Night Shift - egos & nepotism

I think the assumption that it was a man aspect is a bit overblown considering only one post assumed it was a guy.

While your post did have some good points, this doesn't really do much to move the needle.

Unfortunately in any situation like this, a person typically has to provide at least SOME additional details to be taken seriously. And in many cases their identity ends being revealed in the process.

 

Easy there old timer, the thread started in Beer Talk, and even so many of us don't find it at all difficult to maneuver around this site, so cool your triggered, proprietary jets before you give yourself a heart attack

 

• Approximately three years ago they laid off multiple leadership level employees for little else other than "didn't fit with their vision of the future" before the holidays and with no warning or performance conversations
• Approximately two years ago fired multiple female employees (primarily from their sales & marketing team) under the pretense of "laying them off." Even offered severance packages contingent that they agree to not work in the NORTH EAST in the INDUSTRY for an extended period of time
• Have had extensive turnover of their leadership at the new location as well as Everett location.

Just look at the revolving door of those running the business on the ground - that will tell you the story more than anything else could. I don't want some crazy boycott or anything like that. Like I said before - the people whose paychecks depend on that company are good people. But the OP is telling the truth.

 

So what do you want? Pitchforks?

 

So the point of this entire thread is....? Now I'm really confused. I need a beer. Maybe I have some Trillium trub left in the back of the fridge.

 

Thanks for replying and adding details.

 

Turnover in a location? Laid people off? OMG how dare they make executive decisions like that regarding running their own business? Severance packages? Those bastards!!!! How you guys didn't immediately call the authorities to bring criminal charges and start civil proceedings against them is baffling, but I guess you saw the wisdom of coming here instead to vent anonymously.

 

I had forgotten how illuminating it was to hear expert opinions from people completely disconnected from their supposed area of expertise.

Anyway, one question is why so many are quick to judge the authors of these posts as disgruntled (ex)employees writing anonymous hatchet jobs, whereas those immediately coming to the defense of CEOs and business plans of whom/which they have no actual knowledge of (with the exception of Rob) aren't so quickly judged as cranky anonymous internet posters grappling for the good ol' days of bootstraps and grit.

I have no more reason to doubt these allegations as I do those of you coming to the defense of Night Shift. In fact, given the firsthand reports in the allegations, they seem more likely, regardless of whatever image of microbrewery culture was shattered by them. Sounds like a shitty place to work -- I hope these experiences are the result of misunderstandings or a few mistakes, but to be honest, that doesn't seem to be the case.

 

That's how I read most of it, and it is unfortunate. But Nightshift has grown into a large multi-faceted business, and soon, multi-regional. This is simply what happens in corporate environments. I'm not defending any of it either (nor do I know what is true in this scenario, so I'm not denying the accusations or blaming the owners).

That being said, if true, the contingencies of the severance package are overboard in my opinion. Not allowing them to work anywhere in the Northeast in that particular industry.

But like most things in life, the truth likely lies somewhere in the middle.

 

Yeah come on bros. Business / Econ / HR 101 type stuff here. No room for complaining. MAGA

 

Anybody with more knowledge on non-competes and their applicability state to state? I believe MA is one that allows non-competes at least for the state (which is dumb IMO). I don't know if the other states of NE allow them.

 

@rightcoast7 should chime in since I believe he is an employment attorney. In my industry/state non-competes are common, yet not always easy/worth enforcing in practice. I’m not sure about this instance though where it sounds like they are opting into a non-compete in return for the full benefits (whatever that entails) of the severance package

 

Why is this hard to understand? OP is airing some grievances. Cant it be as simple as someone wanting to get some shit off their chest and have that be it?

Nightshift ain’t no mom and pop brick and mortar nano anymore. They’re a corporation with profit at the forefront of their vision (nothing wrong with that).

Being in the business of explosive growth means they are open (rightfully so) to criticism of all types from customers and employees. It doesn’t have to come with some explicit demands or nasty retribution and people shaming this type of discussion because it lacks some “end game” are pathetic

 

Can't it be as simple as someone wanting to give their opinion on a post and have that be it?

It goes both ways. If you're going to anonymously put yourself out there on a public forum, you also open yourself up to skepticism and criticism.

Seeing as we have no facts or inside knowledge of the situation, there should be no issue with being skeptical and critical of both parties.

 

I agree that OP + the other poster were lacking details. But maybe the apathy / “growing a business 101” responses, are because this appears to just be impacting employees, vs us as consumers being negatively impacted via trub growlers / unwittingly drinking tequila / effectively paying employee wages?

Even if whatever is transpiring is all above board, that doesn’t mean it’s necessarily a pleasant place to be for an employee. Moreover the front line employees are likely going to be less up to speed on what’s unfortunate/frustrating, and what is a actually wrong on the employer’s part. Posting to glassdoor and waiting months/years for there to be critical mass isn’t going to cut it. Obviously this is an Internet forum with a lot of armchair experts, but it is a beer forum and there are some people who know what they’re talking about when it comes to employment - I don’t think it’s unreasonable to post anonymously. I just wish the first couple of posts were a bit more detailed, because at this point they’ve probably lost most of the crowd.

 

To be fair, Night Shift's vision has changed and expanded pretty substantially over the years, so this seems pretty valid. The timing stinks, but when a company pivots its strategy it typically needs different kinds of leaders.

 

Of course, but we as consumers also have the option to support companies that treat people well, including such things as giving some notice when a change in strategy requires letting employees go, and ideally not sending them packing right before the holidays. I try to do this in my purchasing habits, and I hope some others do as well. For this reason I'm glad this poster communicated their experience at Night Shift.

 

I used to work at a large company & always wondered how certain VPs/Directors could have this constant churn on their team, yet nobody above them seemed to notice or care. I have zero opinion on the merits of this complaint, but excessive turnover is nearly always a symptom of management problems. So your sarcasm, or whatever, is very misplaced.

 

Right, but this is another anonymous post about something that maybe happened several years ago. Right before the holidays could mean something other than Dec. 20th. He/she later stated that the company offered severance packages with non-compete clauses. Non-competes can be pretty sleazy and I believe are nearly unenforceable in MA at this point, but offering severance seems like a company that at least cares a bit.

I'm not trying to defend Night Shift too much here, but a lot of this just sounds, to me, like regular business decisions made by people that are learning how to be business owners for the first time. NS hired a CFO in 2017 from Sam Adams who was gone by the end of the year. He then joined Smuttynose and was gone in about a year. They hired a COO in late 2016 and he appears to still be there. Seems like they've tried to hand the reins over to pros with more experience with mixed results.

 

It’s fucked up in our society how many people like you empathize with sociopaths instead of the people you’re actually like.

You don’t actually need to be an asshole to lead people, so we needn’t glorify that behavior at the expense of treating each other like humans.