Petco, a prominent pet care retailer, is grappling with internal challenges as recent staffing reductions have strained employee resources and impacted animal care at various stores.
Employees at Petco have raised concerns about excessive workloads resulting from recent staffing cuts, leading to reduced operational hours at stores. The situation has forced employees to juggle multiple responsibilities, impacting their ability to adequately care for the animals and maintain the stores’ cleanliness.
Michael Guadamuz, a former employee with eight years of experience at a San Francisco Petco store, highlighted the struggle of managing a multitude of tasks with limited time. For instance, the standard practice of thoroughly cleaning aquatics tanks once a week, a time-consuming process, was expected to be completed within an impractical timeframe.
Petco mandates frequent checks on the animals, aiming for hourly inspections. However, employees cite challenges in adhering to this due to time constraints. Some animals are left without proper hydration, miss essential medications, or endure unsanitary conditions.
Instances have been reported where animal care was compromised, like dirty cages with visible waste, dusty ventilation, and poor glass maintenance. Disturbingly, a customer’s social media post in April shed light on the discovery of 13 deceased Betta fish at a Petco store in Alpharetta, Georgia.
Employees also noted being constantly pulled away from their primary responsibilities to assist with other tasks, affecting their ability to focus on essential animal care duties. Some were reprimanded for incomplete work, despite being diverted to attend to customer needs.
This situation emphasizes the need for a balanced workload and sufficient staffing to maintain high standards of animal care, cleanliness, and customer service at Petco stores. Striking this balance is crucial to upholding the company’s reputation and ensuring the well-being of animals in its care.
Petco Faces Employee Concerns Over Workload and Animal Care Amidst Staffing Cuts
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