Advice?
We got a new store manager about six months ago. They were a Mobile Expert for a long time before being promoted. Before our previous manager left, he mentioned he wasn’t sure this person was ready for the role, but they got the position anyway.
Since then, our store has really been struggling. We still don’t have an Assistant Manager, and our manager is gone for about a week almost every month on vacation. I don’t have a problem with people taking time off, but it feels like the store has very little leadership or support while they’re gone.
The biggest issue isn’t even the vacations—it’s the management style. When they’re here, almost every conversation is about numbers. I understand sales goals are part of the job, but our previous manager would actually coach us. If someone was struggling, he’d ask, “How can I help?” or “What do you need?” There was accountability, but there was also support.
Now it just feels like constant pressure with very little coaching. Every day is about metrics, and the atmosphere has become incredibly negative.
For example, we recently started tracking our numbers in a calendar book every day. On the third day of the new process, one of my coworkers forgot to write their numbers down before going home. The next morning they received a long email that ended with, “Don’t let it happen again.” That pretty much sums up the tone.
Another issue is customer escalations. We’ve had customers specifically ask to speak with the manager, and instead we’re expected to handle everything ourselves. One customer called the store for almost two weeks trying to get a response from the manager and never got one. We kept having to tell them we’d pass the message along. It’s embarrassing because it feels like we’re left to apologize for something that’s out of our control.
I genuinely love this job. I love helping customers and working with phones. What I don’t love is coming to work feeling like every interaction with management is negative.
So I guess my question is: has anyone successfully gone to HR about a manager’s leadership style? I’m not talking about missing goals or disagreeing with business decisions. I’m talking about feeling consistently unsupported, disrespected, and like the store culture has become toxic.
Is this something HR would actually look into, or is this just one of those situations where nothing changes unless multiple employees speak up?