A millionaire boss has apologized for her conduct after telling staff to 'leave pity city' after she cancelled their bonuses.
The MillerKnoll CEO, Andi Owen, first came under fire when a digital town hall meeting video of her telling staff worried about bonuses to 'leave Pity City' went viral - despite previously receiving millions in bonuses herself.
You can watch the video here:
At the end of the 75-minute long meeting, Owen told her staff: "Don't ask about, 'what are we going to do if you don't get a bonus?' Get the damn $26 million!"
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The '$26 million' the boss referred is reportedly an internal metric used within the company.
"Spend your time and your effort thinking about the $26 million we need and not thinking about what you're going to do if you don't get a bonus!"
And then she dropped a phrase which took the internet by storm.
She continued: "I had an old boss who said to me one time, ‘you can visit Pity City but you can’t live there'.
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"So people: Leave Pity City. Let’s get it done. Thank you, have a great day."
Ouch.
Owen has since issued an apology to her staff over email, starting the message by writing: "Hi Everyone, I’m sure you’ve seen the media coverage about the town hall meeting we hosted a few weeks ago."
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She went on to say that it is her 'job' to be 'open and direct' as a way to 'ensure that everyone has the information they need to row in the same direction and achieve the goals we all work so hard to accomplish'.
"As a leader," the CEO carried on, "I try to always pick the right words and tone to inspire and motivate this incredible team."
Owen added that she wants to be 'transparent and empathetic' when it comes to communication with her employees.
"As I continue to reflect on this instance, I feel terrible that my rallying cry seemed insensitive.
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"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."
She then added that '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 said.
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Owen concluded the email by thanking her workers for all their 'hard work', 'grace' and 'commitment' to the company and one another.
UNILAD has reached out to MillerKnoll for comment.
Rhiannon Ingle