A reader lauds Chief Digital Officer Chris Saridakis (left) for a note he sent his employees about the forced layoffs announced this week; the reader says it shows more "class'' than memos sent by CEO Craig Dubow and other top executives. Here's a portion:My one piece of advice for you is to make sure that when you are off, you do something for you and/or your family. Even though it is not ideal to take off without pay, I suggest you hit the pause button and leave everything behind. For every challenge there is an opportunity. Take advantage of this opportunity and enjoy yourself. As for me, I am going to take a gardening class with my wife. . . . It has always been my dream to be able to build a truly organic and self-sustaining garden to provide delicious, healthy vegetables for my family and friends.
That is what makes Chris human and should serve as an example to top Management - VPs, Directors - instead of giving the company line to employess. Bravo Chris.
ReplyDeleteWhat a humane memo ... and an excellent suggestion, one all of us -- furloughed, laid off or bought out should take.
ReplyDeleteHat tip to Chris. Righteo!
um, so we are to grow Victory Gardens, all the better to feed those little devils we are supporting? why not some chickens in the yard we can eat (one per week) and what the heck - a cow we can slaughter later.
ReplyDeletethanks for the tip! we look forward to more from our employer about non-paycheck living, the new Gannett mantra.
Sorry, his memo sounds like something off the Green Channel.
ReplyDeleteGood grief, guys.
ReplyDeleteThere were several times in the past few years when I would have gladly taken a week off without pay voluntarily just to get away and lower my blood pressure because my workload and my editor's expectations were so great.
Isn't there anything you can think of to do when you're away from the office other than thinking bitter thoughts?
Hell, at the worst you can sit at home in your sweats and undershirt, watching TV and drinking beer.
Or you can wash the car, collect the dry cleaning, vacuum the carpet, clean the cat box, walk the dog, pick up the kids at school, take the spouse to dinner at the cheapest place in town or just do nothing.
I like what he said about checking out of the worker mindset.
"I suggest you hit the pause button and leave everything behind."
ReplyDeleteWhich is what I'll be doing as soon as I find a comparable or better job elsewhere.
Thanks, Chris!
Gotta give him credit for avoiding Gannettspeak. He could have said "I will deploy myself to the nearest garden center and execute plans for rolling out a vegetable garden."
ReplyDeleteSeriously though---he sounds like an inspiring boss.
The furlough isn't the problem. The layoffs and other cutback that are going to follow are. We're going to bleed slowly with furloughs and salary freezes, and then get hit with another round of job losses anyway. Just the way it is. Not trying to be gloomy. But I do think part of the reason some people are upset about the furlough is that they know this won't be the end of it. 2009 has many more downers coming from Mother Gannett. Forced retirements. Firings. Layoffs. More furloughs. More freezes.
ReplyDeleteMy advice is to use the time off to get your resume in order. Put together a portfolio. Get your name in some job-searching sites. Do all the things you probably don't have time for while working.
This is not a time to relax. Sorry, it just isn't, regardless of the humane aspects some see in this memo. This is a time to get your house in order.
I'm going to spend my time trying to be more like Tim Tebow and Barack Obama.
ReplyDeleteOh please! Don't fall for this touchy-feely stuff. Some of the most ruthless people in Gannett and at USA Today in particular use this strategy right before they chop off your head. If you trust any of them, think any are on your side or are concerned about your personal lives, you're in for a rude awakening eventually. I've seen these managers practically in tears, pretending to be sympathetic to this or that, and then turn right around and forget whoever or whatever it was that caused the false tears. There is just no substance to these people. Don't be fooled by some seemingly kind words in a memo. These folks get to where they are by being something less than human.
ReplyDeleteThis memo is as worthless as the crp-speak....
ReplyDeleteWhy? Because the dirty little secret is that the publishers and many other salaried employees, while technically "furloughed" will still be working ... they can't NOT keep working... maybe they will do it from home... maybe slip in at night...
But I guarantee that these folks will be expected to work - unpaid - on their so-called furlough. And what do you think THEY, in turn, will expect from those under them??
Furlough? Baloney.
Yes, and how much money did GCI pay him for Ripple6. I am sure he can sit at home on his week off, and contemplate chaging around his investments or how he is going to spend his dividend checks.
ReplyDeleteThis is another example of corporate America just "piling on" and kicking people when they are down. Face it, most people do live paycheck to paycheck and giving up one paycheck out of each 13 is going to be tough (because you know this will continue each quarter). Corporations are sticking it to people and telling them, "You should be happy you have a job." But guess what, doing these shortsided approaches won't help the overall economy. People out of work or furloughed won't be spending money, so the overall economy will continue to languish, will individual companies will bolster their bottom lines.
ReplyDeleteThis memo stinks. Maybe he can afford to enjoy the unpaid time off. I sure can't. I don't even think his intentions were all that good. I think this memo is contrived. Just a new angle on corporate b.s. Gannett is a toxic mess of lying managers who can't be trusted.
ReplyDeleteWow, people are feeling charitable today. My response is that given Gannett's utterly callous handling of layoff announcements and downsizing decisions in recent months, we've lowered our standards about what we consider an acceptable announcement of job cuts or layoffs or furloughs. Saridakis is straining to be gentle, and he comes across like a new-age feel-good guru or something. (Of course, financially, he can afford to be all sweetness and light.)
ReplyDeleteBeware: Underneath, there is no new and gentler Gannett. Case in point -- Gannett's handling of the December layoffs, a shining example of brutal bottom-line corporatism at its worst. First, they announced the layoffs were coming five weeks ahead of time, leaving the entire staff to twist in the wind while the specific decisions were made. Then they laid off thousands right before Christmas! It doesn't get any meaner-spirited than that. That, folks, is a layoff with a haymaker face-slap to boot. The brutality of this in terms of anxiety and stress and falling morale in incalculable.
Copmpare it to this: A close friend of mine was just given his layoff notice at Lenovo, the Chinese computer manufacturer that purchased a hunk of IBM a couple years back. He was informed Jan. 9 that his last day would be March 9 -- giving him 60 days to prepare! Lenovo did not announce layoffs of any American staffers before Christmas and is waiting to announce layoffs in China until after the Chinese New Year, Jan. 26. I would take that over an organic gardening course any day.
Gannett has always been obsessed by profit and bottom-line motives, first and foremost. Their December layoffs were a blatant suck-up to Wall Street. Their actions have severely undermined their facade of high ethical standards.
The December layoffs were the final karmic straw for GCI/USAT. Many who lost their jobs were not only qualified people still performing a legitimate service, but they were also decent human beings. In this economy, Gannett should have protected more of them. Instead, these people are really hurting now.
ReplyDeleteI, like many folks, came to this company years ago for one reason: stability. Now that that is gone, I am really in no mood to be conned by some New Age memo written by some guy who probably earns more than 10 typical Gannettoids combined.
The December layoffs need to be corrected somehow. I don't know how, but GCI needs to do more for those people, many whom are at an age where they can't find other jobs very easily. These were people who sacrificed for GCI/USA Today for many years. They were loyal. The gods are going to continue to plagued this company if something isn't done about the December carnage.
I sincerely ask upper management to do something profound to right some serious wrongs. Try to think beyond what you can see on the ledgers.
For all of those people on this blog looking to tear down Saridakis, he is the "real deal". Yes, maybe he can afford to relax while being furloughed, but he probably also doesn't need to be at Gannett either babysitting a bunch of miserable people.
ReplyDeleteAs a long time employee at Gannett, I am glad to see someone in our executive ranks being "human" and offering more than bullshit corporate jargon.
I am not happy that I am being furloughed, but you better damn believe that I am going to take his advice and do something for ME! The rest of you can spend your week of bitching and complaining.
Nice note and typical of him to send. I never met Chris, but I have emailed him several times after he visited our paper and he has always responded and was always willing to listen and communicate directly to me. Most of the executives usually just hand off the email to their assistants for them to handle.
ReplyDeleteIt is ashame that some people on the post have such little trust in people. I can certainly understand it based on the past year's events, but try and get over it. It is a new year, move on.
Thank you, 4:38 PM, I was beginning to believe I was the only person that reads Gannett blog that could see the benefit of being kind to oneself in dire circumstances.
ReplyDeleteMisery may enjoy company.
But misery buys misery, too.
I think 5:33 needs to redefine "miserable people." You sound like an apologist, or an appeaser (bad connotations there, kiddo). I'm laid off, with kids about ready to go to college, and the way Gannett did it sucked beyond belief. Believe me, in this economy, job hunting is a thankless and perpetual task. Say what you want to say about moving on and putting it behind you, but that's a much easier "talk" than it is a "walk." I'm not tearing Saridakis down, though I do think the practice of a company investing in companies owned by its own executives is highly questionable. He may be the nicest guy imaginable, and sure, it's a good idea to take a little personal time to better oneself. If he is so nice, though, he must be powerless in the corporate hierarchy, or else wouldn't he have objected to the layoff process used in Nov./Dec.?
ReplyDeleteWhen I think about the hundreds of millions wasted on the Newseum -- Big Al's chest-thumping egotistical dream -- that could have been reinvested in Gannett and perhaps saved my job and those of other loyal editors who've pulled countless 60-hour weeks over the years, that and the foundation shenanigans, all of which Jim Hopkins has kindly and capably exposed on this blog, I get pissed. Sorry, it's hard not to think about it right now.
Gannett will have its Newseum, touting all the achievements of newspaper journalism. It just may not have many newspapers left when it all shakes out. I ask you, what's more important, the history of newspapers in a gleaming expensive palace, or actual newspapers doing the job? Answer: THE JOB, MAN!!!
In regards to the furlough, can someone confirm the waiting period pertaining to NJ unemployment? I understand that in order to collect unemployment in NJ, one must be out of work for 7 days, thus satisfying a 7 day waiting period. But here's the question: I work 5 days a week. Is UI counting Saturday and Sunday towards satisfying this 7 day waiting period?
ReplyDeleteSeriously, the first three items on my "what to do while I am temporarily jobless" list are:
ReplyDelete1. Update my resume,
2. get together with some of the victims of previous layoffs,
3. start planning a vegetable garden in preparation for the next round of furloughs or layoffs.
In addition, I'm going to contact a non-profit organization and see if I can donate a few hours of my time. I'm not rich, but I'm fortunate to be in a position where the income-free week won't be a dramatic hardship. I give money to charities, and when I don't have money, I can still give my time.
Anon @ 6:01 ... and all other New Jersey people who've asked this question here over the last week:
ReplyDeleteCall the NJ unemployment office or visit the Web site. Please.
The Web site:
http://lwd.state.nj.us/labor/ui/ui_index.html
The phone number:
(609) 292-7162
From Anon 6:00p
ReplyDelete" He must be powerless in the corporate hierarchy, or else wouldn't he have objected to the layoff process used in Nov./Dec.?"
I do not think Saridakis had any layoff's in Nov/Dec so, perhaps he did object to the layoff's. It is Bob Dickey who is powerless and a good Gannett corporate soldier.
Thank you. 1/16/2009 6:37 PM
ReplyDeleteMy sentiments, exactly.
NJ guys seem to want to be spoon fed information they could easily research and retain all by themselves.
This will be the first of many furloughs. Gannett will continue to do this and gladly count all the extra money. Who cares if we all suffer.
ReplyDeleteTotal agreement with 5 p.m.
ReplyDeleteDiscarding long-time, loyal, talented employees is just wrong. In their long careers, most of them have been trained and retrained and could have been retrained again. Finding a job after 55, with only one job on your resume is next to impossible. sure they could retire and get a pension, but cutting them loose from health benefits is the real issue. Maybe if Gannett found a way to keep them on benefits till they get another job, some of them will cash it in.
The best thing I can do for myself and for my family during my furlough time is to:
ReplyDeletea. Make a buck.
b. Find a new job.
It's no time to rest, it's time to redouble my efforts.
I can weather the Furlough as a single person. I worry for my co-workers with a mortage, kids and a lot of expenses who live pay check to paycheck. I'm not saying I don't live paycheck to paycheck some weeks, but I picked a time when the car insurance and other big bills aren't scheduled to land in the mailbox.
ReplyDeleteYou can unplug from work, as suggested. You can't unplug from bills
What about cutting the damn dividend? Maybe the dividend to shareholders should be "furloughed".....
ReplyDeleteChris - I think it's a great idea to grow vegetables since none of your efforts here has born any fruit.
ReplyDeleteGannett Digital has hired over 200+ employees while everyone else is getting brutalized. These 200 include a lot of Dir and V.P's. Saridakis and the rest of Digital should setup a Cool-Aid stand during the furlough to help make their numbers...
ReplyDeleteEasy note from a guy who just made a bundle selling a company to his good ole boy buddies in an ethically questionable fashion. Somehow I'm betting that deal not only made up for the week of pay he'll lose but covered the gardening classes as well.
ReplyDeleteIf he was really new age and feel good, he would now announce that he will give his vegetables -- and a sizable chunk of his bonuses -- to the employees who were let go in December.
Somehow I doubt that's going to happen.
But thanks for letting us know how we should use our unwanted free time. I wouldn't have known what to do without a Gannett suit giving me "guidance."
And, believe it or not, I'm not all that upset about the furlough. I just don't dig all the hollow posturing by people who live in a different world than 99% of their employees.
For millionaires this is a week off that can be dedicated to self improvement. For the average worker bee, this is yet another stress piled on top of more expensive health benefits, falling real estate prices, tanking 401ks and the constant fear of being unemployed.
Pointroll have been laying off people left right and center; word on the street is that Paul Grassinger will be taking the axe to the workforce in March.
ReplyDeleteDigital actually hired about 80 people in 2008. I work (indirectly) for Chris. For what it's worth, he's a nice guy and his note sounded genuine to me and the people I work with.
ReplyDeleteI would sign my name to this post, but then it would just look like I'm sucking up.
Chris may be a good guy. I've met him and have been in meeting with him many times and it's hard to get a read on who he really is.
ReplyDeleteWith all that said, his note is impersonal. Do things for yourself? Really? I'm worried about;-paying my bills
-My future -my kids college tution bills -my car payment etc etc...
I can't spend money on things like learing to garden! How out of touch can you be? Do you know what it's like for most? Obviously not!
This is just another example of how out of touch these people are.
I'm generally a positive person. I need to be. However I'm shaken to my core when things like thisare going down and Gannett elite are uneffected, especially when they, at most times, are at the root of the problem. Sure the economy is in the crapper and all media businesses are suffering. But one week off for most Gannett employees is a hardship that shouldn't be.
THAT'S IT, Enough, gonna get out of newspapering, see what retail has to offer. Maybe I'll get a job at Circuit City..er..wait, Linens N' More..oh...ah...maybe KB Toys will hire me...ah...maybe I'll move to India and get hired at a call center. I do like curry and tandorri chicken....
ReplyDeleteAs a soon to be laid of (non-exempt classied as exempt) worker bee;
ReplyDeleteI'm heading to South to hunt for 3-to-10 acres of foreclosured rural land with a beat up house to fix; so I can afford to be poor (un/-underemployed) for the next few years of this Depression. The land is for the garden. Also, meeting with my -former state Assemblyman- laywer to go over the my unpaid overtime and how we are going to convince Gannett that it is in their best interest to "quietly" pay me for the Unpaid Worktime I've donated for fear of losing my job over the last decade.
FLSA limits notwithstanding It will be cheaper for them to pay me an avoid an unecessarilty -althought personal statisfying- expensive and publicly dissemmenated Destructive Conflict.
I'm going to need money to buy the seeds & chickens to stock my estate.
Reggie H