Scores of employees have been urged to take buyouts or were simply laid off as Gannett tries to shore up its flagging stock price. I was one of 43 USA Today employees paid to go away. Why me? The answer is in the fine print of GCI's three-part strategic plan, described in Item 7 in the most recent annual 10-K filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. Part three: "Strengthen the foundation of the company by finding, developing and retaining the best and brightest employees through a robust Leadership and Diversity program.'' (Note: My emphasis added.)Huh. So, I was not among the best and brightest, and my skills and experience no longer count. Question: How do you measure up?
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[Image: this morning's USA Today, Newseum]
"developing and retaining the best and brightest employees" - how do you then explain 1/2 the VP's in USAT Adv. dept?
ReplyDeleteI worked at a smaller Gannett paper for five years up until this past summer. I was sub-30, winning awards, getting promoted. In short, someone you'd think the company would want to "retain." Had a buddy in the features department who fit the same profile. After spending 18 months trying to find a job anywhere at any metro in the company (with his only solid offer being the same job at a similar-size paper where the cost of living was 33 percent higher for the same salary) he left in disgust. I spent about eight months doing the same before I left.
ReplyDeleteNow, I have no Pulitzers to my credit, but I'd like to think I was worth retaining, given my age, potential and track record. Considering I ended up going to a metro paper 4.5 times the size of the one I left, a place that essentially recruited me, I think Gannett missed out.
Question is, how can they develop and retain ANYONE when virtually every paper is laying people off and/or freezing open jobs in anticipation of layoffs? I don't think editors and department heads are developing and retaining anyone; I think they're just trying to keep enough bodies on hand to put out a quality product.