Media General goes to furloughs

Several weeks ago, a select handful of people in our office - now that I think about it, the common denominators were editors and people who could plausibly be desk people, lilke me - were asked to send along an hour-by-hour breakdown of our week. Our EE was very apologetic in her e-mail, but said the information was being requested by 'corporate consultants' in Richmond.

So what was I supposed to do? Lie? That was the week after the AFC/NFC title game. I had started working on our Super Bowl page, which included putting together a large graphic (I made a postcard-type thing). I know enough about Photoshop to accomplish such a thing, though there may have been a quicker way than what I did. So, for Tuesday, I put down "8 hours - Super Bowl graphic".

Obviously it doesn't take a whole lot of foresight to see what they're getting at, though clearly I have a fatalistic streak in me too. "Why do you need to put that much time into a Super Bowl page, let alone a graphic? You're a community paper. Oh, and drop your office key off at HR at the end of the day, and thanks for your contributions."

I have a hard time believing that this will be the end. So I'm fully bracing for the fact that I'll be looking elsewhere before long.

 

Consultants... the C-word...

 

Now this is the bullshit. When I take my furlough day, I plan on getting so thoroughly bent that I can't be a productive member of society. Hey, I'm not allowed to work, right?

 

do phones actually work on furlough day?

 

I know if I'm ever put on furlough that my phone certainly won't receive any calls from work.

 

You two have never been fired.

 

I'm taking a 365-day furlough this year.... and collecting unemployment comp, thank you. With each one of these sort of threads, the chances that I will never return to this shit-hole of an industry keep climbing.

I can't help but wonder, however, just what kind of shape these companies are in. Are they actually LOSING money or just not making as much as they were accustomed to a few years back?

Either way, the way they are being managed leaves me little or no incentive to look for a job in the industry again. You cut travel, cut newshole, cut working staff and hours. Why on earth would any sane person want to work for you? At this rate, you're going to be below Taco Hell on the food chain.

 

It appears to me there isn't much for a manager to stand up for. The line has been defined. Why would a manager have to "stand up" for his folks?

 

Fuck that!! If you're going to FORCE your loyal employees to take furloughs at a certain time of year, then NO, the shit DOES NOT have to be covered.

Let the bastards field 1,000 phone calls from irate readers and then maybe they'll finally rethink their furloughs. Some people just have to learn the hard way.

I'll be damned if I'm working for these nutcases during my unpaid furlough.

If I'm an editor and I'm asked why something wasn't covered, I just hand them a copy of their damn furlough notice.