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I was outraged to learn that the HR director @ my ex-employer (a London bakery chain) received a professional “HR excellence” award.
Maybe “excellence” for HR people means things like: 1) creating job uncertainty 2) breaking up teams during furlough 3) firing devoted employees.
Maybe “excellence” for HR people means things like: 1) creating job uncertainty 2) breaking up teams during furlough 3) firing devoted employees.
The company’s response to covid was deplorable. First (before lockdown), they reacted to decreased footfall by cutting everyone’s hours to the minimum - or even below that. Second, they started “unloading ballast” by firing people still on probation.
Third, when the chancellor announced the furlough scheme, they didn’t take a business decision to close the shops but rather asked individual staff members if they are “comfortable to work”
(a cunning move - signaling they can accommodate you, but actually it felt like signing up to volunteer to be fired as soon as furlough is over).
Fourth, they used the lockdown period to restructure the company. The shop I worked in reopened under new management & with new staff, leaving me fear for my job security. (The old team was not consulted/informed about any of this.)
Finally, with the end of lockdown, they sacked furloughed staff who declared they *would* be available to return to work.
Let’s not forget it was one of the few chains that continued serving takeaway drinks, exposing staff to Karens who practiced their Casual Lockdown Coffee Queuing ritual. But who cares about the risks borne by staff if you are in the business of “providing support to communities”.
In the world of HR, the real narrative is abounding in success stories:
- They created new jobs by opening new shops (with the help of capital of a prominent Brexit supporter) - their job retention rate being shite is a non-issue
- They created new jobs by opening new shops (with the help of capital of a prominent Brexit supporter) - their job retention rate being shite is a non-issue
- A pay increase came through in April - but only to adjust to the new National Living Wage rate. Most ppl received a 20p/hr bump; the lowest paid team members were put on £8.75/hr (it's tough to survive on this rate in London)
- They were even generous enough to grant a £125 bonus to those who weren’t furloughed during the first lockdown! Truly, a proportionate price for the sacrifice. 
I'm just stating the obvious here: we should encourage hospo colleagues to apply to @bfawu1 @FairHospitality; we should campaign for an employee-attuned labour law. But can we also please call bullshit on “HR professionalism”? HR doesn't produce leaders; HR is to quash solidarity
