Major Issues And Problems At Nordstrom

Major Issues and Problems at Nordstrom

Nordstrom, though successful in pleasing their customers and provided superior customer service when compared to other industry players, it appeared that the company sacrificed the employees' satisfaction with their work. One of the major problems cited in the study was the failure of management to professionalised the relationship between management and employees. By advocating an atmosphere of "family" camaraderie within the organization, the company went beyond the limits and scope of work the employees. They were expected to work beyond the prescribed working hours without pay in order to comply with company requirements.

Performance in retail outlets such Nordstrom was limited to the amount of sales the employee could generate and ignored other intrinsic qualities that the employee might possess in order to perform well at work. By concentrating solely on numbers, the company developed a company culture where quantity mattered more than quality. The lack of transparent performance measures also spelled trouble for the employees of the company.

As a consequence of adopting a policy that calls for employees' complete commitment to the company, work-life balance issues became a prominent feature in the lives of the employees. The case stated accounts where almost all employees practically spent their waking hours doing work for the company 24/7 just to meet the sales quota. Family and the private lives of the employees did not figure in the plans of Nordstrom to make the workplace healthier. The employees were only motivated by dangling bonuses or material rewards that to some extent had their limits.