New job tomorrow!

[Josie Beth]

Wow, I made it through the last 12 hour day of work today and I’m really glad to have it all behind me. I was congratulated by several coworkers and hurried out of the door to go home. I’m not sleepy yet even though I know I’d better wind down to be ready for the big day tomorrow. I’m going to be starting a new position at a new job but I’ll be working somewhere I’ve already been before. It’s been almost 20 years since I’ve worked for this company so I have no idea what to expect. A lot has changed but some is still the same. I’m going to have a management position! It’s exciting and a little intimidating. Hopefully I’ll be able to fit right in but I’m a little nervous about whether or not I can handle it. It’s been a long time since I’ve been in charge of anything. But I’m going to try my best.

 

Hopefully, I will also find out about insurance and what they are willing to cover. If it won’t cover trans related health care then I’ll probably have to seek another provider, which I think APO can help me with. However I won’t be able to find that out until I get a day off.

 

 I’m looking forward to not being as worn out after work but not looking forward to the late hours unless I can actually get proper sleep. 

 

I’m going to try and stay there long enough to get some experience but not too long because I want to start transitioning soon and I feel that if I can get a retail manager position then I’ll be able to transition with less problems. If not then perhaps I can transfer to a location where transitioning will be less of an issue with the company in the new location. 

[Ashlee]

That's great! Congratulations! Have faith in yourself and if you believe in God him too. I need to change jobs but am afraid of change and failure. I need to get over that. I hope you have a great first day 

Ashlee ❤️

[Susan R]

Congrats Josie, I am so happy for you. What a great opportunity! You'll do just fine...don't worry.

 

Wish you the best at your new job,

Susan R?

[Josie Beth]

So many good things are happening and I’m crying tears of joy because I didn’t think I was going to get through it. I’m making new friends, here too, but also in my area. I’m just a little closer to getting my HRT started. I talked to the therapist through email and she was absolutely wonderful. She wished me luck and said to keep in touch, so I think that I’m going to really enjoy working with her in the future. I’m not out of the woods yet but it’s nice to see some positive results. 

 

I’m still a little worried about my rent next week and pay because I think there was a mistake on my check this week but I need to call and find out what happened. It’s going to put a little strain on me for the next 2 weeks but hopefully it’s not going to be too hard. I’m up early but that’s because I really need to get rent paid before starting work today. 

 

The best part of my new job is because I’m so close I can walk and not worry about whether or not I can get there. That’s going to save tons of money on transportation costs. It’s something that was a constant burden with the other job and sometimes it could cost me $70 a week. Bringing that down to $0 is wonderful. Another positive point to having switched jobs is that I have to shave so nobody will think anything about it. I’m a little worried about growing my hair out again because I need to get a touch up that won’t look manly but with short hair I’m not sure what style would work well and still be presentable. My hair grows fast too so I have to tend to it before work but I’m going to try just a little clean up on the back of my neck just to get by this week.

 

I’d better eat some breakfast and get some coffee going before time slips away from me.

 

Thanks for the congratulations and well wishes Ashlee and Susan!

 

Hugs!

[Jani]

I hope all goes well today Josie!  

[Cyndee]

Congratulations on the new job Josie, having a close by gig is a great thing...

 

C -

[Willow]

Congratulations Josie.  This sounds like it is a good fit for you even if your plan is only for a few years.  Having a plan and working it is great.

 

Willow

 

[Josie Beth]

Well today was training day but because the store manager was not told I would be starting today they almost didn’t know what to do with me. My uniform was not there, and still isn’t complete. I also found out that the GM was so overeager to get me started that they failed to mention if I started today I would have to wait 3 weeks for my first paycheck so I had to contact my apartment rental office to try and make arrangements in case I was short one week and a day late the next week. I’m very glad that the GM was transferred because they seem to have a bad habit of not informing people of very important information which puts everyone in a bind. If I had known that I would not be getting paid for another week then I would have postponed my start date another week and not had to worry about rent issues. I also had to call my old job to clarify what happened to my current check because they failed to tell me that they pay period shifted a day forward which threw me off completely, so both of these failures in communication are conspiring to cause me problems. This will delay my plans to go get started with HRT until probably next month because my finances won’t settle down. The only upshot to that is the check from the new job will be bigger but it will have more taxes taken out so it’s kind of a let down too. I’m not a big fan of lazy communicators. Or rather sloppy communication. It seems like an epidemic among middle management these days. 

 

Anyway, I’m over it. I just hope that nothing else goes wrong because I really can’t afford any more hiccups. I’ve had enough financial mishaps in the last couple of months.

 

Thanks ladies for the positive words. I really need them too!

[Jani]

Thanks for checking in Josie!   I wondered how your day had gone.  Typical I guess!!  I hope your money issues with your prior job get worked out quickly and that your rental office will give you some slack.  Maybe you can show them a badge or something to show you are working.  

 

Waiting a bit for HRT to start won't be bad in the long run although I know you are excited to start.  Keep smiling and I wish you a good day tomorrow! 

Jani

[Josie Beth]

I already talked about the rent for the next few weeks and they said they understand and were impressed that I told them so far in advance of any issues that they could brace for it. So far they won’t seriously penalize me but I still have to pay late fees and what not. They did bring up that because I have been in good standing it’s not a huge worry for them as long as I keep them in the loop. They have been decent to me before because there have been issues with rowdy neighbors and I was civil with them and tried to come to a mutual solution instead of just berating them, so I think they want to keep me around. I have to tighten my belt a little and break out the canned food and soup mixes but at least I’m not going to starve. 

 

This weekend I’m going to try out letgo and sell some things I really don’t need any more. Hopefully they will sell and my rent issues will be solved. Just one item will put me on solid ground. That’s it. Otherwise I’ll have to go get a one day job and get the money that way. 

[Jani]

Best of luck!!

[SaraAW]

Good luck Josie. I use LetGo frequently, every little bit helps. I also use Kijiji and Varage to sell stuff I don’t need, use or want anymore. 

 

I hope Day 1 of the new job goes well. 

 

*hugs*

[Josie Beth]

It’s my third day today at the new job and I guess I’m going to be attending a management meeting on Tuesday. I’m surprised that I actually retained some of the information I learned 20 years ago. There’s a lot of work to do to bring the store back to standard but it’s happening a little bit at a time. For now it’s the little things that will help improve things. Mostly trying to get employees to get rid of bad habits and do things the right way. For now I’m just observing what they do and how they can improve but I’m trying to show them what needs to be done without saying anything, and talking small talk to get to know them. Some are a bit apprehensive, some are a little cocky. 

 

There’s a white board up with deficiencies on it and all shifts have a long way to go, but sales and service actually made the goal on days so something is working. I’m most concerned about night shift because I’m supposed to be taking that over and customer complaints are overwhelmingly from that shift. The only positive review was probably the former manager who was fired and it was in complete contrast to reality! And it focused on “fun” and other things unrelated to the accuracy and sales. That manager is gone now so it’s time for repair. The store location is in a perfect location so sales will increase as things improve so it’s almost like the opportunity of a lifetime dropping in my lap! It’s a bit scary though to be responsible for turning the store around. It’s going to take time and some training, and unfortunately some people being let go. That’s the part I don’t enjoy. But Tuesday I will find out what the procedure and plan is for that.

[Cyndee]

Best of luck with the store Josie, sounds like you have your work cut out for you.

 

Enjoy your day

 

C -

[Josie Beth]

Thanks Cyndee! It’s daunting for sure but not impossible. I’m already making mental notes of things that need to be done. I suppose I should dig out my notebook and start actually writing things down. I’m still learning peoples names though so that’s one of my weak areas right now. 

[DeeDee]

Hi Josie, sounds like a positive start, encouragement and valuing employees is always a better motivator than demotivating and berating them but being the reality check is a tough gig!  A pixie cut always looks cute ?‍♂️for short hair, and can be made "shaggy/indie" if you need it to look a bit more masculine sometimes, but I give this advice as someone who has not needed to style their hair for 23 yrs ? and simply looks on enviously from the sidelines. x

[Josie Beth]

Well today was interesting. I did ok. I’m pretty self critical but nobody seems to care that I’m a bit rusty on the job. I’m just a little worried about what my manager means by they don’t know what to do with me or where I’m going to fit in the grand scheme of things because that could end up meaning I have to go back to the temp agency again. I guess I will find out on Tuesday when I go back. If my hours get cut drastically or they try moving me to a store I have no way of traveling to then I’m going to have to quit without notice and go right back to the agency. The sad part is that I enjoy my schedule now because I’m not really allowed to work over 8 hours a day unless it’s absolutely necessary for maybe 1/2 an hour or so, maybe 2 hours max. 

[Ashlee]

Keep your head up and do your best. It's all you can do. Im about to be in that same situation. I'm trying to relocate and that evolves getting a new job. I'm scared to death. Right now I'm in resurant management. I've done that for ever. Like 20 years give or take. I'm afraid of change so I'm procrastinating. I was in ft lauderdale all day looking at places to live and the job market. I'm almost thinking of commuting. 

Ashlee ?

[Josie Beth]

I’m not as experienced at management. It would probably be easier to lock in a schedule and location if I was but being the new kid kind of leaves me in a precarious position. I’m talking to a neighbor about things because they work at another branch of the same company and know the people a little better than I do so I’m trying to bounce information in their direction to see what they think about it. Sometimes I don’t get an immediate answer but it’s good to have inside information. I can’t really commute so I’m pretty much stuck where I’m at unless another manager gives me a ride. It’s a little bit irritating to be without wheels and unsure of what is going to happen next. I hope that they will let me stay put long enough to get a car down payment together because then it won’t matter. 

[Jani]

55 minutes ago, Josie Beth said:

I’m just a little worried about what my manager means by they don’t know what to do with me

It could be as simple as their inexperience showing.  They (or someone) made a case for hiring someone (you) and now they have to fit you into the team.  It will happen.  Keep smiling!
 

[SugarMagnolia]

I'm catching up on this thread and am super excited for you!  If you work hard, you'll soon make yourself indispensable. Sounds like you're doing great!!!

[Josie Beth]

It’s not going too terrible! Lol. Although I am a little overwhelmed sometimes I seem to be making a good impression. The new GM seems to think that I have a lot of potential. She has entrusted me with some training mandates so once I get to make those decisions I’ll definitely implement them. I gave the team members a test today to curb some bad habits and included myself in the culprits to soften the blow so we shall see if they actually maintained the proper process overnight. The hard part is I’m often overlapping with other managers and they are not really in charge of me but I don’t act like they can’t tell me what to do. But I also can’t step on their toes so it’s a fine line to walk. I will say that we are slowly turning the store around and cleaning up the place to a higher standard.

[Jordy]

Hi from a fellow Springfieldian!  Sounds like you are doing great.  I go to APO as well for my HRT.  I hope you can start soon.  It's very exciting to get started.  I'm new to the area and looking for local friends so if you'd like you could message me.  Keep up the good job at work!

[Josie Beth]

Thanks Jordy! I’m going to message you and definitely ask some questions since you already go there.

[Josie Beth]

I’m just a few days away from my first paycheck (hopefully) and it can’t happen fast enough. I’m just going to be happy to be able to pay rent. And eat normal food again. I’m getting ready for work and dreading the rain outside. With no umbrella I’m hoping it stops just long enough for me to walk there.