Andi Owen.Photo: Chris duMond/Shutterstock
The CEO of a furniture company sparked outrage after a video of her telling staff not to worry about getting bonuses — and to “leave pity city” — went viral.
In a video that has beenwidely criticized on social media, where it’s been posted many times and racked up millions of views, MillerKnoll CEO Andi Owen told employees to focus on their jobs instead of whether they would receive bonuses this year.
“A lot of questions came through about how can we stay motivated if we’re not going to get a bonus,” Owen said. “Some of them were nice and some of them were not so nice so I’m going to address this head on.”
“Don’t ask about ‘what are we going to do if we don’t get a bonus?'” Owen continued. “Spend your time and your effort thinking about the $26 million we need and not thinking about what you’re going to do if you don’t get a bonus, all right?”
Owen, who has been the President and CEO of the company since 2018,made more than $4.9 million last fiscal year, according to an U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission filing. Part of that total included her base salary ($1.1 million) as well as $1.29 million in incentive-based compensation.
Towards the end of the clip, Owen went on to share a piece of advice she’d been given in the past.
“I had an old boss who said to me one time, ‘You can visit pity city, but you can’t live there.’ So, people, leave pity city. Let’s get it done. Thank you, have a great day,” she said, before mouthing the word “boom.”
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“Last month we held a 75-minute company meeting where we shared business updates, product launches and campaigns. A 90-second clip from that internal meeting loses the context of the broader discussion,” the spokesperson said in a statement. “Our CEO believes fiercely in the company and what we can do together to finish our financial year strong.”
Owen has since sent a written apology to employees, according toThe Wall Street JournalandMLive.com.
“I want to be transparent and empathetic, and as I continue to reflect on this instance, I feel terrible that my rallying cry seemed insensitive,” Owen wrote in the message, per MLive.com.
“What I’d hoped would energize the team to meet a challenge we’ve met many times before landed in a way that I did not intend and for that I am sorry,” the executive added, according to the reports. “Nothing will lessen the power and strength of our collective team. My appreciation for each of you is huge and I will continue to do everything I can to help us meet our shared goals.”
According toCNN, MillerKnoll has said it expects lower sales this quarter after reporting a drop in orders so far this year.
source: people.com
