Since (in this economy) I haven't found something that pays better than what I'm making at Gannett, I'm keeping my job for now. But if I get laid off tomorrow, I know exactly what I'll do and how I'll go about it. Life wouldn't necessarily be easy but (thanks largely to this blog) I have a good understanding of where the company is and where it's going. And I know that I won't be retiring with Gannett.
People who are still at Gannett and feel terribly stressed might do well to approach things the way I have. Know that there's a good chance (I'd say 50/50) that you won't have a job with Gannett five years from now. Adjust your spending a bit, just as you'd have to if you were laid off. Look into the type of training you would need to move to another career. Start making contacts in other fields. Take the mindset that you are not with Gannett for the longterm. This is just a job that is serving as a bridge to your next move.
This mindset isn't good for the company, but who cares? The company has not been good for our mindset. If Gannett wanted loyal employees intent on taking the company into the future, it would have recognized our value. To the Gannett brass we are all numbers on a sheet. And I think we'll all be happy if we look at the company the same way. Gannett is nothing more than a corporation that writes me a check every two weeks for services rendered. Sure, I like having that check, but if our association ends, it ends.
Looking at things this way has really made me a lot happier. Give it a try if you're struggling.
Good for 12:40. I took a similar course over a year ago, realizing if I was hit by a layoff, I had no savings or cushion to fall back on. That prompted a top-to-bottom review of household spending, ranging from two cell phones (we are down to one) to duplicate e-mail accounts we were paying $10.95 a month to maintain (we went to the free ones). My wife got on the bandwagon, shopping on Tuesdays to take advantage of the day-old meat discounts, and we spend more time at home than eating out. I am astonished how fast the savings accumulated. I now have more than $7,000, and it is growing at the pace of about $500 a month. It is 1 percent interest, but I am not gambling with this money. I also can see this business is dying but I can't tell how long we've got. The newspaper has lost its spark, the stories are pedestrian, and they can't get ads even with discount offers. The editors are as shell-shocked as the reporters, and don't have fresh ideas of what to do. They say you need a cash cushion equivalent to six months of pay.
ReplyDeleteI once thought of this job as a life-long career. But 12:40 hit the nail on the head: we are just a number to corporate, one of too many numbers preventing them from making even greater profits.
That is great, 3:13. I hope to do the same, savings wise. I, too, see this job as temporary. I have not found anything better, and it does have some perks, such as flexibility, that keep me with Gannett. But I know that I may not be here next year. I was panicked last year but I think I am now numb. I do know that if something better came along, I would be cleaning out my desk. I have no loyalty to Gannett because I know Gannett has no loyalty to me.
ReplyDeleteI'm planning my exit strategy, too, and leaving journalism altogether. With 25 years til retirement, I need a career I can count on. But just making that realization has been a long and painful process, spurred on by the stress of these last few years. I can't stand how corporate treats its customers, advertisers or employees, and I don't want to be a part of this anymore.
ReplyDeleteI had an ME tell me that the by working for Gannett, you have made an arrangement with the company... it goes something like this. You do what they say, the way they want it, when they want it and they pay you. In my case every other week. The check always clears, but the mindset keeps me from doing anything more than what I am told to do. I used to try and do more, but furloughs and pay cuts and lost OT and so forth... it's just not worth it anymore.
ReplyDeleteLet's face it... the product is worse than it has ever been. Our advertisers and readers can tell.
A few months ago, I watched many of my colleagues get laid off -- some were people I never imagined Gannett would ever lay off because they were the only ones who did those jobs. It was just stunning and thoroughly appalling to see the utter lack of regard for the people who had given so many years and so much work to the company as well as the total lack of regard for the publication itself.
ReplyDeleteHow can you cripple a staff so badly and still seriously expect the few people who are left to be able to put out a publication that's any good? And how can you seriously expect the ones who are left to have any sense of security or loyalty -- or just generally giving a s--- about the company and the product when it's so damn obvious that you're viewed as a dollar figure that may one day be deemed too costly?
I knew I had to find another job before I got laid off, too. Fortunately, I did find one. It may not be the greatest job in the world, but at least I don't work for Gannett anymore, and that's definitely a step in the right direction.
Excellent piece and excellent advice. Really it applies to people in any job. Just because you've been hired doesn't mean you've signed a lifetime contract or a contract calling for a set term. You know you have to perform up to certain expectations or else you lose the job. And the company has to perform up to your expectations or else they lose your services. I hate to see anyone tie themselves so inextricably to Gannett, which was a low-quality company in the best of times. Some people deserve their fate because they placed too much faith in the company and are now totally dumbfounded. They don't know how corporations are. So take the above advice and start detaching yourself mentally and emotionally. Do your job well, but be on the lookout for an employer who will truly appreciate your talent, intelligence and ability to make the machine hum. They're out there. Companies are thrilled to have ex-newsies on board. And they're not PR firms.
ReplyDeleteAll of the people whining in this thread should either quit tomorrow or be fired.
ReplyDeleteFull apathy -- catch it at Gannett Blog.
I left as soon as it started to suck. I couldn't imagine still being there now that its as bad as it has become. Yikes!
ReplyDelete12:06 -- If you don't understand the sentiment of this post I feel bad for you. All it says is that employees should treat corporations the same way corporations treat them.
ReplyDeleteThis is good advice but it's also, frankly, a little sad. Wouldn't you rather live in a world where your employer had a vested interest in your well being and where you could harbor loyalty without feeling like a fool?
As for the apathy you mention, I don't see anything apathetic about making plans for a future that is sure to come. It's apathetic to look at a deteriorating situation and neither complain nor make plans for the future.
12:40 -- You hit just the right tone. And I totally agree. I love journalism, I love to work hard. I'd do it for free. But, of course, I don't do it for free, because the hard work I do allows the company to make some kind of a profit and allows the board of directors to award million-dollar bonuses. How they do that in a year where they also laid off honest, loyal, hard-working souls and cut the pay of others -- only they can answer. What I can control is how I approach my work. So I do it with all my heart, the way I hope I always will. I love this work. I don't love this company anymore, though, after watching it chew up good, loyal workers and spit 'em out without so much as a farewell party. When my time comes, I'll leave with my head held high, without a regret.
ReplyDeleteIf that sounds like whining or apathy to you, 1206, I can live with that. You might want to get out in the fresh air a bit more often, though....
Apathy is when you don't give a sh!t either way. I think a lot of Gannett employees actually care a lot, maybe too much -- but they've been beaten down by this apathetic company that doesn't give a sh!t whether they stay or go or whether they have what they need to do a good job.
ReplyDeleteFor fully two years I was practically paralyzed by shock, disappointment and sadness. Then all that sappy stuff was subsumed by anger and disgust when the people who are supposed to be leading us out of the wilderness took sumptuous bonuses and healthy raises while we were being furloughed and watching the unluckier of our co-workers lose their jobs.
ReplyDeleteFreeing yourself from a pesky work ethic and the belief that journalism is a sacred trust won't happen overnight. Starting now, become actively engaged in getting Plan B underway and getting your finances in order. Eventually your emotions will catch up and you will, as the original poster so wisely puts it, look at your current job as a bridge. So what if if's a shaky one? It's temporary. Better things await you.