The company is quietly laying employees off. How many jobs could have been saved if the new Brand President wasn't paid more than $20 million for her first year on the job?
Thanks, Jen, for highlighting my similar concerns.
Having managed a team of essential workers through COVID, I witnessed firsthand the detrimental effects of the literal and figurative upstairs/downstairs of US corporations.
And frankly, I am tired of what I see as primarily a boys club (corporate boards, Forbes, Fortune, and management consulting firms) legitimizing what is systemically unfair, and I believe the antithesis of what it means to be a good neighbor and citizen.
Prior to your appearance with Laura Ingraham last year, I knew nothing about you. Since then I have read all your essays on Substack and well, my doctor now has me on medication to control my blood pressure! Causality here? Haha
You were on Fox this morning with Rachael. I agree with your points of view. I understand your anger, resentment and bitterness. But I also agree somewhat with the comments from “SCA” on the Substack piece. Your bitterness is reflected in most of your writing and I think it might be best if you dialed back on that. In a general sense, a bitter person is viewed negatively. ( I view you very positively, but….) You have the platform and ability to reach millions. I hope you continue to speak out. I agree with you and your points of view, and we need people like yourself to stand up and push back.
You mentioned how woke Levis is. Yes. We see this reflected in the LinkedIn post you reference. We have a gentleman using pronouns after his name. His job is terminated and he goes home to play with his cat. Right. Well, we live in a society now where wokeness is pervasive. It’s a huge problem in our government, our corporations, academia, the media, Hollywood………..the left seemingly has control of all our major institutions. We celebrate perversity now. We celebrate weak, effeminate men using pronouns and telling us that masculinity is toxic. The behavioral norms and values that I grew up with ( instilled in me by parents, teachers, community, the church) and that served our country very well, are now demonized by the woke left as being “too white”/ racist. Professor Amy Wax in an op- ed in 2017 wrote how we attack these values- collectively referred to as “bourgeoise culture” at our peril. If you do not embrace these values (https://imprimis.hillsdale.edu/are-we-free-to-discuss-americas-real-problems/), what on earth do you embrace? I will be 66 in a few weeks. I grew up in an America that embraced self-reliance, hard work, rugged individualism, respect for authority, patriotism, etc. It pains me to see how the country has changed. Never thought I would live to see the destruction/downfall of America. But I see this playing out before my very eyes. It is all very depressing.
Our government has a symbiotic relationship now with corporations and the media, and academia etc., and it uses this to circumvent the constitution and our first amendment rights. Unelected bureaucrats have incredible power over our lives now. Things are now completely out of control …….our government labels parents speaking at a school board meeting as domestic terrorists, yet is unwilling to label the cartels at our southern border as such. Unbelievable.
I think corporations, like Levis, should stick to making a product or providing a service and making money, and stay out of politics, social justice, ESG etc. Concentrate on shareholders, not stakeholders. Stop with the wokeness and concentrate on the product…..
Interesting that Michelle is rewarded for failure with $22 million at Levis. Let’s see. She makes 220 times what I make as a carpenter. Well, God bless her. The bar graph speaks for itself. Let’s see how she does.
As an aside, I have worn countless pairs of blue jeans over the decades as a carpenter. I used to wear Levis. I switched to Wrangle many years ago as I found they wear better and fit more comfortably. Levis will hold up great if you are a young wokester strolling a college campus. For the working man….I would go with wrangler :)
Cross out Levi’s and insert just about any major publicly traded corporation. Senior management obfuscates with DEI and ESG while pocketing massive compensation and destroying their companies true culture.
Love this as it reflects the hypocrisy of work capitalism to a tee… “ is it really about enriching executives and shareholders at the expense of work-a-day employees, while pretending to be exceedingly caring so everyone just lets them continue doing it?”
I boycott woke companies . Went through withdrawal with M&Ms. The exorbitant salaries aren’t helping anyone . Remember when a man could take care of his family being a shoe salesman ?
Jen, what leverage did Gass use to pull in 8 million here and 8 million there, etc., given the performance at Kohl’s? Especially on top of what seems a more than adequate $1 million base salary? Were other candidates with better cases demanding even more?
It's a good question. I don't know. No idea who the candidates were or what they were asking for. But there's a general feeling amongst CEOs and CHROs that companies have to pay executives this much or they won't get any takers. So they do. And they protect C-suite pay in the process. And it's reinforced (obscured) by companies taking woke pro-worker stances, when the policies are anything but. But they avoid scrutiny in the process.
Jen, the other thing that irks me is that Chip told you that you were a “blocker” and then he goes ahead and doesn’t promote from within but makes this big show of an outside hire. Just saying.
I agree completely! What a slap in the face to his staff, esp his upcoming execs (even moreso based on the state of Kohl’s when this woman arrived and the state in which she left it).
I keep wondering about the point of your grievance tour now.
Certainly I feel you were justified in your bitter rage at being fired/forced out for fighting for the rights of children to go to actual real in-person school during this endless Plague Era.
But geez. What had you been paid for selling cotton pants to the mid-range masses? I have to keep caveat-ing that I'm not actually an antagonist or a "troll" or any of those bad things we call anonymous people on the internet when they don't give the desired validation of one's words. But this is hardly the way to impress upon the minds of those who can never know you in actual real life that you're continuing to fight the good fight.
It's so disappointing to keep finding that those who are supposed to be on "our side" in fighting the stupidity, genuine evil and endless pettiness of "that side" as they march merrily along, destroying society in every possible way large and small, are so endlessly petty too.
You have reach we little people can never have, no matter how loudly we howl in despair and fury. And this is how you use it? After you posted this, did you feel ever so much better?
In 2020, CEOs made 351 times more than an average worker in the company they led – up from twenty-one times more in 1965. Indeed, in the last thirty years their average compensation has grown over 1,000 percent, even as they have burnished an image as well-meaning humanitarians. i think ethical companies would set reasonable limits on executive:employee pay without being told they have to. and it would create an engaged and motivated workforce. i think companies should treat employees fairly - which includes paying them fairly and not taking away their basic civil rights. outsized executive pay is yet another thing woke companies would like to hide with their stances. so in my mind, it is all related. Executives can and should make money - not arguing that. But this ratio seems out of whack to me. And of course, Levi's is not unique here.
so that is my point. i think there is a way to compensate executives for the responsibility they take on, without punishing everyday employees to afford it. and of course, without censoring and taking away basic civil rights of those employees - both executives and everyday folks.
I think using one company, about which you have understandably bitter feelings, to make your point, when this is broadly true across the not-so-wonderful world of large corporations, was not as effective an example as it might have been.
The passion you bring to fighting for our so badly-betrayed children is something I feel ought not be, or seem to be, somewhat diluted of its strength by what I noted in my first comment. I'm still a little pissed, when I recall the instances, at every boss who ever fired or mistreated me, going back 50 years and more, I sure understand the feeling. But what you fought for is being vindicated every day; many people who have fought good fights never live to see that. It is already a great triumph.
I suppose my larger point is that woke capitalism is what obscures and ultimately allows for all of this to happen. and my former company is the wokest of the woke -- so for that reason, i think it's a good example. i've written here about Nike, Abercrombie, Theranos, Victoria Secret, FTX, beauty and fashion industries as a whole. but in this case, i have some good insight and it touches on some of what I write about in my book. But i hear you. Thank you for reading. Appreciate your perspective!
And I appreciate you caring about all of our children. I'm fortunate that mine is an adult and we were spared what would have been for me a desperate situation on so many fronts. But I feel great fury for what's being done to what ought matter most in life, to everyone.
I think there should be limits on executive pay as a ratio to average employee pay. executives should get paid well - not arguing that. but in 2020, CEOs made 351 times more than an average worker in the company they led – up from twenty-one times more in 1965. Indeed, in the last thirty years their average compensation has grown over 1,000 percent, even as they have burnished an image as well-meaning humanitarians. i think ethical companies would set reasonable limits without being told they have to. and it would create an engaged and motivated workforce. i think companies should treat employees fairly - which includes paying them fairly and not taking away their basic civil rights. not censoring them or laying them off (i realize having a job isn't a civil right) - to bolster executive pay all while pretending to have empathy and care about those employees. that's my point. the woke hypocrisy takes many forms...
Thanks, Jen, for highlighting my similar concerns.
Having managed a team of essential workers through COVID, I witnessed firsthand the detrimental effects of the literal and figurative upstairs/downstairs of US corporations.
And frankly, I am tired of what I see as primarily a boys club (corporate boards, Forbes, Fortune, and management consulting firms) legitimizing what is systemically unfair, and I believe the antithesis of what it means to be a good neighbor and citizen.
I'm rooting you on in your new endeavors!
Agree with that Brett.
Hi Jennifer,
Prior to your appearance with Laura Ingraham last year, I knew nothing about you. Since then I have read all your essays on Substack and well, my doctor now has me on medication to control my blood pressure! Causality here? Haha
You were on Fox this morning with Rachael. I agree with your points of view. I understand your anger, resentment and bitterness. But I also agree somewhat with the comments from “SCA” on the Substack piece. Your bitterness is reflected in most of your writing and I think it might be best if you dialed back on that. In a general sense, a bitter person is viewed negatively. ( I view you very positively, but….) You have the platform and ability to reach millions. I hope you continue to speak out. I agree with you and your points of view, and we need people like yourself to stand up and push back.
You mentioned how woke Levis is. Yes. We see this reflected in the LinkedIn post you reference. We have a gentleman using pronouns after his name. His job is terminated and he goes home to play with his cat. Right. Well, we live in a society now where wokeness is pervasive. It’s a huge problem in our government, our corporations, academia, the media, Hollywood………..the left seemingly has control of all our major institutions. We celebrate perversity now. We celebrate weak, effeminate men using pronouns and telling us that masculinity is toxic. The behavioral norms and values that I grew up with ( instilled in me by parents, teachers, community, the church) and that served our country very well, are now demonized by the woke left as being “too white”/ racist. Professor Amy Wax in an op- ed in 2017 wrote how we attack these values- collectively referred to as “bourgeoise culture” at our peril. If you do not embrace these values (https://imprimis.hillsdale.edu/are-we-free-to-discuss-americas-real-problems/), what on earth do you embrace? I will be 66 in a few weeks. I grew up in an America that embraced self-reliance, hard work, rugged individualism, respect for authority, patriotism, etc. It pains me to see how the country has changed. Never thought I would live to see the destruction/downfall of America. But I see this playing out before my very eyes. It is all very depressing.
Our government has a symbiotic relationship now with corporations and the media, and academia etc., and it uses this to circumvent the constitution and our first amendment rights. Unelected bureaucrats have incredible power over our lives now. Things are now completely out of control …….our government labels parents speaking at a school board meeting as domestic terrorists, yet is unwilling to label the cartels at our southern border as such. Unbelievable.
I think corporations, like Levis, should stick to making a product or providing a service and making money, and stay out of politics, social justice, ESG etc. Concentrate on shareholders, not stakeholders. Stop with the wokeness and concentrate on the product…..
Interesting that Michelle is rewarded for failure with $22 million at Levis. Let’s see. She makes 220 times what I make as a carpenter. Well, God bless her. The bar graph speaks for itself. Let’s see how she does.
As an aside, I have worn countless pairs of blue jeans over the decades as a carpenter. I used to wear Levis. I switched to Wrangle many years ago as I found they wear better and fit more comfortably. Levis will hold up great if you are a young wokester strolling a college campus. For the working man….I would go with wrangler :)
Birds of a feather...
Who needs shareholder returns when you have DEI and ESG? https://yuribezmenov.substack.com/p/how-to-raise-your-esg-score
Congratulations on figuring out the American Business Model.
Is Gass a global leftist who does not push for results? Seems that way for a 3x loss in stock value. But maybe customers don't want to buy wokistan?
Keep crushing it, Jennifer!
Cross out Levi’s and insert just about any major publicly traded corporation. Senior management obfuscates with DEI and ESG while pocketing massive compensation and destroying their companies true culture.
!
Love this as it reflects the hypocrisy of work capitalism to a tee… “ is it really about enriching executives and shareholders at the expense of work-a-day employees, while pretending to be exceedingly caring so everyone just lets them continue doing it?”
Maybe Ms. Gass was hired not for her business acumen but rather for her abilities to promote “wokeness” ?
I boycott woke companies . Went through withdrawal with M&Ms. The exorbitant salaries aren’t helping anyone . Remember when a man could take care of his family being a shoe salesman ?
Jen, what leverage did Gass use to pull in 8 million here and 8 million there, etc., given the performance at Kohl’s? Especially on top of what seems a more than adequate $1 million base salary? Were other candidates with better cases demanding even more?
It's a good question. I don't know. No idea who the candidates were or what they were asking for. But there's a general feeling amongst CEOs and CHROs that companies have to pay executives this much or they won't get any takers. So they do. And they protect C-suite pay in the process. And it's reinforced (obscured) by companies taking woke pro-worker stances, when the policies are anything but. But they avoid scrutiny in the process.
Jen, the other thing that irks me is that Chip told you that you were a “blocker” and then he goes ahead and doesn’t promote from within but makes this big show of an outside hire. Just saying.
I agree completely! What a slap in the face to his staff, esp his upcoming execs (even moreso based on the state of Kohl’s when this woman arrived and the state in which she left it).
I keep wondering about the point of your grievance tour now.
Certainly I feel you were justified in your bitter rage at being fired/forced out for fighting for the rights of children to go to actual real in-person school during this endless Plague Era.
But geez. What had you been paid for selling cotton pants to the mid-range masses? I have to keep caveat-ing that I'm not actually an antagonist or a "troll" or any of those bad things we call anonymous people on the internet when they don't give the desired validation of one's words. But this is hardly the way to impress upon the minds of those who can never know you in actual real life that you're continuing to fight the good fight.
It's so disappointing to keep finding that those who are supposed to be on "our side" in fighting the stupidity, genuine evil and endless pettiness of "that side" as they march merrily along, destroying society in every possible way large and small, are so endlessly petty too.
You have reach we little people can never have, no matter how loudly we howl in despair and fury. And this is how you use it? After you posted this, did you feel ever so much better?
In 2020, CEOs made 351 times more than an average worker in the company they led – up from twenty-one times more in 1965. Indeed, in the last thirty years their average compensation has grown over 1,000 percent, even as they have burnished an image as well-meaning humanitarians. i think ethical companies would set reasonable limits on executive:employee pay without being told they have to. and it would create an engaged and motivated workforce. i think companies should treat employees fairly - which includes paying them fairly and not taking away their basic civil rights. outsized executive pay is yet another thing woke companies would like to hide with their stances. so in my mind, it is all related. Executives can and should make money - not arguing that. But this ratio seems out of whack to me. And of course, Levi's is not unique here.
Yes, all this is true.
so that is my point. i think there is a way to compensate executives for the responsibility they take on, without punishing everyday employees to afford it. and of course, without censoring and taking away basic civil rights of those employees - both executives and everyday folks.
I think using one company, about which you have understandably bitter feelings, to make your point, when this is broadly true across the not-so-wonderful world of large corporations, was not as effective an example as it might have been.
The passion you bring to fighting for our so badly-betrayed children is something I feel ought not be, or seem to be, somewhat diluted of its strength by what I noted in my first comment. I'm still a little pissed, when I recall the instances, at every boss who ever fired or mistreated me, going back 50 years and more, I sure understand the feeling. But what you fought for is being vindicated every day; many people who have fought good fights never live to see that. It is already a great triumph.
I suppose my larger point is that woke capitalism is what obscures and ultimately allows for all of this to happen. and my former company is the wokest of the woke -- so for that reason, i think it's a good example. i've written here about Nike, Abercrombie, Theranos, Victoria Secret, FTX, beauty and fashion industries as a whole. but in this case, i have some good insight and it touches on some of what I write about in my book. But i hear you. Thank you for reading. Appreciate your perspective!
And I appreciate you caring about all of our children. I'm fortunate that mine is an adult and we were spared what would have been for me a desperate situation on so many fronts. But I feel great fury for what's being done to what ought matter most in life, to everyone.
Ad hominem loses the debate. I enjoyed this post. She's drawing on her experience and supporting her article with data. I'll keep reading. Be well.
I think there should be limits on executive pay as a ratio to average employee pay. executives should get paid well - not arguing that. but in 2020, CEOs made 351 times more than an average worker in the company they led – up from twenty-one times more in 1965. Indeed, in the last thirty years their average compensation has grown over 1,000 percent, even as they have burnished an image as well-meaning humanitarians. i think ethical companies would set reasonable limits without being told they have to. and it would create an engaged and motivated workforce. i think companies should treat employees fairly - which includes paying them fairly and not taking away their basic civil rights. not censoring them or laying them off (i realize having a job isn't a civil right) - to bolster executive pay all while pretending to have empathy and care about those employees. that's my point. the woke hypocrisy takes many forms...