The FTC and your job: Also sorry to say that either way the brick and mortar stores lose huge. The only real difference is who decides and which stores and how fast. The FTC is far too ignorant/uncaring of the real conditions to know that their decision will almost immediately add 15,000 to the unemployment roles with more to come. Now here is the real sad news. It will happen if or if not the deal goes through. Again, only who, and immediately when, this decision is made is effected by the FTC decision. The loss of jobs happens NO matter what. For all you highly compensated managers coming under increasing stress for things you can't control....it's their program and they hope you quit. They had expected to choose between you and the lesser paid Office Depot and Office Max managers after merger. Now they are thinking they have to just pressure you out like they have been doing for the last five years or so because the merger won't happen. The marching orders have already been given to the RVP's and DM's. They will continue to find the ONE store out of a thousand that is performing well (ignoring all the special circumstances that this store has that makes it easier to manage) and hold it up as an example of WHY you SUCK! My advice? Ignore them like they don't exist... because they don't. They are going away too. They just have not realized it yet. Dinosaurs. So when your visit's get increasingly nasty in the next few days/weeks you will now know why. Smile say YESSIR and laugh your ass off after they leave your box. They are reading this right now and saying WHO IS THIS GUY, HOW DOES HE KNOW... f*cK them all cause that is their plan for you.
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To watching from afar...can't agree with you more...I am one of those that are on the hit list....the more the RVP and DM pushes me and I don't quit, I can see the frustration....making up metric to put on a PIP...using data that is wrong...now see listing for opening in my area. When karma comes around and bites them, we will have smile because we saw it coming and they were blind.
The important thing is to understand they are doing this in a misguided attempt to save the business (while the execs get rewarded no matter what). Once they have you targeted there is nothing you can do. Move on and do not blame yourself. While some will say what Staples is doing to their people is just business, it really is setting people up to fail, and it is just an evil way to treat employees.
Right on the money. I have seen all this first hand myself. So many good, qualified, managers stressed out to the point hat they are shells of their former selves. If this is happening to you, remember, it is all them, do not get yourself down, just make a plan and initiate a smart exit strategy before the other shoe falls and they fire you. I know at least 10 people they fired that had symptoms similar to battlefield PTSD after being let go from Staples after all their efforts to "save" their jobs.
Oh I almost forgot: I have approved this message