NZ Bunnings staff member wore large clock due to lateness
The wearing of a large clock by a tardy staff member in a New Zealand Bunnings outlet was "good natured", the hardware giant maintains.
At the trades area of Bunnings Warehouse at Dunedin on Friday, customers saw a young male staff member wearing a large clock around his neck, Stuff reported.
That worker told the shopper there was an expectation that staff in the same department would wear the clock if they turned up to work late.
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On Friday, shoppers saw a young man at Bunnings Warehouse Dunedin wearing a large clock around his neck. Adobe Stock
It is understood the young man was just a few minutes late to work.
Bunnings regional manager Dean Gick said in a statement, "Creating a safe and welcoming environment for our team and customers is really important to us".
"We understand some customers observed an interaction between our team in response to a team member who was late to their shift."
The intention was good-natured, with no concerns raised, he said.
"We have engaged the team to discuss how the situation may have been handled better."
First Union national retail and finance national secretary Rudd Hughes said: "If you're being bullied or harassed at work by a manager, you should speak to the person above them rather than confronting your manager yourself".
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A union delegate could help record and report incidents at a workplace, and take action as a group if the behaviour was systemic.
"The bullying and hazing of young workers is archaic and has no place in the modern retail environment - this will be embarrassing for Bunnings and is not the norm nationally."
"It's a sure-fire way to drive away young workers from your business - they can easily find work elsewhere."
This article has been reproduced with permission from Stuff.co.nz.
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