Working on the holiday

[Under New Management]

On this Memorial Day weekend, I am going on a trip instead of spending this whole week at a gas station or a rest stop to talk to people that are traveling.

Journalists most definitely feel the pain at the pump. We have to pay those same prices and it can cost a significant portion of our minuscule paychecks to do so.

Some journalists like myself viewed working on Memorial Day with holiday pay as one of the few days out of the year that we actually got paid what we’re worth.

[Deleted User 15555]

Will Dave put down his phone on a holiday? Or will he promote inflation or vaccine hesitancy on his parlar account?

[Under New Management]

Dave understands that news is a 24-7 job.

However, you won’t see any manager, sales account exec, or other “non essential” personnel show up today. It would send a strong message if the GM or News Director would even pop in for a half hour to just thank his/her employees for having to sacrifice giving up their holiday.

[Deleted User 15331]

Before my retirement from FOX Television in 2010, I worked every holiday that I could.
I wanted the money.
I was paid for the holiday and an additional time-and-a-half if I worked.

[Under New Management]

When you can make more money at McDonalds, working every holiday these days for a few extra pennies just isn’t worth it. That’s why so many are getting out of news.

[ShempLives]

When I worked as a Master Control Switcher at WEYI in 1980, holidays were considered no different from any other day. If you were scheduled to work Mondays, one was expected to work on a Monday regardless of holidays with no extra renumeration.

[MasterB]

Trying to form a union at 25/66 Under New Management?

[Under New Management]

I don’t work at WEYI. But it’s not a bad idea.

I’m sure the Union busting GM Becky Butcher and News Director Neille-Ann Giffune would do everything in their power to prevent that from happening.

[moldyoldie]

Journalists most definitely feel the pain at the pump. We have to pay those same prices and it can cost a significant portion of our minuscule paychecks to do so.

Don't you have a company gas credit card? If not, it's outrageous.

[Herm]

Dave understands that news is a 24-7 job.

However, you won’t see any manager, sales account exec, or other “non essential” personnel show up today. It would send a strong message if the GM or News Director would even pop in for a half hour to just thank his/her employees for having to sacrifice giving up their holiday.

Just because someone can take a day away from their job on a holiday doesn’t make them non-essential.
This is television. You said yourself, news is a 24/7 job. So then why should you get a personal thank you for working in that 24/7 environment? Should management show up to every overnight and weekend shift to thank people for working when many others are enjoying sleep or a couple of days off? Should the employees who have earned more PTO than less tenured staff come in while they’re on vacation to shake hands with the people who don’t get that extra week off? These instances are going to occur when you work in an industry that stays operational during holidays. Just because you have to work on a holiday doesn’t make you more important than other staff members who don’t and you are not entitled to any extra gratitude for doing so.
I’m not speaking out of turn here either. I’ve worked more holidays over the last 20 years than I’ve had off.

[Jack5o2soco]

Dave understands that news is a 24-7 job.

However, you won’t see any manager, sales account exec, or other “non essential” personnel show up today. It would send a strong message if the GM or News Director would even pop in for a half hour to just thank his/her employees for having to sacrifice giving up their holiday.

I'd be pissed if I was promoted to management and still had to come in for 30 minutes on a holiday to say thanks to an emotional worker. Why shouldn't they enjoy a holiday, too? Don't get me wrong, many news managers are awful, but this a lame expectation. Working a holiday will come with holiday pay or a comp day. That's your thanks.

[Under New Management]

You’d be a perfect candidate for management, Jack! Please apply online ASAP with your crappy attitude and lack of empathy for employees.

One of my former bosses (now retired) used to and still does go to his employee’s kids graduations and sporting events. He sends birthday cards. He reaches out to see how our spouses are doing. His name is Jim Bleicher. He’s the epitome of what a great boss looks like. And yes, he came in on holidays to thank us for giving up time with our family and friends to keep newscasts on holidays. It was a simple but powerful gesture… one seemed to be lost on most current GMs and News Directors.

He wasn’t “pissed” as you say you’d be. Jim actually enjoyed getting to know his employees in and out of work. He truly appreciated their contributions and let them know as much. And he realized that a leader does things not out of his/her convenience but because it’s just the right thing to do. God help us all if people who go into management have Jack’s attitude toward their employees.

[Jack5o2soco]

You’d be a perfect candidate for management, Jack! Please apply online ASAP with your crappy attitude and lack of empathy for employees.

One of my former bosses (now retired) used to and still does go to his employee’s kids graduations and sporting events. He sends birthday cards. He reaches out to see how our spouses are doing. His name is Jim Bleicher. He’s the epitome of what a great boss looks like. And yes, he came in on holidays to thank us for giving up time with our family and friends to keep newscasts on holidays. It was a simple but powerful gesture… one seemed to be lost on most current GMs and News Directors.

He wasn’t “pissed” as you say you’d be. Jim actually enjoyed getting to know his employees in and out of work. He truly appreciated their contributions and let them know as much. And he realized that a leader does things not out of his/her convenience but because it’s just the right thing to do. God help us all if people who go into management have Jack’s attitude toward their employees.

I don't think coming in to say thanks on a holiday makes you a great leader. If you don't want to sacrifice your holidays, your management might not either.

[Under New Management]

The difference is management makes the rules and they’ve accepted the responsibility of building a culture that promotes the well being of its staff. If recognizing staff who are working on holidays when management clearly doesn’t want to be bothered to show up, there are many other ways to show appreciation. I’ve had managers who have brought in food for BBQs. I’ve seen managers who worked the schedule to rotate employees so everyone got some holidays off. I’ve seen efforts to work ahead so we had saved stories ready to run on holidays so more people could have time off. Any and all of these ideas work to improve staff morale, address the needs to put on holiday newscasts, and are solely in the role and responsibility of station management. They are also more ideas than what I’ve seen in the several posts from Jack. Maybe moving forward, instead of just criticizing posters, you bring any ideas that could play a role in promoting a positive discussion here.

If you think this is just employees wanting to gripe about management, so be it. Continue to put your head in the sand. You clearly don’t understand what’s happening in every TV newsroom these days where we are losing very good journalists because they don’t want to continued to be sh!t upon by having to work every holiday, bad pay, bad hours, bad station morale. If management doesn’t change, then you will get what you see today.. Flint newsrooms hiring inexperienced kids right out of college.

[Jack5o2soco]

The difference is management makes the rules and they’ve accepted the responsibility of building a culture that promotes the well being of its staff. If recognizing staff who are working on holidays when management clearly doesn’t want to be bothered to show up, there are many other ways to show appreciation. I’ve had managers who have brought in food for BBQs. I’ve seen managers who worked the schedule to rotate employees so everyone got some holidays off. I’ve seen efforts to work ahead so we had saved stories ready to run on holidays so more people could have time off. Any and all of these ideas work to improve staff morale, address the needs to put on holiday newscasts, and are solely in the role and responsibility of station management. They are also more ideas than what I’ve seen in the several posts from Jack. Maybe moving forward, instead of just criticizing posters, you bring any ideas that could play a role in promoting a positive discussion here.

If you think this is just employees wanting to gripe about management, so be it. Continue to put your head in the sand. You clearly don’t understand what’s happening in every TV newsroom these days where we are losing very good journalists because they don’t want to continued to be sh!t upon by having to work every holiday, bad pay, bad hours, bad station morale. If management doesn’t change, then you will get what you see today.. Flint newsrooms hiring inexperienced kids right out of college.

Did you leave the tv news industry or get promoted to management?