Last week, a cluster was reported at Carrefour in Nice TNL. More than a dozen employees from the cashier department tested positive for COVID-19. Already struggling since the beginning of the crisis, the cashiers don’t know how to cope with the staffing shortage.
Since COVID-19 arrived within the Carrefour cashier team, it has become difficult for employees to work under good conditions. Psychological and physical fatigue is setting in, while the workload is increasing. Two employees agreed to share their testimonies (names have been changed to maintain anonymity).
Chloé: *”When I started, during the first few months, everything was going well. The workload was manageable, and the customers were rather friendly. Since the pandemic, there’s no longer any respect from customers; people are scared. Due to infections, there are fewer cashiers but many customers, which creates a lot of pressure. We have to be careful with everything we do.”*
Ella: *”The flow of customers never decreases throughout the day. People sometimes wait up to 25 to 30 minutes, which affects their demeanor when they reach the cashier. They express their dissatisfaction to the cashiers, which is mentally exhausting. We often have to manage on our own as the managers and shift runners are always overwhelmed themselves. While some employees make extra efforts to improve the situation, others do not help by leaving dirty registers and sharing a negative attitude.”*
## An Intensive Rhythm
The store itself is overwhelmed, making it challenging to properly manage the situation at the registers. The absence of infected staff is felt, and few measures are being taken to assist the employees.
Chloé: *”Carrefour does nothing to change things. They could hire new people, but they don’t. Instead, they prefer to double the working hours of students, even though they are in the middle of their school year. Fatigue is felt more and more each day…”*
Ella: *”Too few measures are taken to relieve us… Our breaks are regularly not given. Some stay at the register for 5 hours without any break. If breaks are given, they are always late. It is difficult for managers, with the lack of staff, to adhere to the schedule.”*
