Gannett announces hiring freeze, Warner Brothers reinstitutes inclusive talent program

Greetings, comms pros! Let’s look at some news stories from the last week and see what we can learn from them.

1. Gannett announces new cuts including mandatory unpaid leave and buyouts

Media company Gannett informed their employees of a series of cuts with little notice earlier this week, including voluntary severance packages and a hiring freeze. According to the company, the cutbacks were needed to keep the business healthy.

Poynter reports:

The company also has paused overall hiring and will temporarily suspend matching contributions to employee 401(k) accounts starting Oct. 24. The email, which was sent companywide though some staff said they didn’t receive a copy, came two months after Gannett laid off 400 employees and eliminated 400 open positions in response to a bleak second quarter.

“These are truly challenging times,” CEO Mike Reed wrote. “The company continues to face headwinds and uncertainty from the deteriorating macroeconomic environment which has led the executive team to take further immediate action.”