Author Topic: Academy Sports steps on their own crank  (Read 3587 times)

Scout26

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Re: Academy Sports steps on their own crank
« Reply #25 on: July 15, 2018, 02:42:51 AM »
Having been through a certain amount of HR training and reading examples of things done right and wrong by HR depts. I came to realize, that HR depts. are going to operate inexorably towards the goal of defending the entity they work for by enforcing as strictly as possible company policy regardless of other consequences. 

It wasn't until recently that the phrase "stay in your lane" became current and that, it dawned on me, is a perfect way to say what and how HR enforces policy. This manager, while brave and committed, did not stay in his lane and thus had to go. There are plenty of ways to leave your lane and HR will sanction you for any one of them. And shouldn't this be the default position for HR?

For the HR types there was nothing to think about. Policy comes before PR considerations, and that's even if they considered the PR implications which they probably didn't. And really, do they need to consider PR issues?

I don't blame the HR folks for this, in their view they were protecting the entity, which is their first duty. They are not the PR people, they are not in the C-suite, they're not the legal team, they're worker bees that do not have a lot of discretion in how they operate.

Imagine what could have happened if the manager hadn't been fired and the company lawyers demanded to know why this insurance liability was still working for the company and exposing them to potential legal problems.

Some HR person(s) might have lost their job(s). For failing to do their job. It would have been a totally justified termination. And this would have happened totally out of the public eye and there would have been no outrage to get them rehired.

It's not fair to the HR folks to expect them to consider every potential issue that might come up in making personnel decisions. There are way too many variables. As long as the process conformed to both employment law and company policy, the HR people are blameless.

I say that this turned out right. The manager did what he thought was right, HR did their job, and the C-suite folks did theirs by overruling HR.

The process could have been faster and thus less damaging to company PR, but live and learn.

What happened to Cooling-off Periods or suspension pending investigation.. Either of which could have and in fact should have been used.  Yes, there are times when instant termination is appropriate (theft comes to mind), but in most cases taking time to review and reflect before pulling the trigger can also serve to avoid lawyers, or at least diminish their impact. 
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230RN

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Re: Academy Sports steps on their own crank
« Reply #26 on: July 15, 2018, 07:58:40 AM »
I suppose you could look at it as if he were preventing the customer from committing a federal crime...

"Sir, sir! Come back!  You have to fill out a Form 4473 for this transfer!  Sir!"

Perd Hapley

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Re: Academy Sports steps on their own crank
« Reply #27 on: July 15, 2018, 10:09:10 AM »
I suppose you could look at it as if he were preventing the customer from committing a federal crime...

"Sir, sir! Come back!  You have to fill out a Form 4473 for this transfer!  Sir!"


They say when he was fired, he went to work for Chick-Fil-A.

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230RN

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Re: Academy Sports steps on their own crank
« Reply #28 on: July 15, 2018, 10:33:16 AM »
From the Fox News link, by Elizabeth Zwirz         
Quote
A representative for Academy Sports did not immediately respond to Fox News’ request for comment. But company spokeswoman Elise Hasbrook told [The Tallahassee] Democrat that Academy’s treatment of the former employee’s conduct, as well as his eventual firing, complied with company policy.

“While the incident ended without injury, actions inconsistent with corporate policies were taken,” she told the outlet. “We addressed the matter with the local store and individuals involved.”

http://www.foxnews.com/us/2018/07/11/academy-sports-manager-fired-weeks-after-intercepting-gun-thief-suspect-in-florida-store-lawyer-says.html

Seems to be a well-written article by Ms. Zwirz.

And Mr. Dindoo Nuthin was charged with three counts of grand theft of a firearm.  There was a .45, a .380, and apparently a .40 involved.

Three guns...

Were I were the store clerk and even a shadow of my former middle aged trim, I'd have figured that my duty to society at large far outweighed my loyalty to some company policy.

Terry

TommyGunn

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Re: Academy Sports steps on their own crank
« Reply #29 on: July 15, 2018, 01:06:32 PM »
Having been through a certain amount of HR training and reading examples of things done right and wrong by HR depts. I came to realize, that HR depts. are going to operate inexorably towards the goal of defending the entity they work for by enforcing as strictly as possible company policy regardless of other consequences. 

It wasn't until recently that the phrase "stay in your lane" became current and that, it dawned on me, is a perfect way to say what and how HR enforces policy. This manager, while brave and committed, did not stay in his lane and thus had to go. There are plenty of ways to leave your lane and HR will sanction you for any one of them. And shouldn't this be the default position for HR?

For the HR types there was nothing to think about. Policy comes before PR considerations, and that's even if they considered the PR implications which they probably didn't. And really, do they need to consider PR issues?

I don't blame the HR folks for this, in their view they were protecting the entity, which is their first duty. They are not the PR people, they are not in the C-suite, they're not the legal team, they're worker bees that do not have a lot of discretion in how they operate.

Imagine what could have happened if the manager hadn't been fired and the company lawyers demanded to know why this insurance liability was still working for the company and exposing them to potential legal problems.

Some HR person(s) might have lost their job(s). For failing to do their job. It would have been a totally justified termination. And this would have happened totally out of the public eye and there would have been no outrage to get them rehired.

It's not fair to the HR folks to expect them to consider every potential issue that might come up in making personnel decisions. There are way too many variables. As long as the process conformed to both employment law and company policy, the HR people are blameless.

I say that this turned out right. The manager did what he thought was right, HR did their job, and the C-suite folks did theirs by overruling HR.

The process could have been faster and thus less damaging to company PR, but live and learn.


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Brad Johnson

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Re: Academy Sports steps on their own crank
« Reply #30 on: July 15, 2018, 05:01:11 PM »
Having been through a certain amount of HR training and reading examples of things done right and wrong by HR depts. I came to realize, that HR depts. are going to operate inexorably towards the goal of defending the entity they work for by enforcing as strictly as possible company policy regardless of other consequences. 

It wasn't until recently that the phrase "stay in your lane" became current and that, it dawned on me, is a perfect way to say what and how HR enforces policy. This manager, while brave and committed, did not stay in his lane and thus had to go. There are plenty of ways to leave your lane and HR will sanction you for any one of them. And shouldn't this be the default position for HR?

For the HR types there was nothing to think about. Policy comes before PR considerations, and that's even if they considered the PR implications which they probably didn't. And really, do they need to consider PR issues?

I don't blame the HR folks for this, in their view they were protecting the entity, which is their first duty. They are not the PR people, they are not in the C-suite, they're not the legal team, they're worker bees that do not have a lot of discretion in how they operate.

Imagine what could have happened if the manager hadn't been fired and the company lawyers demanded to know why this insurance liability was still working for the company and exposing them to potential legal problems.

Some HR person(s) might have lost their job(s). For failing to do their job. It would have been a totally justified termination. And this would have happened totally out of the public eye and there would have been no outrage to get them rehired.

It's not fair to the HR folks to expect them to consider every potential issue that might come up in making personnel decisions. There are way too many variables. As long as the process conformed to both employment law and company policy, the HR people are blameless.

I say that this turned out right. The manager did what he thought was right, HR did their job, and the C-suite folks did theirs by overruling HR.

The process could have been faster and thus less damaging to company PR, but live and learn.

Wrote adherence to policy for policy's sake isn't a position I'm prepared to accept. Using that logic the Germans who herded millions of Jews into gas chambers are okay because they were "following corporate policy". It's an extreme example but applicable nonetheless.

Brad
It's all about the pancakes, people.
"And he thought cops wouldn't chase... a STOLEN DONUT TRUCK???? That would be like Willie Nelson ignoring a pickup full of weed."
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Perd Hapley

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Re: Academy Sports steps on their own crank
« Reply #31 on: July 15, 2018, 05:33:33 PM »
Wrote adherence to policy for policy's sake isn't a position I'm prepared to accept. Using that logic the Germans who herded millions of Jews into gas chambers are okay because they were "following corporate policy". It's an extreme example but applicable nonetheless.

Brad


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freakazoid

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Re: Academy Sports steps on their own crank
« Reply #32 on: July 15, 2018, 08:07:07 PM »
Having been through a certain amount of HR training and reading examples of things done right and wrong by HR depts. I came to realize, that HR depts. are going to operate inexorably towards the goal of defending the entity they work for by enforcing as strictly as possible company policy regardless of other consequences. 

It wasn't until recently that the phrase "stay in your lane" became current and that, it dawned on me, is a perfect way to say what and how HR enforces policy. This manager, while brave and committed, did not stay in his lane and thus had to go. There are plenty of ways to leave your lane and HR will sanction you for any one of them. And shouldn't this be the default position for HR?

For the HR types there was nothing to think about. Policy comes before PR considerations, and that's even if they considered the PR implications which they probably didn't. And really, do they need to consider PR issues?

I don't blame the HR folks for this, in their view they were protecting the entity, which is their first duty. They are not the PR people, they are not in the C-suite, they're not the legal team, they're worker bees that do not have a lot of discretion in how they operate.

Imagine what could have happened if the manager hadn't been fired and the company lawyers demanded to know why this insurance liability was still working for the company and exposing them to potential legal problems.

Some HR person(s) might have lost their job(s). For failing to do their job. It would have been a totally justified termination. And this would have happened totally out of the public eye and there would have been no outrage to get them rehired.

It's not fair to the HR folks to expect them to consider every potential issue that might come up in making personnel decisions. There are way too many variables. As long as the process conformed to both employment law and company policy, the HR people are blameless.

I say that this turned out right. The manager did what he thought was right, HR did their job, and the C-suite folks did theirs by overruling HR.

The process could have been faster and thus less damaging to company PR, but live and learn.

All the backlash would imply that they didn't protect the entity.
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dogmush

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Re: Academy Sports steps on their own crank
« Reply #33 on: July 16, 2018, 12:05:21 PM »
All the backlash would imply that they didn't protect the entity.

Maybe the policies did protect Academy, maybe they didn't.  This is some internet backlash, which while loud tends to not actually cost all that much money.  We don't know what the rate of "urban Lottery" lawsuits when a store employee goes hands on with a Didindonuffin is, nor the average settlement and billable hours to lawyers.  I bet the Executives and HR flunkies DO have those numbers though.

I suspect that, in aggregate, this policy is still in the black for Academy.

KD5NRH

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Re: Academy Sports steps on their own crank
« Reply #34 on: July 17, 2018, 11:58:37 PM »
This is some internet backlash, which while loud tends to not actually cost all that much money.

Depends; it doesn't take many people thinking "I'd like another $800 pistol, and I think I'll get from anywhere but Academy" to make a pretty big dent for a store where their bread and butter is t shirts and sneakers.

Hawkmoon

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Re: Academy Sports steps on their own crank
« Reply #35 on: July 18, 2018, 12:07:01 AM »
Some of those "sneakers" cost more than a lot of firearms ...
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Brad Johnson

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Re: Academy Sports steps on their own crank
« Reply #36 on: July 18, 2018, 09:43:57 AM »
From what I saw, most of the outrage was from the "t-shirt and sneaker" (i.e. high profit margin) crowd. Plus, it's only a couple of weeks until school supply season, much of which is driven by the same crowd.

Brad
It's all about the pancakes, people.
"And he thought cops wouldn't chase... a STOLEN DONUT TRUCK???? That would be like Willie Nelson ignoring a pickup full of weed."
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