Myriad cons, which unfortunately affects the potential of the organization:
Discrimination when it comes to promoting from within (non-existent) against race, gender, and age unless you look like the DM. HR needs to examine those statistics and it will be evident which DMs hire excessively from the outside and individuals reflecting their race and gender.
Programs that are stupidly task intensive, counter productive, inefficient, and vanity projects to demonstrate to owner they are doing something. Common sense is discouraged and rather the emphasis is on working harder, less productively, inefficiently at the expense of productively and efficiently. This is exacerbated by DMs who cannot do, yet expected rigid adherence even when it costs the company dearly.
Absentee owner relying too heavily on incompetents to run the business into the ground. Great, you are raising prices, increasing margins, but are cutting staffing to the quick to manipulate profits. Revenues and profits will increase by committing to staffing stores to serve the customer.
Draconian payroll budgets that don't account for task requirements and essentially demonstrate to customers the lack of commitment to the customer (both internal and external)
Disengaged HR department who protects their own rather than having a coherent HR strategy concerning succession planning, retention, training, compliance with ethical and legal standards.
DMs and RMs that preach leadership, yet don't know how to much less understand that leadership requires serving those they expect to follow them. This is evident by the same tired topics being discussed on conference calls where the outside hire store managers still can't take care of the basics.
Lack of communication in the organization and certainly no communication with ASMs or lower whom are viewed as disposable resources by the DMs and above.
Hiring of outside hire managers who were fired from previous organizations for issues such as theft, sexual harassment, fraternization with hourly staff, and individuals who spend the majority of the time hiding in the office.
Majority of store staff woefully undercompensated from ASM level on down, while SM and above can earn six figures in a store that barely hits $8M a year. Even worse is what DMs are paid for a lack of commitment, belief in, and support of company's supposed core values.
Laughable company contribution to 401(k) program, yet margins and profits are increasing.
Lack of commitment to employees who are the drivers of the business (store employees). The emphasis needs to be taking care of these individuals, since they have the greatest impact on the business. Not those who are in cost centers (DMs, RMs, corporate staff (including HR), LP.
Lack of leadership, lack of vision, lack of ethical conscience, lack of commitment to core values, lack of commitment to internal succession, lack of understanding of the realities in the stores, lack of compassion, lack of empathy, lack of strategic focus.
