The Washington Post recently came under fire after its employees who took voluntary buyouts received a cringe-inducing sales pitch to buy official merchandise on their way out the door. According to a Semafor report, reporters who took buyouts were insulted to get a sales pitch to buy official company merchandise.
The email, which was sent to these soon-to-be-former employees, invited them to “take a last look” at the newspaper’s official merchandise store and included a special employee pricing offer on products, such as “alumni gear.” Many of the employees found the message insulting and inappropriate.
It’s worth noting that the newspaper has been going through a rough patch financially, which was evident from its decision to offer voluntary buyouts earlier this year. In October, the newspaper announced plans to cut its workforce by 240 jobs through voluntary separation packages.
The news outlet Semafor obtained a copy of the email, which was sent in error. A source close to the paper confirmed that the message was included in error and is no longer part of the Washington Post employee departure communication. Despite this, many employees were left disgruntled by the sales pitch.
Washington Post’s interim CEO Patty Stonesifer recently circulated a memo to staff indicating that the newspaper met its headcount reduction goal through voluntary buyouts. The move was part of the company’s broader effort to reduce costs and restructure its operations to align with changing market dynamics.
In the meantime, it appears that the Washington Post is still struggling to find its footing financially. The Post may be struggling to remain relevant in today’s fast-paced and competitive online news environment. Only time will tell what the future holds for this iconic newspaper.