Is anyone else’s 7 Brew cracking down on employees going inside during extreme heat?
I’m curious if this is happening at other stands or if this is specific to my area/franchise.
Recently, our stand has gotten extremely strict about outdoor positions. If you’re assigned Lane 1, Lane 2, or Texter, we’re being told that we have to stay outside for the entire time we’re assigned there, even when there are no cars.
We used to be able to briefly go inside to refill our water, cool down, or even stand in the walk-in for a minute when it was extremely hot. Now we’re being told we cannot leave our position. Management has also said that not staying on lane can result in a written coaching/write-up.
From what we’ve been told, shift leads can ALSO get written up if a barista comes inside when they’re supposed to be outside because they’re expected to make employees stay outside. The reasoning being given is basically that working outside is “what we signed up for.”
The problem is that we’re currently dealing with temperatures around 100°F with the heat index/“feels like” temperature reaching around 105–108°F. Outdoor rotations can last around 1–2 hours. Even getting permission to use the bathroom can sometimes be difficult because the shift lead can deny the request.
There are usually around 20–30 employees working throughout the day at our stand and around 42 employees total, so this isn’t affecting just one or two people.
I understand that working outside is part of working at 7 Brew. I knew that when I took the job, and I’m not saying employees shouldn’t have to work outside. My concern is being required to remain outside during extreme heat without being allowed to briefly step inside for water or to cool down, while also being threatened with write-ups for going inside to grab water, sunscreen, or get a minute of relief from the heat.
Another issue is that the rotations don’t necessarily mean you’re only outside for an hour. Sometimes you can be scheduled for consecutive outdoor positions. For example, you could be on Lane 1 from 12–2 and then immediately be put on Texter from 2–3, meaning you’ve effectively been outside for around three hours.
I’ve also noticed that shift leads aren’t necessarily required to rotate themselves into outdoor positions for the same 1–3 hour periods, even though they’re the ones expected to enforce the policy.
I’m genuinely curious if this is happening at other franchises/regions or if my franchise is just cracking down particularly hard right now. What are the heat policies at your stand? Are you allowed to come inside for water or to cool down? How long are you normally outside? Can you get consecutive outdoor positions? Have employees or shift leads at your stand actually been written up for coming inside?
And has anyone ever taken concerns like this to HR, corporate, or OSHA? If so, did anything actually change?
I’ve loved working at 7 Brew, which is honestly why this change has been so frustrating. Lately it feels like employees are being treated like the gum on the bottom of someone’s shoe, and I genuinely don’t understand why things have suddenly gotten this strict.