New York City is infamous for uncaring/unorganized hiring processes. Job-hunting in Manhattan can be exasperating. Living in an over-saturated job market, employers don't bother fixing their slowness. They don't care; if candidates drop out, others will take their places. To understand that, please click this link:
That was why I agreed to be a "reference" for a former colleague, as he sought a new job. When his recruiter telephoned me, I gave such a polished, expressive, and professional dialogue that the recruiter said, "I speak to hundreds of job-seekers per week, and you are one of the most impressive people to talk to. If you're ever looking for a new job, please contact me." I desired a new job, so the recruiter (truly one of the few helpful/dutiful ones in NYC) launched my candidacy for a prestigious role at a lofty company. (Life Lesson: doing good deeds for others sometimes comes back to help you, too). Unfortunately, my "dream job" was a mirage/sham. The first steps to get in were the first indications.
As an applicant, when you get a favorable response, you must withhold excitement, because the next series of interviews might continue for months. That was the situation my the hiring process at my "dream job".
Amidst tens of thousands of applicants, I interviewed for a job at a prestigious global retailer. The French company intended to re-open its world-famous flagship after a $100,000,000+ renovation. After innumerable interviews (unlike other companies, they didn't do more than one per day), they accepted me for the role that I applied for. Then, they changed their mind and suggested me working at another pre-existing location. Next, they reversed that and wanted me at the renovated flagship... but in a different capacity. Oops, they explained, THAT capacity was already filled, so they offered a lower-rank position in the flagship. After realizing another mistake, they told me that I could have a different role in the same department. Tenaciously remaining with them, I accepted each proposal.
During that time, I met my future department manager. I interviewed to be her assistant manager. The notion was already approved by HR, the department's director, and the department's national executive: I earned the approval of all of them. Alas, she didn't seem to like me and stalled for ways not to choose me; she continued to meet other candidates. She also stalled my interviews to meet with the store manager where she currently worked (because HR thought I might be a possible contender there, instead of the flagship). In reality, she preferred someone of similar ethnicity to her. Instead of my glossy background of accomplishments and integrity, she chose a woman who was computer-illiterate, could not navigate through the software, and who had never worked in luxury retail. That woman's previous job was managing a T-J Max discount store: a "big box" chain... very unlike the company that she would work at. Yet, that woman woefully needed income for her disheveled life, and I'm certain that she agreed to be our manager's puppet.
However, I had impressed the higher-ups (above my manager) so much that they insisted that I be added to the team at the flagship somehow. I accepted a lower-rank job, and I was thankful for the opportunity. Sometimes, you have to take a "step down" to get into a great career. Many other candidates at the flagship did the same thing. People who were District Managers lowered themselves to be Sales Associates or Assistant Mangers, and graduates with lofty degrees took positions as Sales Assistants or Logistics. Yet, the company made it seem as if its message was: "By joining us, you hereby acknowledge and agree to waive any status or accumulated benefits you accrued during your career. No continuity with any previous role will be recognized".
After months of going back-and-forth, the company's recruiter indicated that the company wanted to hire me... except they weren't actually ready to open for business yet. Due to miscalculations, they were behind schedule. They promised me that they would be ready in 6 more months. Without a job, I was in a predicament. They didn't care.
However, I had impressed the higher-ups (above my manager) so much that they insisted that I be added to the team at the flagship somehow. I accepted a lower-rank job, and I was thankful for the opportunity. Sometimes, you have to take a "step down" to get into a great career. Many other candidates at the flagship did the same thing. People who were District Managers lowered themselves to be Sales Associates or Assistant Mangers, and graduates with lofty degrees took positions as Sales Assistants or Logistics. Yet, the company made it seem as if its message was: "By joining us, you hereby acknowledge and agree to waive any status or accumulated benefits you accrued during your career. No continuity with any previous role will be recognized".
After months of going back-and-forth, the company's recruiter indicated that the company wanted to hire me... except they weren't actually ready to open for business yet. Due to miscalculations, they were behind schedule. They promised me that they would be ready in 6 more months. Without a job, I was in a predicament. They didn't care.
In total, the grand-opening was delayed by 1.5 YEARS because they miscalculated how to do business/construction in NYC. I had to get a part-time job, in the meantime. I had to stay an extra 4 months, because the building still wasn't ready. Their Human Resources team seemed uninformed. Many strong candidates could not wait and got employment elsewhere. Therefore, they scrambled to find last-minute (and very low quality) fill-ins. Those people bypassed the scrutinizing and intense interviewing that I underwent. Thus, I waited nearly a whole year to get hired, while two dozen people got hired on the day that they interviewed! They were also the first to quit, when things deteriorated. Nonetheless, I was pleased to be chosen from thousands.
Thankfully, I'm a person who abides by rules... because there were a lot of them. I felt like an inductee to work at Buckingham Palace. Many of us assumed that it was a good thing—indicative of an orderly culture. We were wrong. A "favored clique" disregarded the rules without punishment, while we struggled through the labyrinth of rules and requirements.
In addition to a conservative dress code of suits, men's pocket squares had to be fluted a certain way. Shoe heels needed to be in good condition. (Mine always are).
We were required to behave elegantly outside of the building—even during our lunchtimes or arriving to work in the morning—just in case a customer recognized us on the sidewalk or a cafe. The company wanted us to represent it perfectly everywhere. How we greeted people and presented merchandise was scripted and needed to be identical, every single time. How complimentary beverages were given to customers was prescribed via exact pictures—with close-ups. In fact, each level of the building was assigned with different "serving" accoutrement that could not be used elsewhere.
Everyone got two uniform suits made in Italy. When they made mine with the wrong measurements, they squandered time to replace it, and then sent me to Men's Warehouse to get my own. They paid for it, but it was not the same quality. Oh well. That was my first indication that the rulebook was made by Paris, but management in New York ignored it... and nobody oversaw New York. As long as the brand sold itself to buyers, NY management could treat employees like dirt (you'll see that soon), and Paris never bothered to notice. I was flabbergasted.
We were required to behave elegantly outside of the building—even during our lunchtimes or arriving to work in the morning—just in case a customer recognized us on the sidewalk or a cafe. The company wanted us to represent it perfectly everywhere. How we greeted people and presented merchandise was scripted and needed to be identical, every single time. How complimentary beverages were given to customers was prescribed via exact pictures—with close-ups. In fact, each level of the building was assigned with different "serving" accoutrement that could not be used elsewhere.
Everyone got two uniform suits made in Italy. When they made mine with the wrong measurements, they squandered time to replace it, and then sent me to Men's Warehouse to get my own. They paid for it, but it was not the same quality. Oh well. That was my first indication that the rulebook was made by Paris, but management in New York ignored it... and nobody oversaw New York. As long as the brand sold itself to buyers, NY management could treat employees like dirt (you'll see that soon), and Paris never bothered to notice. I was flabbergasted.
Then, the NY corporate team failed to know how to position everyone in their hired roles. In some cases, they finally realized that they had too many people in a department or not enough in another. Last-minute shuffling confused people, confounded pre-existing schedules, and baffled department managers and employees.
When it came time for "on-boarding training", we all savored an amazing two-month program filled with various classes and learning experiences. (Below is the agenda). It was the best training experience I ever saw or heard of, and all of us agreed. I'm thankful for that excellence: it made me a better employee and person.
Using thoroughness forged in Paris, the program involved physiological training, empathy classes, leadership seminars, a scavenger hunt around Manhattan, and team-building exercises (like assembling bicycles for charity in a hotel ballroom that the company rented). Clearly, the French company lavished investment into its personnel. Nearly all of us were committed to do our best.
Regardless if an employee was a doorman or department manager, everyone participated in role-playing of various situations. We rehearsed "selling scenarios" and "customer service issues". In fact, during one of those, my manager was so harsh to me that the instructor—and other members of the class—told her to back-off and relax. *(That forewarned me to do my best job possible to impress my manager who seemed to be biased against me). The company set up classrooms as mock "POS stations", where we practiced using the new hardware and software in every conceivable way. In fact, the new software was custom-made by the company to be better than the typical outdated systems in America retail.
We completed a dozen aptitude tests. I was one of a handful who passed all of them; my manager failed all of them. That was indicative, but nobody at corporate cared. One of the easiest was reading a paragraph of instructions, which led you believe that you had to do something. But the last sentence said, "If you read this entirely, then do not do the tasks previously mentioned". Without following the simple instructions, my manger did the task--giddy to announce that she won. She failed.
I completed the two-month process so perfectly that I was the one chosen to be flown to the company's flagship in Beverly Hills for 2 weeks of on-site "shadowing".
My meals, hotel, ride-share, and flights were paid for. I wowed the Store Director (a man of 11 years) on Rodeo Drive, and I greatly impressed my mentor there (a woman of 17 years at the company). I wowed the Store Director so much with my competency, assistance, and personality, that he treated me to lunch at Spago: Wolfgang Puck's 2-Michelin-star restaurant. He also told me that if I ever wanted to relocate to the West Coast, I would have a job at his boutique.
I returned to NYC with his team's glowing compliments, which delighted my flagship's management and the corporate team. Everyone but my manager seemed pleased with me. (That's me, below... proud to finally get started.)
Back in my home-base store, more training occurred—telling everyone how to be poised, proper, and exceptional. Nothing less would be tolerated... or at least, that's what Paris said. When the company's officials went back to France, the NY management quickly let things deteriorate (while they slacked in their offices).
When aghast employees felt betrayed and quit, the company started desperately grabbing anybody—including people who only had experience at "Fast Food" chain restaurants or low-end retailers like T.J. Max! They were clueless.
Meanwhile, we were drummed into cooperation with the newcomers, told to do more of the work (while they learned), and continue to be outstanding. Those of us who did got exhausted, while the newcomers formed cliques and goofed around. Nobody did anything about either situation.
We were taught to behave with mindsets and paradigms like those above. Sadly, that was purely a pretense because the actual running of the flagship store reverted to typical NYC crap.
While awaiting the grand re-opening, we got acclimated with a custom-made voice-activated paging system. It regularly malfunctioned, couldn't understand the plethora of accents in our team, and summoned the wrong people... if it worked at all. The company also blindly created a convoluted Inventory System, consisting of two parallel systems that didn't relay to each other. Thus, every movement of an item needed to be recorded in each system. Such was the anticipation, as we strove for excellence. Then, the corporate office suddenly made a public announcement that the opening would occur within one week! It was suddenly "showtime".
Within my first few months, I won First Place in three of four store-wide contests, amongst my other 120 employees.
I was rewarded with a lunch at the pricey and iconic 21 Club.
The other prizes included cash gift cards. I felt appreciated.
Within my department, I surpassed my revenue goals by a wide margin. I did the most cross-selling of anybody in the flagship's 120-person team. I earned the highest quantity of pre-approvals for orders. I earned the highest Customer Survey Scores. I referenced the most clients to salespeople. My manager felt compelled to thank me, while her director adored me.
When a ballot box was installed by my manger's director, it was designed to help foster teamwork and reward people. My name was submitted twice for recognition.
I was so courteous and dependable that I was scheduled to work on the day that His Serene Highness, the Prince of Monaco visited.
My levels of customer service were so good that I was selected to attend a week of further shadowing at the Dallas Call Center, to absorb another excellent training.
There, phone operators were responsible for a weekly quota of answering calls, selling products (including at least one high-value item), replying to online messages, and answering Instant Messenger messages from stores... simultaneously!
The other half of the team did order picking and fulfillment from the huge warehouse, for shipment across the globe.
During that time, the corporate trainer who accompanied me barely assisted me. He boasted to me that his main objective was continuing his trend of posting pictures online of himself in underwear on different hotel beds. His other gay friends loved it. That was his main focus, while I studied.
I returned to NYC to see that things were unchanged in my department. While other department mangers used their cash allotments to reward their teams with dinner cruises, theatre nights, or fancy dinners, my manger skimpily only gave our team a meal at a cheap barbecue chicken eatery. So cheap. (Even the maintenance team had a lavish dinner). When it was time to partake in "team building" events, other groups performed physical successes, did charity work, hiked together, or attended self-help classes. Our manger only wanted a wine tasting event, where we couldn't talk to each other and needed to listen to the lecture. She was not a good leader. Some of us hoped that her director would rectify that.
Somehow, our manager's director got fired, thanks to secrets being leaked that she was having an affair with another manger in the store. That left our manager with nobody to supervise her.
Our manager often ignored her "shared" office (with another department's manager) and shut herself into a VIP Room—that was only supposed to be for clients. Hidden from view, she cavorted with her minions. They were from different departments but were all the same skin-color, and people of lighter skin-colors were excluded. We wondered how those minions were never reported as missing from their posts, since they spent hours gossiping with her. When the Store Director's secretary quit, my manger finagled one of her (unqualified) minions to become the new secretary/assistant. We marveled how that girl was often absent from her desk and shut away with our manager. Didn't anyone notice how often she was not at her desk? Didn't the Store Director pay attention? No. The people in roles of supervision and oversight were not doing their jobs to pay attention.
Like a spider spinning webs, our manager might occasionally draw somebody new into the clique, but it was only to use them temporarily. Then, that person was ejected from their clique. It happened several times. I did not get involved with them.
That clique lunched together and fraternized together. They drank champagne while working, and came back from lunch either drunk or high! Nobody did anything about it. During an end-of-year inventory, everyone saw them arrive from lunch being drunkenly rowdy and déclassé. No consequences befell them. Each week, the minions went to a nearby restaurant and had wine with lunch. Our manager paid. Yet, she was cheap with her own team. When we worked until midnight, she refused to order food for us—not even pizza. My coworker went "above" her and communicated with her quasi-boss to get us food. Our manger targeted that employee for removal.
Within my department, there were three Caucasian gay males, and I was the last to be removed. The first was a redhead who previously worked at Apple. He tirelessly debunked our never-ending technology problems, which our manager was unconcerned with. He got frustrated with such neglect—coupled with the fact that our Assistant Manager was illiterate with computers! (That was the initial job that I was supposed to have, but my manager did not like me and preferred a subservient person). When the redhead made a fuss, our manager made his life miserable. She assigned him to the most difficult tasks and worst customers. He transferred to another store. Before he left, she "wrote him up" with a Corrective Action. Due to the company's ridiculous rules, that blocked his advancement for an entire year! The Corrective was unjustified, yet his pleas were disregarded by NYC corporate. After his transfer, he was frustrated that he couldn't apply for higher openings due to that Corrective. In his absence, our manager harmfully "fanned the flames" of any issues with his leftover clients, festering accusations about how badly he did things. Even though he was gone from her department, she pursued him--hunting for ways to damage his reputation. He quit before his second year.
The next to leave was a Bostonian who—like many of us—believed the company's mantra: "If you see something, say something". Our manager detested his opinions, observations, and ideas. She made his chores, schedules, and duties miserable. According to him, when he escalated his complaints about her, she faced him and said, "Maybe this job just isn't right for you. Maybe you should leave." He did; he returned to Boston. Nobody cared about the pattern forming in my department of outgoing personnel None of the upper-managers asked questions. Corporate did not even notice.
After him, we lost 3 more personnel, and a fourth employee switched jobs to work "behind the scenes" and get farther away from our manager. An elderly employee had a heart attack, the night after a huge shouting scene with our manager! That was devastating. That woman never returned to work and eventually passed away. Witnesses of that argument—including myself—identified it as our manager falsifying accusations to incite dissension. But trying to get our protests through to upper-management was liking fighting a battle with middle-managers who didn't want evidence of their ineptitude being announced. Typical of management in the USA, instead of correcting the problem, they exerted their energies to thwarting the complaints about it.
Another talented coworker transferred back to the store in Las Vegas, where she came from. She took her boyfriend—who worked in Logistics. Evidently, our manager wanted to rid herself of overachievers, who made herself and her lazy minions look inferior. Watch this short video...
My path to complain to corporate was blocked by an ineffective Department Director who acted like a guard against anybody escalating things. Fearfully, he didn't want upper management to know that he was not doing his job. Alas, instead of beginning to do his job, he merely blocked any complaints... and watched innocent people lose their jobs.
During his stalling tactics, everyone worried about the higher workload.
To cement her power, our manager "wrote up" nearly everyone on our team. After two of those correctives, a third meant termination of employment. Our manager didn't care what the reason was—or if it was plausible. Knowing that upper-management didn't watch details, she found obscure things to issue correctives to nearly everyone. Human Resources never wondered why an entire team was being disciplined. The Store Director ignored pleas to investigate. My team became fearful of not performing hard enough and being discarded. Like I said, such is the dread of working in NYC, where you don't matter to employers who can post a Help Wanted ad and replace you within a week.
Some of my teammates resorted to paying favors to our manager, to exempt themselves. That worked for them.
With the region's population clamoring for a job there, she had power to destroy people's livelihoods and replace them. Her clique suggested replacements, who also paid her favors to get considered.
Upper management did not want to get involved. They just wanted their paychecks.
Only one person replied to my complaint email, "I'm sorry, and I spoke to your manager about these issues. We are going to work on it. Please be patient with us. You are a valued part of our team, and I want to say again how much I appreciate your direct feedback. Thank you. :)"
Eventually, that person left the company. I was left amongst uncaring nincompoops.
One day, a lack of communication caused unnecessary frantic searches for a client's item—causing the client to wait 40 minutes! Initially, the client spoke to the Reception Desk, who asked a colleague to "hold onto" the item. That was a breach of protocol that everyone knew not to do. Two hours later, when the client came to retrieve it, a different Receptionist interacted with her and assigned her to me. Unable to find the item in the usual places, I searched through every single file—all 460 of them! Coworkers searched the entire vault and called other locations in NYC to have them search their vaults. Coworkers double-checked the 460 files. After 40 sweaty minutes, I had the unpleasant task of apologizing to the client again, offering to courier the item to her address (once it was located/ready). At the last minute, the employee with the client's item became aware of our crisis and handed it over. Meanwhile, the initial Receptionist never followed up to pinpoint its location. I emailed a suggestion to the team that items should never be "held on to" and always belong in the vault. Our manager disregarded my email. Only one colleague agreed. The guilty employee didn't care about the ramifications of her error. As a member of the clique, she anticipated making more errors without consequences.
When I arrived for work, I was one of only a few employees who did something about the computer error messages that greeted us. We wanted to solve the issues so we could function. One morning, I couldn't use a computer entirely, so I reorganized myself and sat at another desk. That had malfunctions, too! While I sighed with frustration, one of the manager's minions walked by and told me that she knew about those malfunction messages from the previous day. I looked at her. Why didn't anyone address such things, so they didn't accumulate for the next person?!
The next day, I sat beside another minion and soon felt overwhelmed. For that entire day, he only assisted 7 clients. I helped 21—and with never-ending credit card machine problems (involving a 30-minute telephone call to the IT Department). The minion was unconcerned about his performance. Nobody thanked me for mine.
To make up for minions' laziness, I sought ways of helping our "back of house" to streamline their operations. One situation spurred me. A client's item arrived, and he got an automated text message to pick it up. Hours later, he arrived. The system confirmed that it was in our store. I couldn't find it in the vault. Growing frantic, I began searching everywhere. Just then, one of the Support Personnel arrived and explained that the item "was probably still downstairs" in the Shipping Room. We wondered why someone hadn't brought it up yet? He raced downstairs and retrieved it. Sure enough, one of the minions neglected his duty. The client was angry that such a delay "chewed into" his lunchtime from work. He wanted to complain about me until I illustrated how the situation was beyond my control. I emailed a suggestion that items should be brought to our department right away, since their arrival in the store was electronically transmitted to customers. I also suggested that such things should never sit anywhere else than our vault. Nobody acknowledged me.
Instead, my manger sadistically figured that if I was "so good at fixing issues", I should be assigned to help customers with issues. During the next month, I was overloaded with work—as the lines of customers surged.
Here is data of my performance, compared to her minions. You might expect that such excellence saved me, but it didn't.
Myself: 28
Minions: 15 and 0
Myself: 17
Minions: 10 and 9
Myself: 33
Minions: 15 and 16
Myself: 29
Minions: 14 and 0
Myself: 21
Minions: 9 and 13
Myself: 20
Minions: 7 and 1
Myself: 19
Minions: 13 and 10
Myself: 26
Minions: 14 and 11
Myself: 24
Minions: 14 and 12
Myself: 25
Minions: 12 and 13
Myself: 20
Minions: 10 and 12
Myself: 25
Minions: 16 and 7
Myself: 26
Minions: 11 and 12
Throughout it all, my manger's minions were allowed to relax, recline, and goof off without reprisal.
If spoken to, they rebuked me with haughty attitudes.
During our initial training, we were told to assess customer service at competitors' stores. The goal was to see how poor it was and strive to make ours better. However, my manager condoned mediocrity.
I emailed a complaint that our department's Reception Desk had a "trigger finger" for my name, overwhelming me with work. The first customer of the day was often given to me, as was the last. Even if customers needed things that weren't part of my duties (in our rotation of roles), I still got them. Coming back from lunch, the Reception Desk gave me the worst problems—often people who waited the longest during the time I was gone. (The department's efficiency dropped whenever I wasn't there). Even when I worked at the "Quick Service" counter, they gave me complicated transactions that should've gone to the other employees. During those times, the manger's minions pranced by my desk and remarked that they were "bored" and had no customers. When the electronic queuing system failed, Reception came to my desk with written explanations of who I had to help, but when the system restarted, they immediately assigned me ANOTHER client—before the first left my desk.
During one of those miserable instances, the store's Team Coach witnessed my misfortune. We talked. He avoided doing anything.
Despite the clique's best efforts to snuff me, I prevailed, and my productivity rating remained the highest. I met all of my Key Performance Indicators and achieved all of my Goals.
When I won a chance to meet with the Regional Director, I voiced my suggestions. As an example, I listed how a Receptionist assigned a client to me, but that client had already left the store. (The Receptionist hadn't updated the system). The Receptionist told me to help the next person in line, and he would assign them to me electronically. But, he didn't. He left his desk for a 15-minute break. Meanwhile, the other Receptionist assigned someone new to me, while I was helping the existing person! So, I needed to interrupt my interaction to clear the mixup, reinsert that other customer into the queue, and make sure that the Receptionist assigned him to someone else. My suggestion was that the Receptionists should communicate together to avoid such mishaps and give the excellent level of service that we were told to give. Again, I suggested a rotation of the assigned workload.
The Regional Director agreed, saying that things would improve. She had me submit my notions to my manger. (That was useless and a clear case of shirking involvement). She told me to uphold my sense of team spirit.
Nothing happened. She never followed up, and my manager knowingly discarded my pleas. Then, my manager hardened my workload.
Her minions began spreading rumors that I disappeared from work or avoided helping customers (which were the things that they did).
When my manager smugly used it to have a corrective meeting with me, I waylaid her by presenting the facts. I also dragged a Director into the meeting, as a witness. I proved that while other employees assisted 17, 10, or 12 clients, I helped 26 clients on that day. I also proved how I helped a teammate during my "break". I asked her, "How can I possibly be so unhelpful if I'm helping so many people?" My manger backpedaled, but the Director did not seek the source of her bias against me. Despite my harassment at work (while I did nothing wrong), nobody helped me.
To mock how productive I was, my manger increased my workload again. She let it be known that I was expected to do more. It was like a public shaming in front of my peers, and it warned others to obey her.
I did the best I could. Then, my manager removed a weekly responsibility from a Support Associate and made me do it. I became responsible for the upkeep of a Servicing Room: its machines, drainage of dirty fluids, cleanliness, and supplies. Once again, I escalated my complaint above my manager, and a Director assured me that such things were not my responsibility. My manager pretended it was an oversight and removed me from that duty.
I did the best I could. Then, my manager removed a weekly responsibility from a Support Associate and made me do it. I became responsible for the upkeep of a Servicing Room: its machines, drainage of dirty fluids, cleanliness, and supplies. Once again, I escalated my complaint above my manager, and a Director assured me that such things were not my responsibility. My manager pretended it was an oversight and removed me from that duty.
I resisted resigning... not wanting to surrender my "dream job" just because one person disliked me (and had the influence to encourage her minions to dislike me). I prayed that upper-management would value me and save me. Meanwhile, I was overloaded.
Furthermore, I wondered how the under-performing minions were able to get away with such lackluster KPIs and quantities? Wouldn't they eventually get fired? Shouldn't someone be watching that?
Another woman quit from our team. Nobody in upper management cared. They told me to stop complaining.
More pranks surfaced against me. Whenever I was due to work at the Quick Service Desk, I arrived to find it "out of stock" of printer ink, pens, printer paper, staples in the staplers, and that the power cords for the iPads were left unplugged (so they didn't charge overnight). Repeated emails were fruitless.
Like a spider spinning webs, my manager hid herself in the VIP rooms and chewed on ice cubes all day. She schemed ways to eliminate rivals and those who disliked her. Getting rid of customer-facing employees is easy, and that's what she did. Reaching out on her own, she prompted customers to say that their experiences weren't perfect. Inducing them, she waived their fees or offered entirely free services. Naturally, they agreed to make complaints, if it saved them $800. Employees—who previously thought that their clients liked them—were penalized for "customer complaints". I've seen it before.
*Sadly, once our manager's boss was fired, the contests and recognition stopped. They were her ideas, and without her, none of the store's other managers/directors continued them. So, employees had less ways to prove their significance.
*Sadly, once our manager's boss was fired, the contests and recognition stopped. They were her ideas, and without her, none of the store's other managers/directors continued them. So, employees had less ways to prove their significance.
When it happened to me, I reached out to my clients to verify what they complained out. Recording the conversations (or saving the emails), I proved that they actually liked my level of service. They admitted how my manager prompted them to say that things could've been better. Livid, I presented my evidence to upper-management. They did very little about it, and my manager conceded that "there might've been misunderstandings between her and my clients". That's when upper-management should've curtailed her, but they uncaringly didn't. This short video expresses my sentiment at that time...
I was safe temporarily, but I was a target for...
I was safe temporarily, but I was a target for...
Meanwhile, the CEO visited and lectured about how blissful life at Corporate Headquarters was and that everyone should simply get along.
In the actual workplace, I felt like people were trying to tackle me for no reason.
After another two weeks, I emailed a complaint about the continual inconsiderate lack of teamwork, which was not responded to. I was amazed that upper-management (which were CC'd on the emails) never enforced replies to happen. No improvements occurred, either.
Meanwhile, my manger sought to tarnish my reputation and downgrade me. She pressured her Assistant Manager to act as a false witness against claims that she invented: things that she claimed to "see with her own eyes". (e.g.: "I saw him treating a client poorly". "I saw him giving a hard time to a customer". "I overheard him badmouthing us in the back room". "I saw him neglecting his work at his desk".) I felt like I trying to keep balanced on a rolling log, while she fictionalized anything to discredit my status.
Using those "false claims", my manager quickly summoned a disciplinary meeting with our department's interim director. She claimed that I was long overdue for discipline for being "unreliable, negligent, and inferior". I almost laughed at her trickery. Coming prepared to fend her off, I showed the director my most-recent Employee Evaluation—signed by my department's National Director and HR. It was based on client surveys and managerial observations.
It said, "Ken's work is thought out well and executed thoroughly. Ken is meticulous and detail-oriented, delivering the highest quality results. He provides sound analysis and recommendations to clients. He ensures that necessary items are followed up with, and he balances short-term and long-term projects so that key items are not neglected. Ken is well-versed in his job and always willing to take on new initiatives that will broaden his knowledge base. He consistently upgrades his skills. Ken is a consummate professional who exhibits a positive attitude, even in the face of adversity. He is able to tackle situations before they arise; problems that do arise are handled swiftly. Ken works with a diverse group of colleagues comfortably. He creatively solves problems through peer collaboration and independent effort. Ken seeks opportunities to contribute to the department, and he assists others before being asked."
Which comments were to be believed?
My self-defense rationale was ignored by the upper-management, who said, "If your Manager and her Assistant Manager see issues with you, there must be something."
(No, they're just fabricating it for personal grudges. Can't you see that?)
I tried to explain further. My assigned work-partner left in May, and months ensued where I did not receive back-up help. Nobody was assigned to assist me. When I asked my manager for help, I was told that I should be able to deal with it.
The director questioned my manager, who denied hearing me ever complain about being overwhelmed. I presented my many emails on that topic... proving her to be a liar. She lacked an answer, and the director didn't investigate her blatant attempts to undermine me. In the end, the interim director merely told us to "work things out together". (It was like leaving me in the lion pit). He was useless.
I tried to explain further. My assigned work-partner left in May, and months ensued where I did not receive back-up help. Nobody was assigned to assist me. When I asked my manager for help, I was told that I should be able to deal with it.
The director questioned my manager, who denied hearing me ever complain about being overwhelmed. I presented my many emails on that topic... proving her to be a liar. She lacked an answer, and the director didn't investigate her blatant attempts to undermine me. In the end, the interim director merely told us to "work things out together". (It was like leaving me in the lion pit). He was useless.
When our team was asked for suggestions to make things better, my email of ideas was entirely ignored, including maintaining stock of supplies, and how we could follow up on our Sales Referrals. Nothing happened. In fact, our low inventory levels were only addressed when I mentioned it in front of the Store Director during a Department Staff meeting, months later!
My manager tried to harm me another way. My punctuality and lunchtime clock-ins were nearly perfect. Despite that, the singular time that my manager spotted me accidentally overlapping a coworker’s lunch, she immediately summoned a meeting with to illustrate that I didn’t understand or respect the lunch procedures. Meanwhile others were constantly allowed to run late and overlap on their lunchtimes all year. I was written up.
Immediately, I went to corporate to protest. I was told that everything would be okay. They lied to get rid of me.
My manager approached me and said that she heard gossip that I accused her of not doing her job to support us, which I denied. She invited me to a meeting, where I found her, her Assistant Manager, a Director, and Human Resources, along with two of my coworkers: her minions. One minion berated me for not doing my job well, for the last six months, calling me unreliable and untrustworthy. The Assistant Manager denied asking me to email her my observations/complaints to make the department better. She claimed that I was a complainer.
As a defense, I questioned why they hadn’t professionally discussed this with me earlier? I didn’t get an answer. My emails disproved their other lies. HR ended the meeting, citing it as a big misunderstanding. I wanted to know why I had been written up twice in 4 months? Against company policy, during that time, no coaching was offered, no action plan was permitted, and no strategic help was given from my manager. I was entirely correct. Yet, nobody enforced my manager to abide by rules. The people who should've acted as enforcers were uncaringly listless.
It seemed hopeless.
As a defense, I questioned why they hadn’t professionally discussed this with me earlier? I didn’t get an answer. My emails disproved their other lies. HR ended the meeting, citing it as a big misunderstanding. I wanted to know why I had been written up twice in 4 months? Against company policy, during that time, no coaching was offered, no action plan was permitted, and no strategic help was given from my manager. I was entirely correct. Yet, nobody enforced my manager to abide by rules. The people who should've acted as enforcers were uncaringly listless.
It seemed hopeless.
My final warning status jeopardized my future at that company and prevented my desired transfer to another department or boutique. Upon hearing of that meeting, several colleagues implored me to include their names as support to indicate that our manager targeted me. I showed it to the Regional Director, who didn't want to get involved (even though it was her job).
My coworker—who didn't want to help me—explained why people don't "whistleblow". She said, "Do you think this department will suddenly stop being a clique? I've been here for 10 years here, and the culture won't change. Do you know what's it's like when you complain about the department? People get together and exclude you, mock you, cease helping you, cause problems for you, heckle, spread false rumors, and backstab you. They fear that you're so good that you make them look bad."
My 5-day vacation request was approved electronically. My 4-day vacation request was approved verbally. However, as they arrived, my manager denied knowing about either of them. She threatened me with "job abandonment". I cancelled my 4-day trip, but insisted on keeping the 5-day trip that I had received written approval for. From that moment, she refused to discuss/approve my request to reschedule my 4-day vacation. She only did it as the last thing of her day, before her own 3-week vacation. She kept me in suspense until the last moment before she left the building. It was cruel. However, when my department's schedule was made, she neglected to include my 5-day vacation. I emailed her and the Director. My manager denied knowing about it. I forwarded her the three emails, which recapped our conversations... and it was changed. While I was away, few follow-ups were done for the customers that I initially assisted. It was done to make customers dislike me, and to leave mountains of work for me. Next, I saw that she did not grant my 4-day vacation. Despite my E-Time request, and my email to her as a recap of her approval, she only granted me 3 days. I emailed her (and the Director) that I was supposed to have 4, but never got a reply. Thus, I only got to use 3 vacation days.
*For comparison, one of her shapely male minions took more vacation time than America condones or the company allows... and uncaringly still kept his job. In one year, he spent:
7 days in Amsterdam, the Netherlands
10 days in Paris and Saint-Emlion, France
6 days on Fire Island, NY
5 days in Chicago, IL
12 days in Morocco
3 days spent skiing in North Minnesota
12 days partying across Brazil
The year before, he spent:
10 days in Dubrovnik, Bol, and Hvar, Croatia
7 days in Mexico
5 days in Cuba
5 days in Mykonos, Greece
5 days on Fire Island, NY
3 days in Stony Creek, CT
6 days in Mexico (again)
5 days in Los Angeles, CA
3 days in Chicago, IL
12 days partying across Brazil
10 days in Japan
Each year, he took twice as many vacation days as Europeans! When did he have time to work at his supposed full-time job? His online pictures ALWAYS showed him (and his model-like boyfriend) in close companionship with other older men, in all of those countries. Later, I was told that he slept with a corporate Vice President, who granted whatever was desired to keep him. Hence, our manager used that muscular minion to protect herself from her own mishaps.
I used my manager's issues against my vacations to prove harassment. When the Department Director was confronted with the indisputable facts, she agreed that my manager was being unduly harsh. But the Director failed to investigate the root of the matter, or reprimand my manager, or remove my unfair correctives (that jeopardized my job). Acting like a supreme entity, that Director prevented me from escalating the matter for further discussion.
I leveraged that my excellent performance—despite such deliberate obstacles—deserved protection.
I leveraged that my excellent performance—despite such deliberate obstacles—deserved protection.
Therefore, my manager schemed to refute my excellent performance. Instead of doing her job, she applied her energies to scrutinizing my daily interactions...
searching for any opportunity to damage my "good standing".
She invented claims against my work ethic and abilities.
That did not work, because I collected data about how much time I spent with each client, and I submitted Thank You messages from clients for my "attention to detail".
All of my KPI’s were outstanding. Every month, I achieved a high number of client interactions, pre-approved repairs, approved estimates, prompt payments, and Sales Referrals. I often assist the most clients per day. The workshops praised me as an excellent model employee. The Dallas Customer Service team wrote a compliment to management about my detailed Notes for each repair. Each month, I receive far more compliments on the barometer scores than any complaints. Whenever corporate partners or new Service Advisors spent time in my department to “shadow”, they were always assigned to me. Yet, despite my evident ability to do my job professionally and successfully, my manager insisted that I lacked professionalism, communication skills, competency, or care.
"Well, if your manager thinks badly about you, you must be doing something wrong."
After expecting assistance, I felt like I was at a dead-end.
After expecting assistance, I felt like I was at a dead-end.
A colleague in another department had a similar consequence from an encounter with one of my manger's minions. That salesman put his hand on the female minion's shoulder to calmly get her attention. She made a formal complaint. Citing the security video, she proved that the salesman touched her. Despite the apparent innocence of the situation (people hug each other and touch each other daily), that salesman was "written up" with a corrective... which went into his HR file. Upset, he complained, but none of the managers did anything about it. Meanwhile, the minion hugged, leaned on, grabbed, kissed, and sat on other people's laps... without consequences. The salesman resigned.
When I brought my issues to the attention of a Regional Director, he said, "I already know that you came to me because you got in trouble. I already spoke to your manager and know all about it. Clearly, you did things badly, otherwise you wouldn't be written up. Don't try to blame others. I will not investigate this, I will not research it, and I don't want to hear anything other than your apology." I was astounded! Hearing his crazy rationale, whomever got into "trouble" was automatically guilty... making it so easy for corrupt managers to incapacitate their enemies.
I was the third (and last) Caucasian gay male to be targeted, yet I was told that no pattern existed.
This quick video summarizes the situation...
The company did not want to hear about its problems. Upper management was unconcerned about what occurred in lower levels of the hierarchy. My manager knew that would happen. Ergo, all of my extraordinary hard work was “rewarded” in that manner.
I wasn't the only one disliking that flagship. In other departments, sales people started quitting. Logistics personnel resigned. All of the 15 Boutique Assistants got fed up and quit (as did their replacements). After the holidays, none of the "seasonal" assistants wanted to stay full-time. One applied to work in my department, but my manager considered her "too good", and stalled for 2 months to give her an answer; that woman took a job elsewhere. Half of the Sales Assistants transferred to other roles/locations. Operations staff got "burned out" and found new jobs. Two assistant managers who objected to how things were done got fired for minuscule reasons. Nearly all of the sales associates in Accessories and Watches resigned or transferred to other boutiques. Half of the jewelry sales people went back to their original countries or got new jobs in NYC.
Upper-management's failure to coordinate and bring inventory to the store upset many people, too. Sales opportunities were missed because products did not arrive on schedule. The NY corporate office didn't care and didn't take steps to rectify things.
Corporate changed its mind several times about keeping its other stores in the vicinity of the flagship. During the flagship's overextended renovation, the company opened another store nearby—as a temporary location. However, after the renovation, it announced that it wanted to keep that store operating. So, it hired a full staff for both stores. Such logic didn't make sense, because both stores competed against each other for the same clients in the same area. Then, the company opened a third store, slightly north. Then, the company shut those two stores, carelessly dismissing employees—some had relocated from other parts of the country. Months later, the company decided to open a new store, across the city. Thus, they began hiring new people. The company seemed incapable of making well-orchestrated decisions with any foresight. Naturally, corporate didn't want to hear feedback or input from employees.
Meanwhile, my manager and her minions were elated. The closure of the other stores got rid of my former colleagues who hated her and transferred there to get away from her. The minions also celebrated because of my job being in jeapordy.
Another of my teammates quit, and she wrote a whistleblowing letter to the Store Director and the CEO of North America.
Complaining about our manager and how our department operates, it mentioned that I was “unjustly” written up and punished, while nothing occurred toward the larger errors by the minions. Here is an excerpt: "Many have gone to Human Resources, and they are no help whatsoever. They just don't want to get involved, don't want to lose their jobs, and they will "throw you under the bus" and tell management that staff is complaining about them. There is no confidentiality. Then, you become a target, they give the person that complains a difficult time & look for a way to fire them. We deal with so many clients coming with so many different problems. Only a few co-workers circle around you and take the stress away. The others sit around and talked for hours at a time. I can't deal with the overwhelming workload and timelines. Constant organizational changes were made, as well as monthly structural changes that flip-flopped with the whims of Corporate overseers. This place is led by an unprofessional manager that blatantly flirts with particular men in the office. The team suffers from favoritism to the fullest. If their friend is not fond of you, they won’t speak with you or assist you AT ALL! Coworkers do more gossiping about one another than do their work which is help the clients. They plot against you if look or act better than them! It is all so petty! Everyday, you're in fear of your job, no matter how well you're performing."
The woman's letter specifically included an apology to me after describing how our manager forced her to overload me with the hardest issues and angriest customers. She said, "Ken is the nicest employee who helps everyone, and he didn't deserve the targeting and treatment that he got".
The only response from the CEO was making HR talk with everyone on my team. After a week of one-on-one interviews with each of us and Human Resources, it was determined that no action would be taken regarding the anonymous letter. HR deemed the issue to be inconsequential. Could anyone expect more from such an uncaring HR Department?
Maybe our manager asked her muscular male minion to coerce the Vice President for a pardon?
Maybe our manager asked her muscular male minion to coerce the Vice President for a pardon?
Another teammate quit and cited the reason as disliking the bullying and unprofessional behavior of our manager. Nothing was done.
While I was inundated with work, my attendance record stood in stark contrast to other teammates and minions who constantly "called out sick". Every week, somebody called out. I never saw such flimsy attendance before. They returned to work with sunburns, pictures of their fun, and tales of their joys. Yet, when I used two Sick Days in the year, my manger demanded a Doctor's Note for each one.
Allies came to me in the form of the repair workshop manager, who noticed how many repairs my manager gave away free to customers. She did that to hide their dissatisfaction with her minions/operations. All of his data proved my manager to be irresponsible, unfair, and harming the company's reputation. He submitted a report, which was entirely ignored. During my own conflict, I cited it, but nobody investigated.
I pled with Upper Management and Corporate to do something so I could stay working for them. But they ignored me, did not return my calls, did not acknowledge my emails, and refrained from acting. The company's incompetent corporate attitude was...
With a sad heart, I decided to accept the advice of four people who formerly worked in my store. They all moved to another company and recommend me for a job there.
Like many institutions in New York City, that company coldly disregards their human assets because they think that there are millions of easy replacements in the overpopulated city.
It didn't matter that I was always on time for work (when a majority of my teammates were late). It didn't matter that I only called out Sick twice in two years. My superb Key Performance Indicators were ignored. How I overachieved my goals—and every new goal that they assigned to me—was deleted. My networking skill failed to save me. My good deeds seemed void.
That was so unbelievably uncaring. They smugly ejected people or let them get bullied out (via resignations), unconcerned that the retail job market was very difficult in NYC. Of the 120 employees, 70% are gone.
Sadly, many of the lackluster ones remain. Many people are looking for work in NYC retail, and it's unnerving and scary to be forced into that job market.
After I announced my resignation, my manager gave me a three word email. "Thank you. Goodbye." The Assistant Manager regretted how she treated me—stupidly forced by our manager. With tears of sadness, she apologized to me, letting me know what a good person I was, and how her job was dangling "by a thread"—per our manager—so that she had to do what she was told. The unmarried woman regretted harming me, but she desperately wanted to keep her own job to support her daughter. She regretted pushing so much work on me, avoiding helping me, and not helping my pleas get answered.
Several months after I was gone, her ungrateful boss fired her anyway. She should've supported me (and others) to topple our manager, and then the good workers might've stayed.
The store director nearly forgot to meet with me for an exit interview. She also nearly forgot to meet an outgoing salesman, during the prior week. (Someone reminded her, hours before that man left). By Thursday, I emailed her, reminding her that my last day was Friday. She replied, "How about meeting next Wednesday?" I had to politely remind her of what I just said.
Theses short videos express how myself and many others felt about the ineffective/uncaring managerial team and Human Resources Department. Across America, other stores were able to tell that something was wrong at our location (nobody wanted to transfer there to fill vacancies), yet HR and management ignored what was "under their noses".
Many talented people left that store. The brand name did not matter, nor did the store's illustrious location on Fifth Avenue. Even though some of those people relocated from across America—and other countries—they gladly quit and tried to return where they came from. None of them wanted to stay in such a confused and toxic environment. Eventually, the #1 salesmen in America—a veteran of 10 years who earned a third of the store's annual revenue—quit! He was devastated by the company's false promises of "integrity and excellence after the grand-reopening". Left in the hands of the corrupt NY management, things were unchanged.
Meanwhile, the muscular minion continued to get awarded with promotions. He escalated up the ranks faster than the "royal favorites" of latently homosexual English kings! Whichever team he was in complained profusely about him. He walked around the store with a coffee mug, casually avoiding work, while everyone else toiled. When he made the critical (and typically careless) mistake of sending the wrong items to the wrong clients, he denied wrongdoing. (Just like an American conglomerate). He claimed that he verified things with the salesman before acting. Against logic, that salesman was fired, and the minion remained. In protest of such rash treatment, that department's Manager and Assistant Manager complained. Ignored, they both quit on the same day—hoping to draw attention to how things were happening at that store. With typical uncaring, Human Resources and Paris Corporate ignored them. Both symbolic resignations were meaningless in that company's culture. The minion got another promotion, four months later.
There is a high employee turnover, even for the newly hired people. Those who complain are ousted; those who join a clique are saved. It's disgusting. When a department Assistant Manager voiced qualms, she was not given a promotion. Instead, the Store Director hired someone who worked across the street (in a totally different retail field—without industry knowledge), and gave the Manager job to her. Devastated, the Assistant Manager transferred to the company's store in Boston. The Manager that was hired was unable to do the job, and quit soon after.
The culture is nothing like it appears.
Aside from the excellent training I got, my other favorable take-away were all the friendship that I made with good people (who are now scattered around the world). Those who returned to Europe tell me how much better the company manages its stores there. Clearly, NY was allowed to be a cesspool. It's just another confirmation of differences between the two areas.
*Note: While writing this, I learned that the Vice President was fired from the company for devious misconduct issues.
His guiltiness was so serious that he was barred from working at all of the global company's brands. A short time later, my former manager was pressured to resign... without having a new job yet. The "male model" minion was ejected. Another minion got fired for using a corporate credit card for her own personal purchases. She probably figured that the other minion (the Store Director's office assistant) would always approve the expenses. A month later, the useless Store Director was terminated. The entire Human Resources team—that ignored people's pleas for help—was fired and replaced. Many people were happy to hear of their ousting. It was Karma. Hopefully, things will get better there: the way they were intended.
*Note: While writing this, I learned that the Vice President was fired from the company for devious misconduct issues.
His guiltiness was so serious that he was barred from working at all of the global company's brands. A short time later, my former manager was pressured to resign... without having a new job yet. The "male model" minion was ejected. Another minion got fired for using a corporate credit card for her own personal purchases. She probably figured that the other minion (the Store Director's office assistant) would always approve the expenses. A month later, the useless Store Director was terminated. The entire Human Resources team—that ignored people's pleas for help—was fired and replaced. Many people were happy to hear of their ousting. It was Karma. Hopefully, things will get better there: the way they were intended.
