Does anyone have any info?
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That would be schadenfreude worth its weight if HR got the kn--e.
No call changes yet. I know that HR did some restructuring as far as who does what and who assists each group, as of today. Maybe that's all this is about.
Anyone hear of any unexpected meetings popping up this week? Anyone’s normal conference call times moved to later in the week?
Here's how I think things will go down if those of us with long memories are right, and what you can do in the meantime;
If you trust your field operations staff in positions of management; ahead of Thursday ask them if they have been sent last minute meeting requests. Depending on how high up your friends in the chain go, you may hear about new meeting requests as early as Monday. Meetings start from the highest point in the field staff (Group VPs) and work their way downwards. GVPs tell Regional Managers, RMs tell Store Managers, separate meetings with talking points. If unscheduled meetings appear leading up to Thursday, know that this is so that a 'seamless' change can be executed.
As of this post assume no one knows anything in field operations right up to the GVPs, this sort of skull duggery is deliberately rolled without warning to prevent unstructured dissemination of 'sensitive' information. HR has already completed their project which was begun at or just before the time the videos went out about the 'new vision' for this fiscal year. This new operational structure has been approved by the executive council. RM already knows. None of them will face any backlash, they followed orders. Because it takes time to process spreadsheets and have the right language (yes, they come prepared with scripts to use) they would begin the process early to midweek.
By Wednesday, documentation will have been released, and Thursday after the meeting it's likely a follow-up for the regions will be had. By Friday, the changes will have been implemented in order to avoid a loss of productivity by putting the weekend between the news and the start of business on Monday.
If you are of the sort to tie emotions to work, have boxes ready, logically think about what you will need to take with you. When news like this is delivered, it is very hard to think clearly. You will not be given time to really process. Follett is like an abusive spouse, and their ability to gaslight institutional failures is as good as their ability to make it about your shortcomings and your actions. Either way, accept that they are leaving you, and those at the top would literally consume one another if it came down to it in order to survive. No one on the executive council took a pay cut or suffered hardship during COVID, to them, it was failure of field management to adapt to changing conditions that leaves us where we are now.
This is not meant as scare mongering, and I certainly hope I am an id--t for laying it out, but this is what they do. They're very good at it, they've been at this a long time. I hope very much you all (and myself) make it to Friday in one piece.
That's the operational model used by B&N College stores; ASM only for management at locations with sales below a certain figure. Satellite campuses have the equivalent of a team lead as store management. Follett is exactly the sort to say 'yeah, that works for them, it's genius!' then try and pass it off as their own 'innovation in uncertain times.' Yes, I have seen this set up at play, really. B&N realized they can run a satellite with someone who isn't required to have a HS equivalency for 9/hr, think of the shareholder value in overhead expense reduction!
Ever since they started pushing hiring ASMs for small stores I have thought the goal was to ultimately replace the SMs. Beginning of 2020 I had next to no hours to give a Team Lead. Covid hits, sales tank, and then in the Fall of 2020 I’m told to hire an ASM. While I appreciate the help it just doesn’t seem to add up.
part two of my paranoid thinking; for field teams, by the time of this supposed 'kick off call' want listing for summer and fall, as well as the large bulk of purchase orders will have been sent off for summer (semester schools, I'd be interested in hearing from quarter schools on this one.) In other words, the things which require actual skills are done, NextThing drones can turn on the lights if people do leave in the face of 'reclassification' allowing for minimal impact. Wonder if there are going to be a flurry of field calls ahead of time since the kick off is set for, you guessed it, a Thursday! Want to inspire confidence oh chosen of the ivory tower? release the slides ahead of time. Prove me wrong.
The other thing that keeps chattering at the back of my paranoid headpan is the fact that at the start of the new fiscal year all nominally exempt employees in field positions were informed they would have to start keeping their schedule in Kronos, as well as any subordinates (which was always expected.) Why do I get the feeling we'll soon find we're non-exempt with the major cost cutting explained in the same way they explained the first major cut? dynamic response to the needs of our campus allowing us flexibility and optimal customer service? Never mind the RMs will allow it because A.) they have no power and B.) Thank god it's not them (which is the guilty thing anyone with more than two years has told themselves each ki----g season) and just like that store managers will become ASMs and the positions will be reclassified once more based on income earned. Never mind it was income during a pandemic, numbers are numbers and they don't lie!
YOU DO NOT HAVE TO BE GROSSLY NEGLIGENT TO BE FIRED AT follett. YOU SIMPLY HAD TO HAVE WORKED FOR THE COMPANY FOR MORE THAN 20 YEARS. THAT PUTS YOU ON A LIST.
Same Stuff, Different Day (stuff being a stand in for S***)
SSDD = Solid–state disk Drive
What’s SSDD?
It's SSDD. Now they know how much they can cut courtesy of COVID it's a kick off of the new fiscal year by brow beating everyone because of their incompetence. They'll try to then say we're brave or charting unknown lands but we can do it. Just make sure you're the one on the barbed wire for them to crawl over.
The way the associates are being treated in the field you're lucky to retain staff that can fog a mirror. What's that old saying, you get what you pay for.
Just to clarify for those who don't understand it Corporate HR is there to protect the company NOT to help you or the associates. First response from HR is to bully you. You're WRONG, YOU SCREWED UP! WHAT ARE YOU GOING TO DO????
We value each and every associate! (yeah sure!)
Like most HR departments, that are useless and I have no idea what they actually do. Went to them twice over two extremely difficult coworkers
You’d have to be grossly negligent to get fired from Follett
A lot of people barely phoning it in at home office
No idea specifically, but probably just more tasks for us to handle in the store, what with our expanding payroll budget and shortened list of responsibilities, ya know.