Hey there, I would like to share my story
I started working for Canadian Tire distribution centre in Brampton, more specifically AJ Billes in 2006.
I was hired under the SWOP (student work opportunity program).
For me it was great because I only worked 3 out of 4 weekends. During the weekdays I was in college.
In 2008 there was full time opportunities (warehouse worker), I was approached by few crew leads asking about my interest, I kindly said no as I was in school and wanted to focus on that.
Graduated school but held on to CT as it was a "secure job" and it was only on the weekends. Worked a few jobs here and there but always found CT to be great, mainly because of the relationships I had, many friends to say the least.
Fast forward to 2013, as I was not working anywhere else I decided to take advantage of the extra hours they give to PT employees during the summer months. I was doing 40 hours a week plus overtime and double time from May to the end of December.
There was many hints at the end of 2013 and early 2014 about full time employment coming up. Many crew leads and managers hinted to me personally and basically asked even though they couldn't officially say.
2014 rolls around, still no job, only at CT.
I was hoping to get the extra hours during the summer months but CT decided not to extend any extra hours to PT employees, all the while agency employees were getting the benefit of overtime and double time.
It forced my hand to go out and look for some kind of employment.
I asked myself how can I make money, guess what I am good with my hands and decided to do small automotive jobs on the side.
In mid July I landed a temporary contract with a company, 6 months employment, I decided to put the side business on hold as now I was working 2 jobs.
2 weeks after I started in this new company, CT announces that they are hiring full time for warehouse positions.
** When it was officially announced that CT was hiring, I joked that it was going to be a conspiracy that they wouldn't hire PT employees for a few reasons:
1) they would have to give us seniority
2) we are already institutionalized (cant mold us to be ideal workers)
Needless to say I was very excited, not only because of the monetary gain, but also I viewed the people that I worked with as family.
A lot of part time employees viewed this as a good opportunity.
We all had to go through the hiring process
1st step - phone interview
2nd step - literacy test, I walked into the room and looked at my competition and said to myself that I would be the 1st out the door, was actually the second
Funny that CT had to call back some guys to do the test and gave them an extra 1/2 hour to complete which I thought was BS
3rd step - manager interview, sat in front of 2 managers and did the song and dance for them
6 weeks go by and no news, many people who worked for the agency was being hired and I was getting nervous to say the least.
I went to find out what was going on, my manager said he would look into it.
I was talking to the "hardest working PT employee" about his situation, everybody thought that this guy would be the first in line get in
My manager got back to me and I was given the same answer as the hardest working employee
Wait for it!
The reason why you weren't considered for the position was because you didn't answer the questions properly in the interview!
WOW!
Damn I did 8 years here and that's the best excuse you guys can come up with.
So these agency fellows who have been working for the company under a year and who are ESL fellows got in.
Great!
I decided that this was game over for me and that I would be making my exit by Jan 15, 2015 right after I got my vacation pay.
Basically all the part time employees got shut out and were starting to leave one by one.
Damn shame that hard working folks with time in got turned down.
I was having a casual conversation with my manager one day and said to him, earlier this year you went around and asked all the PT employees if they would be interested in FT if the opportunity came up and so far I haven't seen a single PT employee get hired, oh um umm oh! Yeah ok
I continued to work there on the weekends and do my other temp job during week.
Kept hearing stories that some of the new employees that were hired quit after a few days on the job. 2 guys in shipping and another guy got a job somewhere else. LOL
It was almost getting to point that every day that I was there I wanted to quit but bit my lip because I knew my temp job was going to expire at the end of December.
By the end of November I was going to approach the company about opportunities but they approached me and presented me with an offer.
Now my blood was starting to boil.
I was working for this company for 4 months and they had the ability to recognize talent whereas an employee of CT for 8.5 years and diddly
I worked the Sunday in December and decided it was game over for CT.
During the shift I had prepared my letter.
Swiped out, shook the 1st managers hand, handed her the paper for the Christmas gift box, shook the other managers hand, received the gift box, told him I had something for him. Handed him a paper folded with my CT badge.
Letter read:
I, , on my birthday December 7, 2014 will resign effectively immediately after receiving my Christmas box.
Did not regret it one bit
Funny just a couple days ago I drove by the AJ billes warehouse, huge sign stating that they are looking for warehouse people, 6 months + and still cant fill the positions
Looking at it now, weekends afternoon shift would have been tough, job now M-F with Sat sometimes as optional OT.
Happy now
I started working for Canadian Tire distribution centre in Brampton, more specifically AJ Billes in 2006.
I was hired under the SWOP (student work opportunity program).
For me it was great because I only worked 3 out of 4 weekends. During the weekdays I was in college.
In 2008 there was full time opportunities (warehouse worker), I was approached by few crew leads asking about my interest, I kindly said no as I was in school and wanted to focus on that.
Graduated school but held on to CT as it was a "secure job" and it was only on the weekends. Worked a few jobs here and there but always found CT to be great, mainly because of the relationships I had, many friends to say the least.
Fast forward to 2013, as I was not working anywhere else I decided to take advantage of the extra hours they give to PT employees during the summer months. I was doing 40 hours a week plus overtime and double time from May to the end of December.
There was many hints at the end of 2013 and early 2014 about full time employment coming up. Many crew leads and managers hinted to me personally and basically asked even though they couldn't officially say.
2014 rolls around, still no job, only at CT.
I was hoping to get the extra hours during the summer months but CT decided not to extend any extra hours to PT employees, all the while agency employees were getting the benefit of overtime and double time.
It forced my hand to go out and look for some kind of employment.
I asked myself how can I make money, guess what I am good with my hands and decided to do small automotive jobs on the side.
In mid July I landed a temporary contract with a company, 6 months employment, I decided to put the side business on hold as now I was working 2 jobs.
2 weeks after I started in this new company, CT announces that they are hiring full time for warehouse positions.
** When it was officially announced that CT was hiring, I joked that it was going to be a conspiracy that they wouldn't hire PT employees for a few reasons:
1) they would have to give us seniority
2) we are already institutionalized (cant mold us to be ideal workers)
Needless to say I was very excited, not only because of the monetary gain, but also I viewed the people that I worked with as family.
A lot of part time employees viewed this as a good opportunity.
We all had to go through the hiring process
1st step - phone interview
2nd step - literacy test, I walked into the room and looked at my competition and said to myself that I would be the 1st out the door, was actually the second
Funny that CT had to call back some guys to do the test and gave them an extra 1/2 hour to complete which I thought was BS
3rd step - manager interview, sat in front of 2 managers and did the song and dance for them
6 weeks go by and no news, many people who worked for the agency was being hired and I was getting nervous to say the least.
I went to find out what was going on, my manager said he would look into it.
I was talking to the "hardest working PT employee" about his situation, everybody thought that this guy would be the first in line get in
My manager got back to me and I was given the same answer as the hardest working employee
Wait for it!
The reason why you weren't considered for the position was because you didn't answer the questions properly in the interview!
WOW!
Damn I did 8 years here and that's the best excuse you guys can come up with.
So these agency fellows who have been working for the company under a year and who are ESL fellows got in.
Great!
I decided that this was game over for me and that I would be making my exit by Jan 15, 2015 right after I got my vacation pay.
Basically all the part time employees got shut out and were starting to leave one by one.
Damn shame that hard working folks with time in got turned down.
I was having a casual conversation with my manager one day and said to him, earlier this year you went around and asked all the PT employees if they would be interested in FT if the opportunity came up and so far I haven't seen a single PT employee get hired, oh um umm oh! Yeah ok
I continued to work there on the weekends and do my other temp job during week.
Kept hearing stories that some of the new employees that were hired quit after a few days on the job. 2 guys in shipping and another guy got a job somewhere else. LOL
It was almost getting to point that every day that I was there I wanted to quit but bit my lip because I knew my temp job was going to expire at the end of December.
By the end of November I was going to approach the company about opportunities but they approached me and presented me with an offer.
Now my blood was starting to boil.
I was working for this company for 4 months and they had the ability to recognize talent whereas an employee of CT for 8.5 years and diddly
I worked the Sunday in December and decided it was game over for CT.
During the shift I had prepared my letter.
Swiped out, shook the 1st managers hand, handed her the paper for the Christmas gift box, shook the other managers hand, received the gift box, told him I had something for him. Handed him a paper folded with my CT badge.
Letter read:
I, , on my birthday December 7, 2014 will resign effectively immediately after receiving my Christmas box.
Did not regret it one bit
Funny just a couple days ago I drove by the AJ billes warehouse, huge sign stating that they are looking for warehouse people, 6 months + and still cant fill the positions
Looking at it now, weekends afternoon shift would have been tough, job now M-F with Sat sometimes as optional OT.
Happy now