When bosses duck "why him?" questions, the workplace can grow toxic. That's the theme of a couple comment threads today, including one where Anonymous@2:28 p.m. writes: "If the company is going to get rid of employees like this one guy, we're all in trouble!!!!"
I bet you can multiply that story by 85 -- all the Gannett papers, in other words, hit by the 2,000 job cuts in the big layoff now entering its second week. Thousands of employees return to dramatically reshaped workplaces tomorrow. There are hurt feelings, and anger. Some employees lack even basic information -- including those at The Cincinnati Enquirer, where Publisher Margaret Buchanan has not answered the most basic question yet, Gannett Blog readers say: How many of your paper's approximately 1,000 jobs did you cut?Spinning conspiracies
"If Buchanan won't publicly come clean about this with her employees and readers -- something that many of her peers did -- then what else is she capable of suppressing? Lots," Anonymous@3:15 p.m. says in this comment today. "Limiting a well-respected business editor to sign off this week in her final column by stating that her last day was this past Tuesday, with no explanation, confirms it."
Now, it's entirely possible the Enquirer ran into an 11th-hour hitch, preventing it from completing its layoff by the end of last week, when most other papers were done. Still, in the current silence, conspiracy theories like those expressed above spread by e-mail, or in furtive loading dock conversations. I've seen "survivor's guilt'' float past in a few comments. And there's what's ahead: more layoffs next year, no end in sight, until revenue stabilizes.
A toxic workplaceLawyers and H.R. consultants everywhere have shut down candid talk between managers and employees after a layoff. They cite invasion-of-privacy threats. But silence fuels a toxic workplace. You wish it were possible to corral everyone for a wide-open, honest discussion about why Susie Q. in ad services got laid off, when Stan T. dozes at his desk in plain view of the boss.
So, survivors air hurt feelings on Gannett Blog. That's cathartic in the short run, but I'm not sure it provides real solutions for the long run. How is the mood in your department now? And what can management and employees do to (OK; I'll say it) heal the wounds?
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.
[Image: today's Enquirer and Detroit Free Press; some Freep employees say they want more information about possible layoffs. Paper-by-paper layoff list]
Honestly, it's not just the popular co-workers - it's all my co-workers. My department was annihilated and it seems like there was no rhyme or reason to who was let go.
ReplyDeleteThe worst wound is that we still have the same amount of work coming through, but nobody to do it.
The randomness of the whole thing is mindboggling.
AZ rep suvivor here... I doubt anyone knew this layoff victim but after this note, it's sad this person wasn't more popular when they were here... definitly some survivor guilt at least from me...
ReplyDelete________
Though I've only met a fraction of you, I feel compelled to share my thoughts about being a 22-year-old layoff victim.
Having only worked here on the news copy desk since January, right after graduating college, I think this is the best first job a young journalist could have. And yes, I say "journalist" because though I may not stay with the field, I am still loyal to journalism and will remember my time at The Republic as a positive learning experience despite it being cut short due to the ways we must cope with the changing industry and economy.
I am optimistic that progress will be made, though at the cost of much talent, I'm sure. I believe in the work done by everyone on every floor of The Republic and its bureaus, and I hope the spirit to serve the public will keep good people inspired and motivated.
To those who have joined me in my stint in Arizona, there's no way to say that I will miss you oodles, and I thank you for your guidance while I was here and your support as I take on my next adventure.
I still can't believe my editor was laid off - the hardest working person I've ever seen. Watching a boss come in, call the editor into an office only to see her emerge 5 minutes later holding an envelop and wordlessly starting to clean off her desk....it felt like watching an execution. Sitting in the newsroom now is like attending a funeral for 8 hours a day. Too horrible for words. But the worst part is the knowledge that if they could lay off the hardest working person in the place, they can lay off anyone. Survivor's guilt? I'm starting to think that maybe those laid off were perhaps luckier than the survivors. At least they can start to move on (I know, terrible time, terrible economy) But for the rest of us, there's no end in sight and it's only going to get worse.
ReplyDeleteI know They can't talk about individual employees because of confidentiality policies. But it would heal a lot of wounds if They WOULD talk about the strategic decisions behind the individual layoff decisions.
ReplyDeleteIn other words: What does it mean for the features staff that the arts reporter's job was cut? What does it mean for the photo staff that two shooters lost their jobs while still keeping two photo editors? What is the overall PLAN for journalistic and business survival here, and how were those painful decisions part of it?
Unfortunately, as far as I can tell, there was NO such strategic thinking that went into the decisions. In Wilmington, that became evident when the EE announced that decisions about new beats, etc., would be made after discussions with the mid-level editors - meaning there had been no line-level thought put into the cuts. No one had actually imagined how the newsroom would operate on a day-to-day basis after losing 15 percent of its people.
And that, my fellow Gannettoids, is the real secret that we have all known over the years, but never admitted to ourselves - the Emperor's New Clothes Syndrome... They don't have a damn plan.
Gannett used to be management by fad. Now it's management by panic.
Get out while the getting's still halfway decent and Wal-Mart still has jobs available.
Jim, You and others hit the nail on the head when questioning why good people got dumped and others who are useless are kept on and have been kept on for so many years. We were told that each property would decide how to make the reductions, but did Gannett look at the list of victims and compare them to the entire local environment and situation? Probably not. Are there people being kept because they have something on the (local) company or local people. Not to be funny, but do some of these have pictures, or something else to hold over the company's head. Sure looks that way to many. It would be interesting for each local operation's folks to tell the rest of us if there are things like that going on everywhere or is it just localized to a few papers. My guess is that it's probably almost universal.
ReplyDeleteI know as of Friday, the Cincinnati Enquirer was still in the process of informing people of their layoffs. Perhaps a final tally will come this week.
ReplyDeleteThe layoffs may be over, but the maneuvering is just beginning at our paper. A "plan" is being crafted by our EE - who never and I mean NEVER visits the newsroom - for how the operation will run. How can he plan something he knows nothing about? He can't. It's obvious to all of us remaining that the best interests of the paper and the community it serves are the least of Gannett's concerns. Some of us survivors chatted at the end of last week. We're planning new careers, going back to school, considering early retirement. Our paper is on life support. We're just waiting for Gannett to pull the plug. I wish good luck and happier times to everyone out there trying to make it through this mess.
ReplyDeleteI'm just a regular employee but Jim, I think this column is just inciting things. The indutry sucks right now and having to lay people off sucks right now as well.
ReplyDeleteThanks, 8:19 pm. I'm trying to inspire a conversation that will be more productive than what I've been reading so far.
ReplyDeleteusat graphics lost a hard-working, only remaining graphics editor from the print heyday, and somebody with a fair number of tech skills that would have translated well on the web site...and nothing official or unofficial has been said about it...the position was filled internally which has caused a variety of problems and proved the need for that position...so we all know the position was crucial, and those of us who knew the editor who was released were saddened and outraged, and will continue to be...either it was a personal payback cut over some petty differences or the continuation of phasing out anyone who was connected to the glory days of the print product...i can't imagine any other explanation....and regardless, this layoff has many of us in and out of the graphics department very concerned about our own jobs and whether usat isn't as concerned about quality as it's editor claims.
ReplyDeletei think this editor should be hired back...I don't want to hear any more lies about these layoffs when this was the perfect example of a job elimination that did not follow any logical criteria...correcting this mistake and having greater review of candidates for layoffs in the future are two things that need to be done...no one manager should have complete say...it opens the door to some very bad judgment and personal reasons getting in the way of sound business decisions...it ruins lives, careers and morale, not to mention production.
I agree that so many of these layoffs made little sense. I think it points to a larger problem -- the competency of those in the positions who made some horrible decisions.
ReplyDeleteThere is always going to be those who agree or disagree with who exactly should go during these difficult staff reductions. But some of the decisions made no sense on any level to me and others. Makes me wonder what kind of games are being played behind the scenes.
In the meantime, the most unjustified layoffs have damaged innocent, hard-working pros who were the victims (along with their families) and also left the rest of us feeling more vulnerable and without any confidence that good judgment is being used.
Some of those who lost their jobs will never work at a newspaper again. Not because they don't want to, but because they are beyond the age newspapers hire (yes, age discrimination runs rampant) and because jobs have dried up. How does a manager who cut some undeserving soul live with that? Why wasn't more care taken so that competent people in vital positions weren't discarded?
I am increasingly ashamed to be working in this industry.
My little corner of USA Today became a lot more toxic after the loss of a trusted coworker last week. There was no credible reason to slash this job or person, particularly when others have gotten away with so many misdeeds over the years. Anyone looking at this person with any objectivity would have classified this guy as one of the least likely people USA Today should lose. Yes, it's a significantly more toxic workplace today, but I am far more worried about this person who was lost than I am about myself.
ReplyDeleteIt is sad when co-workers are laid off. In my area, we have an AOC that was laid off, and although they say the position is "eliminated", we have been told that most of the creative staff will have to jump in to do her job in our "slow" time, after 5 creative jobs were lost? I didn't know we had a "slow" time of day.
ReplyDeleteThen there is the suburban photographer position eliminated who's job was to take photos for ads, and now we have the former creative manager running around with a camera? Setting up appointments and taking photos for selective clients?
It seems that eliminated positions are not really eliminated because everyone is expected to do the same work. Seems like now they are going to ask the ad reps to carry around cameras for ads? Ha great!
Also the night creative person was let go, and now another creative graphic designer has to stay late.
If all these jobs are truly eliminated, why is there still lots of work to be done? Obviously we are not slow.
How does the Des Moines Register get by with saying the position is eliminated? when its not. It was really the person.
We loved these employees, and it made no sense to eliminate needed employees. We have open wounds because the work is still here, the employees worked great, and now crosstraining is the solution? There is no such thing as specialized anymore.
If you don't understand the layoffs it's probably because they were done with the idea to avoid lawsuits. Even though many posters here have sucggested otherwise the Big G has aways put EEOC as the first criteria for firing, disciplining, downsizing, restructuting, layoffs or whatever you want to call it.
ReplyDeleteOver in Broadcast, at the biggest (market-wise) TV station Gannett owns, our first layoffs were Graphic Arts. They kept the guy who was best at drawing and let go:
ReplyDelete* the guy who designed our entire on-air look -- don't need him since we have centralized graphics now, huh...
* the woman who, without a doubt, was the best artist I have ever worked with, had the fastest turnaround time, and could ALWAYS be depended upon. (She's still unemployed, AFAIK.)
Then they let go of the tech guy who managed the directors (they now report to the head of techops) and several PAs.
Then they let go of the administrative assistant who did pretty much everything.
Then they offered a buyout to people over 55 with more than 10 years of service. I think only one person took the buyout, and one of our best-known and most-talented reporters had his franchise taken from him and we all think he's wishing he'd taken the buyout too.
Amid all that, we lost more than 50 people from summer 07 to summer 08 via retirement or quitting to go to other jobs.
Now the superstar VP of news that corporate sent down here to make things better is making everyone in the entire building a news-gatherer. That's alienating almost everyone, including the newspeople.
Anon 6:49 PM – If that’s accurate, then why did Cincinnati's publisher share that they were done on December 3rd?
ReplyDelete6:54: Were you talking about Westchester? Because it is true the EE doesn't come out of his office there, nor does the ME.
ReplyDelete