Management In Action

Any attempt to measure and track management actions soon runs into a spectrum that is wider than endless space. What follows are repeated examples of their abusive drunken sailor’s walk off the end of the pier and for which, the employee is the consequential damage. Not all these exhibits are important but taken in context they mutely attest to the level of management present and culture enjoyed.

Exhibit 1. Skyler is the daughter of Shannon store supervisor and the sister of Olivia who had been a Head Cashier before her. When this event occurred, Skyler had been an employee for a very brief period. Unlike the other head cashier job openings before, where multiple candidates applied and interviewed, she received a coronation instead. Nepotism? Age discrimination? General discrimination? You decide.

Exhibit 2  Antisemitic deliberate indifference tolerated at Depot apparently. Black shirts specifically epitomize the very worst of this affliction. History does not forget but Depot does. This complaint was ignored. One Jewish employee learned about my effort and personally thanked me for trying. That meant a lot. I was convinced to not leave at that time unlike what happened after the book was published a year later. Interrogated for speaking up. Another Depot Star Chamber response.

Exhibit 3 Letter from Assistant Store Manager (ASM) and Front End Supervisor (FES) announcing a meeting that never happened.

Exhibit 4. Inquiry and agenda items submitted two months later asking for the meeting to occur. Never happened. They did have time to meet with me over the item in Exhibit 2 almost immediately. Amazing.

Exhibit 5. Letter written to the Bean Counter after the FES declined to provide any illumination nor explanation. Depot never seems to be the least concerned about hours as a part time employee unless they reach forty hours and one second in a week. Violating the item referenced in the PS is never a concern. Nor was anything I referenced or pointed out. Numbers on spreadsheets don’t speak.

Exhibit 6 My attempt to help the Bean Counter create new credit card revenue. The response was this was discrimination. The second response was to deny and the third to dismiss. All any employee can expect from any thought process the old 3D, Deny Disparage Dismiss. The Home Depot way.

Exhibit 7. How management conducts packaging with certain bathroom fixtures. Lo!

Exhibit 8. Letter to Craig’s List the big one in Atlanta. The drill down is lengthier than can be published here. The fact that I went to the top indicates the deplorable level of what is in between.

Item 9. The less than legible form from the meeting discussed. Depot requires employees to complete these but refuses to provide them with a copy. I took the picture surreptitiously. What is written can be found in Exhibit 7.

Item 10. The book details the untimely death of Dan. A real loss to the store and a source of real heart ache for youths that had not yet experienced death in this manner. I nicknamed him Dan the Man when he was alive. Quite a character and loyal friend.

Item 11. My writing for his memorial.

Item 12. Display caused a lot of comments from customers. Thought my cash register was inside an Orthodox church.

Item 13. Star Chamber meeting response forwarded to Home Office. Nothing happened. Par for the course. Abuse continues. Are you surprised?

Item 14. Phyllis is an older woman and she and I are relatively friendly. This letter was written in the hopes there would be an intervention before a serious event might happen. Two other employees confirmed what I have written but were afraid to say much less do anything. I was roundly castigated for speaking up.

Item 15. Company Big Brother attitude now extends to customers. Employees and customers are now meat on the hoof. Another expansion for profit and spreadsheets.

Item 16. An example why the greatly promoted Open Door Policy is really nothing but a closed trap door and most every employee knows it company self-flagellation aside.

Item 17. I did file a complaint over the antisemitism charge in exhibit 2. It was ignored and closed. Par for the Depot course.

Item 18. Shayla was the HR person when I joined the company before being promoted to ASM in a Huntsville store. Very creditable and far too good of a person to be in Depot. This shows her telling me I am awesome. Thanks Shayla.

Item 19. This complaint actually had some good result. Shift changes became much more codified, and Ashley and I developed a great working relationship.

Item 20. Shayla’s successor as HR did not have her ability. Here is an example of that person in action. The employee was definitely at fault but the response was beyond terrible.

Item 21. Homer Fund is an internal employee giving for those employees in need. I attempted to do so and here is what happened. Are you serious?

Item 22. Isaac is a cashier and part time Head Cashier (HC). Here is an example of misconduct. What happened as a result? Nada. April the FES said I was correct but, in the future, let the employee sink in their own mire. Really? Leave a register wide open for a thief to empty and say and do nothing. Are you serious? Oh and the investigation was not about the error. It was about had I done anything wrong in raising the alarm. You cannot make this up.

Item 23. This letter to Home Office complained about part time treatment. Read and decide if you think there is merit.

Item 24. This was the response from Home Office on one query. I received a later communication begging pardon for this being erroneously sent. Of course in the end nothing was done and the case was closed for a second time.

Item 25. Classic example of how an Assistant Store Manager (ASM) acts towards an employee with absolutely no consequences. Really bad when the customer acts as an intercessor but that is Depot at work.

Item 26. Alicia Amacker is in HR at Home Office. After notifying Craig with a huge packet of information she responded. Here is the narrative of that conversation. Note the absence of any writings.

Item 27. Scheduling complaint filed with store HR.

Item 28. Home Depot buys back their stock. Lowes purchases Stain Master carpets. Need more be said?

Item 29. Letter to HR in store declining Red China made garb by slave labor. Received no response except that I could be excused from participating. Indeed.

These items document many facets of treatment received by employees in the store. They are in no way complete or comprehensive but they do show a flavor and taste of what life resembles. Employees that own their job usually leave very quickly. Part time employees find an employer that will provide them a steady schedule and some semblance of the same number of hours per week. Simply too much trouble for Depot to consider. The nickname House of Insanity applies well.