Hello,

Let me lay out the situation.

Person involved: "Aardvark"
Other Parties: "Store Manager, District Manager, Human Resources Manager, Corporate HR Guy from "800-report-a-problem" call centre.

Aardvark recently got a job at a retail store. She applied for a Store Manager's position, but was instead hired as one level below an assistant manager. (The levels are Associate, Sr. Associate, . Manager, Store Manager, District Manager). At the time of the interview, the person was told that she would be fast tracked and trained and moved into the . Manager role quite fast. The interviewer was to be her Store Manager.
When Aardvark started work, she was told that the interviewer would not be her manager after all, but she would be working with a new trainee Store Manager who would manage the store. (Stay Awake, much more stuff coming).
Soon the Store Manager was complaining to any associate who would listen about having to work long hours, about hurting her back in a fall, about having to drive from a city and hour or two away, as well as complaining about one associate to another and so on.
A part of the Store Manager's job is to receive inventory every week and put it on display around the store. Usually that week itself, either herself, or with help from others in the store. That job gets put aside until the night before the next shipments due and conflicting orders are given about finishing the job.
Apart from this, the Store Manager also decides to warn the associates that "I'm not afraid of any boyfriends or husbands, I've dealt with enough in my other job", and, "I've made 16 girls cry in my previous job", and so on.
It was becoming very hard to deal with that kind of a person. Oh, the Store Manager also happened to have mentioned that she was hired "because the District Manager's wife saw her work at another store and talked her husband into hiring her", while the company has a strict policy against nepotism. Conflict of Interest I think since it was the district manager who interviewed and hired her.
Ooooh, I almost forgot, this Store Manager is also known to spend a lot of time on the phone talking to other Store Managers, the district manager and her husband, complaining to each about one thing or another. She is also known to swear quite a bit in the back room while on the phone (which can be heard in the main area of the store).
So, after suffering for a while, Aardvark decided to talk to the HR manager for the area and lodge a complaint about her working conditions, a fax was also sent listing the problems. The HR manager promised to look into said and get the district manager to talk to the offending manager, which is regular company policy. Nothing seems to happen for a few days, and after repeated calls to the HR manager for the region, and after not getting any returned calls from her, the "800-for-a-problem" number was called and the issues were reported again. Nothing happens initially except that the district Manager happens to come by and talks to the Store Manager and few other store associates, but does not even acknowledge Aardvark. A week later, though, Aardvark's colleagues seem a little scared and close mouthed. She then learns that the Store Manager has been told that a complaint was lodged against her by Aardvark, as well as knowing a fax, specifically a fax was sent out. She, while leaving today, informed Aardvark to put about 70% of the inventory on the shelves in the store, asked another associate to sit in the office until close doing a menial job, and asked the Assistant Manager to handle customers, and SPECIFICALLY asked him NOT TO HELP Aardvark.

Anyway, that's the dilemma. What recourse does Aardvark have?

PS; The location for this is Ontario, Canada

Aardvark is completely out of line, the manager was hired for a reason but it was not because they were related to anyone at the company, so there is no nepotism. The new manager appears to be hired because they had did a great job at another store and this work was noticed.

Perhas the new manager was not the best manager but it appears aardvark believed they were suppose to be the manager and upset because at the interview they were lied to. Not uncommom in HR to suggest things "MAY" happen that are out of their control.

And since it appears Aardvark was calling and cauing trouble for really no reason, the new manager was and is going to make it hard on Aadvark till they quit or get fired.

Aardvark needs to tell the manager they are sorry for the trouble and try to be a good worker and stop cauing trouble.

Not what you want to hear but to my heart the trouble is not with the company, but with unrealistic beliefs on what was suppose to happen

Not, what I wanted to hear, but I do thank you for your honesty. :)

Sounds like Aardvark needs to start looking for another job. If the other store workers are aware of what she has done, they are not likely to rest until she is gone. Additionally, if any of those people are in any way able to influence Aardvark's future promotion, it would seem that only a negative influence might be in the works.

Yes, I don't mean to sound mean, but I am a older man, and I have wroked for over 35 years in some of americans largest firms, and with fedeal and state governments. It is a back biting place, esp in management, some managers will get rid of any person they see as a threat, and if you file a complaint formally, unless there is something criminal or against rules you had better have your resume made because it is you that will almost always be going. Even in companies if you were right, most likely you would have lost your job, since often corp will go publicly with their manager and latter deal with them.

Please understand, companies don't want problems, and often a manager is judged on how well they make money, ( bottom line) and if this manager is supported strongly by the manager over them, you have a seroius battle.

And it also appears you have not really worked for any really mean or hard bosses, this place sounds like a cake walk compared to many I have worked for.