And who is checking management's satchels, briefcases, messenger bags, and backpacks?
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Apple Retail Employees Alleged to be Treated as 'Criminals' in Bag Check Lawsuit
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And who is checking management's satchels, briefcases, messenger bags, and backpacks?
Most retail do do bag checks...Yes things can be left in your car but I had my pocketbook stolen from a locked car in the parking lot. Would rather have a bag check than ever go through that again. And yes you can leave most of it home but you run the risk of not having your license with when you forget and leave it in your pocket and inhalers and other medications are often needed during a 8 to 10 hour shift. our bags can not be with us on the floor and we lock them up in a locker. If we buy anything during our lunch it either syays in the manager's office or in our locker and then is checked against the receipt before we leave. In our retail store the manager is required to do the check at the back door in front of the camera...no doubt that it was done or that the employee didn't take something and stuff it in the bag on the way out. Now that being said...no one looks at pockets or waist bands...so if someone was inclined to take something...well...just saying...there is always a way! We just laugh it off and let them check. Nothing to hide on my end.....and most managers trust their employees but the company has a policy and it has to be followed. This way no one can yell discrimination if they were asked to show their bags and someone else was not. We are not suppose to log out until the check is done, but that is relatively new. Oh, and the last one out checks the manager's bag,too!
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There is so much wrong about the way these practices are being handled. I'm guessing it's not the same at all stores due to the different store set ups.
Let me clarify I do not have a problem with searching bags belonging to employees as long as they have signed the appropriate paperwork acknowledging that they will be subjected to random searches during their time of employment. Scanners for belongings would be a better idea.
As an employer you walk a line where you can easily cross into personnel privacy issues where an employee must carry prescribed medications or hygiene products to work and it's no one's legal business about them. Hippa laws folks they are Federal.
Any employer puts themselves up for a harassment lawsuit by carrying out even one of these searches on a public sales floor and causing any employee even one not undergoing the search undo emotional or physical stress. They are walking a thin line there. I wouldn't be surprised if there isn't something about this in their very own employee handbooks on harassment. There are strict laws on the books about this in many states. It behoves every manager to learn them well.
If you bring an employee in for a mandatory meeting at least in California you must pay them for the time. How is this different? Again the laws vary in the states.
And pay people for their time. It's called wage theft.
Let me clarify I do not have a problem with searching bags belonging to employees as long as they have signed the appropriate paperwork acknowledging that they will be subjected to random searches during their time of employment. Scanners for belongings would be a better idea.
As an employer you walk a line where you can easily cross into personnel privacy issues where an employee must carry prescribed medications or hygiene products to work and it's no one's legal business about them. Hippa laws folks they are Federal.
Any employer puts themselves up for a harassment lawsuit by carrying out even one of these searches on a public sales floor and causing any employee even one not undergoing the search undo emotional or physical stress. They are walking a thin line there. I wouldn't be surprised if there isn't something about this in their very own employee handbooks on harassment. There are strict laws on the books about this in many states. It behoves every manager to learn them well.
If you bring an employee in for a mandatory meeting at least in California you must pay them for the time. How is this different? Again the laws vary in the states.
And pay people for their time. It's called wage theft.
It' not about controlling their employees. But how they are controlled by the other staff members. At least this what I have understood.
As I stated, if the judge agrees with your sentiment, then I believe it will have some important implications to the retail industry and the employees.
Well, seems like somehow that works and worked for many many years in many manufacturing and other environments.Yeah, because that'd work:
eg "Where's my inhaler / EpiPen (etc)? Oh sh*t!!"
Just from this thread alone there are many examples of all kinds of places doing this now and long ago as well.
That's actually not the issue here.
Bingo. Seems like people want to focus on other things that aren't really the issue, but seem to be more "controversial" to discuss.
Having worked in Apple Retail, been both an owner and operator of similar establishments... this is something shared with all staff from the first day of training. Why? There is easily thousands of dollars of product that can go missing, and yes most theft in retail is internal.
If staff have an issue with the way a bag check is performed 1) You can do it off the main sales floor or 2) Promote yourself to customer.
It is a business, and this is a professional way to run it, and no one (not even managers) are exempt from it.
If staff have an issue with the way a bag check is performed 1) You can do it off the main sales floor or 2) Promote yourself to customer.
It is a business, and this is a professional way to run it, and no one (not even managers) are exempt from it.
Trust but verify.
Was good enough for dad,
Is good enough for me.
My guess is the suit is a pretext for something.
Was good enough for dad,
Is good enough for me.
My guess is the suit is a pretext for something.
So where - in high cost, prime retail environments in the centre of major cities - do you think that Apple and others could magically find and affordably rent readily accessible space "outside the retail area with private lockers so that employee bags don't "enter the store" at all." ?
And you say "Seems like people want to focus on other things that aren't really the issue"...
Well, that would be a somewhat different issue than the one you originally posed.
And, yes, that isn't really the issue that is in question with all of this. I did reply to that part of it, to point something out, but it doesn't make that the actual issue.
If an employee is not trusted, they are not brought into an establishment as an employee. The fact someone works for Apple means they trust you.
80% of violations are from INTERNAL staff. The MOST likely culprit of anything going wrong at a company is from an employee that works there.
Apple employees are not some magical race that are unaffected by being human.
As a matter of living in this place called reality, we do something called "trust but verify." Apple is not required to blindly trust an employee.
As a matter of fact, if this policy is in place, it should effect ALL Apple employees.
80% of violations are from INTERNAL staff. The MOST likely culprit of anything going wrong at a company is from an employee that works there.
Apple employees are not some magical race that are unaffected by being human.
As a matter of living in this place called reality, we do something called "trust but verify." Apple is not required to blindly trust an employee.
As a matter of fact, if this policy is in place, it should effect ALL Apple employees.
You do realize you can walk right past them, right? They have no right to detain you. I've walked past the "bag checker" guy at Best Buy, and past the line of people waiting to have their receipts checked. I just got an annoyed glare but he did nothing. He legally can't.
It's all for show. The idea is that criminals (who are usually idiots who don't know any better) won't try to steal something because they think they have to get their bag checked.
Your last paragraph is the most important example. If the employer brings in an employee in for a MANDATORY meeting, they must be paid.. Bring in a bag is not mandatory, and is not needed to do your job at Apple. If YOU decide YOU have to bring in a bag, then you do so, at your own risk, and on your own time. Apple has not mandated you bring the bag, therefore they are not mandated to pay you. I might add that Apple treats there employees well, including their part-time employees. The bag check is a minimal inconvenience.
As far as personal hygiene products and medications, the managers would most definitely accommodate those employees with such a need to be screened in private. The managers do not paw through your stuff. They take a casual glance in your bag, and then you are on your way. They are looking for laptops, iPhones, etc.. things that stand out and are of high value. There are many retailers who outright ban any personal handbags, backpacks, etc, unless there is a medical need.
From a workplace point of view it is. Quoting the article.
"In one of the original emails sent to Cook in 2012, the employee simply claims Apple's strict policy breeds an environment of distrust amongst its otherwise loyal workers."
That is what was conveyed to Cook, from that stems the wider problem of how the individuals felt being treated this way. From a team work point of view, it creates distrust.
Can I ask what you believe the issue that is created here? The core issue that led to the lawsuit in the workplace?
The part about employees spending extra time on it all and not being compensated. As usual it's all in the technicalities and not some sort of overgeneralized utopian principles.
Petty sure it's different in places like Sam's Club or Costco where you have to have membership to shop and part of that membership is the agreement to that process (otherwise you can forfeit your membership and not shop there even if you wanted to).
I don't know many people , be it school or workplace, that do not need a bag to get to and from work/school. The idea that people have a decision in bringing a bag, and it's at their own risk is crazy to me. It's a necessity of our current society. Society has mandated we need a bag , be it for lunch, personal goods, hygiene goods , medication etc.
I view that as a consequence, though the bigger workplace issue being distrust created amongst employees and management.
do you believe the employees complained to cook, to get higher pay and continue being treated as criminals? Or complained so the actions that led them to be treated like criminals Would stop?
The lawyers turned this into compensation and $$$, that's not the core issue in my opinion.
I owned a business and ran it myself for 5 years. I found that evven my most tursted employees stole from me. The part i dont like is that its done in front of customers.
it says at the bottom of my post that i dislike this policy and it dosent matter which company has it. but since i obviously overlooked the post about old examples of this policy can you point towards it/them?
however i can not understand if people believe this (and especially doing it in public or on your private time (amazon) does not create a huge distance between the employee and employer.
what kind of business was that?
i worked for a similar amount of time in a big wholesaler and the biggest offenders were the 10 or so staff who owned the company.
Erm, mugging people is a criminal offence, searching employees bags as a deterrent against theft isn't, so no, that wouldn't be ok too, would it?
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