What are the reasons and implications of this? This sounds super sketchy to me. I'm sure they'll tell us it's to "take the burden off SMs" or some BS like that, but knowing Follett, I feel like there are more nefarious reasons.
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Are asm’s going to be laid off then have to re-apply thru the temp agency?
After working for several years with Follett and recently laid off due to the pandemic, I decided it was time to move on. It completely broke me, thinking that I was going to retire there. I still hear of so many people there that have worked over 10 years, and I think to myself how devastated they are going to be one day when they realize how much time of their life they put in just to be squished like a bug.
I can tell you years ago working in retail for another company that went bankrupt. One of the first things I started doing was bringing in people from Tempe agencies. What We did was train them enough so that they were familiar with opening closing security passcodes whatever. Within a matter of a few weeks they for filed bankruptcy and these people took over. They have the keys and security and everything else and then they brought in more temps as well as some of us could stay on to help sell off the product Or we could walk out the door that day. They had a whole team of people coming in. Very bizarre times but not unusual. I just need to find another job for just a short while. I will be retiring soon and obviously not with Follett.
By using a temp agency for labor, Follett can eliminate having to provide actual real-time pay their store employees. Instead they wait on the invoice from the temp service which they will sit on for 90 days or longer. Or maybe they never pay. It's a way to get free labor.
That's what I was thinking also. If there are a few small stores in a close area, get rid of the SMs, consolidate under one "area manager" or something, and have the day-to-day store operations run by these new ASMs. Obviously just a guess but we'll see what happens!
I agree. I was told I can hire a PT ASM for a few hours a week. Last year I could barely have a team lead. Sales are dramatically down from last year. This doesn’t make sense unless they plan to replace SMs.
I believe its highly unlikely there are stores turning a large enough profit to benefit from the addition of an ASM. Over a decade of experience watching hatchet jobs leaves me to think this is outsourcing another elimination of position; mainly that of store manager I positions. Someone probably has family vacations secured for the next five years in signing the same jokers that botched temp staffing nationally to handle the 'reclassification' project.
They don't have to justify mismanagement, they just have to say that in order to maintain profitability in these uncertain times the 'hard' decision was made to move forward with major restructuring, then go out for margaritas while an external firm works the whole process. Upset and decide to leave? That is OK, as you read in the email, they're going to be working to fill ASM positions diligently thereby justifying the expense of an outside consultant. As an affected party, I'll do my best to document the process, then go home and enjoy a margarita filled with trazadone. If you think I'm joking you're mistaken.
If you haven't begun working on an out, I suggest today at this moment you do so. Update that resume, get it out there. Be proactive, just like they're being proactive in hiding behind a pandemic to avoid responsibility for mismanagement.