Tell me about the last time you worked through a restructure or similar company changes.
It is not uncommon for a company to re-evaluate its goals periodically and adapt to changing consumer climates or recent technological developments to compete for relevancy in an ever-changing global market. Despite how effective a company is in its messaging, such events frequently result in exposing character-revealing behaviors among its workforce. For example, during times of transition, restructuring, or upheaval, a percentage of the workforce will band together and support the company's vision. Then there will also be a percentage who resent such change and experience a sense of job insecurity, gravitating towards dissent. So with this question, your interviewer is curious how well you would embrace Wayfair's values under such circumstances. As they advertise on their site, they expect their employees to "adapt and grow. We value adaptability and self-reflection. We find opportunity in every change, experience, and mistake. We are committed to continuous self-improvement."
"About a year ago, our company looked at certain revealing inputs among our employee surveys about how the structure of the chain of command created too much competition among the supervisory staff. They also considered how many of those supervisors, who were tenured but not management material, were experiencing burnout syndrome since they worked twice as hard yet did not advance with their peers. So, to avoid the fallout of many of those supervisors leaving the company, which would strain the rest of the staff in a leadership void, the company changed the structure. They offered those tenured supervisors more stability in their schedules, less likelihood of being transferred from location to location, and the option of working part-time or full-time without losing their pay grade or title. The company hoped doing so would offer greater job satisfaction and play to their strengths. However, there was a failure in the messaging, which was unclear, and there was a lot left to be interpreted. So many of those supervisors whose titles were changed and were offered these new perks, unsurprisingly, saw this as a demotion. Many of them believed they had the potential to run their own store. So they saw this restructuring as a punishment rather than a reward. I did my part to support the company and spread the accurate portrayal of this restructuring and its aim. But my impact wasn't enough, and as a result, many of those supervisors whose titles were changed left the company, feeling their jobs were at risk or that they were robbed of advancement opportunities. This, ironically, resulted in a leadership void, which put a strain on the rest of our teams."
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