Give the supe a piece of paper with the request on it.  Even if it’s forgotten, the paper will turn up in his/her pocket or purse.

Better yet, have the supervisor sign a “receipt” acknowledging the request and its outcome ... something to turn up in the lad’s pocket later on.

See, N, you’re obviously more confrontational than I am.  Asking for the receipt implies a lack of confidence in the supe, which would undoubtedly be resented.

The lad had a three hour shift this evening. And, since his regular supervisor wasn’t around, he went to talk with the woman who hired him—who also happens to be the youth employee advocate. They discussed the matter. She was most definitely in his corner, but he chose not to be confrontational about it. Instead, they agreed to bypass the supervisor, who has, apparently, done this to other kids, too. She is probably skating on some thin ice at this point.

Not only are the kids getting screwed, it also creates a nightmare for those responsible for scheduling in the back office. When someone doesn’t show up for a shift, it’s a hardship on everyone.

So, I think he handled the situation appropriately using the system in place. Good for him. I hope not to receive any more “no show” calls in the future.

And the two no-show infractions have been expunged from his record. YAY!

Excellent!  Shows why I am not, and should not be, in an executive position.

Damn, how did the lad get to be so together?  Couldn’t be the great parenting, could it?

Well, thank you N. However, in this case, he just used his ole noggin. I’d been in favor of the notification in writing. Well, actually, I’d been in favor of the notification in writing with the supervisor’s initials. Even though I knew it would be viewed as questioning her authority and integrity. I’m glad he followed his own thinking on the matter.

Youth advocate… what a good idea.
The thing is… if I were that supervisor, I’d WANT things written down… because then I wouldn’t forget them!
And that questioning integrity thing sounds like bull… I bet she made him sign the write-up slips!

You know, that company has some smarts.  If some not-insignificant part of its workforce is teenagers, it makes a lot of sense to have someone assigned to advocate or at least liaise with them directly, rather than just expect the line supervisors to do it all.

The store has been very kid oriented for several years now. They seem to take the attitude that they are giving back to the community by being the primary employer of young people. Their pay scale is much higher than almost any other retail place, too.

I think the youth advocate thing is inspired. Because kids are easy to take advantage of. And they really mean it when they say they want to work around the kids’ schedules. School/sports/family vacation activities come first and they will do everything they can to accommodate. When situations arise, like the one the lad experienced this week, the advocate is invaluable.

I had completely forgotten about the advocate until the lad came home and related his exchange with her. So far, so good.