Source: Fox News; Photo – Getty Images
‘Cosby Show’ star’s experience shows work is different at Trader Joe’s
Geoffrey Owens, best known for playing the character Elvin Tibideaux on “The Cosby Show,” has more recently gained notoriety after the Daily Mail and Fox News tried to job shame him by publishing photos of him working at the checkout in a Trader Joe’s located in New Jersey.
Mr. Owens, who took the position at the store to make a steady income while having the flexibility to pursue acting roles, decided to leave Trading Joe’s after the story spread across social media and news outlets.
“As soon as I heard this story was in the works, I resigned because I didn’t feel that for my peace of mind and my dignity that I was going to be able to function there in a positive way, spiritually and emotionally,” he told CNN in an interview.
Mr. Owens’ said he hoped the lesson from his experience for others would be a shift of what constitutes “good honest work.” He added, “Certain work is more lucrative, certain work looks better on a resume or may have better benefits,” but, “I don’t think anyone should ever look down on somebody because of a type of work because society has decided is not as good, is inferior …”
While the publicity around his employment at Trader Joe’s made Mr. Owens feel that he had no choice other than leave the company, management at the store had another take. Rather than accepting his resignation outright, it was suggested that he take a leave of absence. “I can go back whenever I want,” he said.
As an Inc. article points out, the retailer has made it easy for Mr. Owens to return should he find himself in need of work in the future. In doing so, “Trader Joe’s showed that it cared about the person, not just the employee.”
Editor’s note: As I’ve written before on this site, I too had an experience working for a short time at Trader Joe’s as part of a research project on corporate culture. Having made my decision to leave, I too was encouraged to opt for a leave of absence rather than just quitting. The offer, one I never expected to receive, made me feel good about the store’s view of my contributions while there and solidified my view that Trader Joe’s personal approach to employee relations was worth emulating by employers both inside and outside of retailing.
- Actor Geoffrey Owens: Work is work – CNN
- Former ‘Cosby Show’ Star Geoffrey Owens Quit His Job at Trader Joe’s. Here’s How the Company Responded – Inc.
- ‘Cosby Show’ star Geoffrey Owens flooded with support after being ‘job shamed’: ‘It’s been nonstop’ – ABC News
- Team Building: A Lesson From Trader Joe’s – RetailWire
- Geoffrey Owens – IMDb
Discussion Questions
DISCUSSION QUESTIONS: What lessons can other retailers learn from Geoffrey Owens’ experience in addressing the nature of work with their own employees? What can others learn about Trader Joe’s reaction to Mr. Owens’ situation?
Poll
BrainTrust
Phil Rubin
Founder, Grey Space Matters
Jasmine Glasheen
Content Marketing Manager, Surefront
If a retailer is satisfied that it has invested in its employees to the point where they are a valuable asset, they should keep the door open for departing employees to return. The approach accomplishes at least two positives: if the employee returns, it will not need much more training to become productive once again and, as the word of the retailer’s policy spreads, its raises the probability that the company will become an employer of choice among the available workforce.
One thing that Trader Joe’s doesn’t have to learn is to have more respect for people — regardless of their occupation — than that displayed by Fox News and the trash tabloid the Daily Mail. There are approximately 4.6 million people working in retail in the U.S. alone and there is and should never be any shame in someone doing honest work. Fred Reicheld in his book “The Loyalty Effect” established the link between employee and customer loyalty. Danny Meyer in “Setting the Table” espoused the same values.
Thus, the lesson: having respect for your employees is an essential foundation of customer loyalty, which is essential for a business to survive and thrive over time.
There was a time when professional athletes and actors had to work second jobs in the offseason or between roles. Nobody should be shamed for putting in an honest day of work, especially because it has become viral on social media outlets. Geoffrey Owens should not have to defend why he is working at Trader Joe’s, and perhaps people should take a step back from publicly shaming folks who were previously in the public eye.
It is commendable that Trader Joe’s has supported Geoffrey through this experience, and has emphasized the importance of keeping an open door policy if he would like to return to the company.
I think there are a few points here. First, I find it sad that the public made such a big deal that Geoffrey Owens was working in a store. I commend him for supporting himself while looking for other acting positions, which are never easy to find. I’d rather read about Mr. Owens doing something productive rather than seeing another disgruntled out of work actor involved in some scandal. So kudos to him.
Second is Trader Joe’s. Dan Bane, their CEO, has built a culture second to none which is evident when reading employee reviews on Glassdoor and Indeed. What we can ALL learn is simple, there is no need to be critical of anyone for what they choose to do for employment. Moreover, retailers need to remember that the two most important people are the customer and the employee. Take care of them, and you’ll never have to worry about making sales.
Anyone who works to support themselves and their family deserves praise and admiration. There is absolutely no shame in doing an honest job of any kind! It is a shame Mr. Owens was made to feel bad, but I am glad Trader Joe’s had a thoughtful and caring response.
Retail is reliable, available work for people looking for steady income. I think the media’s depiction of this work as something less than respectable sends the wrong message to legitimate employment seekers.
My entire career has been in retail in one capacity or another and job shaming is disgustingly shameful, regardless of one’s profile or previous work experience. Having said that, retailers need to look inward at the talent drain that has affected the industry and begin to implement initiatives and opportunities that will attract and retain talent. Walmart’s $1/day education initiative is a great start, and other large retailers of similar and smaller scale should recognize that the future of physical retail will be all about people, and the present war for talent won’t make that any easier.
Kudos to Geoffrey Owens for doing what needed to be done to care for his family. Those of us in pay-for-hire type jobs like acting are all too familiar with days of feast and famine. Sometimes you just gotta do what you gotta do.
And thank you, Trader Joe’s, for reminding us how important it is to treat people like people.
What a shame certain members of the media took the path of outing Mr. Owens at his place of work, honest and perfectly respectable work at that. Employees are humans above all else, and each deserves their dignity. I applaud Trader Joe’s response, and hope that all retailers will learn from this in protecting the personal safety and dignity of each employee as a top priority.
The media and the general public are both guilty here. What made the woman who tweeted his photo think that was okay? SMH…
It seems from this that Fox News and Daily Mail have again solidified their position as bottom feeders. It is sad that someone can’t go to work and do a good job without having someone attempt to embarrass them for it. I was in the Janitorial Service business many years ago. It was in someways sad that so many people needed a second income after working a full time job that they had to add another four or more hours of work to their day to make ends meet. How can the elitists of this world get enjoyment from watching others struggle? No, this report did not make me happy.
Unfortunately, this situation also shows the value, or lack thereof, that many place on retail workers. Store-level employees work long hours, irregular shifts, do hard manual labor, and are expected to wait happily on every customer, regardless of the customer’s conduct. For that, they are often paid bottom-tier wages. Top execs at retail companies would be well served to pay living wages, and take care of their employees in other ways such as offering better health care, better 401K plans, etc. and let their customers know how hard their employees actually work.
So true Al. My brother-in-law is a 15-year vet and, at my urging, decided to work in one of the big home improvement stores while he finished up getting his master’s degree. He’s had 3 letters written to their CEO applauding the service he provided, yet he’s had nothing but struggles with his store’s management team — and the very frustrating store systems that cause awful issues with customer service.
As much as we talk about retail from a high level, so much still needs to be fixed on the front lines with some of the big players.
I saw this more of a “Look at the big TV star who now works at Trader Joe’s” than I did as a shot at retail workers. Schadenfreude makes some people feel better about themselves.
This incident addresses a societal issue: that certain types of work are deemed inferior to others by our success-obsessed society. Some retailers reinforce this perceptual imbalance by talking down to their employees and treating them as though they aren’t important. Thing is, their employees believe them and start underperforming in their jobs. Treat your employees like crap and they won’t want to make your business money.
Trader Joe’s reversed this narrative by showing Mr. Owens and George that who they were as individuals was more important than their output. Inviting employees to come back at any time says, “we’ll work on your schedule.”
What happens when employees feel important? Retention, engagement, and better customer service are just a few of the benefits. When employees feel like they’re being valued, they pass that feeling on to customers. You want to give customers a positive experience? Start by creating a positive corporate culture and watch those effects take root.
I was at TJ’s just yesterday — every member of their team seems well-trained, helpful and enjoying their shift. Their people philosophy (along with their curated assortment) is one of the main reasons consumers go out of their way to visit stores.
Would be great to see other companies demonstrate this commitment to employees.
Nothing against TJ’s — I don’t have any info one way or the other about working conditions there — but I hardly think their treatment of a celebrity in their midst (about to become tabloid fodder) should be generalized.
I have to admit that I just learned something new from the Trader Joe’s approach to dealing with good or great employees who are looking to leave. Instead of letting them just leave they are making them an offer that keeps the door open. I have just added it to my arsenal of tools to recruit and retain those precious resources — STAR employees.
None. Retailers have to learn it on their own. This is a matter of leadership character more than learning a lesson. Respect is something that is difficult for individuals to learn later in life, and even more difficult for organizations that don’t already have it ingrained. Trader Joe’s and their parent company, Aldi executed the game plan with respect and dignity for their employee. Kudos.
As leaders in retail, don’t we deserve some of the blame for Mr. Owens questioning his own dignity working retail?
And does anyone else see a corollary between this situation and yesterday’s discussion regarding Colin Kaepernick?