I have been asked to repeatedly defend my job every few months - to an exhaustive extent - that is inevitably leading to burnout and resentment for leadership as I watch countless others losing their jobs around me. Sometimes seemingly out of nowhere. Which in turn causes everyone else unrelenting, extreme anxiety. Fearing that they may be next on the daily. I’ve met some that have been feeling this way for 10+ years.
Some departments are significantly happier and well-off, like product development and design, where focus and resources are concentrated. It’s also worth noting that Michigan offices are significantly more supported/developed than their counterparts in Kentucky. Those associates feel that, too.
In reading the reviews before me, I see a lot of callouts to HR on lack of transparency, complaints of politics/cliques, nods to intimidation and bullying being overlooked, and several other very valid criticisms that I would implore anyone to read and please take seriously.
I say this needs attention because if the replies to these other reviews are genuine - if Carhartt is serious about change and strives to be better - whatever whoever in charge thinks they are doing to rectify these issues is *not* working. At all. I can tell you right now that these going-ons are alive and well today, still.
Asking associates for anonymous feedback, for what feels like every other week, is tiresome and disingenuous when we’re giving it to you repeatedly (especially that often) with little-to-no improvement long-term or even acknowledgement short-term. It has become an empty gesture.
On another note, circling back to the topic of HR, all of these reviews are valid… I saw a response by Carhartt to another reviewer here, requesting they contact an ethics team via email to share their negative experiences. The email address is “@carhartt.com”, which insinuates that it’s managed by Carhartt and thus inherently biased, which completely missed the point of the entire claim. I’ve witnessed and personally experienced lackluster support from HR as well, so I know these claims to be plausible.
I genuinely hope they are able to turn it around because Carhartt has the potential to be a great place to work.
