Good Good CEO responds to video backlash; Disney rolls out early retirement program ahead of ‘broader changes’
Plus, a report on how workers are responding to comms tools that don’t work.
Greetings, comms pros! Let’s take a look at a few news stories from the last week and see what we can learn from them.
1. Good Good chief “owns the mistake” after video controversy
CEO of golf company Good Good Matt Kendrick is admitting the company made a mistake in producing and releasing a video that depicted violence toward women. In a memo to the organization’s employees originally obtained by Front Office Sports, Kendrick said that Good Good removed the ad, and will donate proceeds from sales of its new driver to a charity that supports women in its local community. He also directly apologized to the company’s employees.
I also want to apologize directly to all of you. You should feel proud of the work you do and confident that anything carrying the Good Good name represents the values of this organization.
As CEO, the responsibility ultimately sits with me. We made a mistake. We own it, we will learn from it and we will be better because of it.
By addressing the controversy with employees and apologizing, Kendrick acknowledges the fact that external crises (even those of your own making) have internal knock-on effects. When companies make bad brand decisions, they’re putting employees in an unenviable position. Kendrick also pulls out a smart leadership comms move and ties his apology to employees back to the company’s values with the words “anything carrying the Good Good name.” In addition, stating that the responsibility for the video being made and released sits with him places the blame on Kendrick and attempts to alleviate responsibility from concerned employees.
2. Disney tells execs about early retirement option before more changes arrive
As part of a cost-reduction effort, Disney is offering executives a chance at early retirement with an “enhanced retirement package” for a limited time. According to an internal memo obtained by Deadline, Sonia Coleman, chief people officer and executive vice president at Disney, stated that the VERO (voluntary early retirement offer) is one action the company is taking to save money. The retirement offers also come against the backdrop of past layoffs during each of the last three years.
“By offering a voluntary retirement program, we hope to give eligible employees an opportunity to make a personal decision on their own terms before broader organizational decisions are finalized,” Coleman wrote.
Employees usually know what a buyout signals. It usually means that the company is trying to save money by reducing headcount, and people are being given a chance to leave with money in their pockets before less voluntary cuts follow. Coleman makes that plain by putting the mention of “involuntary staff reductions” immediately after the mention of the VERO. The buyout is a form of employee recognition for service, which places a few jobs upon the internal communicator’s plate, including creating clarity about who is eligible for early retirement, how long the window lasts, what happens after it closes and how this fits into the broader cuts already underway.
3. Study: More tools don’t equate to better comms
A recent report from Mitel and Vanson Bourne found that many. companies are giving employees more workplace communication tools without necessarily making communication easier. The study found that workers use an average of seven different communication channels on the job, but only 34% said their tools are very effective in helping them get daily work done. In addition, around six in 10 employees polled said communication issues disrupt their work at least once a week.
While a big mix of channels might seem like it’s covering all the bases from the internal comms pro’s perspective, it can feel like clutter from the employee’s side. For instance, if an employee has seven places to check for messages from their employer but still can’t get the information they need, the problem is in the setup. Before looking to add more channels, internal comms pros should take a step back and ask themselves if employees are able to find key information when it matters now. If not, a channel audit and rework may be in order.
- How about some good news?
- A woman in Italy regained her sight after undergoing the world’s first central retina transplant.
- Researchers in Canada have been piloting “wood foam” as an alternative to plastic packaging.
- Zebra sharks are being rewilded by scientists, the first shark to undergo such a conservation measure.
- Ragan Training is an excellent place for communications professionals to find inspiration and valuable resources.
- You should be rewarded for your work. Find out how to earn an award here!
Sean Devlin is the senior internal communications editor at Ragan Communications. You can connect with him on LinkedIn here.
