Nation Media Group management served some of its staff a chilled Christmas meal. The leading media house in the region laid off more than 10 employees just before Christmas, including a number of journalists, as part of an annual ritual which the management euphemistically refers to as “talent review”.
The pre-Christmas sacking has raised tension at Nation Centre, with fears of a major restructuring in the offing which, credible sources believe, will affect all its newsrooms at the newspaper, television and radio divisions.
“We are not doing so well as many people think,” said a Nation employee who requested not to be identified. “Revenues aren’t coming in as expected. So some people have to go. It’s sad but understandable.”
But the manner in which the December lay-off was executed has shone the spotlight on a media house that prides itself as one of the best employers in town. A victim of the retrenchment told Business Today that the company sprang a surprise on them.
“I was called one evening and told that was my last day,” said the person, who had worked as a journalist for the Nation Media for over a decade. “I was shocked but had no other option.”
Of course, those affected were compensated but the “ambush” left them devastated and send chills among other employees.
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