As someone who sits in middle mgt, I can tell you first hand those who were dismissed lacked what was needed for next level success. Perspective matters, so where we each sit, we perceive augmented realities. In addition, the convos and rhetoric of some that were separated, would have continued to poison minds of newness, openness, and willingness to simply execute. We need those who will execute, and I can speak with confidence where we had great leadership, store conditions were delivering Our Promise, those with poor leadership, presented a Our Promise broken.
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You are either playing devils advocate or you surely are the picture dictionary of the company man. You know, the kind that didn’t get promoted because you were head and shoulders above your peers. You were promoted because you have been around awhile with a lot of knowledge but not much of a sense of urgency or self motivation. No doubt you are also a s— up. J was being polite using the word “up”. Kroger’s mistake here was the entire way they handled this. The message was sent to anyone in entry level management who wants to advance... your security ends by dipping your toe in the water. Rodney is going to go down as the person who brought down a mighty company. His vision has been detrimental to the company and he can’t fix his mistakes. Furthermore anybody brought in to replace him will be faced with backlash from any stakeholders in the company because to fix the problem he/she is going to have to shake things up. Our failures are from not letting store managers run their stores. They are just bean counters who check off boxes and do what is on their daily list. A list sent down that plans their day. Such a turn around from the way this company was built. Luckily I am at the back end of my career and I will be gone before the doors are closed forever.
Out of people we lost, only half were deserved, the other half, didn't make sense. The ones that didn't make sense exemplified everything the company wanted AND kept associates and customers happy. There are still some id–ts who didn't lose their job, nor bumped down. We slimmed down our regionals and instead of keeping those that knew what they were doing, kept the sh–ty ones who have continually FAILED, still don't know after 5yrs what products we sell and don't know basic SPA screens or functions. When you keep my supervisor who is wiping out my shelf because he doesn't like the look of it and it's a Kroger STANDARD, there is something wrong. When you have supervisors come in to tell you that your doing it wrong and tell you to do it their way (AGAINST POLICY), and they aren't letting THEM go? That should tell you they aren't looking at PEOPLE, they are looking at NUMBERS. Your just a number. Fewer employee's in a store is a GOOD thing to Kroger, high retention is NOT. You obviously haven't done your research. Keep swallowing those pills Kroger has been giving you.
Loyal 30, from the looks of the comments you have a long way to go to get your "poison" out of the stores. It may take 30 more years of your time.
We used to spend around $600 a month at our neighborhood Smith's store. For all of the reason outlined above, and my resentment of what they are obviously doing to employees, prompted us to stop shopping with Kroger. I refuse to check myself out, I do not work for you. When there are check stands open, the line is often 5-6 customers deep, with no staff on hand to open more. Ever tried to check out a big bill of groceries through self check out? It's a nightmare, and something I will not do. I realize Kroger doesn't care about my business, obviously. Self check exists solely to cut personnel.
Rodney should have been first!
They got rid of some of the best people who worked with the employees and handled customers complaints with integrity . While keeping employees that are useless id–ts who know how to screw everyone up and then they wonder why everyone is short staffed who would want to work at such a place where no matter how much you work you are part time
So how does one get a proper prospective on the decisions regarding managers that were let go....when some Managers just came out of MD1 training, were kept and then some Managers that were let go...had no documentations in their file, nor were given any kind of developmantal discussions and started out in the company some as baggers and worked their way up the ranks and were asked to go into the MD1 program.. if indeed they lacked the ability to move forward.... what does that tell you about the coaching and leadership of District staff...
If you’re in middle management then you also know they have a PED process that should have weeded these folks out if they are poor performers. So using your logic there are some District Managers and HR folks who should be separated too for not performing their jobs as they should.
This is about saving money plain and simple and you can’t save your way into profitability, you have to sell your way into it. Right now they’re k–ling the cash cow that is brick & mortar.
And for the record....I have more time with the company than you do.
True statements. The top executives live in a fantasy world. I worked for the company for over 26 yrs. If the Bigs were touring stores they would have a prepared itinerary. You would think that the president was coming. The flunkies would be like secret service agents coming in the store to make sure everything was polished before the visitors arrived!!
Even when the top ppl come into stores they don't see the truth - they are lied to because the district staff and executives don't want to give bad news and show that they are failing - They dress up the stores to look much better than they actually are. Eventually though the truth comes out in the numbers - but then it's just blamed on something that isn't true because again.. these high paid execs and DM's don't want to take any responsibility.
The ceo knows nothing of what goes on with in the stores as he is never in any stores except maybe ohio stores and I also I don't think that laying people off and than getting pay raises and bonuses was exactly fair?
You are full of it and just a yes man or woman most of us work all are life’s and put heart and soul to run our stores and to treat are employees with respect and dignity. So go ahead and put us down. Remember you reap what you sow.
Well someone drank the Kool Aid.
The thing missing in most cases for the associates as you put it lack the ability to proceed to the next level is training and mentoring.
One that has been with the company 30 years and is only at mid management level should not be so judgmental.
It all circles back though to the fact that Rodney and upper management all got major raises and bonuses when they failed to deliver. They were responsible for the people in those positions in the first place. The managers were set up to fail and becoming increasingly overwhelmed with less hours and less competent new hires. There haven't been managers with business degrees in those positions for years even though it used to be a prerequisite. The company is only interested in people who have managed to game the system. Customers are angry at lack of service and any real management that they can see in the stores. It's not all about the stockholders. They will come if they see value in the stores.
So as a very smart person, would you say Rodney has shown what great leadership looks like? I mean shouldn't he be let go too? It seems to me that he has not been on top of his game and should of seen this coming. So from your perspective, should he step down? That seems to be ( from where I'm sitting ) my reality. So let's see if you say the same for the man who was suppose to lead us and the man who was a part of promoting all those you say had no vision for so many years that brought us to this very day and what we're seeing now. Go ahead, tell us you think Rodney should step down. If you can't are won't, then what you said are just words you learned how to spell in school. But if you can and will, then I respect what you say. That's what it looks like from my reality. Good luck to you, and good luck to all of the rest of you. The ones who will move on will make it. It just wasn't in there plans. Doesn't make thinking of Christmas seem so jolly.