r/AusWork

When I started working at Woolworths, most of the managers were older Australians.
Over the years there was a big change and younger managers started taking over.
With the old managers everything was much more easy going and smooth. They were friendly, you could actually talk to them and there wasn’t this constant pressure about every little thing.
Now it feels completely different.
The new ones are much more aggressive and seem very hungry for money and bonuses. Everything is targets, KPIs, productivity, checking what you are doing all the time.
My new department manager is on some student dependent visa which allows her to work full time. Constant yelling, micromanaging, always pressure.
And honestly, even if I wanted to complain to the union, it doesn’t really help because she is the union delegate.
Sometimes I wonder if part of the difference is that the older managers had already paid off their mortgages and were at a different stage of life. The younger ones seem much more desperate to prove themselves and get their bonuses.
Has anyone else noticed this generational change in retail? Or is it just my Woolies?

Help me chuck a sickie

I’m a chronic overthinker and I’m stressing about what to say when I call in sick. I’m burnt out and need a day off, what’s a foolproof reason/excuse I can use to get a day off that won’t embarrass me e.g having the runs 😅

For reference I work in retail so naturally the world ends when I don’t go into work and I’m burdened with the guilt of the world for having the audacity to do so

I do realise I am entitled to use my leave and i can just say “mental health day” but in reality that still has stigma and will end up with animosity when I return to work.

Cheers

Hello all,

To provide the context of this. I am working for a food manufacturing business in a full time position. Our contract states that we get 10 days of annual sick leave and I know that I have only used 3 days at maximum since starting my employment there in 2024.

My partner has had to get surgery for kidney cancer where I have to care for her for 8 weeks. I've applied for 2 weeks of sick leave (with a doctors certificate stating that I am caring for her) and 6 weeks of annual leave. The annual leave has been approved but the sick leave has been left on as a pending request. I know they have seen the request because I put in another request for retroactive sick leave that was denied after putting in the 2 weeks worth. This is all done through an app called Wageloch.

I have already gone through one pay cycle of the sick leave as pending on their system. Additionally for the sick leave that has been paid out, it has only been paid at 6 hours when I would have expected a full day's (7.5 hours) worth of it being paid out.

Is it best I email them first regarding all of this and give them until Friday to respond? This is before I decide on whether speaking to Fairwork is going to be worth it or not.

Has anyone else been in this position before?

Woke up with a fever and sinus infection today. Texted my manager to say I’m taking a sick day, and the immediate reply was: "No worries, can you just jump on the 10am client call quickly and answer a few emails?" Why is there still an expectation to WFH while sick instead of actually taking proper personal leave? Do you completely disconnect when taking a sick day, or do you feel obligated to monitor Slack?

I’m sharing this because I believe remote workers should have enough information to make informed decisions before accepting a position with Plumber Now in Niagara Falls, Ontario.
I was directly hired for a remote Appointment Setter position. After I was hired, the owner contacted me by phone and explained that they actually needed me to work as a Receptionist instead. I accepted the change and performed the responsibilities assigned to me.
The issue arose when my salary was not paid as expected, despite previous communication about when the payment would be made. I followed up regarding my payment, but communication eventually stopped.
My access to the company’s Quo and Square accounts was also removed without prior written notice or a clear explanation. These were platforms I was using to perform my work.
I have documentation of my hiring, the agreed compensation, the work I completed, communications regarding payment, and the removal of my platform access.
I am not claiming that anyone else will have the same experience. I am sharing what happened to me so other remote workers can ask the right questions before accepting a position.
If you’re considering a WFH opportunity with this company, I strongly recommend getting the following in writing before starting:
Exact job title and responsibilities
Salary/rate and payment schedule
Any changes to your original position
Termination procedures
What happens to your access to company platforms
Who to contact regarding payroll
I completed the work I was asked to do, and I expected to be paid for that work. My experience with the payment and communication process was extremely disappointing.
I hope this information helps other remote workers protect themselves and make informed decisions.

What on Earth do I do, I've been at this place for 4 days and already feel like they are trapping me. I've been brought on to replace someone 2 positions above me and was not told this just the hiring process, the role is completely out of my titles calibre.

I’m very tempted to find a new job but unsure what to do. Overall my job is not bad. Good company & coworkers, decent pay, nice benefits. My issue is that I have absolutely no work, I’m the kind of person who loves a fast paced busy day. I find myself finishing all of my tasks within the first 1-2 hours. I’ve had multiple conversations regarding getting additional tasks added to my workload, needing more, etc. But no matter what is added, it’s just not enough.

I would love to find a job that keeps me busy, or at the least has enough work for a full day. But at the same time, is it worth it to give up everything the company has to offer? I would also feel extremely bad about leaving as I work in a small team and they would struggle without having a fully trained person in the position.

If you were me, what would you do?

EDIT: It is Admin/Accounts work

I took the job expecting to spend most of my time doing the actual work I was hired for. Turns out, a surprisingly large part of the day goes into meetings, admin, emails and chasing people for things. The job itself is fine, it’s just funny how different the reality can be from what you pictured when you applied.

Dear Aussie,

Does anyone know what can happen if a Sydney nightclub that received $250k in a government grant from the NSW Government body Sound NSW but failed to hold an active workers compensation policy for 5 years whilst trading continuously.

Like what are the legal risks?

I would've thought failing to hold a policy and trading is fraud but they need money from the Government?

Every workplace seems to have that one rule nobody can properly explain. It’s just been there forever and everyone follows it because that’s apparently how things are done. Could be something small like needing approval for every little thing, weird office hours, pointless meetings, or a rule around WFH. Keen to hear the ones that make you think “but why?”

So ive never received payslips or superannuation. I work online. My contract states casual. I asked and my employer said my contract was “one of the earlier versions” and that “in practice, their working arrangements have always operated as an independent contractor”…

So, I’m waiting on a job offer, and legislatively I need to provide a current police check. All good.

I have done many police checks over my career, but it’s gone from taking an hour to come back to days, as in this is business day 3. Hours know that ID theft is on the rise and people have to be carful, but after providing, extensive verifications, and I know I have no convictions, it’s really frustrating.

Has anyone else experienced this or can you suggest a really reliable platform that won’t take days or weeks to return a result?

Thanks!

Ok, after seeing this stat it made me so curious. I was an apprentice 4 years ago and dropped out for a whole bunch of reasons.... so I want to hear from others who did drop out, thought about it or even tradies who had apprentices quit. What do you think is the reason for such a bad retention rate?

Or if you did get qualified what was your experience?

I’m currently working in a retail company. I started early January this year, I would frequently get asked to cover someone’s shifts. (Early) Last month it was my birthday, and so I put that I wasn’t available for a week. A week passes and I expect maybe a roster update or being asked to cover for someone, nothing. I don’t think much of it until the end of the month, I keep checking my roster but nothing. It’s now been over a month since my last shift and since my birthday, I’ve got no roster updates, no texts, nothing. They’re also hiring (which they were even while I was actively working), my log ins to our roster app still works, aswell as our website. I’m confused because I don’t know if I should reach out, wait, or find a new job. I’m hesitant to reach out because in the past one of my managers (we have multiple managers for each department) didn’t seem to happy with me when I wasn’t available on Easter, ever since I’ve been wary with texting them, even about calling off, being unavailable, letting them know something. Honestly it terrifies me (I’m a bit of a sensitive person, I have diagnosed severe social anxiety and selective mutism). I wanna start looking for a new job and just say I was silently fired, but I don’t want to suddenly get double the shifts if they start giving me shifts again.

I work in community care, with vulnerable, very nice clients. It's a one-way care situation, as it should be, and I want them to be always able to comfortably express their needs and put themselves first. I'll get support in my own time.

I dont have any non-client-facing duties I can fill up a day with.

Today, on my day off, I aquired a black eye. Tomorrow, I have work.

I don't need DV leave, all reporting and short term support is complete.

I don't need sick leave, I am well enough to work.

I didn't realise how purple it is until management all went home for the evening, so I can't really ask them.

I have come up with fun and interesting lies "I didn't catch the trapeze in time", but I'd never believe anyone with a black eye who told me that, even if they did an acrobatics evening class.

It feels really awkward, and I don't know how to keep the one-way care vibe intact.

Anyone have advice on how to maintain the professional boundary or... Some other creative solution that meets client needs and good-enough employee vibes?

Thanks in advance

Hi, I'm not exactly new to workforce, but this is the first time I've accepted a job, signed all the paperwork, had my first day and just felt a terrible sense that I was completely out of my depth and was going to get chewed up and spat out within a week or two.

I'm going back in today, but I'm not feeling at all confident about the next week of shifts.

I am on a probation period and my contract says I need to give 1 month's notice to terminate my employment, but given that surely it is not unreasonable for a new member of staff to realise they are not a good fit quickly upon entering the role, I am wondering if I should give notice or let the person who hired me know that I've sadly realised I am not a good fit for the high stress of the role.

Hopefully today is better, but I can't shake the gut feeling that this isn't the right place for me and that I need to keep looking and push for a totally different industry.

Edit: I should add, I do really want to do the right thing by these people, they are good people, I just dont think the role is for me. I just want to avoid as much awkwardness as I can. 😅

Hey everyone this is Mirbuz, im from Hobart Australia. I have a masters degree in engineering and engineering management, but i wanna switch my career to psychology. What pathway should i choose? And what career options do i have?

The owner has paid me for 3 out of 7 days I worked for her. Fortunately I quit before i worked many more hours unpaid; however, i spoke with another girl that works there (also on a whv) that is missing $3000 of her pay, but is afraid to quit for reasons i won’t share.

I am in utter disbelief that her business is still running, as I believe she is not paying every single one of her employees, all which are here on working holiday visas and likely also desperate for work, which ends up costing them. She would tell me every day “I’ll pay you tomorrow” but the pay would never come. I heard the same story from another employee. Will anything be done about this if I report to Fair Work? I feel discouraged reading things that say nothing will happen. After all, I did not sign a contract and there is no legal record of my employment so I don’t have much proof, aside from texts between me and the owner.