Thread regarding Follett layoffs

So glad I didn't get slotted. I knew it would be bad. As a store manager with all the emails I kept up with at 1 store and all the last minute hires and ordering those books I knew it was physically impossible to do that for 8 locations well. I started my new job and when movein weekend hit I was so glad I didnt have to work 21 days straight and 12 to 14 hour days the first few of the week getting all the books settled. Good luck on the job searches.

Fellow CM3 here! One of the only positives of the restructuring is the group chat to know we are not alone in breaking down into tears and being stressed to high he-l. I knew that rush was going to be absolutely ridiculous but somehow…it’s worse than I could’ve anticipated. We’ve been giving 50 different tasks alongside the ones we were already expected to do. My home campus is already notoriously known as one of the most difficult schools to work with and them not being my sole focus has already caused waves. I’ve got a foot in the store, I’m training temps on register/CT, answering customer questions/going through course schedules to get books, answering phone calls about our messed up ordering system in place and once the open PO follow up, access audit, orders, faculty issues. and other fifty things we look at get too overwhelming I go remote to do so. Guess who in store is doing all this when I’m not there? TEAM LEADS because new management is not prepared at all (through no fault of their own) and our ML is trying to put out a lot of fires. They are slowly realizing what they signed on for and even our new student employees are questioning why things are being run like this. Getting rid of our store director was absolutely asinine. I know I’m not the only employee that feels this way. This job is no longer something I take pride in or enjoy and hasn’t been since the restructuring. I physically get exhausted and sick from just setting foot in that store or opening my laptop. I just need this money to pay my rent but I am actively applying to whatever I can. If you are onto better things since the restructuring….know that you have avoided a sinking ship that has split in two already. If you are still on board, I think it’s time to go.

I don’t know about any of the other CM3s, but there was no job offer for me. Lateral move to salary with a title change. There was no option for me to get unemployment.
So what was the justification for making the position a salaried one? So they could make you work OT with out compensation. Labor law frowns on that. Perhaps a class action lawsuit should be considered.

I don’t know about any of the other CM3s, but there was no job offer for me. Lateral move to salary with a title change. There was no option for me to get unemployment.

I’m not sympathetic to those who stayed. What did you expect. Everyone will be let go, sooner than later. Those who stayed are supporting a company that doesn’t care about them whatsoever.

I think everyone is exhausted, CMs and store management. I’m usually this worn out at the end of rush, not the beginning. Everyone I’ve spoken to are burned out and most are looking to leave after rush (most of us still care about our schools and coworkers). Jefferson River better be looking to profit now because it is only going downhill from here.

I took the promotion to secure some paychecks while i finalized my move to another job. These “promotions” were a-s lol Follett pretends to send their people to war without we-pons and soldiers to handle the load. People are bound to quiet their jobs in the middle of Rush watch and all of that is going to cost them. Well… Noit really because they don’t care either way lol

1jsu+1o21JTE9: Your whiny dissertation proves my point. Those of you that took that "promotion" knew exactly what was coming... now you want to bi--h and complain about the work? Gtfoh

I am sorry for what you are going through. Being one of those let go, I appreciate hearing about JRC's epic failure. It makes me feel better, thank you.
But back to you. You need to start looking for a new career. Do not undervalue yourself or your family. They need you far more than the greedy investors and the VPs struggling to hang on.
Do not work yourself into the ground. You cannot save this company so stop trying. If they fire you for not being able to meet their unreasonable expectations then so be it. They will not. They cannot afford to lose the work you are able to complete.
My hope is the "powers that be" read these posts, realize the errors of their way and start making changes, but I doubt that will happen. As you have heard a dozen times and probably told yourself 100 times... START LOOKING. It will only get worse before it gets better. Take ownership of your own life. Promise your self to search at least 1 hour per week and complete 2 applications.
Good luck and Take care.

I feel no sympathy for you. If you were a CMM initially, you know the amount of work it takes to manage 1 stores needs. Did you really think YOU could manage more than that? Did you get a raise? That money looked pretty good, right? You got a bigger paycheck while hundreds lost their jobs. Deal with it, crybaby.

The CM3 job is actually quite different from the CMM job. There are things we are no longer required to do and new things we are now responsible for. I came from a very large school and was given small to mid-size schools along with my original large school. One would assume, given the things we are no longer responsible for, the workload would not be the same as the CMM job - but you'd be responsible for it times however many stores you have as well as the new tasks, thus necessitating the title change and raise.

As time progresses, more tasks are being added for things we were told would not be our responsibility at a pace that was not anticipated. Yes, a new position that didn't exist before will have adjustments as store needs become more clear, but we were not anticipating these changes to be so far-reaching and so rapid. There are now many daily reports that need to be reviewed and worked on for every store, more responsibilities with campus administration than originally expected (hence the groundswell and complexity of emails we tackle every day), the new Access team is not handling the time-consuming Access tasks we were told they would, and a LOT of training team members on tasks - including the MLs. I am on campus more than I had anticipated because my store managers/campus leaders are expected to run a sinking ship with a teacup to bail themselves out. I try to do all I can to help them not to dry-hump a corporation or score Brownie points, but because I possess a quality you appear to be lacking - empathy. With some of them taking demotions I feel they shouldn't be expected to handle all of the same responsibilities they previously had for less money.

Speaking of money, you make it sound like we became overnight millionaires, or got tens of thousands of dollars in raises at the very least. I can assure you we did not. We were put between a rock and a hard place where we could take what was offered or be out of the job. I opted to take the opportunity to continue having health insurance for my special needs child and money to support my family instead of being out of a job. This makes me a human opting for survival - not a monster. I can't imagine how those that lost their jobs felt and I feel awful for them, but not for looking out for my family (though there is an enduring sense of guilt). I do not feel that this whole thing was handled with an iota of grace and the company went off half-cocked, but as we all know - corporations are autonomous conglomerates, not your BFF.

If venting about the level of stress that these things have bestowed upon me and wondering what everyone else is up against makes me a crybaby, then hand me a tissue.

(also, "stores" is possessive. If you can't have a heart at least have decent grammar)

Jobs are out there, although it did take me almost 3 months to find due to age. I'm sure if you are under 50, you will have more options.
I accepted one equal to my demoted wage. I was offered a fair compensation for the work expected. It is a great company with opportunity for advancement, but most of all "I feel valued".
Time will tell, but very excited not to be dealing with rush right now.

I do not feel bad. If you had any prior experience with CM you should have been totally aware of the work load and what life (or lack of life) would be like for Aug and Sept.
While you may not have had a choice other than to quit or accept, you have had since late March to look for a new job.
I was one who lost my job. I was given an offer with a 40% pay cut, ASM eliminated and increased work load. No brainer to leave, but still an insult after years of dedication and loyalty. No Thank you! I took my experience and walked.
Best of luck to those who chose to stay, but the days are numbered. If you haven't started looking for a new job yet then you have no one to blame but yourself.

FYI most CM3 didn't get a raise. Lateral move to salary and way more work. Total joke.
JRC, great move for investors!
Probably need to add a couple of more VPs for the Ivory Tower!

FYI most CM3 didn't get a raise. Lateral move to salary and way more work. Total joke.

I feel no sympathy for you. If you were a CMM initially, you know the amount of work it takes to manage 1 stores needs. Did you really think YOU could manage more than that? Did you get a raise? That money looked pretty good, right? You got a bigger paycheck while hundreds lost their jobs. Deal with it, crybaby.

Those who were offered the promotions or title changes with same pay were not offered the severance package. Maybe they could have received unemployment if they declined, but that would have taken time and most states maximum unemployment is not enough to survive on.
I was demoted and accepted the severance, but I would have taken the promotion if it had been offered. Instead the promotions went to people hand picked by RM / GVP. In my region most of the promotions went to the RMs minions and their staff. It was more who you knew and how much you had kissed up that secured the position. Best qualified was not factored in.
I do know the amount of work that hits in August. I was store manager and handled all CM 100% for over 25 years... PLUS everything else needed to have a successful rush (recruiting, schedules, A/R, receiving, online orders, store set up etc.). I often worked past 9/10 pm at this time of the year. I wish I was offered CMMM if that was all I had to focus on. CT is only a fraction of what needs to be done for textbooks. The managers remaining in the store are facing far more challenges for less money.
I'm sure MLs want you to do more because they are also overwhelmed (at least the ones who care). The new Campus Store Leaders are buried and there is not much incentive for them to stay. They have to set shelves, receive texts, merchandise, recruit, train, plus everything else that need to be done. They will be on the front lines when the less than stellar service is delivered to Faculty, students and parents. I would not want to be in their shoes. If they quit, how is the ML going to cover multiple stores. The days of asking other stores to help out are gone. Everyone is in survival mode.
While part of me would love to help out because I know none of this is your fault, I can not. I did love my job and it is sad to see what has happened. Follett was a great company to work for once upon a time. All I can say is best of luck.

I feel really badly for the people who got promoted. They all seem to be pulled in way too many directions. Too much for them to do for their work day to end when they close the store they are covering because of the vacancies or training newly hired people. These promoted positions will probably have vacancies within a month or two. How many MLs are working from home? Unfortunately, these people were sold a pile of you know what about their new job situation.

I took the demotion. I am glad as rush approaches, I am an hourly employee. Rush is a minimum of a 50 work week. I will take 10 hours of OT. I am glad I cannot work until all hours of the day and night (or if I do, I will be OT compensated and not salaried working for free).

Not sure there is an option to save Follett. Everyone that left will have no interest in filling these upcoming vacancies. Have a new to Follett CM3 hit the ground running with all the technical information they need to know for their position.

Those of us that were offered promotions didn't get a decline with a severance option, and unemployment doesn't cover voluntary quit in this state.
JRC propaganda? If you decline the promotion what happens? You are terminated and you collect unemployment insurance. If you decline a bs promotion that doesn't mean you resign it means you have been terminated.
JRC you are just nasty.

"So why did you take the job?
JRC just thinks you are stupid.
Do you think they care the students suffer?
JRC could care less if you die trying to do the impossible as long as their rich investors get richer."

Why did I take the job? Well, we only had a week to decide and most people cannot line up another job in a week, though I tried. If you did kudos to you. I can't survive on $0 in the interim, so, job accepted. Those of us that were offered promotions didn't get a decline with a severance option, and unemployment doesn't cover voluntary quit in this state. I did apply to many jobs before the pre-rush tidal wave hit. Employers don't seem quick to reply. Either that or my resume-writing skills are subpar and/or I'm applying to the wrong jobs, which is a possibility I'm willing to explore.

Let JRC's investors make money - that's how businesses work. I don't care what they think about the students or me. Right now I care about the students, and the poor over-taxed staff that are in the same boat I am. You'll probably perceive that as a character flaw and I'm okay with that. Somehow, my life will go on. I suppose I could half-a-s my job to stick it to JRC but that will only make things worse for the stores - and they're dealing with enough already. We all are. Right now it's about making each other's lives a little less terrible the best we all can while we white-knuckle our way to a new job.

It's time to say bye-bye, they don't care about you or any other employee as by their actions. It's easier to find a job while you have one, I would be taking some time to do so. You can bet that after this rush alot of schools will void their contracts and then where will the employees be?

So why did you take the job?
JRC just thinks you are stupid.
Do you think they care the students suffer?
JRC could care less if you die trying to do the impossible as long as their rich investors get richer.