A what would you do if you were me question.

[uphillstruggler]

Can I make a suggestion?

have you thought about approaching the management and asking if you can do this type of work across a few stores? you can use the guys who work in store so it is just you that moves about.

you may be surprised at the outcome. if you don't trust your manager, try going above them to higher area management with fact and figures regarding attendance of your demos, after demo sales etc.

you don't need to be tied to your contract as it would seem that Halfords aren't.

other than that, does your manager know that its not really your job but you do it because you enjoy it? I bet if you put one of your techie chaps in front of a dozen brownies, he/she would pay you the difference in wages to get out of it.

you may look at this as an opportunity to advance your job prospects to something you really like doing, or you could carry on sulking about it (not be horrible here, just saying it from your managers/colleagues point of view)

best of luck

 

[jonny jeez]

Put simply, because I don't want to fix bikes for a living. I can sell bikes, I'm passionate about cycling and I can run the workshops, hell, I can run the bike hut!! But I don't want to get my hands dirty for the next 20 years.
Plus, the training they offer is only really valued within Halfords, and even then, well you know

This. Definitely. I think they've got very used to me doing pretty much everything and not complaining much. It has come as a shock to some this last month when I've stood up to them. They're going to miss me when I'm gone.

Strikes me that this is a really good opportunity for you.

Step back and look at this objectively.

What do Halfords want?

Most likely its immediate growth in income through market penetration, unit sales and associated profit

Right now there is a clear challenge, in that the technically minded staff, who are happy to get their hands dirty, don't have (or don't want have) the skills to run initiatives like this.

You clearly have a unique skillset in the shop, one that through natural selection alone has become apparent.( which means that your naff manager hasn't spotted them yet)

Your skills are those of organisation, sales, and PR. You naturally posses these skills.

Tell your naff manager that you have a solution to their problem, that you can handle the organisation, managing, presenting and marketing bit, so long as you have a grease monkey on tap to get their hands dirty.

Then...crucially


Tell the manager that, you are confident that this initiative can increase sales and market penetration to a younger demographic, that you are happy to continue to run the entire show but want to set a threshold for reward. Suggest that, if you can successfully run 5 (or a number you are happy with) such events in one year, that you will be promoted to head of new sales (or a title that describes someone who does all the front of house stuff without getting dirty hands)

Also, come up with three more ideas that expand upon this initiative...local events that can support a pop up unit...local supermarket car parks that can support bike marking or perhaps evening workshops, within the shop, for the local residents to cone and learn bike maintenance...all of which you will organise, run and pull off with ease.

12 months later, you are touring the country training your staff at other offices on how to exploit new markets.

If any of that sounds even vaguely realistic, you may want to consider taking it all super seriously and putting together a business plan, cutting out your naff manager and taking this directly to senior Management.

 

[jonny jeez]

Can I make a suggestion?

have you thought about approaching the management and asking if you can do this type of work across a few stores? you can use the guys who work in store so it is just you that moves about.

you may be surprised at the outcome. if you don't trust your manager, try going above them to higher area management with fact and figures regarding attendance of your demos, after demo sales etc.

you don't need to be tied to your contract as it would seem that Halfords aren't.

other than that, does your manager know that its not really your job but you do it because you enjoy it? I bet if you put one of your techie chaps in front of a dozen brownies, he/she would pay you the difference in wages to get out of it.

you may look at this as an opportunity to advance your job prospects to something you really like doing, or you could carry on sulking about it (not be horrible here, just saying it from your managers/colleagues point of view)

best of luck

See, now I wish I had read to the end of this thread...this is very much in line with my thinking.

 

[uphillstruggler]

Strikes me that this is a really good opportunity for you.

Step back and look at this objectively.

What do Halfords want?

Most likely its immediate growth in income through market penetration, unit sales and associated profit

Right now there is a clear challenge, in that the technically minded staff, who are happy to get their hands dirty, don't have (or don't want have) the skills to run initiatives like this.

You clearly have a unique skillset in the shop, one that through natural selection alone has become apparent.( which means that your naff manager hasn't spotted them yet)

Your skills are those of organisation, sales, and PR. You naturally posses these skills.

Tell your naff manager that you have a solution to their problem, that you can handle the organisation, managing, presenting and marketing bit, so long as you have a grease monkey on tap to get their hands dirty.

Then...crucially


Tell the manager that, you are confident that this initiative can increase sales and market penetration to a younger demographic, that you are happy to continue to run the entire show but want to set a threshold for reward. Suggest that, if you can successfully run 5 (or a number you are happy with) such events in one year, that you will be promoted to head of new sales (or a title that describes someone who does all the front of house stuff without getting dirty hands)

Also, come up with three more ideas that expand upon this initiative...local events that can support a pop up unit...local supermarket car parks that can support bike marking or perhaps evening workshops, within the shop, for the local residents to cone and learn bike maintenance...all of which you will organise, run and pull off with ease.

12 months later, you are touring the country training your staff at other offices on how to exploit new markets.

If any of that sounds even vaguely realistic, you may want to consider taking it all super seriously and putting together a business plan, cutting out your naff manager and taking this directly to senior Management.

I have to say that you have put that in a far more succinct way than I could have managed, brilliantly put sir/madam (but im assuming sir due to your name)

do @jonny jeez and I get half of the massive corporate bonus you will be earning next year

 

[uphillstruggler]

One more point on this

it is easy to be negative and stick two fingers up but in these large companies, things move slowly because the company may be doing well and managers may not have the time to look at newer initiatives.

maybe, just maybe being proactive in this instance will reap rewards, but if it doesn't, have you got an evans etc that you can take your initiative to? Decathlon?

you don't need to be employed by these people, you can contract to them and spread your word and ways of doing things far and wide, you can be certain that if it works for Halfords, they wont want you doing the same for someone else.

just remember - its all about sales for these companies and if something works in one, everyone will want it.

again, best of luck.

 

[Sandra6]

As much as I love the idea of what's being suggested by jonny and uphillstruggler, I don't think it's actually possible.
We currently do kids workshops, womens workshops and school visits - I say "we", you know I mean me. But each store has it's own team and it's not something deemed worthy of specific training. To be honest, most of the managers don't like that it's a thing at all so trying to expand on it would hit a brick wall.
I have tried in the past to get more recognition - especially in the pay packet - for all that I do, I got a bottle of wine.
I once went all the way to the CEO with a grievance too, there was a lot of talk, a few things changed , but not for me personally.
Sorry if I sound very negative and closed off to suggestion - but I'm not in a position personally to pursue career mobility, I don't drive, and I put my family before my career. I say career, it's just a job.
Really, I've come to the end of the road with Halfords, and unless they offer me something fantastic I'l be leaving as soon as possible.
But I know you are all dying to know what actually happened yesterday , so....
My grumblings were acknowledged, and both the assistant and bike hut managers went out of their way to make sure I was happy and properly supported.
I went for my dinner break and set about putting the resources together, making up the gift bags , when the brownies arrived 20 minutes early, with 6 bikes in hand and announced there would be 30 of them !!! We only take a max of 15, and from the booking only accounted for we were only expecting 10!!
Seems the information sent to brown owl was somewhat different to the information sent to us!
It didn't help that the person in charge hadn't returned my calls so I hadn't been able to find out any of this!
To start with, while everyone ran back and forth relaying information and holding their hands up crying "what do we do?!!" I sat back and said "not my job, over to you" but it became apparent that nobody was capable of dealing with the situation, so I put down my pot noodle, and went to work!
I organised the 25 brownies that turned up, gave the introductions and began the run through, then five little girls needed the loo, so I left my grease monkey to it!
It actually went really well in the end.
If I could get a job with bikeability or similar I'd be in my element.

 

[Bazzer]

Well done for dealing with it, even if it was against your personal views about how you are treated.
Putting the kids off using their bikes would be so easy to do, so hopefully you have added in your own way, to the future cycling population.

 

[marinyork]

I'm curious as to why you perceive Halford's managers don't like them. The most plausible explanation I could think of was they do it for free.

 

[Maverick Goose]

Well done Sandra and chin up-as you say just do the best you can and keep on applying for things you actually like.

 

[Sandra6]

I'm curious as to why you perceive Halford's managers don't like them. The most plausible explanation I could think of was they do it for free.

The managers aren't shy about expressing their dislike for them. It's mostly because they're not allocated enough hours to staff them and because the store layouts make it difficult to accommodate the groups without impacting on other customers. Also because it's hard work finding someone to run them

 

[jonny jeez]

As much as I love the idea of what's being suggested by jonny and uphillstruggler, I don't think it's actually possible.
We currently do kids workshops, womens workshops and school visits - I say "we", you know I mean me. But each store has it's own team and it's not something deemed worthy of specific training. To be honest, most of the managers don't like that it's a thing at all so trying to expand on it would hit a brick wall.
I have tried in the past to get more recognition - especially in the pay packet - for all that I do, I got a bottle of wine.
I once went all the way to the CEO with a grievance too, there was a lot of talk, a few things changed , but not for me personally.
Sorry if I sound very negative and closed off to suggestion - but I'm not in a position personally to pursue career mobility, I don't drive, and I put my family before my career. I say career, it's just a job.
Really, I've come to the end of the road with Halfords, and unless they offer me something fantastic I'l be leaving as soon as possible.
But I know you are all dying to know what actually happened yesterday , so....
My grumblings were acknowledged, and both the assistant and bike hut managers went out of their way to make sure I was happy and properly supported.
I went for my dinner break and set about putting the resources together, making up the gift bags , when the brownies arrived 20 minutes early, with 6 bikes in hand and announced there would be 30 of them !!! We only take a max of 15, and from the booking only accounted for we were only expecting 10!!
Seems the information sent to brown owl was somewhat different to the information sent to us!
It didn't help that the person in charge hadn't returned my calls so I hadn't been able to find out any of this!
To start with, while everyone ran back and forth relaying information and holding their hands up crying "what do we do?!!" I sat back and said "not my job, over to you" but it became apparent that nobody was capable of dealing with the situation, so I put down my pot noodle, and went to work!
I organised the 25 brownies that turned up, gave the introductions and began the run through, then five little girls needed the loo, so I left my grease monkey to it!
It actually went really well in the end.
If I could get a job with bikeability or similar I'd be in my element.

if you dont think that its possible...then it definitely isn't (and I'm not trying to be clever here, I mean that for all the reasons that you state)

https://professionals.bikeability.org.uk/instructors/#_becomeaninstructor

.

 

[DRM]

One thing that concerns me with all this, has Halfords given any thought to child protection, you say five of the girls needed the loo, so you took them leaving the mechanic on his own, I hope to god that one of the brownies leaders went with you,while another stayed with the mechanic, as much for your protection as that of the kids.
I reckon you definitely need another person with you at all times, and insist that each group brings at least two adults too, you have got to watch your back at all times when running things like this for kids or other vulnerable people.

 

[Sandra6]

One thing that concerns me with all this, has Halfords given any thought to child protection, you say five of the girls needed the loo, so you took them leaving the mechanic on his own, I hope to god that one of the brownies leaders went with you,while another stayed with the mechanic, as much for your protection as that of the kids.
I reckon you definitely need another person with you at all times, and insist that each group brings at least two adults too, you have got to watch your back at all times when running things like this for kids or other vulnerable people.

The brownies bring their own adults with them, we may be daft we aren't stupid
@jonnyjeez I might crowd fund the £600 needed to qualify

 

[DRM]

The brownies bring their own adults with them, we may be daft we aren't stupid
@jonnyjeez I might crowd fund the £600 needed to qualify

I wasn't suggesting for a minute that you were, however the Brownies leaders will have had DBS checks done, and will have had child protection & first response first aid training, whereas Halfords haven't given any of this a second thought, if something was to go wrong it will be you that goes before the beak to prove you haven't been negligible, if I were you I would have a quick look on the scouts training part of their website, there is interactive training on there that will give you a good idea of what should be done before and during an activity, what to look out for, for example what would you do if you suspected a child was being abused, and what constitutes abuse, also who do you report it to?
I reckon doing this for free is bonkers with no managerial support.

 

[Firestorm]

correct me if I am wrong, But basically the job you enjoy , involves setting up and running cycling work shops.
Have you considered going it alone? May be with an LBS as a partner. Local council, Adult eduction colleges, Schools , the scope is there for quite a range of classes, courses and workshops