Where do I begin? After 12 holiday seasons with the company, (over 10 years as full-time, year-round,) I barely made more than newly-hired seasonal (temporary) employees, despite my seniority and being 3-4 positions higher as a member of the leadership staff. And, with bonuses, (both cash and prizes like game consoles, big screen TVs, vacation packages,) available primarily to the seasonal staff, many were able to out-earn their bosses. (TWO miniscule wage increases in seven years, and the second only because I decided to move into lower management.)
Next, the micromanagement. You know those TPS reports from "Office Space"? Well, that is no exaggeration. I would hear the same instruction from 7 people, my superiors and their superiors and my equals, throughout the course of an 8-10-hour shift. The reason? Complete and utter breakdown in communications on almost every level company-wide.
Downsizing: Harry & David is notorious for the typical poor judgment downsizing. They eliminate a person's (integral) position, realize shortly thereafter how important a cog in the machinery that individual was, then hire 2-5 less-skilled people to replace them, at, (of course,) 5 times the cost to the company. OR... They eliminate people, then overburden the remaining staff with the former employee's responsibilities, thereby making a more stressful situation for everyone involved, short-sticking the quality of ALL work, and, eventually, leading to employee burnout. (This is NOT "streamlining"; this is lining investors' pockets at the expense. I personally saw my workload increase at least fivefold in my final 2-3 years, with no additional compensation.)
Clique-ish promotional practices: No matter who was most qualified for a position available within the company, the person who was closest friends with the supervisor of that position would get the position. Side note: Although against "official" company practice, if a person is determined integral to their current position, they, (strangely enough,) would fail to get hired for any other position they applied for. Imagine that...
Finally, dishonesty. The current management at H&D will smile in your face and hug you while sticking a knife in your back. When I started there, management was straightforward, whether the news was good or bad. Beginning with the purchase by Wasserstein, and the influx of management from outside the company, that changed 100%. I have never in my life dealt with more two-faced, phony individuals as the management there. On multiple occasions, I had both immediate management, and those of higher echelons, (VPs,) attempt to throw me under the wheels for their mistakes, a couple of which cost the company thousands of dollars. (I say "attempt" because, unfortunately, at H&D, the CYA rule MUST be adhered to for survival.) In addition, whereas we had always been fairly honest with our customers, I began to notice a trend in stretching the truth, or outright lying, to them in my last couple years.
I could go on and on about the little things, (freezing of pensions, cessation of 401k contributions, how they recently took away employee discounts for retirees who'd been with the company for less than 20 years, etc., etc., but I think I've said enough to make my point.)
