INSIDE MAIL: Panic at cost-cutting TV networks as bosses discover diabolical HR trick that makes it easier than ever to sack stars. One is already gone – who’s next?
Anyone who has ever had to fire someone at work will tell you that it is a fraught process.
Unless they’ve done something terrible, you can’t just give them their marching orders and show them the door. Instead, it is a long and painful process to “exterminate” them.
But it seems Nine’s top brass have discovered a new way to justify abruptly firing a senior staff member – and it’s so sneaky that the entire network is thinking: ‘Am I next?’
On Monday morning, The Australian’s James Madden revealed Nine’s ousted Queensland news director Amanda Paterson had filed a complaint with the Fair Work Commission, claiming she had been unlawfully dismissed by the media giant.
Paterson, a 31-year veteran of Nine, was apparently unceremoniously fired during a seven-minute meeting with the company’s newly installed news boss Fiona Best for three minor alleged offences.
One of which, believe it or not, was her failure to complete all of her internal online training.
Anyone who has ever had to fire someone at work will tell you that it is a fraught process. But nine News Queensland executives have found a new way to justify the abrupt firing of news director Amanda Paterson (pictured) – and it’s so sneaky the entire network is thinking: ‘Am I next?’
Inside Mail hears that panic spread through the newsroom when the rank and file heard of this pretext for Paterson’s sudden resignation.
You see, most of them – and I suspect most of you too – hadn’t bothered to complete their training modules. Some didn’t even know they existed.
Around lunchtime, numerous staff members tried and failed to access the intranet to complete the required tasks.
But they couldn’t get in. Was that so? Russian hackers? No. It turns out that half the company had decided at once to stay up to date with their modules.
I can’t imagine why!
Of course, Inside Mail has completed its fair share of in-house commercial television training… and we’re surprised that failure to complete it is a criminal offence.
After all, many people don’t even understand them.
Many of the topics (such as market monopolization and modern slavery) have no bearing on newsroom work, while others essentially force employees to recognize the importance of having their phones checked by their bosses before they can fully complete the course.
Paterson, formerly an ACA reporter, was told she was being fired for three minor alleged violations. One of them, believe it or not, was not completing her internal online training
The only thing these modules ‘train’ someone in is the art of fast-forwarding videos.
In fact… we hear that nine staff were only last reminded to complete them ‘a few weeks ago’ – so just before Paterson was shot at.
Her other alleged transgressions apparently included failing to renew a staffer’s contract quickly enough, and a “lighthearted” joke about the recent removal of “d***heads” from the network.
We’re sure the workers in Nine’s newsrooms – once full of colorful language, especially in the run-up to deadline – are now also paying attention to their P’s and Q’s, as well as their F’s and D’s.
- Read the full INSIDE MAIL column by Steve Jackson and Peter van Onselen tomorrow