The death of a company is not a pretty thing. The announcement on January 15 was earth-shattering for so many. However, my faith in my colleagues — my fellow Canadians — is only reinforced by what we’ve tried to do to help each other since the announcement we were closing. We are trying to help each other find jobs. We are reviewing our friends’ CVs.
Target is leaving Canada as it came in — with intense sound and fury. It was the largest expansion in Canadian history and now the largest layoff in recent memory.
I’ve had the privilege of working at Target since well before we opened our doors and now have the solemn task of helping wind up its operations. For me and 17,600 of my colleagues, the roller coaster is on its last loop. The ride is almost over.
Much ink has been spilled since Target announced its closure. Blame has been laid. Jokes have been made. Pundits have been vindicated. Analysts have pontificated. The whys and hows of Target’s failure are best discussed by those who weren’t involved. Critiques are best delivered by those with clean hands. I don’t want to criticize and I don’t want to talk business. I want to talk about the people who worked for Target Canada. I want to talk about my friends, my colleagues — my fellow team members.
There is something so tragically beautiful about a team of people so dedicated to winning — to doing the right thing — but so unknowingly predestined for failure. The story of Target in Canada is one of failure but it also one of Herculean effort and positivity.
In my role in Human Resources, we charged ourselves with ensuring that we treated people fairly, respectfully and kept them engaged in their roles. Why? Because it was the right thing to do and because people treated that way do great work and don’t sue. My job took me to almost every store and regional office in almost every province. I got to see a lot of Canada and meet many Canadians. I learned so much.
I learned that Target had hired the best that Canada had to offer. Whether they were hourly, salaried — sales floor or senior management — we had recruited among the best. We had passionate students, dedicated veterans, disabled team members (who worked like they were anything but), seniors, moms, dads, grandmas and grandpas. We had people from every walk of life — every one of whom wanted Target to succeed.
There was not one store…
