An open letter from K10k to ‘CEOs of any media companies that are still (barely) alive:
Dear Mr. Bigwig CEO,
We know that your company is going through a hard time right now. We know that it seems like the end is near, and that truly nasty and drastic measures are being considered.
We know that you have probably been forced to fire some of your employees already, and that perhaps you’ll need to fire some more before you can make it back onto the road to profitability.
However, have you ever stopped to consider who it is you are actually firing? Yes, you’re firing production people – the people who helped build your company, who sweated blood & tears & other bodily fluids on super-late-night, we-love-the-company deadlines. You’re firing the backbone of the company – which is pretty damn stupid if you ever want to get back on your feet.
So take a step back – re-evaluate those layoff plans, and start cutting jobs in those sectors that sound oh-so-good when you’re a big company, but that in reality doesn’t do anything but provide a massive drain on company resources (and employee morale). You know who we mean, don’t you? If not, let us spell it out for you:
– Human Resources (no more employee handbooks)
– Project Management (i think we can handle it ourselves,
thank you very much)
– Middle Management (an end to the evil pointy-haired
micro-managing nazis)
– Senior Management (do you really need 6 senior VP’s who know even less about the internet that you do?)
– Anybody who has anything to do with team-building exercises (let’s hold hands – and sing – and perform for each other!)
– Anybody who has anything to do with quality control
That should do the trick. And might also convince the few remaining employees to give your company another chance.
You’re welcome.
Sincerely,
michael + toke + per / K10k”
Just about hit the nail on the head, as far as I’m concerned… If they hired the right people to do the production/design, QA & project management and everybody else on that list aren’t needed.
