Whispers in the aisles: Alleged employee turmoil at Woolworths

As we navigate the aisles of Woolworths, filling our trolleys with the essentials and perhaps a treat or two, it's easy to overlook the efforts of the staff that keep the shelves stocked and the checkouts moving.

But behind the scenes, a different story is unfolding—one that has recently been brought to light by two courageous Woolworths employees who have decided to speak out against what they describe as 'baffling' management decisions.


These whistleblowers, who have chosen to remain anonymous, have shared their experiences of working under what they claim are increasingly difficult conditions.

Their allegations come when Woolworths' profits and pricing strategies are under intense scrutiny following the appearance of outgoing CEO Brad Banducci before a Senate hearing.


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Woolworths management was put under scrutiny due to alleged employee gripes and ‘baffling’ management decisions. Image Source: Shutterstock / ArliftAtoz2205


In a heartfelt admission to a news agency, one employee disclosed the emotional toll the job has taken, saying he’d ‘gone home crying’ due to the extreme workload caused by staffing restrictions at his store.

Another voiced their frustrations on social media and lamented the reduction of staff hours, which has left many employees, including themselves, struggling to make ends meet.

The post quickly captured the internet’s attention, painted a picture of a workforce under pressure, and claimed that store managers had been instructed to cut back on staffing levels.

You can read the employee’s statement below:
Just a Woolies worker sitting in the lunch room on her break, blood boiling over some news I've just been told.

Foremostly, I'm sure we're all aware of Woolworths record profits last financial year? Fast forward to now, I'm sure we're also aware that the former CEO of the company could be facing prison time due to taking advantage of customers during desperate times.

Well, get this.

I've just been told by my manager that the area manager is slamming store managers to cut everyone's hours. Already, multiple people have been told they're losing hours and days, some (like me) who are already only being given 15 hours a week as it is!

It just baffles me how a company that has destroyed their own reputation by taking advantage of people's desperation, some families having to choose between feeding themselves or being late for their rent, are willingly cutting their own employees hours, which are scarce as it is.

This company sucks, f***Woolworths.

The outcry from these employees has resonated with many. The post garnered almost 7,000 reactions and prompted a wave of solidarity from current and former Woolworths workers who shared similar experiences.

One former manager expressed relief at having left the company and said, ‘Five years of management with them as well. Would never go back.’

‘Cutting hours is not a new thing. They were doing it back when I quit working there in 2011,’ another user added.


Another anonymous employee alleged that working for Woolworths is both ‘physically and mentally exhausting’.

They said, ‘We have staff wanting to reduce their hours because they can’t handle the ridiculous workload that is being put on us daily.’

They also claimed, ‘The stores are being told to hire school kids and uni students for the night time and weekend shifts, but making us work on a skeleton crew during the day, they won’t let us hire day people because they cost too much.’

‘I myself have gone home crying and considered stepping down from my customer service assistant manager position to just a full-time team member because of the workload.’

‘We get abuse from customers daily because of the lack of staff we have on during the day,’ they added.


In response to these allegations, a Woolworths spokesperson said, ‘We work hard to provide our team members with meaningful and predictable work hours that work for them.’

‘Our full-time and part-time team members have set minimum hours in their contracts which guarantee they will receive these hours every week.’

‘Across Australia, we employ over 130,000 team members in our stores and are continuing to recruit new team members every month.’

Furthermore, Woolworths encouraged its staff to seek additional shifts in neighbouring stores.

‘To help our team members pick up extra shifts that work for them, they can also choose to let local management know when they are available to work in neighbouring stores,’ the spokesperson added.

‘We aim to roster our teams to create a positive experience for them and our customers—matching rosters to when customers are shopping in our stores and when tasks need to be completed.’

It is also understood that Woolworths has not explicitly sent instructions to prioritise hiring high school or university students over other demographics.


Additionally, if Woolworths employees have particular issues they hesitate to discuss with their store manager, they are urged to reach out directly to senior management or utilise the confidential Speak Up service.

This service, administered by a third party, permits anonymity if desired.

Access to the Speak Up service is available to Woolworths team members here.

This isn’t the first time Woolworths has been put under scrutiny due to alleged employee dissatisfaction.

In a previous story, the company was in the public spotlight due to an alleged million-dollar oversight.

You can read about the story here.
Key Takeaways

  • Woolworths faced criticism from two anonymous employees who alleged challenging working conditions, including extreme workloads and reductions in hours.
  • These grievances sparked significant online attention and solidarity from current and former Woolworths workers, suggesting widespread concern within the workforce.
  • Employees described their experiences as allegedly being emotionally and physically exhausting, with some reportedly contemplating leaving their positions due to workload pressures.
  • Woolworths emphasised efforts to provide meaningful work hours and encouraged employees to seek additional shifts, but concerns allegedly persisted over staffing levels and workload distribution.
  • Workers are encouraged to report any issues through Woolworths' confidential Speak Up service, operated by an independent third party and offers anonymity.
Have you noticed changes in your local Woolworths? Have you had interactions with staff that suggest they might be under undue pressure? Let us know in the comments below!
 
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There are less people working in my local Woolworths store.

It's hard to get customer service when you need help.

I conclude that the reduced hours/staff is a mechanism to force customers to 'give up' instore shopping and move toward technology including the use of:

1. The self serve checkouts;

2. Online ordering & delivery; and

3. Online ordering & pickup.
 
Afraid management in all if not most jobs, know the situation on the floor staff but do not care.
It’s all about making profits, they certainly turn a blind eye to those who they regard as beneath them.
I shop with Coles most of the time and pretty sure they have same problem.
The pay these workers get is absolutely disgusting and to be treated in the disdain manner and couldn’t care less world we live in now, is shocking.
Never have I seen a manager on the floor stacking shelves , assisting when busy etc, doubt very much that any of them actually even turn up to do a days work in an actual office.
 
A common occurrence in retail, they work on a ratio of wages to sales.... as sales dwindle wages follow suit. Unless the company is greedy. A mere -
0.1% reduction of wages Woolworths would add $000,000,00 to their bottom line.

If I were in the position in which the staff find themselves I would ask management what they considered the most important facets of the job, based on the 80/20 rules.
I would then do those jobs first and if there was any time left after that I would do the next jobs. They have to realise that some jobs would not get done, ever.
Watch them change their tune.

For a while in my career as a store manager, I was put into the same position and followed the same procedure. It didn't make the upper management happy but they couldn't argue with me.
 
The Watch.
T
he issue with this stock market listed companies are-
Their main objective is to satisfy the shareholders, Investors and Stock market.
They set half and yearly budget to satisfy their shareholders, which in turn received dividends.
If sales or profits look like to impede on results, the first thing management will do is to, reduce wages.
Why, because the wages saved go directly to the bottom line, hence the increase on the yearly forecast.
Meantime, the pressure applied to the general staff on the floor becomes, immense and unworkable at times.
The day will come, where those Sock Market listed companies will put there staff wellbeing before results.
The cost of re-employing and training new staff will alway out cost keeping the existing staff.
 
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My local shopping centre has both a Coles and a Woolworths store. I have stopped using Woolworths as they never have adequate manned checkouts. After repeatedly emailing them with complaints about this and always getting back an assurance that the store manager had been informed to fix the situation , nothing has happened. Now I do not complain to them, I just go to Coles where the service is consistently better.
 
The only thing that has come out of 'inquiry into Woolies/Coles' so far is the stupid and incompetent ministers asking the questions. That Greens Senator is a prime example of a person who is out of his depth when he tries to ask a question that he doesn't even understand or can explain. No wonder the representatives from Woolies/Coles are giving ludicrous answers and these are being accepted by the committee, no-one has a clue what to do. Nothing will come out of the inquiry, the public know what is going on..... How would a person on a six figure salary, with perks, have any idea of what the public are going through...... Dick Smith years ago made a statement about this country and I quote: 'We pay for incompetence in this country,' looking at those Senators, boy are we getting our monies worth.
 
We have had a monumental change here at Epping Vic the store at epping plaza has been closed for renovation for the last three months and looks like remaining so until November this year. Not that it will impact on my shopping as i use Aldi for most things and Coles for what's left. i really do not care if the store never opens again.
 
The only thing that has come out of 'inquiry into Woolies/Coles' so far is the stupid and incompetent ministers asking the questions. That Greens Senator is a prime example of a person who is out of his depth when he tries to ask a question that he doesn't even understand or can explain. No wonder the representatives from Woolies/Coles are giving ludicrous answers and these are being accepted by the committee, no-one has a clue what to do. Nothing will come out of the inquiry, the public know what is going on..... How would a person on a six figure salary, with perks, have any idea of what the public are going through...... Dick Smith years ago made a statement about this country and I quote: 'We pay for incompetence in this country,' looking at those Senators, boy are we getting our monies worth.
Oddly enough I was once told by an eminent Professor, who was then a leader in my profession, that the best students were those who asked the stupid questions, as that is how they learnt. I applaud Nick McKim for his stupid questions; we might learn something, and certainly did from Banducci's reaction.
 
I attended Woolworths at Craigieburn Plaza to find NO checkout operating only self checkouts.I approached the young lady (almost a junior)as to why there was not at least one checkout with operator and her response was only allowed 5 staff which was not enough to supply operators!
 
A common occurrence in retail, they work on a ratio of wages to sales.... as sales dwindle wages follow suit. Unless the company is greedy. A mere -
0.1% reduction of wages Woolworths would add $000,000,00 to their bottom line.

If I were in the position in which the staff find themselves I would ask management what they considered the most important facets of the job, based on the 80/20 rules.
I would then do those jobs first and if there was any time left after that I would do the next jobs. They have to realise that some jobs would not get done, ever.
Watch them change their tune.

For a while in my career as a store manager, I was put into the same position and followed the same procedure. It didn't make the upper management happy but they couldn't argue with me.
They won’t change their tune. They will readily employ someone else to do the job
 
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I heard a while ago about time limits on tasks in the supermarkets which put extra pressure on the staff. I’m finding personally that I try not to ask for assistance if I need it so I don’t hold anyone up. If I need to find something I will walk around till I find it or I will check on the lists that they have hanging on the isles. The only thing I usually have to ask help with is getting something from the top shelf lol. Most of the staff in our local Woolies are great and very pleasant, except for one who seems to hate her job.
 
I shop at Drakes here in SA. The staff are always helpful and will ask if I need assistance if I am looking for an item: NO self-service checkouts, only manned ones. If several people are waiting at the checkouts they will open a couple more. Their prices are comparable with the other supermarkets. So, shop at DRAKES if you have one near to you.
 
My new supermarket at Jandakot, Perth. I have also shopped at Spudshed's Bentley store. Woolworths and Coles can take a flying leap into the fire! You will not be missed!

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My new love is walking to the shop on the right in the dark jeans and black top.
 
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If they employ 130.000 new staff each month, that might be an indicator how many people are leaving or sacked each month. I havn't seen any increase of staff in our local store. I'm getting more discusted with WW every day.
 
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My new supermarket at Jandakot, Perth. I have also shopped at Spudshed's Bentley store. Woolworths and Coles can take a flying leap into the fire! You will not be missed!

View attachment 46995

My new love is walking to the shop on the right in the dark jeans and black top.
Yeah I do nearly all my shopping at Spudshed much better than Coles and Woolworths
 
My local shopping centre has both a Coles and a Woolworths store. I have stopped using Woolworths as they never have adequate manned checkouts. After repeatedly emailing them with complaints about this and always getting back an assurance that the store manager had been informed to fix the situation , nothing has happened. Now I do not complain to them, I just go to Coles where the service is consistently better.
Yeah that's the best way, vote with your feet and then they just might get the hint
 

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