The Toronto Star shows how it's done when saying good-bye to a regular columnist. They have abruptly ditched columnists or writers in the past without so much as a fare-thee-well, but their treatment of Linwood Barclay as he wishes us all adieu shows class and it shows respect to both Barclay and his readers.
I don't know why other media companies think this is a bad idea and prefer the fire-while-on-vacation and give-an-abrupt-send-off-to-a-long-time-and-faithful-employee. The only difference between them and non-media corporations is that their mean (as in petty, spiteful) method of firing is in public. We are not so inundated with employees going postal here in Canada that employers have to treat people in this way. Give no respect, get no respect. And then they wonder why there is no loyalty.
The Toronto Star, by this decent act of giving Barclay a chance to say good-bye -- and his column today was not the only notice that we had as we were given a heads up by his taking a sabbatical and by other writers keeping us a bit in the loop -- and by having a fellow Star hack also wishing him well, shows future and current staff that the The Toronto Star is an employer worthy of receiving loyalty. It also tells readers we respect you; you're not just a bunch of eyeballs for our ads.
I don't know why other media companies think this is a bad idea and prefer the fire-while-on-vacation and give-an-abrupt-send-off-to-a-long-time-and-faithful-employee. The only difference between them and non-media corporations is that their mean (as in petty, spiteful) method of firing is in public. We are not so inundated with employees going postal here in Canada that employers have to treat people in this way. Give no respect, get no respect. And then they wonder why there is no loyalty.
The Toronto Star, by this decent act of giving Barclay a chance to say good-bye -- and his column today was not the only notice that we had as we were given a heads up by his taking a sabbatical and by other writers keeping us a bit in the loop -- and by having a fellow Star hack also wishing him well, shows future and current staff that the The Toronto Star is an employer worthy of receiving loyalty. It also tells readers we respect you; you're not just a bunch of eyeballs for our ads.
Comments