I have been with them for 5 years. Got promoted to supervisor about 2 years after starting. We as supervisors would get a bonus per month depending on the performance of our own department. I used to get maybe 15 to 20 % of my monthly pay as a bonus per month. And I got it almost EVERY month. Then the company stopped that and made it where every supervisor gets a bonus ONLY if the store instead of the department meets it's goals. So it was an all or nothing bonus, and the individual had less control over whether or not they get a bonus. Our store really did terrible because of a new management change. So we all never got our bonuses save for one time. We got this horrible, horrible person (who is still here) who cares nothing for anything other than his own job, and it showed. He lies to your face as well as to the customer's face. He goes out of his way to get people fired. As a matter of fact, he was recently telling us good strategies on how to fire people, as in how to work the system. There are so many other things this creep does to make me deem him not only the worst managers I have ever worked for, but one of the most evil persons I know. I started having panic attacks soon after, which may have been due in part that a good friend of mine (and manager at another store) had told me my manager was trying to fire ME but couldn't.
Anyway, I am straying off subject. Our store did well last year during the holidays so the bonuses we didn't get during the month would come to us in a yearly bonus. We knew about this bonus for about 4 or 5 months and, of course, were eagerly anticipating it. Most of us made plans because a computer screen updated us to the exact sum we would be getting. I was very excited about it. We would receive our bonus at the beginning of this month (May). Recently, the company started imposing weekly business meetings to be held on Sunday mornings at 8am (our store opens at 11am on Sundays), every Sunday much to my chagrin. (If you want to know why it's so damn hard to get help alot, it's because they terribly misuse labor and alot of it is spent on these stupid and unnecessary meetings, so they can't pay for their to be extra people on the floor to help customers). We also as sups should get one to two weekends off per month but apparently the company has done away with that. So now it is rare I can spend time with my friends on the weekends because of meetings and no more weekends off.
Back to the yearly bonus issue... At the last of these meetings (this past Sunday; a mere two weeks before we are supposed to get our bonus), we found out we may be lucky to recieve 20 to 30 % of this bonus. The company also unveiled a new yearly employee evaluation that is based alot on performance numbers (instead of behaviors, like the old ones did) and how the store does as a whole. They are EXTREMELY harsh. A supervisor that was better than probably 85% of the company got only a 2 out of a 5 on this thing. The percent of the bonus you get is also determined by this score, so with his 2, he *may* receive 5 to 10 % of his bonus. There goes his honeymoon he planned with that bonus. My slack manager (the same guy I mentioned earlier) has not gone over my review with me, but I know it will be awful. So I will be lucky to see a dollar of my bonus. Also, yearly raises are determined by this thing. So this same sup (whos been with the company for more years than myself) will not only NOT get much of his bonus but will not get a raise either. He isn't happy and has already discussed with me that his performance at work has been "affected". So I can expect the same outcome for myself.
All of this to save money for the company, who enjoyed a great increase in comparable revenue and profit last year. The biggest change, though, is that many supervisors lost their titles (and alot lost their payrate) as many departments got merged into one (Video and Audio into one department, PC and Tech depts. into one, etc; managers would run these larger departments in addition to their other duties with NO pay increase themselves) so these sups were reduced to mere full timers and department seniors (stepdown from supervisor). If they didn't like the change and wanted to quit, they got a whooping 2 week severance package. If they didn't quit, they would be, as stated, full timers without any monthly bonus this time.
Sorry for the long rant, but you can make your own deductions about where this company is headed and that it isn't only the customer that can get screwed. Maybe some of the less friendly employees you have come across are just merely disgruntled at being swindled in the name of greed. Hard to keep a smile when you think about that debt you can't pay, that vacation you can no longer take, or that medical procedure you can no longer get (this one is also one of the results of this bonus fiasco). I know alot of people who have quit or are going to quit because of this. What does that mean? A much newer staff that will require more training that is going to eat up the ever shrinking labor budget that is going to mean less people on the floor to help you which means less sales and the vicious cycle continues.
I recently cancelled my employee stock plan and am currently in the process of getting another job. I have some vacation time coming up and I am going to spend that doing resumes and planning for my "ship-jumping". My roommate tells me of this job that seems great, but it probably isn't anything extraordinary; it's just they seem to take better care of their employees like any employment should do and it looks good to me.
Thanks for reading and hopefully you have a better understanding of this company.
Anyway, I am straying off subject. Our store did well last year during the holidays so the bonuses we didn't get during the month would come to us in a yearly bonus. We knew about this bonus for about 4 or 5 months and, of course, were eagerly anticipating it. Most of us made plans because a computer screen updated us to the exact sum we would be getting. I was very excited about it. We would receive our bonus at the beginning of this month (May). Recently, the company started imposing weekly business meetings to be held on Sunday mornings at 8am (our store opens at 11am on Sundays), every Sunday much to my chagrin. (If you want to know why it's so damn hard to get help alot, it's because they terribly misuse labor and alot of it is spent on these stupid and unnecessary meetings, so they can't pay for their to be extra people on the floor to help customers). We also as sups should get one to two weekends off per month but apparently the company has done away with that. So now it is rare I can spend time with my friends on the weekends because of meetings and no more weekends off.
Back to the yearly bonus issue... At the last of these meetings (this past Sunday; a mere two weeks before we are supposed to get our bonus), we found out we may be lucky to recieve 20 to 30 % of this bonus. The company also unveiled a new yearly employee evaluation that is based alot on performance numbers (instead of behaviors, like the old ones did) and how the store does as a whole. They are EXTREMELY harsh. A supervisor that was better than probably 85% of the company got only a 2 out of a 5 on this thing. The percent of the bonus you get is also determined by this score, so with his 2, he *may* receive 5 to 10 % of his bonus. There goes his honeymoon he planned with that bonus. My slack manager (the same guy I mentioned earlier) has not gone over my review with me, but I know it will be awful. So I will be lucky to see a dollar of my bonus. Also, yearly raises are determined by this thing. So this same sup (whos been with the company for more years than myself) will not only NOT get much of his bonus but will not get a raise either. He isn't happy and has already discussed with me that his performance at work has been "affected". So I can expect the same outcome for myself.
All of this to save money for the company, who enjoyed a great increase in comparable revenue and profit last year. The biggest change, though, is that many supervisors lost their titles (and alot lost their payrate) as many departments got merged into one (Video and Audio into one department, PC and Tech depts. into one, etc; managers would run these larger departments in addition to their other duties with NO pay increase themselves) so these sups were reduced to mere full timers and department seniors (stepdown from supervisor). If they didn't like the change and wanted to quit, they got a whooping 2 week severance package. If they didn't quit, they would be, as stated, full timers without any monthly bonus this time.
Sorry for the long rant, but you can make your own deductions about where this company is headed and that it isn't only the customer that can get screwed. Maybe some of the less friendly employees you have come across are just merely disgruntled at being swindled in the name of greed. Hard to keep a smile when you think about that debt you can't pay, that vacation you can no longer take, or that medical procedure you can no longer get (this one is also one of the results of this bonus fiasco). I know alot of people who have quit or are going to quit because of this. What does that mean? A much newer staff that will require more training that is going to eat up the ever shrinking labor budget that is going to mean less people on the floor to help you which means less sales and the vicious cycle continues.
I recently cancelled my employee stock plan and am currently in the process of getting another job. I have some vacation time coming up and I am going to spend that doing resumes and planning for my "ship-jumping". My roommate tells me of this job that seems great, but it probably isn't anything extraordinary; it's just they seem to take better care of their employees like any employment should do and it looks good to me.
Thanks for reading and hopefully you have a better understanding of this company.
). anyway, good luck in your job search. you won't look back.
