Saturday, August 27, 2011

Aug. 22-28 | Your News & Comments: Part 6

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39 comments:

  1. Directions to transfer 401(k) money between funds in the Gannett 401(k) plans:

    https://www.benefitsweb.com/gannett.html is the site. You’ll get a popup about security unless you’re using Firefox or Internet Explorer 5.5-7 as your web browser. Click past it if you wish, I use IE 9 and I do.

    Enter your user name and password at right. If you don’t know one or the other, click on the buttons below the boxes. Next window comes up, click on the “401(k) Plan” tab. On the left side of the window there is a box that says ‘I want to…’ Select the “Transfer Funds” choice. In the new window choose whether you want to deal in percentages or dollar amounts under ‘Select Format’. (Better to use percentages, amounts will fluctuate during the day.)

    Scroll down to ‘Transfer From’ and the drop down menu will show you the funds that you have money in. If you’re moving money out of Gannett, choose Gannett Stock Fund. The screen will refresh and the balance available will update. Looking directly right of that number, enter the percentage/dollar amount of that money you want to move out.

    Scrolling down some more, choose where you want your money to go. This is a list of all the funds available to you. When you have it all figured out, hit the ‘Submit’ button at the bottom. Review your choices on the next page and then ‘confirm, edit or cancel’ the transaction using the buttons at the bottom.

    The next window gives you another chance to delete the transaction. If you are done with the site, be sure to log out.

    Hope this helps.

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  2. Retail not meeting goals? If your location is like Greenville, maybe this is why:

    Sent: Friday, August 26, 2011 3:36 PM
    To:
    Greenville-All

    All,

    The advertising department just completed a cake decorating contest and there is plenty of different cakes available in their department located right off the main lobby on the first floor.

    Please come by and enjoy some while it lasts!!

    Rene’

    Rene' Batson, Principal Business Partner
    Gannett Human Resources/South Group
    The Greenville News/WLTX-TV/USATODAY
    Post Office Box 1688
    Greenville, South Carolina 29602
    o 864.298.4006 c 864.320.4610 Fax 864.298.4063
    rbatson@gannett.com

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  3. Let them eat cake! Next week it's Chicken?

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  4. I still don't get why these HR people all have been titled "Principal Business Partner" etc

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  5. 8:06 I'm with you! How dare those HR folks try and bring a little fun into the work environment. Damn them for caring.

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  6. I'm not really sure why everyone outside of advertising has a problem when advertising folks try to have a little fun. They probably aren't baking and decorating the cakes on company time, so what's wrong with taking 10 or 20 mins out of the day to "enjoy"! People always think advertising folks should be actually selling 24/7, and I don't think ANYONE could do that! Sometimes you have to do something to relieve the stress. Besides, how easy do you all think it is to sell a sub-standard product these days, especially in a competitive market. Everyone blasts our "products", so what do you expect us to sell?

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  7. @10:35 AM--That may sound like that's the way it should be but, my friend, if you are in advertising you better be working it 24/7. If not, you just won't be working.

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  8. 10:35am You are so right. Guess we shouldn't laugh at a joke or enjoy each other's company.

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  9. Would be nice if they sold any portion of 24/7. Instead it's leave the office at 10, back at 3, put an hour lunch in the middle. So that's 4/5 of actual selling time, not 24/7.

    The rest is dealing with finance and GIADC. And evidently eating cake.

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  10. @10:54. Wow, what a view! Well, for one property, I know this isn't the case, we ARE working as closely to 24/7 as possible. People seem to think our job is so easy, just like writing, reporting, copy editing! Well, guess what, it's just not. And we have every right to a little laughter and camaraderie everyone else enjoys from time to time. I'm sure cake contests don't happen on a daily basis!

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  11. p.s. - And copy editing, reporting and writing also are not easy jobs!

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  12. im the original cake-poster: i benefit from these things. The problem is, they happen all the time. And it was done on company time. maybe im a candidate for management, but i think our time at work might be better spent working. We can have drinks afterwords if we want to laugh and have fun with coworkers.

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  13. @11:20. Sorry, but it's a scientifically proven fact that employees MUST be able to laugh at work to be at their most productive level. Just because you laugh doesn't mean everything is "ok", but it's a necessary evil. Do you mean they really baked and decorated the cakes on company time?? I don't agree with that, but sharing at the workplace is okay. We actually celebrate employee birthdays, too. Is that a no-no? It's part of building a "team".

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  14. How is it the ad dept. gets gift cards, sports tickets, prizes, and time off with pay beyond their paycheck for doing their job, while the rest of us just get our paycheck?

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  15. 11:31
    Every job is different and has its Pros & Cons. If you think the ad reps are getting over on you - ask for a transfer or apply.

    I'm sure the sports tickets and prizes will not seem so alluring once you start missing goals and get berated by your manager.

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  16. @11:31. Not sure what you're referring to. When our reps get tickets, it comes with responsibility. They have to take, and entertain, clients, and usually on their own time. Gift cards are used as "incentives", and I must say, we rarely get gift cards to disburse. Prizes? Same thing. It's meant to drive revenue, it just doesn't always work. And the other reason is because salespeople don't make the same money others do. The base pay is VERY low, and they have to earn the rest. On top of that, if they don't make goal one quarter, they're on notice the next quarter, and then they are gone...period.

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  17. I don't care about the cakes, I do care about the grammar: "there IS plenty of different cakes". Yeesh. There IS one cake; there ARE plenty of cakes.

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  18. for 11:45 am On top of that, if they don't make goal one quarter, they're on notice the next quarter, and then they are gone...period.

    Based on that comment and slipping newspaper ad sales, you must have a new ad staff every six months.

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  19. Grammar geek is back,oh brother!Go get some kool aid.

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  20. Gannett broadcast, USA Today and East Coast papers showing unprecedented digital coopartaion today, sharing vidoe on websites, sharing reporter files, trying to finally act like a unified news operation.

    A good starting point for what is to come as Gannett and USA Today move toward a smarter natiuonal footprint.

    And best thoughts to those out on the beaches and at evacuation centers reporting this weekend for us.

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  21. Yes, it's really noticeable. Sites like Westchester are obviously local-local-local but the USAT site looks great, with video feeds from elsewehere, and USAT reporters helping out papers and broadcast.

    Great cooperative effort!

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  23. 1:53. Sadly, USAT and G papers are like footprints in the sand, washing away.

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  24. What a pile of BS!

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  27. Curious....has USAT's VP, Marketing retread done anything yet?

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  28. Methinks 1:53 and 2:23 are the same person. Just sayin'.

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  29. Dud you change your posting policy?

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  31. Who cares about grammar. Newspaper styles vary from newspaper to newspaper. The Chicago Tribune used to like thruway in spite of objections it should be throughway. After all these years in the business I still have no idea how to handle collective nouns. So leave it to the editors to decide and since this is a blog that takes anonymous comments, do whatever you want. But if you use a word that is different from common US usage, then provide an explanation. Yes, I want to admit that I have violated this principle in some of my posts here. English is such a fun language, individual words can have many meanings, from plain spoken, ironic, clever or mischievious.

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  34. 2:23 - when you say USAT, what site are you referring to? I thought for a moment you mention USA Today, but checked it, and it's just horrible. So what site did you mean?

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  37. Do I hear a fiddler playing in the backround?

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  38. RE:How is it the ad dept. gets gift cards, sports tickets, prizes, and time off with pay beyond their paycheck for doing their job, while the rest of us just get our paycheck?

    I get a pay cut while the ad dept gets free Ipads... Sales my @#$#
    What is sold can't be processed because they are all to lazy to see their own ads through the system.

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