But we need to get those questions together fast, because managers will soon start notifying perhaps thousands of newspaper employees that they're losing their jobs. You may be one of them.
You'll want more than a box of Kleenex when you get the bad news. I'm thinking of a written list of questions to ask about retirement accounts, health insurance, access to personnel files, etc. You don't want to be wishing you'd asked about this stuff on that long drive home.
To those of you who've been through this experience: What are the most important questions to have in hand if you are called into a layoff meeting? And, other than a list of questions, what else should you bring?
Please post your replies in the comments section, below. To e-mail confidentially, write gannettblog[at]gmail[dot-com]; see Tipsters Anonymous Policy in the green sidebar, upper right.
Thank you for using Kleenex. Every box sold helps the Appleton market, where Kimberly-Clark employs roughly 4,000.
ReplyDeleteAnd hopefully K-C will be my next employer....
Sorry, I was not being useful@7:06.
ReplyDeleteHere is the link to apply for unemployment in Wisconsin.
http://www.dwd.state.wi.us/ui/
Be sure to get the letter that states you were laid off through no fault of your own.
In this economy your next employer (Walmart) may not care, but a year down the road that could be important.
Can we get together after the holidays?
ReplyDeleteBetter yet, as one former circulation director shared, "they can't fire you if they can't find you."
Sorry, levity helps. But, don’t make it easy on them either. And, ask for more of everything, later termination date, money, health care, reference, etc.
Make sure you clarify what kind of information HR will furnish prospective employers about you, should they call later to check up.
ReplyDeleteHave your references lined up.
Surprisingly, some managers will NOT provide references when they're contacted, other than saying you worked there for a certain period of time - they're saying it's against company policy to provide any other information. In other words, if you were expecting them to say how good you were, how hard you worked, and what you did, forget it.
Find out to the day when benefits conclude, schedule any pending surgeries to coincide, if kids need braces, or you meed root canals or other expensive procedures, get that done too.
ReplyDeleteLegally, the company can say little more than when an employee started and when they left, else the company representative puts themselves and the company at risk.
ReplyDeleteThank the lawyers bringing suits for that one.
Most employers know that's the drill anyway. So, if you can, really try to get an inside reference or two to get around anyone talking with HR.
If you've worked for this company any amount of time, it is not difficult to get good references if you are a journalist, as scores of the best editors have long ago departed for greener pastures. Contact your former bosses, and as for Gannett, just make sure you get your good evaluations.
ReplyDeleteThis thread is useless. If it's just going to be a bunch of stupid gallows humor and more whining (like this blog needs more of that), then what's the point.
ReplyDeleteSomeone asked the people on here to be useful, but apparently that's too much to ask of some.
As long as it's legal in your state, bring a tape recorder, and secretly record it. Have your recorder on you at all times ready to go.
ReplyDeleteJim, do they HAVE to make you sign a do not compete clause as part of a severance package? If not, I wouldn't sign one at all.
ReplyDeleteAsk about monies due- when can you expect to be paid bonus and unused vacation days. How much money can you expect.
ReplyDeleteAsk for a personal reference.
Ask for a copy of your personnel file.
Ask for the time needed to clean up your desk and get your personal belongings. That should give you time to gather important information if you haven't done it already.
no way in f&*% you will have to sign a non compete
ReplyDeleteBefore I applied for my USA Today buyout, I asked if I would need to sign any paperwork to qualify. I had in mind a non-disparagement clause, which would have kept me from blogging about Gannett. (I wasn't thinking about a non-compete clause, which would have been very unlikely in my case, anyway.)
ReplyDeleteIn any case, I didn't have to sign anything. I know other employees at other Gannett businesses, however, who have had to sign non-disparagement agreements to get their severance. I think it varies by property.
If you have specific managers you'd like to use as references, instead of HR, make sure you have their personal contact info, as they may be getting laid off with you.
ReplyDeleteI am sure the last round of directors that were let go had to sign non-disparagement agreements, otherwise you would have a lot more disparaging comments on this blog.
ReplyDeleteAsk them if you could please have a list of the jobs titles and ages of laid off employess, and the same thing for the employees who were not part of the layoff.
ReplyDeleteMy advice is to NOT sign anything on the spot. NO law requires you to sign any documents or paperwork for severence or benefits on the day you are laid off. That may be implied by the boss or HR, and it sure is nice for them if you just sign on the dotted line and leave, but you do NOT have to. I disagree with the one poster about this site. Some of the advice I've been reading is good. I had NOT thought of the non-competing clause. Don't sign it. And yes, have a list of written questions with you at the meeting.
ReplyDeleteRemember that you are still an employee of their at this meeting and you have RIGHTS. Don't give them up in the passion of the moment. SIGN NOTHING until it is approved by a lawyer! And if you think that is too expensive, remember the consequences if you do NOT think first before signing something at this meeting.
Remember, Gannett just wants you out the door and causing as little trouble as possible.
Do NOT accomodate them.
Ha!
Your employer does not need you to sign a thing to send you packing. They are perfectly within their rights to terminate your job today and give you nothing. If you choose not to sign what typically is pretty straightforward paperwork, that is one option. Now, if you read that paperwork and think you're being 'lawyered,' that's another matter -- seek counsel. But really, there's nothing complex or sneaky about most layoff paperwork.
ReplyDeleteWhen you're asking questions about the date your benefits concludes, make them put everything in writing -- amounts, dates, contact information. Insist on this especially if they want you to sign paperwork.
ReplyDeleteIt's not about being suspicious. It's about protecting your rights and your future. And only YOU can look out for YOU. They will not. They are not paid to look out for your interests or to care about what happens to you long-term. And that's not being harsh or whiny. It's simply a statement of reality.
If this really is a layoff, ask about your recall rights. Get Gannett's policy on how that works. Ask for a list of open jobs at the company, and ask if you, as an employee, will be given preference ahead of non-Gannett applicants.
ReplyDelete11:54 - you are RIGHT. Make them put it in writing or else the odds are, it is not going to happen. You need to backup!
ReplyDelete11:27 - "Sneaky" isn't the point, and while it is true the employer can terminate with no benefits in SOME cases, for protected class workers it is NOT the case. Remember, that the laid-off employee was targeted for this, and this is ruining their life and their career.
While we all know ANY employee is better off working somewhere other than Gannett - does anyone today DARE disagree with this? - they as your employer still have great power over not just your life, but your future.
This miserable company has ruined many careers and lives. They should pay for that swath of destruction and anguish!
If you haven't already, make copies of all your reviews, especially if they are "very good" and/or "excellent." Over the years, I always have insisted on having a SIGNED copy for my records, which I kept at home.
ReplyDeleteIf you cannot get references, these reviews should give prospective employers an idea of how good an employee you are.
Some people are asking for positive comments on this blog. Fair enough when we can come up with them without lying or trying to make other posters feel "unloved" for speaking their own realities!
ReplyDeleteI want to take a moment to thank Jim Hopkins for serving us with this blog. Prior to the buyouts and layoffs, I didn't know who this man was, and now I consider him a friend and even a blessing!
When I saw Jim's video about the S.O.S. signals from the smaller Gannett papers, his caring and emotion were tangible. Any of us would have considered ourselves fortunate to have worked with Jim.
Sparky is very lucky!
Oh.. and we thank Sparky for sharing Jim with us. It all must get on Sparky's nevres at times!
Thank you, 1:23 pm! (And you're sure right about this blog getting on Sparky's nerves!)
ReplyDeleteI recently took a buyout. I didn't have to sign anything regarding non-compete, no disparagement, etc. Basically, it was a list of facts about my buyout -- how long I would get paid, get benefits, etc.
ReplyDeleteThis isn't exactly a question to ask during a layoff meeting, but something to do beforehand: make sure any e-mails or documents on your work computer that you want to keep are forwarded to an off-site account or home computer. Just as important, you're going to want to save any professional contacts in your Gannett e-mail that you don't have stored anywhere else. Just one of those things we should all be doing, just in case. Also, make a mental note of where your personal items are around your desk. You might be in a hurry getting out of there, and you don't want to leave behind something that you own. And get copies of your clips NOW if you haven't been keeping up on that.
ReplyDeleteNegotiate for continued employee discount on your newspaper subscription if possible. I still like to get the paper edition on my doorstep...
What questions should I ask about health plan, 401k, pension, HR contacts? I guess it would be helpful if the responses here would have been in the form of actual questions I could print out and carry in with me.
ReplyDeleteAnd is the severance pay going to be in a lump sum, or sent over a period of weeks? In my state, it'll make a difference in whether I get any unemployment benefits.
The severance is not paid in a lump sum, and is called salary continuation. In NJ we can not collect unemployment until the end of the salary continuation.
ReplyDeleteI accepted a buyout/early retirement offer in January 2008 from The Journal News, ending a 42-year career as a reporter and editor with the paper and its predecessors in Westchester County, New York. While my situation was different from what's facing a lot of folks next month, here are a few suggestions/questions from my experience that may be helpful.
ReplyDeleteFinancial - talk with your family and your financial adviser. What revenue stream will you still have? Where can you save a few dollars day to day? Instead of reinvesting dividends, could you receive a check periodically? If you receive a lump sum, could you invest it until you need to tap it? Ask about a "ratchet" feature, which guarantees my annuity is worth the peak it reached or "ratcheted" up to, even if its current value is lower. If you roll over your 401K, make sure it's a "direct rollover" with the transfer check payable to your IRA custodian, not to you; otherwise, you will face tax consequences. Consider having federal and state taxes withheld from your severance pay; it could save having to make estimated tax payments. I also have health insurance premiums withheld from my monthly pension check.
Legal - if possible, show any paperwork to a lawyer. My paperwork included an agreement that, by accepting the offer, I would not seek or accept employment with any Gannett unit. There was nothing underhanded, but it was good to have a third party review the proposal and make sure I understood what I was signing and accepting. Does your paperwork include a non-compete clause? Any limitations on future legal action?
Health insurance - can you continue it at the regular rates? At the retiree rates? COBRA? Something else? New York State, for example, has insurance programs for people of limited income.
References - most, if not all, of us have colleagues we respect. Ask if they would put in a good word for you. Offer to do the same for them if the need arrises.
Personal - as a poster child for the packrat gene, I had accumulated a LOT of my own reference materials and other stuff in and around my desk, much of which had long ago lost any value it may have had. Once I decided to leave, I began taking some of this home each night, planning to finally sort it out leisurely at home instead of rushing through it in the newsroom and possibly tossing something that was worth keeping. I also gave some items to co-workers. When my final night arrived, it required only a couple of trips to my car to remove the last of it. As others have suggested, go through your e-mails and other material saved on your computer. Save what you want for yourself (on a flash drive, e.g.) or e-mail it to your personal account. I also forwarded copies of some specialized reference files to colleagues I knew would make good use of them. Delete the rest; leave a clean slate.
If you're still in touch with someone who took a buyout or was shown the door, get together with him/her for coffee, lunch, etc., and bring your questions. I did this with a fellow editor who accepted a similar offer two years earlier and, as a result of our friendship, he was able to suggest several personal considerations that would not necessarily show up on a standard checklist.
Finally, whatever your opinion of Gannett or the conditions of your departure, be prepared for a sense of loss/mourning. After all, a key part of your life isn't going to be there any more.
Didn't mean to be so longwinded, but I help this is helpful.
Forward all important emails and contact info to your home address. My email was shut down when I was being given the bad news in the conference room.
ReplyDelete(artist) Print out and burn copies of all your work for your portfolio. They will tell you that it is company property and you cant have any of it!
They will only give you 30 minutes to pack your stuff and leave. Go ahead and pack some of your items now and take them home. Less to haul the day of the layoff. Amazing what you can accumulate after 10-20 years.
Don't forget to photo copy photos of your ass and put them in all of the file drawers and lock them like the other Gannett blogger did. Love it!
I was told at our paper that the severance would come in WEEKLY paychecks, though we are normally paid biweekly. I thought that was odd. Not sure what effect that has on unemployment in our state; guess I need to start looking that up.
ReplyDeleteThis is an important piece of advice someone else gave, and it bears repeating: BACK UP ALL YOUR EMAILS NOW, and TAKE ANYTHING OF PERSONAL VALUE ON YOUR DESK HOME TODAY.
Perhaps you're not getting laid off in the next few weeks. I hope you're not, and I hope I'm not. But by the end of this weekend, any file I needed that's saved to my desktop, any email I wanted to keep, it's all going to my home account. I'm taking my child's picture and anything else I care about on my desk home this weekend.
So my desk will be a little bare for the next few weeks. I don't care. One poster said you have 30 minutes to pack up your stuff -- in most papers I've been at, that was NOT the case, and in fact someone ELSE packed up your stuff while you were in the meeting. Personally, I don't want someone else looking at or touching my stuff. And often your email is locked up while you're still in the meeting; that keeps you from sending that virus you were planning to send in revenge once you get back.
It seems morbid, but plan now, and it will save you some grief later. If you're not laid off you can bring all your little toys and pictures and stuff back 2nd week of December.
Good luck to everybody.
re: 11/20/2008 8:57 PM on not being able to collect unemploymnent in NJ until the salary continuance ends - that is not the case. You CAN collect.
ReplyDeleteI read this thinking that it would be a list of questions to ask when going into a meeting to get laid off. I was wrong.
ReplyDelete