Longtime readers know few things bring more joy to my jaded heart than a memo from management -- especially one that reveals yet another euphemism for anything to do with layoffs.
Yesterday, the president of the South Group of newspapers, Carol Hudler, issued one of those memos. It announced information-technology work now being done at the local level will soon be consolidated into a single department that serves the entire group of papers.
The group is based in Nashville, where Hudler also is publisher of The Tennessean.
Here's the line in her memo that caught my eye:
"In the short-term, all IT staffers will continue in the same role as they have been serving, as we complete a 90-day discovery period, which will result in defined positions, job expectations and a standardized title structure."
 |
| Hudler |
The group is based in Nashville, where Hudler also is publisher of The Tennessean.
Here's the line in her memo that caught my eye:
"In the short-term, all IT staffers will continue in the same role as they have been serving, as we complete a 90-day discovery period, which will result in defined positions, job expectations and a standardized title structure."
Get out your Gannett decoder ring, the memo means- "We have fewer employees, and will have fewer in the future, as a result, we need fewer IT people. Don't worry, we're not firing anybody for 90 days because we usually fire around the end of 3rd quarter so we can announce these changes going into the new year".
ReplyDeleteSo where's the part that hints of layoffs?
ReplyDeleteHudler's wasn't the only memo sent, of course. The head of the South Group's IT department sent one to all IT employees; it included the following paragraph describing the purpose of the reorganization:
ReplyDelete"Our vision is to establish a cohesive organization that strives for consistency in process and technology allowing for greater business opportunity and value. We will be achieving this vision by aligning resources within teams of specific disciplines. These teams will be formed around activities that require sufficient expertise to justify a dedicated skill set in order to provide forward looking architecture and development and to ensure efficient implementation, consistency, standardization, stable operations and reliable support."
For the love of God. Why can't these people just speak English? I'm so sick of mindless, meaningless business jargon.
DeleteNothing on the enter age visit to Motown this week? Hoskins, u r slipping! Word is meetings went great. Ha ha on you haters.
ReplyDeleteCarol Hudler has gone over to the dark side. So disappointing. As long as she can sleep at night, I guess that is all that matters.
ReplyDeleteI'm guessing "enter age" translates into "entourage" in Idiotese, the official language of Illiteristan.
ReplyDeleteGeez, "Hoskins," do we hafta explain everything to ya? ;)
Not sure what Gannett in general, and the South Group in particular, can gain from this brain fart.
ReplyDeleteOnly upside could be to help covering the black holes left by RIF and the retirement package at various sites during personal absences such as vacation, Holidays and sick time.
At our paper the current staff, managers and worker bees alike, are left out to dry, barely having staff left to cover the shifts, and constantly falling behind on normal every day tasks. If one person takes a day or week off, that is an automatic 33% or 50% reduction in staff, depending on which shift that person works.
I can think of nothing that has been done to reduce cost or increase revenue (Deal Chicken, GPS, i-Pad/i-Phone, Sales Force or other regional group assignments), that has eased the burden for anyone in IT or tech service. To the contrary our workload has increased with these additions and improvements.
With the above in mind, I just don't get a warm and fuzzy feeling about this restructure.
jesus, if you can't see that there is another wave of job reductions in this memo, you are dumb as a rock.
ReplyDeleteEnter age visit?
ReplyDeleteWTF u talking about dude?
@10:04 . . . Foster Brooks lives!! Try reading that in a Foster Brooks cadence. It WORKS.
ReplyDeleteWell If I was made a Supervisor in This area a year ago, then was told a month ago "You are no longer one" Please go back to your normal work,and I have been there 28 years. Yet the man that took my job has been there a only a year or so, and now this restructure and Memo's I would really begin to think Times up.. Im thinking maybe your not going to be a "Good" fit Much longer Miller.. SO BY..
ReplyDeleteAs an IT type....polish your resume, and RUN, don't walk, to Linkedin, Dice, etc etc etc.
ReplyDeleteGet your name out there, get hired, get out of GCI!!!!
The IT Department memo is gibberish.
ReplyDeleteGod, we are struggling to master new technologies fast and furious and fix the malfunctioning ones. There is a point of RIF in IT that spells failure. I'd say we're there now, with the wheels going off the side of the road.
ReplyDeleteCarol Hudler = HUGE disappointment
ReplyDeleteNeed I say more? She has lost her street cred big time. This is the straw that broke the camels back. VERY SAD :(