That's what I've been hearing since word first leaked that Gannett's powerful governing body is taking a rare, in-person peek under the hood of the company that pays its members such lofty annual retainers.
The question: Will directors think that all Gannett sites are this freshly painted and otherwise spiffed up?
What are the most urgent repairs needed at your site? Please post your replies in the comments section, below. To e-mail confidentially, write jimhopkins[at]gmail[dot-com]; see Tipsters Anonymous Policy in the rail, upper right.
It is such a waste to spruce up a building just to impress a few people who only likely care about getting their annual "retainer" for their presence at board meetings. That might sound harsh, but Gannett sites are generally not in good shape. The people who have to work at those sites deal with it daily. Why can't these suits just deal with the lackluster paint, chipped tile, frayed carpeting, little-to-no air conditioning in the summer and little-to-no heat in the winter? Is it that they might feel guilty by the less-than-stellar atmosphere in which most workers are forced to work? I think not!
ReplyDeleteCan't they deal with the bad conditions for two days? Use the money they would spend to spruce things up to give the employees a turkey at Thanksgiving. It's not like it's a secret to anyone that Gannett's sole purpose is to suck money out of local properties. If they want a meeting space that compares to the fabulous hotel conference centers, then perhaps they should just move their meeting to one of them.
A few years back, all the toilets were broken at Lansing during a three-day holiday weekend and management wouldn't pay weekend prices to get them fixed. The (night) copy desk and sports were told to use a toilet at a Grayhound bus station, but the station closed. Staffers were turned away from restaurants and a law library, too. The nonflushing LSJ toilets got unbelievably rank and management kindly brought in bottled water to flush them, but it didn't work. Someone should have called the health department. The place was even more of a stink hole than it usually is.The daytime crew complained when they came in Monday, but repairs were quickly made for their convenience. Managers work Mondays...
ReplyDeleteThis is what is wron gwith the Blog. This is such a petty subject. Like any company in the world wouldn't spruce up a faility before their board showed up? Come on folks, there are so many other things to be concerned about. Jim, you must be struggling to find things to write about. By the way, in the end the folks in Des Moines have a better facility when they leave. Nothing wrong with that. Yeh I know I must be a troll. Anyone who disagrees with the lemmings is a troll.
ReplyDeleteI do not think this is a petty subject. It once more illustrates where Corporate places its emphasis: on the people at the top. This is particularly unfortunate, given the sacrifices many employees have made in recent years.
ReplyDeleteMany, many worksites need the sort of improvements that I'm told Des Moines is receiving. That Des Moines is now getting them is a good thing.
But the timing suggests this is more about creating a pleasing, yet misleading, venue for the directors -- rather than fixing things for those who do the real heavy lifting for the shareholders.
Finally, just because other businesses may treat their directors this way isn't justification in this case. We expect better of our company.
Sorry Jim, it's not your company anymore. You chose to leave. You are of course entitled to your opinion but this story is simply designed to inflame your readership.
ReplyDeleteI'm still a shareholder, and we own the company.
ReplyDeleteHere's a little concept. Have all the board members split up, and visit the properties unannounced. Have them actually spend an entire day with the local staff to see what they have to deal with. Not the higher up managers, rather the worker bees who pull together and manufacure a new product every day with minimal resources. Nice way to earn the big pay they receive and see what the day to day operations at most properties look like, sans the corporate purification rituals. The view they get now is the distorted one of "everything is copacetic" from the execs.
ReplyDelete8:49 pm. That's how Wal-Mart founder Sam Walton did quality checks on his stores. He made unannounced visits, talked to employees and customers, and visited nearby retailers to check prices. (In 1985, I accompanied him on one visit to a store in Pine Bluff, Ark.)
ReplyDeleteI've seen several mentions here of people who were required to do toilet checks for executives at hotels where the higher ups were staying. I was one of them. It's indeed very sad that this "spruce up" work is required of all Gannett units when the bosses come to town. Anyone that has worked for Gannett for any period of times knows how this drill goes. We've even seen building projects approved in advance of the Dubow visits so close to his arrival that the place still smells like paint and caulk when he gets here. Not sure if he wants to see what things are really like... but I agree with the earlier post that these visits should be unannounced and should be more about finding out how things really work in the field. It's the Daily Miracle, and so many people out there that do this work every day know exactly what I am talking about. I have worked in six different Gannett operations, and the common thread is that each of them have to work around very difficult circumstances to be able to deliver their customers a great product each and every day.
ReplyDeleteThere was an excellent TV show recently that showed how upside-down corporate executives can get. In the show, CEOs visited their company's worksites anonymously, doing frontline jobs, talking with employees and observing how their companies really performed for customers. All were amazed at what they learned. Gannett might benefit from similar visits to its news centers. Anonymous visits would be much more useful than the ass-kissing ventures they used to call "onsite visits." I agree with Jim and disagree strongly with the lemmings yokel, who's obviously part of the problem. I think it's damned serious when those responsible for the welfare of a company shield themselves from the realities of what's really happening at their outlets. How about Gannett VIPs hosting some townhall meetings at some of their sites? Get out there and listen to the real people instead of being detached, out-of-touch and, therefore, ineffective at doing the jobs they are paid so well for doing. Have the CEO shave his beard and take a job in the mailroom at any of his many holdings. He's smart enough to learn from that, and it will more useful than expensive lunches and b.s. meetings with stuff shirts dancing for the praise of their master.
ReplyDelete4:28 -- I don't think you're a troll, but this is certainly a worthy topic for discussion. You're probably right that any corporation would spruce up its digs for a board meeting. And that's exactly what's wrong with corporate America -- all of it, not just Gannett.
ReplyDeleteIf the board members are too good to simply walk into a building with dingy walls and frayed carpet, they shouldn't expect employees to deal with those conditions every day.
Sprucing up before the board's arrival is not only a deceptive practice (it gives them an unrealistic view of the company) it's wasteful and insulting to employees.
I've been at a Gannett site where management removed every other flourescant bulb in the overhead lighting in an attempt to save money. If we're that desperate, then we should be just as desperate when the big wigs come to town. In fact, those big wigs should be flying in coach and travelling to the site together in a single, rented mini van. What do you bet that's not happening?
Does Des Moines still have that globe in the lobby? Is somebody updating the country borders and place names?
ReplyDeleteFor goodness sakes, is someone at least dusting the big ball?
Or has it gotten a fresh coat of blue, along with a little added smiley face on one side.....
Gannett papers ARE the Walmarts of all newspapers, cheap and crappy, just like Walmart.
ReplyDeleteThe only time anything gets cleaned around here is before a Board meeting. This place is dispicable, and it is upsetting that only before the Board meeting does anyone even try to clean the place.
ReplyDelete4:28, so Des Moines will be in better shape because of this? Really, new paint, some carpet squares? What about mold and rotting water pipes? I'm sure that's not getting taken care of. New computers? nope. Realistic cell phone reimbursements? nope. Fresh paint and some carpeting makes me feel warm and fuzzy and totally motivated.
ReplyDeleteThis is nothing new for Gannett. Back in the "good old days" of the company, newspaper sites could expect corporate big-wigs to come to town for an "onsite review" every few years. They would spend a couple of days grilling senior managers and even a little further down the food chain on all aspects of the operation.
ReplyDeleteWhen I was with Gannett, you could expect the publisher to order the location "spruced up" just before the onsite occurred. Corporate knew it was happening and would suggest against it -- "We don't want to smell fresh paint when we walk in."
Still, the "onsite miracles" as we called them always happened. This has gone on for years and years and years.
This comment has been removed by a blog administrator.
ReplyDeleteFollowing is an edited version of a comment posted by Anonymous@4:47 p.m.:
ReplyDeleteI kid you not, but Laura Hollingworth wants to put balloons and streamers along the railing on the [XXXXX] entrance. She thinks this will cheer up [XXXXX]. We are all actually telling her that this is not a good idea, but she is insisting on this.
Apparently, Robin Pence told her that the Board of Directors would like to take a tour, so they are now installing new toilets in the restroom near by where the board will be conducting their meeting.
For teh past 90 days, we have been preparing for this board meeting.
the XXXX in the prior comment is Dubow.
ReplyDeletecan anyone confirm what building the board meetings will be held; the register building, the production building, the marriott?
ReplyDeleteMeetings will be held in the Marriott
ReplyDeleteappreciate
Seems to me like the site bigwigs in Des Moines are only looking out for themselves. Perhaps they think if corporate is impressed, it will mean good things for their careers.
ReplyDelete