We have all been asking questions and talking with co-workers about our options, but it all seems to be happening in dribs and drabs.
We thought it might make sense for us to share information as we move through this process.
In conversations with co-workers, it seems some of the questions some have asked didn’t come up in the meetings and others are asking about issues that had not occurred to some.
Please pass along any insights and info you think would be helpful and feel free to pose questions to this list.
Whenever possible, include the source of your information. If there are conflicts, that will make it easier to track down the correct answers. Whenever possible, we’ll go to the source: HR, Cox corporate or an editor.
Rumor Control Memo with a Little Strong Advice
RUMOR: To protect your options, it’s wise to apply for the voluntary separation package even if you don’t plan to take it. You can always just refuse to sign the separation papers come August 11. That way, you have protected all your options for as long as possible. And you can’t be given an involuntary separation.
FACT: If you apply and then on July 18 we agree to offer you a voluntary separation package and then you refuse it on Aug. 11, you would NOT be exempt from the involuntary separation list.
It’s true that if we REJECT your application for a voluntary separation on July 18, that you cannot then be forced into an involuntary separation. But at this point, we expect that just about everybody who applies for the voluntary separation in the newsroom will be accepted. If you lead us to believe you will accept the voluntary separation and then reject it at the Aug. 11 deadline, you will be placed in the pool from which we will have to choose people for involuntary exits.
STRONG ADVICE: Many of you are seeking each other’s advice on what to do. That’s understandable and appropriate. But please refrain from pressuring or browbeating co-workers in one direction or another or telling a co-worker you “know” that he or she is going to be given an involuntary separation. No one knows that. Please allow your fellow workers to make their own decisions. This is just common courtesy. I know of at least one case where this sort of courtesy was ignored and it left an employee in great distress.
Leave a Reply