Have the publishers all attended the Tara Connell School of Corporate Communications? I've now read countless we're-gonna-lay-you-off-suckas memos, sent over the past 24 hours to nervous staff at Gannett's 84 community newspapers.Let me save you a lot of effort in the future. Employees want to know one thing at the top of your memos: How many of us will lose our jobs? For example, Publisher Randy Hammer's 250-word note to staff at the Asheville Citizen-Times can be boiled down to 11 words that I've highlighted in the fourth paragraph, below:
TO: Asheville staff
FROM: Randy Hammer
RE: Staff reductions
We’ve had many successes these past several months. But despite our readership gains and Web site growth, the nation’s economic downturn has hurt many of our businesses in Asheville and throughout the nation.
We’ve been affected and so has Gannett. The company announced today it is eliminating approximately 1,000 jobs in the Community Publishing division.
About 400 jobs that were open throughout the division have already been eliminated. That means about 600 people across all of Gannett’s newspapers and magazines will be laid off in the next week or two.
For the Citizen-Times, our number is still being finalized, but it appears that six of our more than 250 employees will be laid off. I expect to receive word about our final number next week and will do my best to keep everyone informed.
I realize how difficult this news is, especially in light of the excellent work everyone has been doing. But the economy doesn't appear as if it will turn around anytime soon.
I assure you we will work very hard to treat people who are laid off with dignity. I realize nearly everyone will have questions about what is happening. In the next few weeks, I will meet with each department so we can talk about it. But right now my priority and concern are the people who will be laid off. I expect to be able to give you an update by Wednesday of next week.
Earlier: Top GCI exec Clark-Johnson is quote-a-licious!
[Image: today's front page, Newseum]
My dad works for a Gannett newspaper and I have heard about all the craziness that is going on. I bet all the thousands of newspaper employees who read emails like that when they got to work this morning are going to have a fabulous weekend! That's just not right. I used to like Gannett, but now I think it just sucks!
ReplyDeleteI will have to admit that Randy's letter was a bit less canned like the rest of them sent out via corporate..
ReplyDeleteYou know what bugs me is that, at least in Montgomery, it seems like our publishers are incapable of sending their own e-mails. Our layoff memo was forwarded by Cheryl Lindus's assistant. And I was thinking about it; Scott Brown used to do the same thing. It's weird. Do all publishers do that?
ReplyDeleteYes all managers and bosses are jerks, until you work your rear off and become one...then....well...you know the story.
ReplyDeleteJust wondering if Asheville has plans to fill its Executive Editor and Marketing Director positions - vacant since May. Or is Hammer the ex-officio editor of the paper (I hesitate to use the term "newspaper" since much of what is published is Meet Your Teacher and Meet Your Neighbor blather) for the forseeable future?
ReplyDeleteBad, bad, bad writing. Terrible writing. Must get paid by the word!
ReplyDeleteBut I'll have to say the publishers can write better than Dubow can speak.
No wonder Gannett is such a big mess.
Ok, the newspaper in Asheville new this was coming. At least the Ad Director and Managers new. I bet they new the demise of their fellow employees weeks ago. But buttered them up by telling them their jobs were safe just to keep them from looking else where.
ReplyDeleteMoney is not everything folks, it is not worth losing sleep over the fact you might lose your job every time Gannett stock dives. I guarantee it is much sunnier on the outside. But Ad Directors and managers will tell you it's cloudy.
I am not a good speller, I'm a good lover..
ReplyDeleteOk, the newspaper in Asheville knew this was coming. At least the Ad Director and Managers new. I bet they knew the demise of their fellow employees weeks ago. But buttered them up by telling them their jobs were safe just to keep them from looking else where.
Money is not everything folks, it is not worth losing sleep over the fact you might lose your job every time Gannett stock dives. I guarantee it is much sunnier on the outside. But Ad Directors and managers will tell you it's cloudy.
The employees have been told the lay offs will be done by Wednesday. So for three days they will lose sleep wondering how they will feed the mouths of their children or pay for the college their children goes to.
ReplyDeletePlease, if you are going to stand me up in front of the firing squad go ahead and do it already. Don't just let me stand there blindfolded for three days. The humanity.
Asheville Citizen Times, one down with over 15 years of service and another down that was there only a few.
ReplyDeleteTwo down, four to go...do it now before the blindfold falls off. The humanity of all this, make it stop.
I am doing a homework assignment where I have to find a "good" memo to employees vs. a "bad" memo to employees. Thank you, Randy Hammer, for providing my "bad" memo to employees example. I now have plenty to write about in my assignment.
ReplyDelete"The employees have been told the lay offs will be done by Wednesday. So for three days they will lose sleep wondering how they will feed the mouths of their children or pay for the college their children goes to."
ReplyDeleteOr how they're going to pay for their smartphones or their 7mb/sec internet connection or their DirectTV subscription. I'm currently attending college with no support from my parents, yet I'm able to feed myself and attend college on a part-time job. How is this possible? I don't have a cell-phone. I don't pay for internet. I use the school's public computers. Many families are wasting their money on what are seen as necessities today.