Subsidizing Low Wage Workers

Last Christmas season, when I was working at Cabela's, the human resources person spoke up at one of the morning meetings.  She said she had been doing a lot of research recently on what she called "local resources".  She said that many of us would qualify for some of the programs, even some of the management team.  I was completely shocked at the time that she would say that in front of everyone.  At the same time, all sorts of warning bells were going off in my head.  I think that was an "aha" moment for me.  I realized I was working for a large company whose net worth was expanding rapidly at the expense of the employees who were making it happen.  After all, as a part time employee with no benefits, I was barely making ends meet.  My cushion had been dwindling since I started my job and I was counting on working more hours over the busy holiday season to keep afloat.

This year, I heard that no part time employee was allowed to work more than 28 hours, even at Christmas.  They were just going to hire more temporary people to fill in. I haven't been back to check on the reality of that.  I'm guessing that if I stop by some day, I probably won't know anyone there anymore because the turnover is so over the top.

Today I heard that Walmart was having a food drive for it's own employees.  I rushed home to see if it was true.  Here's a link to one article on the subject:   Food drive for Walmart Workers
The thought that taxpayer dollars are going to subsidize under paid employees totally rankles me.  I thought about seeing what services I could qualify for, but I couldn't find any energy to try.  Maybe I was afraid I would qualify.  Or maybe I was afraid I wouldn't.

At Cabela's they have a giving program where you can donate to help other employees in times of need. I always felt a little queasy about that, too.  I don't remember there being any matching funds from the company as an incentive or anything.  It was impersonal and made me feel a little guilty, even though I really couldn't afford to give.

 I know for a fact that most of the employees would do what they could and give what they could to help each other.  There is some honest solidarity there, a comforting thought - and on a personal level.
I am grateful for the people I worked with.

Corporate Culture becomes Legend(ary)

Legend: a story from the past that is believed by many people but cannot be proved to be true.

When I was trained to be a Cabela's Outfitter, the main focus of the first days of training was my indoctrination into their corporate culture.  I must admit, I was impressed with the core values, the mission statement, the commitment to excellence, and the diversity and inclusion philosophy statement in particular.  I wanted to be a part of that. 

Unfortunately, the reality on the floor was pretty much diametrically opposed from the ideals promised by the corporate culture. Our GM could talk passionately about the "good old days" when the culture was real and active, but I think he might have quit partly because he knew it wasn't real anymore. The next GM came from Sam's Club. She can seamlessly cram the corporate goals of retail profitability and visa club card down our throats, while espousing the legendary corporate culture - and the door keeps revolving.

The latest facet of Cabela's corporate culture is their "It's in your Nature" campaign.  It's brilliant. It's innovative. It's different. It meshes well with their new stitched in products. It's just unfortunate that most of the employees at Cabela's can't afford the new stitched in products and don't have much time to spend in the outdoors because they have "open availability" and spend most of their waking hours in the store.

In short, Cabela's started out with passion, dreams and a vision that was probably a shared culture for a period of time. But like many successful business ventures, once a business reaches a certain size, the culture becomes legend. Cabela's even uses the word "Legendary" to describe so many of their products that the word has lost all meaning... and that is my point.

Could be worse... Fast Food Workers

You might have heard about McDonald's workers trying to unionize and threatening to strike.  It's been in the news lately.  I really like this article about the issue because it gets behind the scenes and calls out some of the ugly truths about the situation.  There is no doubt that fast food workers are scraping the bottom of the barrel.  That they deserve a living wage should be self evident.  But are they just becoming pawns in another game of politics and unionization?  They might be getting some press, but it will be a long haul before they get any respect or money.

Fast Food Workers

If you like this article, you might want to read the others by Jarrod Shanahan listed at the bottom of the page. I liked "I punched my boss in the face".

the future of retail?

Here is an article about another successful retailer that is cutting hours and benefits for their employees. It is a sad trend.
Personally, I like the idea of having everyone only work 24 hours a week. That way, there would be very little unemployment and people could enjoy the elusive concept of work / life balance.
The only way to make it work, though, is to pay everyone at least $15 - $20 hourly and include benefits.
This is not an impossible concept. It would give everyone a secure base to live on and enough time to pursue their passions (money-making or not).  It would be a small step toward a more equitable distribution of wealth in this country as shown in my earlier post.

read this and weep:

Forever 21 policy

strategic planning retreat

Wow,  I just got home after turning in my shirts and my badge and guess what was waiting for me in the mailbox?  Cabela's chief outfitter newsletter - and it's full of bullets (not ammunition) about their strategic planning retreat.

I couldn't ask for better fodder for my blog!

Even though the first pillar of the graphic on the front is labeled OUTFITTERS, none of the bullets are aimed at supporting us. Starting at the top, only the outfitters on the floor can deepen customer relationships in a real and personal way, and the only way to do that is to have long term employees who care. If the company is really committed to that, they could share with us, the outfitters, how they plan to support us in that endeavor. I've given them plenty of ideas on how to do that, and I might have more if they would care to listen or apply any of them.  I sure wish I knew what "sustain and adapt our culture" means, there might be something good there, but I'm afraid it is more image driven than real.

Most of the bullets are aimed at supporting the shareholders. Improving profitability and growing revenue along with the favorite word "optimizing" might keep things looking good on paper.
 Many of the full time outfitters and probably some part timers (who are doing this for fun and don't need the money) might be stockholders thanks to Cabela's 401k contributions and employee stock purchase plan. As stockholders, we might stand to profit from Cabela's aggressive vision. Personally, I think the vision is blurred and I would love to see us "focus our priorities" with more bottom - up strengthening.

 The message I am getting is that the outfitters are an integral part of building the business, we are Cabela's greatest asset, we need to be engaged because it's in our nature. Unfortunately, the reality is more like outfitters are a line item in the budget that keeps getting cut. It really can't be both with any honesty and integrity.

mind-blowing link

This link helped change the way I think about the economy.
It is something every American should be aware of.

wealth distribution in the US

farewell

Employee Insights

Updates from the bottom rung

Karin Allen

Cabela’s Outfitter • Gifts & Fudge - Grand Junction • August 22, 2013

Farewell Cabela’s:

After a full year as a Cabela’s Outfitter, I am moving on.  It’s been an eye opening experience working on the bottom rung of the corporate ladder.  I tell my friends I’m just learning how not to run my multi-million dollar corporation when the time comes.

The latest round of new hires are coming aboard, full of the core values and indoctrinated into the Cabela’s corporate culture. It’s good stuff, and I was enthusiastic to become part of the team when I first walked out to the floor. There are a lot of great, dedicated Outfitters on the floor, in spite of how we are often treated (or ignored) by management.  

I was taken under the wing of my co-workers on my first day.  I got to watch fudge and nuts being made and learned how to serve it to customers. I had a general tour of the gifts department and it was okay.  When I showed up for my second day, there was no one but me in the department.  I was baffled, but I knew how to dispense fudge and I spent my time dusting and getting familiar with products on the shelves. 

This week, our new hire trumped my experience.  She showed up for her very first shift and there was no one, NO ONE, in her department to welcome her or show her what to do.  I’m embarrassed for Cabela’s and so sorry for our new employee.  I was looking forward to training someone before I left, but I guess the next fudge maker will have to figure out their own fudge “voodoo”.

cha cha cha changes

The revolving door of retail turnover 

Why is Cabela’s shooting itself in the foot?

Employee turnover costs U.S. employers something like 4 billion dollars annually. (It must be true - I saw it somewhere on the internet)

We have had a huge amount of turnover in our little store since I’ve been here. I’ve tried to address some of the issues that contribute to that in past insights, but it seems that every new policy handed down from above just keeps making it worse.

Penny wise and pound foolish:

28 hour work week for part time employees- This new policy makes it just about impossible for part time employees to make a living anywhere and it is becoming the norm across the retail nation.  28 hours is not enough to get by at $9 an hour. And if you are working 28 hours, it is extremely difficult to find or hold down a second job without giving up any chance of  “work / life balance”.  There is not even the carrot of working more hours at Christmas anymore.  Worst of all, the buzz wants us to blame Obamacare for this latest indignity.

Obamacare is trying to make healthcare more affordable and inclusive.  It is corporate greed that is to blame.  Cabela’s could choose to treat it’s employees with the respect they deserve by simply paying us a living wage and including health care in the deal instead of cutting our hours so they don’t have to pay for any potentially mandated insurance.  By restructuring the pay scale and including real health insurance, Cabela’s (or any large retailer) could probably pay for it in reduced employee turnover.  Once employees feel secure with their benefits and are payed more than enough to cover their basic living expenses....they might get to become CONSUMERS again and that is good for business all the way around.