Wal-Mart CEO's Internal Web site Exposed

Big story in the New York Times this morning about Lee's Garage, Wal-Mart CEO H. Lee Scott Jr.'s internal Web site. "While Mr. Scott's postings are usually written in a careful, even guarded manner, they can often be revealing," writes the Times. The postings show "a defensiveness and testiness with critics that Mr. Scott normally keeps under wraps."

The site was made public by Wal-Mart Watch, an activist group trying to get Wal-Mart to improve its wages and benefits. The Times article provides an overview of responses by Scott to managers' questions and concerns about all kinds of issues.  There are no smoking guns in the answers, which pretty much reflect what Scott has said in public speeches, but, the article points out, "in these confidential e-mail messages to managers, he delivers far blunter insights in much greater detail."

We also learn how Scott's responses are generated. A company spokesperson explained that a public relations assistant screened the questions and Mr. Scott dictated responses to an aide. Which means the responses aren't drafted by a ghost writer, but instead they represent the actual words coming out of the actual CEO's mouth.

Whatever you think of Wal-Mart, it sounds like good executive communications to me.

Comments

[E.J Adams]

i was employed with walmart for over a year, i was termenated for taking to long of a break i never took, being assit protection, i never clocked out, and i know i was not in the break area. when i told the pers manager i could prove it, she said doesnt matter your terinated and that WONT ever be reversed. i asked her to please check the truck gate tcr and inbound sheets.. she said they did and found not one paper fpor that day, i said check the computer log on. she said well we did and you were never signed on. i was so set up, it was bad enough getting fired, but to be made to suffer the misconduct charge and denied unemployment to was very hurtful. i could have proved i was in the truck gate, but like the pers man said she doesnt care and the term stands no matter what! i thought i had a great job, with great people. but now i feel like the hype about family and going out of the way to make an asso succussful, well it must just be a lot of hype, or maybe they only ment the people they feel are worthery. as of today, i am out of money, food, gas, and rent. i gave a 101% working for wal-mart, and in the end, i wasent even worth the 240 a week unemployment. now when i see a walmart sc i dont think about the pride i felt working there, i can only think about wishing i had a dollar to buy sopme food.

[Ron Shewchuk]

I'm very sorry you had such a bad experience. I'm not in a position to judge Wal-Mart's employment practices, which I know have come under a lot of criticism. My blog posting was more about how they are communicating with their managers. Any company as big as Wal-Mart is bound to have some jerks working for it along with lots of good people just trying to make a living and do the right thing. I hope you end up finding a better job with better bosses.