A CEO Told Staff To 'Leave Pity City' After Cutting Bonuses & It Backfired So Fast

One CEO's attempt to rally her staff has backfired spectacularly, highlighting the growing tension between high-paid executives and their inflation-squeezed staff.

Andi Owen, CEO of office furniture company MillerKnoll, has been facing a lot of heat on social media after a clip of her recent video town hall began circulating online, in which she told her employees to stop throwing themselves a “pity” party for not getting a bonus, reported CNN.

In the video, Owen encouraged staff to "focus on the things you can control," such as providing excellent customer service. But her tone soon shifted as she admonished employees to "leave Pity City" and concentrate on the company's $26 million sales goal instead of worrying about their bonuses.

During the video, Owen tells her staff, “Don’t ask about ‘what are we going to do if we don’t get a bonus?’ Get the damn $26 million.”

“Spend your time and your effort thinking about the $26 million we need and not thinking about what you’re going to do if we don’t get a bonus. All right? Can I get some commitment for that?” Owen asks her staff.

“I had an old boss who said to me one time, ‘You can visit Pity City, but you can’t live there.’ So people: Leave Pity City. Let’s get it done,” the CEO continued to say in the video.

Owen’s comments came as she concluded a 75-minute meeting, and since then, MillerKnoll has said they were taken out of context. However, the damage was done, and Owen faced accusations of being insensitive and out of touch.

Kris Marubio, a spokesperson for the company, told VICE that “Andi fiercely believes in this team and all we can accomplish together, and will not be dissuaded by a 90-second clip taken out of context and posted on social media.”

Owen earned nearly $1.1 million as a base salary in the last fiscal year and received nearly four times that amount in bonuses, bringing her total compensation up to $4.98 million, as reported by the company's filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission.

Meanwhile, the median employee income at MillerKnoll was $44,810.

In the wake of the backlash, Owen emailed an apology to workers, acknowledging that her "rallying cry seemed insensitive,” according to a copy of the note obtained by MLive. She went on to praise the "power and strength of our collective team" and promised to do everything she could to help the company meet its shared goals.

“What I’d hoped would energize the team to meet a challenge we’ve met many times before landed in a way that I did not intend, and for that I am sorry,” Owen said in her apology email.

“My appreciation for each of you is huge, and I will continue to do everything I can to help us meet our shared goals. Thank you for your hard work, your grace, and for the commitment you show to one another and our company every single day.”

MillerKnoll has not yet decided on bonus payouts for staff, including Owen, as its fiscal year ends in May.