The company’s president says the decision was made after a “complete review of the business”; publisher publishes more than 25 magazines, such as “Elle”, “Esquire” and “Cosmopolitan”
Publisher Hearst Magazines has laid off dozens of employees under the justification that the company is reallocating resources because of changes in the sector. The company owns more than 25 magazines in the United States, such as Elle, Cosmopolitan, Harper’s Bazaar and others. The number of layoffs was not disclosed, but the North American press reported 197.
“After a thorough analysis of our business, we decided to reallocate resources to better support our goals and continue our focus on digital innovation, while strengthening our best-in-class print products. We will reduce areas that do not support our core strategy and eliminate certain positions as we reimagine our team structures to drive long-term growth.”said Debi Chirichella, president of Hearst Magazines, in a statement to employees, cited by the website .
According to the president of Hearst Magazines, the changes will allow the publisher to take care of its business in the long term. “We will prioritize areas where we can make the biggest impact and drive growth and will continue to focus on producing the highest quality storytelling, advertising solutions and digital experiences”he stated.
Sam Wheeler, executive director of Writers Guild of América Eastclassified the dismissals as “unnecessary, irresponsible and cruel” in one released on November 21, the date of the dismissals. “Today, consistently anti-union Hearst Magazines became the latest media company to carry out unnecessary, irresponsible and cruel firings of editorial employees. It’s no surprise that the small army of senior executives with makeshift jobs and presumptuous titles, who add little or nothing to building Hearst’s brands, have seemingly survived relatively unscathed. [às demissões]”but no note.
Hearst was one of several US publishers that partnered with the owner of artificial intelligence tool, ChatGPT, in recent months. “Readers come to Hearst because of the talent and skill of its editorial employees. These workers make Hearst what it is. Until Hearst and the rest of the media industry recognize that workers are the most valuable part of their companies and brands, they will continue their race to the bottom, with no one to blame but themselves. These workers deserved better.”disse Wheeler.
