Wed was an absolute mess see (https://www.thelayoff.com/t/1fUtyDuB)
Today we received an apology meeting letting us know we should not listen to that last guy and hinted he would not be coming back, we were reminded that we had a core group of 3 solid senior leaders in our division that would continue to be a source of stability, (Hy-Vee has cultured a solid tier of capable and caring SVPs and directors from my observation) , the meeting was very reassuring to most people however it stopped short of any explanations of how or why this happened or who was accountable.
Around 2pm we watched a video where our CEO provides information that I believe is misleading at best, or a complete fabrication at worst, lambasts the local media station which he apparently has a deep burning grudge against and comes off as arrogant and a little insulting and completely out of touch of the needs of people who are trying to advance a career for themselves.
Just one guys opinion here:
Everything was handled extremely badly, the decisions, the communication and execution, the decision to remove hybrid working options with limited notice with no explanation as to the reasoning and it appears no one has been held accountable.
Iowans are generally very understanding and would have been very likely willing to accept that there are economic factors at play and are willing to accept someone could have been put in a role that they were not prepared for, we are in general not willing to accept people that are unwilling to take any personal accountability for their decisions and actions.
Mid and senior leaders are probably extremely embarrassed and equally upset about what is happening above them, anyone not invested in their savings plan is looking at their career options.
I think the board should seriously consider having Randal take a medical, psychiatric and substance abuse exam to make sure he's centered and well enough to handle this this important position and barring that he should be required to have some executive level coaching and counseling and be provided with a real public relations person that is contracted from an outside agency and is accountable directly to the board to prevent any future self inflicted disasters.
A more aggressive approach might be to consider asking Randal to complete this training and rehab while supervising a night crew stocking shelves at one of our local stores, I absolutely can't imagine that would be beneath his station and I'd honestly be offended if he suggested otherwise. (snark ((if you know, you know)) if this sounds excessively punitive, just remember this guy is likely going to retire with millions, he can eat some crow pie when he's clocked out for his 30 minute lunch break.