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US magazine's staff stop working CEO questions telework
The move came after Washingtonian CEO Cathy Merrill questioned the work status of remote employees in one of the country's biggest newspapers.
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A woman reads a copy of the May 2009 Washingtonian with a cover photo of US President Barack Obama April 23, 2009 in Washington,DC. A shot of a bare-chested US President Barack Obama on the cover of a popular Washington magazine had some fans swooning while others cried foul saying the image had been doctored. Political reporter Garrett Graff from The Washingtonian told AFP the magazine had been swamped by readers who had seen the May edition showing Obama wearing nothing but swimming trunks and sunglasses, next to the line: (AFP/Karen Bleier)
W
riters at a US magazine stopped work Friday after the company's chief executive penned an essay in the Washington Post suggesting "risks" to their job status if they did not return to the office.
The move came after Washingtonian CEO Cathy Merrill questioned the work status of remote employees in one of the country's biggest newspapers.
"If the employee is rarely around... management has a strong incentive to change their status to 'contractor,'" Merrill wrote.
"As a CEO, I want my employees to understand the risks of not returning to work in the office."
Merrill later apologized, sending a memo saying "there will be no changes to benefits or employee status," but not before an outcry from the staff.
"As members of the Washingtonian editorial staff, we want our CEO to understand the risks of not valuing our labor," senior editor Andrew Beaujon and other staff members tweeted in unison.
"We are dismayed by Cathy Merrill's public threat to our livelihoods. We will not be publishing today."
The incident marks the latest dust-up over companies moving to bring employees back to the office after a year or more of remote work during the pandemic.
Some firms such as Twitter have allowed employees to work remotely indefinitely, while others such as Microsoft are moving toward a hybrid model of remote and office work.
Merill's comments struck a chord because it suggested employees could be classified as contractors, potentially losing health insurance and other benefits.
Merill wrote that she was "concerned about the unfortunately common office worker who wants to continue working at home and just go into the office on occasion," saying this could erode workplace culture.
She said that continued remote work will take away "the casual meetings that take place during the workday... Decisions will be made. Maybe if you are at home you'll be Zoomed in, but probably not. "
