19 Aug 2020
Future Response
5yYou clearly had some things you wanted to get off your chest. It’s a shame you didn’t bring your concerns to your manager or the People & Culture team when you were here and helped bring about the change you feel is necessary. Let’s tackle some of your points.
Yes, Future has made a lot of acquisitions over the last couple of years. In a time where the entire publishing industry is facing troubling times, Future’s strategy of focusing on passionate brands with passionate audiences has rescued many organizations on the brink of cutting many jobs. The pace at which these acquisitions have happened has been incredible, and if we’re all being honest with ourselves a little more chaotic than we were prepared for. But we’ve learned and we’ve grown and the entire organization is constantly better for it. And yes, our leadership are rewarded when the organization is doing well! That’s business.
With any big acquisition as well as the unstoppable wheel of progress, comes the realization that the some of the work we are doing has changed and therefore we need to make decisions about roles and structures that aren’t always easy. We have a process in place for identifying possible new positions for these people, but the truth is it’s not always possible to hold onto someone and those people are let go. It’s not a process anyone here enjoys, and every effort is made to ensure alternatives are explored before they are let go.
Each person who works within our many brands works tirelessly to serve their audiences, and our backoffice teams have worked tirelessly in 2020 to ensure the other teams are supported in the middle of this global crisis. I’m one of those backoffice folk who doesn’t work in HR and I can vouch for the passion and integrity of my colleagues who genuinely do “all row the boat”. I’m scrolling back through our reviews and I see a whole variety of colleagues from across our business leaving positive and constructive reviews. And I respond in the way Future has empowered me to - with honesty and personality!
Good luck with your next endeavor.