Curiosities,Economy & LaborAPR 19, 2023

CEO Might Cancel Employee Bonuses While Keeping $3.9 Million For Herself, Gives This Completely Tone-Deaf Speech On Zoom

Viktorija Ošikaitė and Adelaide May Ross

The CEO of any company has a very important job, but that doesn’t mean they necessarily have the most challenging role. Arguably, it can be much harder to work for the CEO, as you may be taking on just as many responsibilities over the same amount of hours for a measly fraction of their wages.

So when the CEO of MillerKnoll, an office furniture conglomerate, had a meeting with employees demanding that they stop worrying about their bonuses and focus on the company, the internet had quite a bit to say. Below, you’ll find the full speech that Andi Owen gave her workers, as well as some of the responses frustrated viewers have shared.

A video of MillerKnoll CEO Andi Owen scolding her employees for asking questions about bonuses has been circulating online

Image credits: conzmoleman

Now, she is under fire for her “motivational” speech

"A lot of questions came through about 'how can we stay motivated if we're not gonna get a bonus. What can we do, what can we do.' Some of them were nice and some of them were not so nice. So I'm gonna address this head on. The most important thing we can do right now is focus on the things that we can control."

Image credits: conzmoleman

"None of us could have predicted Covid, none of us could have predicted supply chain, none of us could have predicted bank failures. But what we can do is stay in front of our customers, provide the best customer service we can, get our orders out the door, treat each other well, be kind, be respectful, focus on the future because it will be bright."

Image credits: conzmoleman

"It's not good to be in the situation we're in today, but we are not going to be here forever. It is going to get better. So, lead. Lead by example. Treat people well. Talk to them, be kind, and get after it. Don't ask about, 'What are we going to do if we don't get a bonus?' Get the damn 26 million dollars."

Image credits: conzmoleman

"Spend your time and your effort thinking about the 26 million dollars that we need and not thinking about 'what are we going to do if we don't get a bonus.' Alright? Can I get some commitment for that? I'd appreciate that. I had an old boss who said to me one time, 'You can visit pity city, but you can't live there.' So people, leave pity city. Let's get it done. Thank you, have a great day."

Image credits: conzmoleman

You can hear Andi's full message right here

As an office furniture company, MillerKnoll has understandably faced challenges since the onset of the pandemic

This viral video comes from a town hall that Andi Owen, who has been the president and CEO of MillerKnoll since 2021, held for her employees in March 2023. And while it has been widely circulating that Owen took a $6.4 million bonus for herself, despite canceling all of her employees’ bonuses, we can’t actually confirm that that is true. Vice News has reported that MillerKnoll’s fiscal year has not ended yet, so decisions about bonuses have not been finalized. And to add some context to the video, MillerKnoll themselves have admitted that the company has been in a “period of disruption” in recent years.

Office furniture has become increasingly irrelevant, as the pandemic has forced many companies around the globe to transition to remote and hybrid setups, and some companies have even opted for less expensive, second-hand furniture to cut costs. Because of this, Owen has been looking to save money any way she could since taking over MillerKnoll. The company even recently announced that they would be closing a manufacturing plant in Wisconsin, laying off 162 individuals. As Owen mentions in the video, no one could have predicted COVID, or any of the other issues that have affected hundreds of thousands of companies around the globe.

One of the main points that viewers have taken issue with, however, is the fact that Andi has managed to take away significant bonuses over the past couple of years. She reportedly received $1.29 million last year, and $1.12 million in 2021. So the fact that she is berating her employees and telling them to stop pitying themselves sounds a bit hypocritical when coming from someone who has taken millions in bonuses over the past few years, and who would likely be very upset if she did not receive any upcoming bonus. And of course, like many other CEOs, Andi is earning much more than her employees. According to MoneyControl, during the last financial year, Andi earned about $1 million as a salary, “in addition to about $4 million from mostly stocks and options, an annual incentive plan, and covered expenses, like access to a company jet.”

Image credits: bfi Business Furniture Inc.

However, as the CEO and president, Owen has likely been less affected by these hiccups than her employees

Unsurprisingly, MillerKnoll’s employees aren’t making anywhere near that. According to CNN Business, the average annual income of Andi’s workers is $44,810. But it’s extremely common for CEOs to be earning exorbitant incomes compared to their employees. In 2020, for example, top CEOs earned an average of 351 times more than their typical workers. This glaring wage gap is concerning for many individuals who see the middle class slowly vanishing right before their eyes.

That’s part of the reason people have had such a passionate response to this video of Andi that went viral this week. Employees are fed up with receiving crumbs while CEOs get to enjoy the entire buffet. It’s one thing to take massive bonuses while your employees are barely scraping by. It’s another thing to rub it in their faces and scold them for being concerned about whether or not they will receive adequate compensation.

We reached out to one of these concerned viewers, the Reddit user who shared this video on the Anti-work subreddit, Altus167, and they were kind enough to share their thoughts on why it's necessary to have these discussions. "We are bombarded with countless stories of CEOs that are out of touch with the majority of their employees," they told Bored Panda. "Many people feel this is all too common. The video received so much attention, because this behavior is rarely captured on record. The responses are what you expect because people are upset about needless greed. Ultimately, I think people are upset with the 'do as I say, not as I do' mentally in the workforce. Especially when it comes to money/bonuses."

This viral video has sparked many important conversations online, and hopefully the response it has received will ensure that MillerKnoll employees get what they deserve. We would love to hear your thoughts on this situation in the comments below, pandas. Have you ever worked with a CEO who berated you for being concerned about your earnings? And do you think Andi had the right to speak to her employees like this? Feel free to share your thoughts, and then if you’re interested in checking out another Bored Panda article discussing how capitalism has corrupted many CEOs, we recommend reading this piece next.