Thread regarding Jo-Ann Stores Inc. layoffs

One week for every year severance pay and no benefits.

Those of us still here are drowning, exec team has promised a reduction of workload yet haven’t seen that happen at all. They treat us like id--ts - think we can’t read graphs and sales data during all-hands meetings when they try and convince us we are “ok”. No leadership amongst the group of people making millions while those of us halfway to 6 figures are ki-ling ourselves.
People around the halls don’t even hide the fact they are looking for new jobs, won’t be long til this building sits empty and becomes an eyesore for Hudson. Let’s fire one of the execs that do absolutely nothing and disburse their salary amongst the employees that bust their as--s every single day and have chosen to stick it out for a company with no future.

My heart breaks for all the people let go. I saw the writing on the wall and left before this last round of layoffs. Unfortunately this wasn’t the first round and won’t be the last. I agree with everyone saying the senior team should be let go. They make way too much money and have done absolutely nothing. They convinced their workers that everything was going to be fine and that the first round of layoffs would most likely be the last. Three rounds later, they’re still getting rid of people. The moral was bad before I left, I can’t imagine what it’s like now!! I can’t believe the board of directors haven’t pulled out and washed their hands of this mess!

Layoffs are tough, but sitting with an HR person that you don't know while she reads from a page to lay you off is ridiculous. This could have been handled better. Little severance, no transition services and they cut off benefits that day. What kind of company does that? I'm truly disgusted by what has happened. I wish them well only because I still know so many who still work there.

I work for Leaf Filter and our C-suite is frothing at the mouth because y'all got laid off. "We want that talent" DONT DO IT. Looks like a lot of the same bs, just a different name on the side of the building. Job seekers beware.

@Anonymous I'm one of the people still there, and I heard 1 weeks severance for every 2 years of service.

They sent out an early AM email (7:00) saying they were restructuring and listing different 2.5 hour windows for various departments/teams. They said to be at your computer for your hours, because you might get an email for a meeting, where they'd can you. Apparently the timing wasn't perfect though and people had to wait outside the room to be laid off.

I don't even know that many people at work, and yet I personally know of at least 3 people off the top of my head that had been there for 20+ years in one department let go.

I'm horrified to read how Corporate let these employees of many years go. I will remember this & make a point to avoid JoAnn stores - I would often buy my yarn & other things there out of convenience. But now I will be buying on-line from other suppliers. I refuse to support a company who treats their employees like trash after they've given so many years of their lives to working hard there.

Politics is all you heard from management. Threats write ups. Well just hope karma got a few of them.

Oh, where did you hear 180?

I heard 135, but based on the percent of people in my area that were let go and my knowledge of the workforce before this happened (~900), plus the size of the EOD Zoom call, I was guessing closer to 200-225.

they laid off 180 people!!!! and the package was an equivalent of month of salary.

Read the other threads on this site as well. The level of inhumanity to let people go who worked hard, while keeping those kiss-a-s executives in place is unfathomable. Every single decision they've made has led us up to this moment. Mistep after mistep has allowed a narrow-minded group of executives to destroy what Cleveland family had created. If most of those C-Suites aren't fired soon, this whole dumpster fire of a company will go down in flames. I guess they're not worried since the Board will make sure their severance package is sweet. They have been firing people at will recently knowing full well this was coming. Talk to anyone working under the C-Suite or middle-manager level and they will give tell you things that would make your head spin. Their is no moral compass at this company, no honor, no decency, and certainly no one who actually cares. Telling people to come to a meeting and then not allowing them to collect their bags/purses themselves, while HR is rushing you out the door. People with 20+ years of experience treated like someone that committed treason. THAT IS NOT HOW YOU TREAT SOMEONE THAT HAS WORKED FOR YOU! What will it take for the Board to wake up and get rid of Chris DiTullio, Janet Duliga, Scott Sekella, Rob Will, Ann Aber, Joe Thibault, Lisa Whittman-Smith, and John Stalcup. THESE PEOPLE HAVE DESTROYED THE COMPANY!!! Oh, and we can't forget our old buddy Wade Miquelon who was most famous for getting two DUI's before coming to Joann. This company has survived approximately 80 years in business, but it's not going to survive much longer at this point.

Yupp. Just got hired to get fired.

Does anyone know if people got severance pay? How did they do it? Were you booked for a last-minute meeting with HR? Jeez. This su-ks so bad.

I left JOANN about a year ago. They didn't backfill my role, just took that work and gave it to a few people to do (who were already overworked). I am heartbroken for everyone impacted by this, SO many talented, hard-working people were let go yesterday, and yet so much dead weight wasn't cut. The people (old white men) with the "big ideas" wasted the most money and resources on the"blue ocean" projects (eye roll) while ignoring the real problems in the company. I hope everyone let go yesterday finds their way to better roles with better companies!

Was let go too smh

I've cut fabric at a Joann's for two years because I like the work and discounts, but what a dumpster fire! (I'm a retired business manager.) Cr-p products, cr-p brands, filthy stores, way understaffed, and run by people who don't sew. I can't even imagine now - half of the cash registers don't work (oh, well, there's only ever one cashier working), most of the equipment is broken, including scanners, radios, and telephones. Fabric comes crushed and dirty from the mill, with bar-codes too small to scan. Overpriced junk, most of which has nothing to do with sewing. Joann's is the Dollar Store of sewing. It's a great place for a beginner to find the basics, but serious sewists (including me), get their fabric for important projects somewhere else. POP and Big Twist and Top Notch - all Joann's brands, including fleece and cotton, are inferior products. The flannel feels like sandpaper!

“Restructuring?” That’s funny. How about greedy & egotistical men that don’t know a thing about the products in their stores? These guys obsessed with their flashy cars (Aston Martin with the MNYPNNY plate), investing in things like Weaveup and Ditto, pushing public stock on employees, investing in a vanity Cleveland office that no one used, or a DC for online that no one can figure out. These greedy twerps don’t know how to manage money. Why the board isn’t clearing house on executive row is mind boggling. You want to cut costs and have people in place to execute strategy to keep the business going? Get rid of Rob Will to start, along with his boys club of butt-kissing cronies at VP & Director level. That will eliminate a couple million in payroll combined along with increase office morale 3,000%. How completely stupid to eliminate some of the most knowledgeable data, product development, and inventory minds. You can’t replace them! Enjoy your 90 cent stock price and that no one respects you in the company or probably at home too.

you can call it a restructure...but it was really a huge salary dump. Many people at the top of their paygrades with yrs of dedication to the company.15 to 20+ years devoted only to be cast away.

One poor lady was handed her layoff notice the same day as her baby shower. Pretty shameless.

Some of the most incredible talent they had on board were let go yesterday. The best ones remaining are furious at who was cut. Even those working out in the field are losing their minds as some of the team members that they respected and who actually helped them were cut. The strong folks remaining at corporate will likely leave of their own accord soon. There are some internal people who were cut that were literally the life-blood of the company. Their tribal knowledge of what the company has an has not done and what mistakes have been made is irreplaceable. The culture inside the building has been increasingly toxic since Travis Smith left the president position. It’s sad to see a company that so many were devoted to spiral down to a penny stock listing on the exchange. Morale was already extremely low, and for those remaining it is going to feel like a daily funeral. Don’t get me wrong, there are still some strong people remaining, but they also made some SERIOUS mistakes in who they cut. This will hurt them as they need to quickly pivot and strategize a game plan. They need new senior leadership ASAP, the board needs to make swift changes to save this company. Sad day in Ohio. For those of you who were cut, network and see who knows who. I wish you all the best.

The company is so poorly run. Management is severely overpaid driving around in super expensive cars making six figures, yet completely incapable of running a company. The board of directors doesn’t even have a clue how management has demoralized their employees and they clearly don’t care. This company is like the Titanic…this ship is sinking and doomed. Many good people were let go while horrible middle managers remain there to destroy the rest of the employees’ morale.

I was cut at the corporate office today, too. It is widespread and many talented, seasoned people were let go. This is a desperate move to attempt to shore up the stock price which is flirting with a delisting. It will fail. Bankruptcy is looming.

From what I gather, it seems like a large percentage of people were let go. Could be 20% or more of corporate HQ.

Was let go as well. Stay strong everyone.

Yup. My wife just got let go at corporate.