14 DAY TRIAL // Apple is raising the wages for its retail store staffers by as much as 25 percent, according to people who are familiar with the matter. The raises are based on performance and they’ll begin appearing in paychecks next month.
Two particularly interesting reports emerged lately discussing some affairs within the Apple retail organization, one of which was about a promised spike in pay from John Browett, the company’s new retail boss.
Initially, it had been reported that employees would be given raises between 1% and 5% of their current salary, depending on sales for individual stores.
The raise had been already scheduled for this year, but Browett decided to make the change three months in advance.
“There will be much more to share in the weeks ahead, and I’m looking forward to meeting everyone over time. I am thrilled to work with all of you as we build the future of Apple Retail together,” he said in an email to staffers.
Another report said Apple was gearing up for internal meetings with retail employees.
The two stories converged this week to confirm that the raises were, indeed, on the table, and that Apple awarded them during recent meetings with store staffers.
Dow Jones Newswires reveals that wage levels was the main staff complaint during an internal review. Those in Genius and Creative positions are particularly upset because of the pay, one person who is familiar with the matter reportedly said.
Another staffer suggested that things were spiraling out of control at his / her local store when a nearby Microsoft retail store began to offer promotions and higher wages to entice employees to jump ship.
Surely Apple wants to compensate staffers for their hard work, not to keep them in its walled garden (not necessarily, at least).