Thread regarding Whole Foods Market Inc. layoffs

There are two kinds of team leaders (My experience in the Mid-Atlantic)

I worked in the Mid-Atlantic region for about ten years and I think much of what I saw in terms of team leaders can be classified into two types ; Those who really bust their butts, work hard and actually go out on the sales floor. These team leaders work themselves to the point of exhaustion, sacrifice personal time and also work off the clock for hours at a time. They are at least in some sense part of the team. Generally though they end up burning out from the sheer amount of work and lack of support from STL'S and ASTL'S. They on average don't last long.

The other; sits in the office all day, and rarely ventures out to the sales floor. They are great at verbalizing departmental goals and accomplishments to store leadership but usually have limited understanding of the products , poor departmental leadership, and lack luster customer service skills. This team leader works only their scheduled hours and certainly does not help out with the manual labor. The only reason why this person continues to have a job is because they are in some way protected by friend or family member higher up in the company. They might have some sort of connection to the current STL or an STL in another store and therefore are untouchable. This team leader will hire and promote their friends leaving the real work to everyone else on the department.

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| 2066 views | | 12 replies (last November 27, 2016) | Reply
Post ID: @OP+Kt6uIhX

12 replies (most recent on top)

-5btv, I have been both. If you're ineffectively managing your time then YES, you will be mired in paperwork and e-mail nonsense as a TL. Delegate some of the paperwork to a good sup, and spend that time on the sale floor, or working alongside team members. It's a weird disease I noticed that it's supported when TLs disappear in the back and let the paperwork consume them. It's the first step to breaking down a team and creating distrust in your team. Of course everyone's workload there is insane, not just TL. Get out now, if you can. There's only so much you can delegate once you're running three or four teams.

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Post ID: @6twg+Kt6uIhX

I love the "keep it to yourself", of course lets no bother with the freedom of speech thing, f---off a--hole!

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Post ID: @5ydl+Kt6uIhX

It's so easy for people who have never actually done the job to judge those who ARE doing the job.

A good TL has a strong supportive team. A team that can handle the sales floor while she/he manages to unending stream of computer tasks. Their job is TOUGH. They have to answer to a EVERYONE! Regional, STLs, ASTLs, vendors, TMs, customers, etc.. Unless you have been a TL, you really should keep your uninformed opinions to yourself.

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Post ID: @5btv+Kt6uIhX

To the poster who mentioned the team leader who sits in the back office is actually doing a good job;

I fully understand that there is a significant amount of work that is necessary in the office and on the computer for a team leader to do during any given day. I have seen some really good team leaders who do spend a lot of time in the office, however they do not neglect the sales floor and they also provide strong leadership for their team members. They do not need do everything but at the very least they can provide a clear and consistent direction for the team.

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Post ID: @2joi+Kt6uIhX

And this is the reason this company is failing. You're full of sh--. We don't want regionals DATED opinions. The glory days are over. Wake up and refresh your resume. All regional should be replaced. ALL OF THEM

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Post ID: @2ktw+Kt6uIhX

I have held about every position at WFM from PT TM to Regional Office and I can tell you that the hardest job is TL, by far. You may think the office dwellers are lazy but they run the best teams. The ones who are constantly doing the same job as their team just are not good at delegating and leading. There is a lot that goes in to being a TL and most of it requires massive office work. If you fall behind on that and just go do what the TMs are doing on the floor then you are neglecting things that TMs don't see and don't realize they are falling behind in and not learning. You don't need an overpriced TM doing the same job as everyone, you need a leader.

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Post ID: @2ieq+Kt6uIhX

I prefer the first type, but don't like when she throws the truck which causes us to finish faster and then I get sent home early.

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Post ID: @1ylq+Kt6uIhX

This is so spot on. I've been at the Food Hole for going on 10 years (pains me to type that) and it has been going this way only for the past 3 or so. It's sad because like the OP said, I used to believe that TMs were actually cared about and the mission statement of the company. But man it's been really bad ever since those layoffs. The writing has been on the wall for some time now (I first remember thinking we were in trouble around the time of the company wide store meetings with our terrible "Values Matter" commercials) but the soul has been s---ed out completely now. And the lazy office dwelling TLs will continue to get their praises and move up, and the TMs and other middle management that actually to the footwork will continue to get pushed out and not rewarded for our hard work.

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Post ID: @1iyv+Kt6uIhX

I think that is why so many on here are frustrated. We bust our a--, sacrifice our family and sanity. All for a belief in being a difference in something. Those days are long gone. Working off the clock is a norm for a lot of people in this company. Especially with labor being what it is now and all the more demands that have been placed on everyone's shoulders. I used to believe in this place. I used to go above and beyond. You can only do what you can do in 8 hours. Whole Foods is simply a organic wal mart now.

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Post ID: @1ryl+Kt6uIhX

No one should work off the clock. That's illegal.

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Post ID: @ivw+Kt6uIhX

Ive seen both types..the verbalizers kill me with that corporate tongue they speak

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Post ID: @tvk+Kt6uIhX

i've seen mostly the first type myself. and you're right, they don't last long. it's just such a brutal life to live. i was an ATL for 3 years and had to leave the grocery industry cause it's just such a dominating work schedule - especially for leadership. it's simply not worth it.

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Post ID: @qdg+Kt6uIhX

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