured, blah blah blah. I'd already expected her to not come back - she didn't book a return ticket and she was planning on moving to that province after Christmas anyway, so, yeah. So, we just kept things the way they were - I was doing the daily paperwork and running the store as best as I could, and the manager was training me to take on more of the role the lead sales rep was supposed to have been doing for months. There was a LOT of catch-up to be done because she'd left so much half-finished.
Finally, just last week, the territory manager sat down with the manager and asked why I hadn't been officially offered the lead CSR position - the former missus quit after a week of making excuses so the role was open, and there was no need to have to wait until my probation was up, especially as I'd been doing the entire job for over a month. Including covering the manager when he was sick. That very day, I was officially offered the position, and it went into effect this past Friday. I even get extended health benefits and life insurance with the position! And, once we know what's going on with the manager who is on-leave, my boss and I will basically automatically be promoted up a level. Until then I'll be doing the job of assistant store manager while holding the title of lead CSR and getting paid appropriately too. Once I officially move up to assistant manager I will get another raise, so perhaps I'll see that in the next three months or so!
Not bad for somebody who started with the company a little over three months ago and had no intention of getting into management!
Due in part to his assistant manager turning into a complete flake - not showing up for shifts at all, coming in late and leaving early while writing down that she worked her entire shift, and just so much more - and not being at all reliable, my boss approached me about becoming a keyholder and being trained in doing the daily office paperwork. By that time I could see what sort of a boss he was and I knew that I would not be treated the way I was at the hotel, so I agreed. In part it was also due to the fact that the assistant manager was unreliable and the store needed somebody who took their role seriously. Not to mention that the last person they tried to train in that role simply didn't work out and was trying to pull similar stunts as the assistant manager.
Now, the actual store manager has been on leave for over two year and her assistant manager stepped into the role of acting manager, which meant that the lead CSR effectively stepped into the role of acting assistant manager with the keyholder basically filling in the gaps for days that neither of the other two were able to do the daily paperwork. We're still waiting to see what the final outcome with the actual store manager is, but for now the assistant manager is, for all intents and purposes, the store manager.
The first week of November the lead CSR advised the manager that she had booked a trip to another province, leaving us with two weeks to get me trained in the daily paperwork as I would be doing her job while she was gone. Keep in mind that I'd only been with the company for a month at this point. Thank goodness I'm a quick learner...especially when she couldn't be bothered to show up in time on those days she was supposed to be training me, and then zipped through everything without letting me actually do the paperwork on my own with her beside me if I ran into any issues. And then I was thrown into the deep end, where I managed to flourish surprisingly well despite her lack of effort.
Not to mention that prior to her even buying her plane ticket that she hadn't been showing up on days when she was expected to cover for our manager while he was helping another store who'd had their manager straight up fired. So, with the manager's approval I adjusted the schedule so that I'd be running our store during the two days he was at the other store as well as running the store on the weekends, especially as this extended into the time frame that the lead sales rep was supposed to be away.
And then....she didn't come back when she was supposed to. And when the manager contacted her she freaked out, saying she was feeling pressured, blah blah blah. I'd already expected her to not come back - she didn't book a return ticket and she was planning on moving to that province after Christmas anyway, so, yeah. So, we just kept things the way they were - I was doing the daily paperwork and running the store as best as I could, and the manager was training me to take on more of the role the lead sales rep was supposed to have been doing for months. There was a LOT of catch-up to be done because she'd left so much half-finished.
Finally, just last week, the territory manager sat down with the manager and asked why I hadn't been officially offered the lead CSR position - the former missus quit after a week of making excuses so the role was open, and there was no need to have to wait until my probation was up, especially as I'd been doing the entire job for over a month. Including covering the manager when he was sick. That very day, I was officially offered the position, and it went into effect this past Friday. I even get extended health benefits and life insurance with the position! And, once we know what's going on with the manager who is on-leave, my boss and I will basically automatically be promoted up a level. Until then I'll be doing the job of assistant store manager while holding the title of lead CSR and getting paid appropriately too. Once I officially move up to assistant manager I will get another raise, so perhaps I'll see that in the next three months or so!
Not bad for somebody who started with the company a little over three months ago and had no intention of getting into management!
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