CBS CEO George Cheeks is scrambling to shore up morale at CBS News, dialing again demands that staffers get the job done nights and weekends as they lament conditions beneath the struggling network’s tricky-driving boss, The Put up has figured out.
Success from an yearly “well-becoming survey” about staff satisfaction at Paramount World — property to CBS, Showtime, MTV and Comedy Central — unveiled specially lousy scores from CBS News staff, according to 1 source near to the enterprise.
That’s on the heels of The Post’s reports of rank-and-file grievances about CBS Information co-president Neeraj Khemlani, who was employed previous calendar year with orders to slash fees and who has given that clashed with large-compensated newsroom stars which include Norah O’Donnell.
Insiders stated newsroom morale has plunged as Khemlani — who some sources have branded as “micromanaging” and “rude” — barrages staff members with all over-the-clock questions and criticism more than their effectiveness.
“Neeraj schedules meetings at 7 at night and does not care about people’s lives,” stated 1 supply.
The study yielded related issues, resources reported, prompting Cheeks to consider the exceptional action of sending out an email and movie concept to staffers last Thursday about improving the do the job-lifetime equilibrium at the division, in accordance to insiders.
“We want to set a intention steer clear of sending e-mail, texts or or else partaking on routine matters after several hours or in excess of the weekend,” Cheeks explained in the movie, which was reviewed by The Publish.
He additional that he’s encouraging supervisors to put into practice “no-assembly days” or “no-conference blocks” inside of a working day. He also encouraged employees to just take “real time off” to “recharge,” after employees griped in the study about not acquiring the likelihood to thoroughly unplug.
A CBS spokesman pointed out that Cheeks’ prepared memo and online video concept weren’t specially tackled to the CBS News division. The spokesman declined to remark on whether grievances at CBS Information were being in particular higher as opposed to other divisions.
“This was a world wide email to all CBS employees, it was not directed to or in response to any individual manufacturer or division,” the spokesman said in a assertion. “Our office dynamics throughout the nation are evolving as final result of Covid, and the changeover to hybrid and agile office environment structures. Employee perfectly-staying is a top priority for CBS in this transition.”
Nonetheless, Cheeks’ memo was followed up by a memo from Khemlani and his co-president Wendy McMahon, who echoed Cheeks’ sentiment, underscoring that the “well-remaining of every CBS staff is a prime priority.”
“We’ve heard from numerous of you that you truly feel the lines among perform time and personalized time became blurred when the pandemic began and we ended up compelled to reinvent on the fly how to do our work opportunities in an unparalleled and challenging setting,” the memo explained. “And we’re mindful of the point that the earlier 12 months has being an in particular chaotic time for all of us as we have introduced our CBS Information and Stations corporations under a person umbrella.”
Staff griped that Khemlani’s “ruthless” behavior has established a hostile perform natural environment exactly where slimmed-down departments are requested to do a lot more with fewer assistance. Although CBS News has brought in some new hires, it has misplaced swaths of staff via layoffs or attrition in latest months.
“When you are currently being requested to do a lot more with fewer, it contributes to a morale trouble,” a source informed The Put up. “And when you really do not really feel appreciated and you’re not paid out well, men and women vote with their toes.”
In buy to make improvements to the do the job natural environment, the co-presidents instructed workers to offer “regular responses to your supervisor about how you are sensation about our recent Return To Business and hybrid operate coverage.”
They also said they will be “taking ways to far better define and adhere to regular workday hours.” This includes “reestablishing” and “respecting boundaries” and “limiting soon after-several hours e-mail, calls and text,” barring emergencies. They also proposed utilizing “Out of Workplace notifications” on operate emails.
The memo extra that the execs would check out to stay away from scheduling late Friday afternoon conferences “unless they are wanted to tackle emergencies, breaking information gatherings or customer desires.”
Khemlani has also caught flack for his dealings with former London bureau main Andy Clarke, who still left amid various disagreements more than spending budget cuts, as effectively as a flap about his brother’s consulting agency FTI overseeing designs for CBS News’ corporate reorganization.
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