June 18, 2013

Buyouts And Raises: It's FAQ Time

Last week, we passed along (and clarified) news that Dow Jones had offered "buyouts" to certain employees. Since then, we have received a number of questions from IAPE members wondering about separation packages, and we have gone back to management with some questions of our own.

We have a little more news for you today regarding voluntary departures — including a brief explanation why the Company decided to make offers available at all. Here's the latest:

1) Buyout chatter began after a senior manager asked all bureau chiefs to inform their staffs that buyouts were available. Only a few location managers passed that information along to all employees, while others either ignored the news or only reached out to individuals they thought might be eligible.

2) Buyouts are being offered now because severance packages can be charged to the "old" company prior to the News Corp split, and are available for (maybe) two more weeks.