Run for Hills - Sales Perennials and Sutherland Employee Review

We are disappointed to hear about the experience you describe at Perennials and Sutherland. We strive to create a positive work environment where all employees feel valued and supported, and we are disheartened to hear about your personal experience and how shockingly it differs from our intention. You have made very serious statements that we do not believe are consistent with our employees’ experience. We want to provide direct responses to particular points you have raised in this review: We can confidently state that we comply with all state and federal wage and hour laws and pay all employees at Perennials and Sutherland for all hours worked and all commissions owed to eligible employees per their commission agreements. We do not withhold or hide sales to avoid paying commissions. The company has been investing in our sales team members and increasing Outside Sales Representatives (OSR) since 2018. Our OSR total compensation and commissions have grown significantly during that time, with some periods impacted by economic conditions. We have opened new territories where we did not have physical representation previously, that had been handled by other OSRs in nearby territories. As the territories were redrawn, we have always worked to ensure our OSR total compensation remained whole. No one is capped for growth of total compensation; we continually review base and commission to ensure total compensation remains competitive. As with many companies within this industry, Perennials & Sutherland has transitioned from a founder-led business to private equity ownership. With this change in ownership came a change in leadership with the arrival of our first non-founder CEO in early 2023. While the founders transitioned into a more consultative role, and new competitive strategies developed, we remain a company that is rooted in passion for luxury design, product innovation, and providing premier customer service to the trade community. Those core brand values have never changed. We have worked diligently to continue to provide the same level of exceptional customer service for our clients. We have experienced no significant increase in turnover than we have had year-over-year; some of our sales employees have left to join our competitors, just as we hire new employees within the design industry in the Outside Sales Representative role. This is not unique to Perennials & Sutherland. We regularly conduct exit interviews with all employees and have not received feedback related to the experience you describe here as your own. Related to your comment about work hours, we do not have a mandated number of hours that an OSR has to work. The OSR role comes with a great deal of autonomy with the expectation of managing your own schedule to meet your goals. While the work week is 40 hours, some may be successful managing their schedule and workload within that timeframe, while other weeks may vary based on appointments, travel, product launches, etc. Many territories have fluctuated over the years, but in no way would we ask an OSR to do the work of two – we would understand the law of diminishing returns. Your comments are very concerning to us. If you are interested, we would like the opportunity to discuss your feedback in greater detail and specificity. Your comments about toxic behavior and belittling treatment are alarming, and certainly not the environment we foster or condone. Without further information about your individual experience, we are unable to directly address them appropriately. We highly encourage you to contact Human Resources directly at (214) 379-6460.