Management doesn’t actually get the promised 2 day’s per week off. You’re lucky to get one. If you are the closing manager meaning you get to leave around 11 PM, you will also be the opening manager next morning, meaning you have to be back by 5:30 AM. The 8 hours between shift laws in this state apply only to people paid hourly, not salaried of commissioned people. Lowes pays sales associates hourly plus commission so even the “sales specialists” often don’t get 8 hours between shifts.
My wife and I were expecting a child, so I wanted to take a few days off when he was born. They said I couldn’t just take the day’s when the baby was born I’d have to schedule them at least 2 months ahead of time. I tried but missed the date Charlie was born by 4 days. I left work when my wife went into labor about 3 PM; my son was born that night at 1 AM. I was scheduled in at 7 AM. I called when the opening manager got in at 5:30 to tell them I wouldn’t be in. By 8 AM the regional HR person was calling me saying, you can’t take time off you are scheduled for vacation in 4 days. My store Manger (my immediate boss) was ok with moving my vacation forward a few day’s so I could be with my wife and new born son. District and Regional people however had other ideas.
Rather than loose my job, I went to work as ordered, they “charged” me for 2 sick day’s (the day I left and the next day not getting in to work until 4 hours after I was scheduled) Despite the fact that I had opened the day I left a 3. (I’d arrived that day at 5 AM) and that I worked over 9 hours the day I was “late.” When my scheduled vacation was due to start I took my scheduled vacation, and spent part of the time looking for a new job. My son is now 15 months old and I’ve been working at my new job just short of a year.
