MillerKnoll ‘threatened to fire workers’ after CEO rant: report

Posh furniture maker MillerKnoll reportedly threatened to fire employees for speaking to news media about CEO Andi Owen’s now-viral Zoom rant against workers for complaining about bonuses.

Owen had rebuked the rank and file for wallowing in “pity city” over their lack of bonuses — despite the fact that she pulled down almost $5 million in total compensation last year.

Employees at the western Michigan-based company — who were irked by Owen telling them that the company was $26 million short of its goal that would trigger a minimum bonus payout — said that they have effectively been given a gag order.

“We have a meeting at the beginning of every shift,” one employee told The Holland Sentinel on Wednesday.

“Last night the comments were brought up in the meeting and they said if anybody spoke out it wouldn’t be good for them and they could be terminated.”

A company spokesperson told The Sentinel that no such threat was ever made.

“The first thing I would say is nobody has been directed to do that,” said the spokesperson, Kris Marubio. “It’s not a company policy, it’s not something that we’re doing. So, that’s wrong and false.”

The Post has sought comment from MillerKnoll.

The Sentinel quoted an employee who referred to the company’s corporate structure as “parasitic.”

“The rich always get richer and the poor always get more poor,” the employee said.

“They have a $1.1 million salary and getting a 355 percent bonus. Yet she’s denying us the sliver we get …maybe 5 percent max on a $45,000 salary.”

According to Fortune, Owen received most of her 2022 salary in the form of incentives and bonuses — which is common for CEOs.

For fiscal year ending in May 2022, Owen, whose resume includes C-suite stints at Gap and Banana Republic, was paid a base salary of $1.1 million in addition to $3.9 million in perks and rewards, according to Fortune.

“I get that CEOs get astronomical bonuses but when/where does it stop?” the disgruntled employee told The Sentinel.

Marubio told The Sentinel that the company has yet to determine the extent to which bonuses will be paid out to employees because fiscal year doesn’t end until May.

She added that the size of Owen’s bonus has also yet to be determined, according to the report.

“We all follow the same bonus determination,” Marubio told The Sentinel. “It happens after financial results are reported for the full year.”

According to The Sentinel, disgruntled employees took their frustration out on a management official who spoke to them about Owen’s Zoom call.

One employee said that their colleagues “grilled” the executive, who replied that he “doesn’t understand that part of the business, so he can’t speak to it.”

“It definitely feels like they are playing with us and enjoying every minute,” the employee said.

MillerKnoll insists that the clip of Owen, who spoke for a total of an hour and 15 minutes, was taken out of context.

“Ninety seconds out of a 75-minute internal meeting where we talked about a lot of positive things at the company, product launches, brand campaigns, connecting with customers and business results, was leaked,” Marubio told The Sentinel.

“And on it’s own it’s misleading. It doesn’t represent the full 75 minutes.”

In response to the backlash, Owen circulated a written apology to her employees, according to the Michigan-based news site MLive.

“I want to be transparent and empathetic, and as I continue to reflect on this instance, I feel terrible that my rallying cry seemed insensitive,” Owen wrote to her employees.

“What I’d hoped would energize the team to meet a challenge we’ve met many times before landed in a way that I did not intend and for that I am sorry.”

Owen added: “Nothing will lessen the power and strength of our collective team.”

“My appreciation for each of you is huge and I will continue to do everything I can to help us meet our shared goals,” she wrote.

“Thank you for your hard work, your grace, and for the commitment you show to one another and our company every single day.”

The tone of the apology starkly contrasted with the scolding that Owen unleashed on her employees in the now-viral video.

“Don’t ask about, ‘What are we going to do if we don’t get a bonus?’ Get the damn $26 million dollars,” she said.

“Spend your time and your effort thinking about the $26 million dollars we need and not thinking about what you’re going to do if you don’t get a bonus. Alright? Can I get some commitment for that?”

Owen’s pep talk then included an anecdote about a lecture she received from an old employer.

“I had an old boss who said, ‘You can visit pity city, but you can’t live there,’” she said.

“So, people, leave pity city! Let’s get it done.”