It's happening now.
21 replies (most recent on top)
Retail stores were hit yesterday. Personal Shopping department eliminated in 14 of 20 stores. Way to go, execs, fire the best sellers in your stores. That will certainly improve the situation.
Quite a bit of digital was hit, from server management to digital content creation; it's likely any future apps and games from AG will be exclusively outsourced.
Yup. I was in the other building. The silence that fell over the room was deafening as people listened to the higher ups laugh. It was so surreal.
On Wednesday some people even got promotions! Here they just laid off 19 people on Monday and now they're acting as if everything is a'okay. Absolutely mind-boggling and so very frustrating. I hope those laid off find something far better than this sinking ship.
It's really too bad. Originally AG wanted to help girls be the best they could be and teach history through the eyes of someone they could relate to. I think the company has lost sight of what they set out to do. It breaks my heart. I do not trust those in charge.
The last poster was spot on. I was one of the people setting up the audio for the higher ups in the media room. Not a bit of remorse. Travesty what the mindset is. One of them even chuckled "let them eat packing peanuts!" which garnered a few laughs. Heartless, cruel, soulless individuals.
AG used to do great but now that the Mattel transplants have wiggled in they're messing things up at a faster pace. AG was slowly sliding downhill because they can't keep up with increasing competition but now they're plummeting. For a few months they didn't even have a President and this new one doesn't come from anything related to toys. I guess she doesn't even know how to spell the name of a brand she's in charge of. The president before her who mucked up the business scurried away to Fisher Price to avoid being booted.
It's sad to hear a lot of good people were let go while those in higher positions get promotions. Supposedly during a meeting broadcast throughout the company, when the subject of layoffs was brought up, all the higher-ups started laughing. I guess they were even in their own room presenting and all the other employees were stuck in another across the road. They couldn't even look in the faces of those controlling their future. Tells you what those in charge think about those under them: Out of sight, out of mind.
Now that AG has fallen on hard times and they're being integrated into Mattel brands, every no talent Sr Director and above in El Segundo is going to feast on AG's carcass like a pack of rabid dogs. They will be picked apart slowly at the whim of the ignorant, self serving morons that drove this company into the ground to begin with.
That is so sad. Making toys should be fun!! Only Mattel could find a way to suck the fun right out of it and suck the life and morale out of a once thriving company. This is how you destroy a company.
It was pretty bad. One by one they took people into a room and then HR escorted them outside. Things were already bad enough at AG with a lot of teams working as skeleton crews. The morale is at an all time low and I don't see it getting any better any time soon.
They wiped out almost the entire digital team and probably won't be making anymore games/apps/activities for girls. It's ridiculous because that's what kids are into nowadays but they rather pump out expensive accessories that no one is buying anymore. It's too bad that the company puts zero trust and value into the people that are working there.
Those leading the charge have not kept up with the times. They don't know what's popular with their target audience anymore. They rather spend money bringing some goons in to talk about their business that doesn't even relate to what we do than invest in their workers. They'll just be a crazy expensive doll company that not even their employees could afford unless they waited for special sales. It's so unfortunate because at one point American Girl was a wonderful place to work. Now it is a dried husk with sullen employees crumbling under the weight of mindless VPs and directors.
At the rate things are going, with layoffs continuing like it has these past three years, I can see Mattel shutting down AG headquarters in Madison and just have mattel employees take on AG work.
Don't be fooled. MEGA was fked before MattHell took over. Someone there told me the owners fked the employees out of their bonus when MattHell was buying them. Had to screw the employees to make the bottom line look better so MattHell would overpay even worse.
I heard the exact same thing about Mega starting to complain but it won't do them any good. You must remember, in MattHell no one can hear you scream.
Mattel's processes are based on best scenario circumstances. It's efficiencies are designed to work best under optimum circumstances. With clear strategic goals defined, milestones being hit, quantities defined early, proper staffing, and managing changes among a list of things.
Now we all know that these conditions are as common as an SVP giving up their bonus. Yet the management and their development cronies seem oblivious to this fact. It's like asking a car to run a race with no oil, 3 tires and managers who can't decide what stickers to put on it. If we do not acknowledge these facts and adjust these processes and behaviors to allow us to flex and be nimble we will continue to implode. But hey this stuff isn't new at all is it?
MEGA is already complaining about the F'ed up Mattel systems they're being forced to use. I spoke with a director there last week who was telling me that they've started losing people and their morale has plummeted because folks find the Mattel process to be backwards and frustrating. THESE ARE CANADIANS PEOPLE!! THE NICEST PEOPLE IN THE WORLD! Even they can't take this BS.
Let's see how many once profitable companies/brands were infected with the dreaded malignant MattHellitis virus: Fisher-Price, Whamo, Tyco RC, Radica, American Girl, the Games & Puzzles division doesn't even show up on a brands pie chart so I'm throwing that one in, with the next victim MegaBrands already beginning to sneeze.......yikes.
Once thriving brands simply cannot offer the same product they once could after absorbing all the overhead of the hundreds of useless do nothing Directors, Sr. Directors, SVP's, Sr. Vp's & EVP's. It's all a very simple equation.
Sorry that you're going thru this, that was me last year March so I know exactly how the ushered out feel. Did they have security walk you out too? Nice touch, huh?
I'm pretty certain that the VPs & directors that should have gone last year are still there. I'm betting that the useless vp creative who's takes credit for mh is also still there. Not my problem anymore xo
Mattel has survived on the Barbie and Hot Wheels cash cow despite its poor processes/culture/corporate structure. Exporting that ignorance to other divisions of the company through transplants only destroys value of those acquired companies. Mega is next up in the path of value destruction
Now that you're being "integrated" into Mattel, expect it to get even worse. It's sad what happens to a company when stupidity takes over. Wish I had better news for you.
Ag has paid the price in people yearly. Even on profit years. mattel way sucks.
Wonder where the transplants came from? AG was always a top earner, kick ass operation that worked like a well oiled machine. To hear that there are layoffs is truly a testament to how the Mattel machine needs a serious tune up.
19 gone at AG today. They said it's only an AG thing. Funny how we were pulling double-digit growth until all of the Mattel transplants took control...
Is this going to be a coordinated strike? All divisions getting hit at once today?
IF this is really true/live, all I can say is Wow. AG finally got infected with the Matthellitis virus. There is no cure.