Dear Stephen,
I work in sales in the Southwest for MillerKnoll. I've been here for ten years and I'm originally a Herman Miller employee. When we acquired Knoll, a lot of chaos and morale issues ensued. We blended the brands, there was some shifting with the dealers and a lot of gossip and negative press. This year, 2024, I can see everything coming together. I've always loved the company and our products and now I see the transition is working – it's really working.
My own opinion is many of the sour apples, a.k.a. the former #Knoll employees, quit. Not all of them, just the ones that seemed unhappy that their brand was acquired. Even though we shared both of the names.
When I walk into a major design firm, the designers are still very excited to see me. Even the former Knoll dealers, now #MillerKnoll dealers, are great to work with. Everyone seems to have stopped complaining, the dust has settled, and I feel like I'm working in a great environment that my colleagues and our customers are happy about. And yes – even, finally, the dealers are smiling. Not to mention that as I write this, our stock is up.
What do you hear from MillerKnoll employees in the marketplace? I'm certainly glad I stayed at my job. Goodness knows, plenty of recruiters were calling me to leave. But I'm so glad I didn't.
Signed,
Glad I Stayed
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Dear Glad,
I hear you loud and clear, and you're echoing everything that I hear in the marketplace today nationwide. Especially from MillerKnoll employees, they like their jobs and the ones that are there now are not looking to move.
You have to admit: when the dealers stop complaining, you know something is working! Like any company that's been acquired, it's a bit of a shock to the employees at first, and I did see many of the former #Knoll employees less happy than the former #HermanMiller employees. The Knoll employees that weren't happy were smart enough to leave, and very few looked back, most moved on to great new jobs and that was the right move for them.
Those who stayed are now part of the blended MillerKnoll family and they tell me they're very happy as well, and very glad that they stayed. The Herman Miller employees like yourself that stayed continue to be happy with their new enhanced brand and depth of product.
As a recruiter, I see a robust "help wanted" need for salespeople coming from MillerKnoll and all of the ancillary lines in particular. Every time I look on LinkedIn I see another new position at MillerKnoll or one of their ancillary lines is posted, which means of course that business is good and MillerKnoll is hiring fresh blood. It was just a matter of time, and I think moving forward we're going to hear and see less negative press and more accolades as MillerKnoll continues to grow as a design-influenced industry leader.
Onwards and upwards!
Signed,
Stephen