Co-op defends senior leadership and denies ‘toxic culture’ claims
Co-op has defended its culture and leadership after some senior managers complained of a “toxic culture” at the executive level of the group.
A letter seen by the BBC claimed there was “fear and alienation” among senior staff members who felt “scared” to raise concerns about the direction of the business to the leadership team.
Subscribe to TRBAccording to the BBC, several sources also said a culture that discourages any challenges has led to poor decision making, lower morale and abrupt departures, as well as a “sharp drop in profits and a rocketing food waste”.
Claiming to represent the views of a large number of senior managers, the letter is understood to have been sent to the Co-op chair and another member of the Co-op board over two weeks ago, In it senior managers alleged that leadership behaviours had “significantly degraded the leadership culture of our Co-op”.
The BBC also reported that some managers had said that a decline in operating performance at the Co-op could no longer just be attributed to the impact of last year’s cyber attack, which resulted in £206 million in lost sales. They maintained that it was down to poor decisions including the merging of retail, wholesale and third-party buying functions into one single unit called Group Commercial and Logistics.
A Co-op spokesperson told the BBC: “Our culture, as a co-operative, ensured decision-making throughout has listened to views from leaders and colleagues across our food and wider business while simultaneously acknowledging when a wide range of views are expressed, not everybody will always agree with the final decisions and actions taken.”
A spokesperson also said: “Our colleague engagement remains high and our culture and ethos mean we continue to engage with all our colleagues and leaders to ensure they act constructively and co-operatively for the long-term success of the business.”
