Twenty-two staff laid complaints about bullying store manager at single The Warehouse store

Staff at a The Warehouse store have filed complaints about a single store manager. Photo / Paul Taylor

More than 20 workers have laid formal complaints about a store manager at The Warehouse, First Union says.

Twenty-two staff have reported bullying and felt demeaned by the manager at the store, so much so that one employee needed counselling to manage the stress before she finally resigned, First Union said.

Employees past and present claim the store manager, who is still working at the store and has been for around three years, yelled at staff, micro-managed, gave impossible workloads, photographed their shelf-stacking mistakes and kept them on file, and teased them over their age.

Complaints were made over a two year period.

The Warehouse, which is owned by NZX-listed The Warehouse Group, has investigated claims but refused to bring in an external investigator, First Union said.

In a statement to the Herald the retailer said it took the staff allegations "very seriously".

"A thorough investigation was conducted and concluded. Lawful and appropriate steps have been taken and is now resolved."

First Union national organiser Kate Davis had been told the manager had an "in team" and that staff which were not part of it were treated badly.

Complainants are older workers, with the youngest aged in her forties through to those close to retirement age.

One employee, who worked at the store for 16 years, told First Union there had been no tension between staff and management until the manager started working at the store.

The Warehouse Group employs 14,000 people and 7000 at The Warehouse.

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