Announced today was a plan by my employers to re-centralise production of all titles - not just those of the London office, but all the regional magazines - to head office.
The story goes that we are now in a period of consultation, to determine whether this is truly the way to go.
Of course, looking at it one way, you don't announce something like this unless it's a foregone conclusion, so it looks very much as though the company is attempting to cover itself legally.
It's a stupid idea - and one which has failed before - and the decision has been made for purely financial reasons. We aren't making enough money (read: the salespeople aren't selling enough at high enough yield) to 'justify' all these Production departments. It shows how little regard my employers have for the hard work we put in, both to the advertising and the Editorial. There is no genuinely compelling reason - other than money - for closing down local Production departments who build relationships with the local businesses who advertise with us. It's a recipe for utter disaster.
But here's the thing: Not only are Sales not functioning well enough, but we (specifically my office) are spending too much on Editorial. Most editors have two magazines, but a couple only have one. One of these has an Assistant Editor and numerous freelancers. She barely does anything herself (apart from phone her husband or child) during office hours, and only works a three day week. For almost three full weeks a month, she does next to nothing. During her press week, she does nothing but complain that her pages aren't being processed quickly enough.
But it's Production that are getting shafted.
And the Salespeople..? They get a liveable basic wage and terrible commission. That's the perfect recipe for coasters. Whether they hit their target or not, they get paid the same. If they're kicked out after three months for underperforming (and, in this place, it's an if, not a when), they've had three months' pay, and escape before the extent of their failure truly becomes clear. When they fill the magazine, they're not averse to increasing the pagination by 16, 24, 32 pages or more in a vain attempt to hit their targets. Increasing the pagination increases the cost of producing the magazine, reducing what little profit they might make. When they fill the magazine, they're not averse to cutting Editorial to accommodate more advertising... which reduces the impact of the magazine, making it harder to sell next month. When they fill the magazine, they've filled it with low-yield advertising, to the point where we actually make a loss on some of our titles. Some of the titles I've worked on for the last ten years.
But it's Production that are getting shafted.
Always the way, with this company...
I've finally got off my arse, and started sending out my CV, but what I really need to do is figure out what I want to do with my life.
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