Who is Andi Owen? Herman Miller CEO's "pity city" bonus rant sparks backlash online

Andi Owen, the chief executive of high-end office-furniture firm MillerKnoll (formerly Herman Miller), has landed herself in controversy after a clip of her Zoom call was leaked recently. In the said video, the Michigan-based businesswoman is seen addressing the issue of company employees not getting any bonuses.

The MillerKnoll CEO mentioned the queries that the firm received regarding bonuses. What surprised netizens was how she started seemingly lambasting the employees on Zoom calls for asking what they would do if they did not get a bonus. She said:

"I had an old boss who said, 'You can visit pity city, but you can't live there. So, people, leave pity city! Let's get it done."

She also asked her employees to redirect their effort towards "thinking about the $26 million" instead of complaining about the "bonus."

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More about Andi Owen, the CEO and president of MillerKnoll, who is under fire for her rant about bonuses

Per MillerKnoll's official website, Owen is the office-furniture giant's CEO and president. She has held the position since July 2021, after Herman Miller acquired Knoll and adopted its current name.

Before the accession of Knoll, the businesswoman was president and chief executive at Herman Miller and was "instrumental in architecting the deal" that brought both companies together.

As per her LinkedIn profile, Owen has two degrees from Harvard Business School and began her career as a department manager at Bloomingdale's. She then went on to work for established brands like Banana Republic, Old Navy, and GAP, before joining MillerKnoll in 2018.

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"Lead by example, treat people well": Twitter chastises Andi Owen for her viral Zoom call clip

After Owen's video went viral, almost everyone on social media started criticizing her for the "pity city" rant. Many showcased their disagreement with Andi Owen, while also questioning her leadership qualities. One user on Twitter asked the MillerKnoll CEO to "treat people well," while another compared the clip to an "SNL skit."

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What else did Andi Owen say in the viral clip?

As mentioned above, Owen's viral Zoom call video began with her addressing the "bonus" issue amongst the employees of MillerKnoll. Here are Andi Owen's exact words from her recent viral clip:

"Questions came through about, 'How can we stay motivated if we're not going to get a bonus? 'Some of them were nice, and some of them were not so nice. So, I'm gonna address this head-on. The most important thing we can do right now is focus on the things that we can control."

Owen then mentioned that situations like Covid-19 or bank failures are unpredictable, and they can only focus on providing their best customer service while being respectful, treating people well, and focusing on the future. She also assured her listeners that things would get better. However, Owen's tone changed as she continued with what seemed like a rant:

"Don't ask about, 'What are we going to do if we don't get a bonus?' Get the damn $26 million dollars. Spend your time and your effort thinking about the $26 million dollars we need and not thinking about what you're going to do if you don't get a bonus. Alright? Can I get some commitment for that? I will appreciate that. I had an old boss who said, 'You can visit pity city, but you can't live there. So, people, leave pity city! Let's get it done."

Andi Owen's rant also received negative reception because of the reports of her getting $1.29 million in bonuses last year, while this year, none of her employees were receiving bonuses.

Per multiple media reports, after the video went viral, the MillerKnoll spokesperson, Kris Marubio, did clarify by stating that the clip was taken out of context and that "Andi fiercely believes in this team."

For the unversed, the short clip was part of a 75-minute town hall, where Andi Owen took questions from MillerKnoll employees.