It's Been So Long...

Sorry for the long absence. Blogging is fun, but requires a good deal of time and attention. I've been otherwise occupied with a job that, though I am grateful for the employment, I do not particularly enjoy. In fact, I've written a letter to my employer to express my distaste for some of their business practices. Because I am a coward (and in need of an income), the letter has been languishing in the purgatory that is my computer's hard-drive. I will share it with you here, although I am changing the name of the company to avoid further pecuniary difficulties (namely, I don't wanna be fired). Enjoy!

Diversion Vestibule’s Overall Performance Problem Report:

To Whom it May Concern,

In keeping with Diversion Vestibule’s practice of demeaning workers’ efforts to be good employees by issuing “Daily Performance Problem Reports,” here is a report on the company’s performance as an employer.

1) Lack of Proper Training: The training process provided by Diversion Vestibule leaves much to be desired. It was made clear to the store manager who hired me that I had no prior experience with a register. Despite this information, the “training” consisted of a one-hour observation. Information is given on a need-to-know basis as issues, problems, and questions arise. This creates a highly stressful work environment, especially for employees new to this type of work.

2) Arbitrary Pricing and Sales: Much to the chagrin of employees and customers alike, Diversion Vestibule does not clearly mark the prices of many items. This causes a great deal of confusion among all involved, and often leaves employees with no choice but to guess at prices based on comparable items. The situation is compounded when merchandise is on sale. The advertisements often say, “such and such an item is on sale, AND MORE.” What exactly does the “and more” include? It would be helpful if Diversion Vestibule were more concerned about specifics with pricing and less concerned about specifics with minor mistakes made by new employees.

3) Archaic Technology: Hi, Diversion Vestibule, welcome to the twenty-first century! Incredible new technologies exist to make businesses run more efficiently and effectively…namely, the scanner. Rather than forcing employees to key in the price of every item and sale, the scanner would allow prices to be entered electronically with sale price already tabulated! This would eliminate the hassle of “over-rings” and allow customers and employees to know the actual cost of merchandise. Not to mention, customers would have less wait time at the register. Seriously, my parents used the same type of registers currently used by Diversion Vestibule stores when they were working comparable jobs in the 1970s.

I do appreciate that Diversion Vestibule was founded upon Christian values. It seems, however, that those values have been lost in the translation from ideals to business practices. An extra measure of grace (particularly with new employees) would go a long way in creating a positive, high-morale, lower stress work environment. If a little more time were invested in the proper training of employees, fewer DPPRs would be issued (saving paper would be an added bonus!). If pricing and sales were clear, customers would be less likely to become angry and leave the store without purchasing any items. Finally, if the technology used by the company were more relevant to the time in which we live, I believe Diversion Vestibule’s profits would greatly increase, because there would be no more guessing at prices or sales mistakenly given.

I have every confidence that Diversion Vestibule is capable of improving its performance as an employer, if these measures are taken.
Sincerely,
A Frustrated Employee