Thread regarding Sears layoffs

Severance

I believe severance packages between field and corporate employees do differ. At corporate it tends to be a week for every year at the company with a minimum amount. Back for the February layoff it was a 10 week minimum. This past week I was told a 6 week minimum.

As far as I know, this last week IT and Inventory departments were once again affected.

Which, btw, is my guess as to why the inventory you are receiving at the stores has been so messed up... they have let go so many from Inventory time and time again in an effort for getting more things automated. But the "new" system they are trying to get going to run the automated processes basically doesn't work right... and it has been a work in process for years now, the project that never ends...

There may have been more departments involved in this last week's layoffs, but I wouldn't know. There was no email the day after this time around, as there was back in February, and I was told they were trying to keep it "hush hush" as much as possible this go around.

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| 1971 views | | 10 replies (last October 15, 2016) | Reply
Post ID: @OP+JMIsFtA

10 replies (most recent on top)

Store associates get 1 week for every year of employment up to a MAXIMUM of 8 weeks. Store Managers and ASM get 1 week for every year up to a MAXIMUM of 26 weeks. It's pathetic. Some associates have been with the company 30 years, 40 years, and all they get is 8 weeks while Eddie raids the company for every scrap.

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Post ID: @6zgk+JMIsFtA

I would think they would be worth their pay if our company was in good shape and everyone was making money and raises.

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Post ID: @2cfo+JMIsFtA

Correction: Eddie Lampert's net worth is $2.2 billion

At the expense of people's pensions, wages, 401ks...........

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Post ID: @2zqm+JMIsFtA

Eddie Lampert's net worth is 3.2 BILLION dollars.

I don't begrudge Eddie seeing an opportunity and making a fortune off it. What I do begrudge is doing it off the backs of minimum wage employees and treating them is such a greedy manner as to never offer raises or have funding in the stores to offer proper goodbye parties, holiday parties etc. Sears gives nothing but the bare minimum to its employees and then disposes of them at will without any regard for anyone.

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Post ID: @2umv+JMIsFtA

Here's a last example:

LETTERHEAD OF SEARS HOLDINGS]

April 26, 2013

Mr. Jeffrey A. Balagna

[Adress Omitted]

Dear Jeff,

We are pleased to extend to you our offer to join Sears Holdings Corporation (“SHC”) as Executive Vice President, Chief Information Officer, reporting to the board for the Information and Technology Group. Your start date will be June 6, 2013. This letter serves as confirmation of our offer, subject to the contingencies listed below. Please note that the offer also is subject to the approval of the Compensation Committee of SHC’s Board of Directors (“Compensation Committee”).

The key elements of your compensation package are as follows:

Annual base salary at a rate of $750,000.

Participation in the Sears Holdings Corporation Annual Incentive Plan (“AIP”) with an annual incentive opportunity of 150% of your base salary. Your target incentive under the 2013 AIP will be prorated from your start date through February 1, 2014, the last day of SHC’s 2013 fiscal year. Notwithstanding the forgoing, for SHC’s 2013 fiscal year, you will be eligible to receive an incentive payment equal to the greater of (a) the actual incentive earned and payable to you under the 2013 AIP or (b) $600,000 (gross) (“Special Incentive Award”). The Special Incentive Award will be reduced by any amount payable to you under the 2013 AIP. Any incentive payable with respect to a fiscal year (including the Special Incentive Award) will be paid by April 15th of the following fiscal year, provided that you are actively employed at the payment date. Further details regarding your 2013 AIP target award will be provided to you following your start date.

Participation in the SHC long-term incentive program (“LTI”). Your target incentive opportunity under the LTI will be 150% of your base salary. Your participation in SHC’s 2013 LTI will be prorated from your start date through January 30, 2016, the last day of SHC’s 2015 fiscal year. Further details regarding your 2013 LTI target award will be provided to you following your start date.

Subject to approval of the Compensation Committee of SHC’s Board of Directors (“Compensation Committee”), you will receive a grant of restricted stock valued at $1,500,000 under a stock plan sponsored by Sears Holdings Corporation. The number of restricted shares granted will be determined using the market closing price of Sears Holdings shares on the grant date (rounded to the nearest whole share). The grant date will be the first business day of the month following the later of (a) the date upon which we receive both your executed Executive Severance Agreement (see below) and the approval of the Compensation Committee of this grant or (b) your start date. The restricted shares granted will be scheduled to vest on a graded basis, with one-third of the shares granted vesting on each of the next three (3) anniversaries of the grant date.

You will receive a one-time sign-on bonus of $842,500 (gross). This sign-on bonus will be payable within thirty (30) days following your start date. In the event you voluntarily terminate your employment with SHC or are terminated by SHC for misconduct or integrity issues within twenty-four (24) months of your start date, you will be required to repay the full amount of the payment paid to you, including any taxes withheld, unless

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Post ID: @2gyc+JMIsFtA

Another example:

[SEARS HOLDINGS LETTERHEAD]

August 15, 2011

Mr. Robert A. Schriesheim

[Address Omitted]

Dear Rob,

We are pleased to extend to you our offer to join Sears Holdings Corporation (“SHC”) as Executive Vice President, reporting to SHC’s Chief Executive Officer and President, Louis D’Ambrosio. Your start date will be August 16, 2011. Effective on or about August 22, 2011, you will assume the title and responsibilities of Chief Financial Officer, in which capacity you also will report to Mr. D’Ambrosio. This letter serves as confirmation of our offer subject to the contingencies listed below. Please note that this offer has been approved by the Compensation Committee of SHC’s Board of Directors (“Compensation Committee”). This offer is contingent upon you signing the attached Executive Severance Agreement (the “Agreement”).

The key elements of your compensation package are as follows:

Annual base salary at a rate of $800,000, to be reviewed annually.

Participation in the Sears Holdings Corporation Annual Incentive Plan (“AIP”) with an annual incentive opportunity of 150% of your base salary. Your target incentive under the 2011 AIP will be prorated from your start date through January 28, 2012, the last day of SHC’s 2011 fiscal year (“2011 Incentive Opportunity”). Notwithstanding the forgoing, for SHC’s 2011 fiscal year, you will be eligible to receive an incentive payment equal to the greater of (a) the actual incentive earned and payable to you under the 2011 AIP or (b) 100% of your 2011 Incentive Opportunity (referred to above) (“Special Incentive Award”). The Special Incentive Award will be reduced by any amount payable to you under the 2011 AIP. Any incentive payable with respect to a fiscal year (including the Special Incentive Award) will be paid April 15th of the following fiscal year, provided that you are actively employed at the payment date or are terminated by SHC for reasons other than Cause (as defined in the Agreement) after the last day of the 2011 fiscal year and prior to the payment date. Further details regarding our 2011 AIP target award will be provided to you following your start date.

You will be eligible to receive a special cash retention bonus equal to the greater of (a) the actual incentive earned and payable to you under the 2012 AIP or (b) 50% of your target incentive opportunity under the 2012 AIP (“Retention Award”), following SHC’s 2012 fiscal year, subject to the following terms. The Retention Award will be reduced by any amount payable to you under the 2012 AIP and will be paid April 15, 2013, provided that you are actively employed at the payment date.

You will receive a one-time cash sign-on bonus of $350,000 (gross). This sign-on bonus will be payable within thirty (30) days following your start date. In the event you voluntarily terminate your employment with SHC (other than for Good Reason) or are terminated by SHC for Cause within twenty four (24) months of your start date, you will be required to repay this amount to SHC within thirty (30) days of your last day worked.

Subject to approval of the Compensation Committee, you will receive the following grants of restricted stock under the Sears Holdings Corporation 2006 Stock Plan:

An initial grant of restricted stock valued at $4,000,000. The number of restricted shares granted will be determined using the market closing price of SHC shares on the grant date. The grant date will be Monday, August 22, 2011, provided we have received your executed Agreement. The restricted shares granted will be scheduled to vest on a graded basis, with one-third (1/3rd) of the shares granted vesting on each of the next three (3) anniversaries of the grant date.

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Post ID: @2ejx+JMIsFtA

Below is part of the employment offer I cut and pasted from the SEC site. You can read the whole thing yourself at the Edgar SEC website. This is all public info. J

une 11, 2015

Girish Lakshman

[Address Omitted]

Dear Girish,

We are pleased to extend to you our offer to join Sears Holdings Corporation (“SHC”) as President, Fulfillment, Supply Chain until such time that a work location in the Seattle area is identified. This letter serves as confirmation of our offer, subject to all of the contingencies listed below and subject to the approval of the Compensation Committee (“Compensation Committee”) of SHC’s Board of Directors.

The key elements of your compensation package and the other conditions of your employment are as follows:

Annual base salary at a rate of $800,000

You will receive a one-time sign-on bonus of $500,000. This sign-on bonus will be payable within thirty (30) days following your start date. In the event your employment with SHC is terminated, you will be required to repay all or a portion of the sign-on bonus, including taxes withheld, unless prohibited by law, to SHC within thirty (30) days of your last day worked in accordance with the following schedule:

100% if terminated by SHC for misconduct or integrity issues within twenty-four (24) months of your start date; or

100% if you voluntarily terminate your employment with SHC within twelve (12) months of your start date

Participation in the Sears Holdings Corporation Annual Incentive Plan (“AIP”) with an annual target incentive opportunity of 150% of your base salary. Your target incentive under the 2015 AIP will be prorated from your start date through January 30, 2016, the last day of SHC’s 2015 fiscal year. Any incentive payable with respect to a fiscal year will be paid by April 15th of the following fiscal year, provided that you are actively employed at the payment date. Further details regarding your 2015 AIP target award will be provided to you following your start date.

You will be eligible to receive a Special Incentive Award with respect to each of SHC’s 2015 and 2016 fiscal years, payable by April 15th of the fiscal year following the applicable fiscal year, provided that you are actively employed at the applicable payment date, subject to the following terms:

100% of your target incentive opportunity under the 2015 AIP, subject to reduction by any amount payable to you under the 2015 AIP; and

100% of your target incentive opportunity under the 2016 AIP, subject to reduction by any amount payable to you under the 2016 AIP.

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Post ID: @2iiy+JMIsFtA

If that is what Sears corporate executives ate making,one associate is probably making more than an entire Sears store payroll. I hope the information in the last post was incorrect because I would hate to believe the people destroying Sears are making that kind of income,where at store level you are lucky to make $20,000 for full time any more.

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Post ID: @2qmt+JMIsFtA

Corporate Execs get 1 year severance according to the SEC website. Their salary is about $750,000 $800,00 plus a sign-on bonus of between $350,000-750,000 plus about 1 mill of non-stock options according to the SEC website and letters of job offers that are on file.

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Post ID: @1vop+JMIsFtA

I believe store associates receive only 8 weeks no matter how many years you have with Sears,not sure if it is up to 8 weeks or the same for every one. ASMs use to get more,they may still get one week per year with Sears,but this I am not sure. I would bet corporate gets a much better offer than store associates,but who really knows?

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Post ID: @1hvn+JMIsFtA

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