I've never understood one basic fact about business today. There are the shareholders, management, and employees that make up a busness. It is in all three's best interest for the business to succeed (prosper). Yet, everywhere you look (Lowe's is not the only one), businesses today run with a huge parity towards the shareholders, and those closest (CEO & corp execs.) They regard employees as trash. Not as a value, but a vice. A necessary evil that will be terminated at every first chance. They do not care long term if these cuts harm the business. Only the short term profits they can line their own pockets with.
We all know the vast disconnect between our Corporate office and the store level. I will list a few here in is original post (OP) and encourage others who post to do the same with articulate, and factual precision. If you think one person cant make a difference, you have never slept with a mosquito. Words have specific meanings. They refer to actual concepts and things in reality. Words are not what we want them to mean. So choose them wisely, and let them be heard. This is one of the underlying problems at the Corporate level. They believe words are arbitrary. That they can say anything (See VP Joe McFarland's racist comments as an example) with merit and impunity. That they can unethically work outside of the law.
We as employees see it daily from both corporate dictates, and store-level management.
EXAMPLE 1:
When we had Human Resources reps. in each store, I was used to go out with the Lowe's p/up rental constantly to fix our XPO deliveries mistakes and terrible service to customers. I could site all the things they did wrong, but they are legion and we all already know the level of incompetence. All while our Execs cover for them by lying, and saying "XPO better serves the customers." What these words really mean is, "better line our pockets with money", because everyone knows (even them) the 3rd party system is a disaster in every regard and does not serve anyone. XPO decides what deliveries they will do each day, canceling the day of delivery and upsetting customers. In turn, they file corp complaints, and corp covers them up.
So I was used against my will to go out and fix these mistakes all under the books. Hidden. I openly voiced to management and HR that I am an "uninsured driver" and this is not corporate policy. I was told I would be fired if I did not comply. Without a choice, I followed orders while I contacted proper channels after my store manager (sm), HR, and even corp office would not help me, only threaten me. Once my lawyer became involved, wow did things really heat up! The HR rep in this NY store bold-faced denied ever knowing I was taking the truck out and going out on deliveries! As did all of store management. HR postured, and then made volunteers to become licensed drivers.
But it is still happening today where some employees who are unaware, and simply follow manager dictates, are going out uninsured to fix XPO f**k ups.
I will list other disconnects in follow up posts to keep this one short. Other areas of contention where corporate is completely disconnected from the store level are:
All 3rd party vendors:
- - Our urinals have been broken for months, bathrooms disgusting, never any hand soap or paper towels.
- - Assembly? We never have enough wheelbarrows or grills. And when the 3rd party d**kheads show up to build, it disrupts our extremely short-staff so bad, that we have to stop to set them up. They take up an entire aisle so customers cant shop, blast music, and build these items like absolute garbage. Then WE employees have to take an hour of our day moving them to be staged! Pieces are literally falling off as we cart them to their staged destinations! And again, the disconnect from corporate is all this wasted time, energy, money, and it doesnt serve the customer at all!
- - Installs? Daily we have at least 6 customers in the store and on phones calling about installs issues. PSE and legacy alike. And no one in the store can help them, and when given the CPO #, they call back saying they are absolutely useless. But corporate has their money (short term again) and thats all that matters.
HIRING! - The interview process is broken. Completely. Its biased, and set up in a manner of complete failure.
Sedgwick - Doesnt work, They do everything to screw employees.
Please post up policy and operational disconnects you see daily in the comments below.
Someone needs to see what employees are dealing with, and the level of unlawful, and unethical actions by Lowe's management. I hope employees use ETHICS POINT to file any unlawful, and unethical behavior but I know all too well that if you do, you are targeted. So I understand why so many refrain despite the anonymous function. I know from experience, IT IS anonymous unless you post or say something that could tie you to the claim however Lowes retaliation policy still exists, and if a manager attacks you in any way for making your claim, that person should be terminated immediately. We need more free thinking patriots for moral behavior. No one should put up with what we employees are putting up with.
God Bless.