How to Go From Pink-Slipped to Parties

The Takeaway

WNYC and PRX

Politics, Wnyc, Daily News, Radio, Takeaway, National, News, News Commentary

4.6 • 716 Ratings

🗓️ 25 April 2023

⏱️ 29 minutes

🔗️ Recording | iTunes | RSS

🧾️ Download transcript

Summary

When the dot-com bubble burst back in 2000, Allison Hemming was one of the many laid-off employees. At the time, she planned a get together and networking event with fellow-laid off employees to swap career advice, commiserate, and meet with recruiters, and this meetings turned into what she dubbed “pink slip parties.” Now, as more than 100,000 employees in the tech and media industries have faced layoffs over the past year, we talk to Allison Hemming, CEO of The Hired Guns, a tech-recruiting firm, about pink slip parties, advice for people facing layoffs, and how companies and CEOs can make these difficult moments better for their employees.

Transcript

Click on a timestamp to play from that location

0:00.0	Hey, it's Latif from Radio Lab.
0:02.1	Our goal with each episode is to make you think, how did I live this long and not know that?
0:09.6	Radio Lab, adventures on the edge of what we think we know.
0:13.0	Listen, wherever you get podcasts.
0:41.7	Welcome to The Takeaway. I'm Melissa Harris Perry and it's good to have you with us. We want to share some news with you. In early February, our team here at The Takeaway learned from executives at WNYC that the takeaway is canceled. We will broadcast our last episode on June 2nd. And along with the end of the show, every member of our team, host, director,
0:50.2	producers, engineers, and interns are being let go without reassignments. Oh yeah, y'all,
0:58.0	they gave us the proverbial pink slips. Now, news of the show's cancellation was absolutely
1:06.0	shocking for all of us, and we are deeply saddened by it.
1:11.9	The takeaway first aired in 2008, and this Friday, it's going to be 15 years to the day
1:18.0	when the takeaway launched. During those 15 years, the show has changed a lot. We've welcomed
1:25.1	and bid goodbye to hundreds of fantastic journalists, producers, sonic storytellers.
1:32.5	We've had multiple talented hosts and enjoyed the leadership of some terrific radio professionals.
1:40.2	And of course, there's you. You invited us into your homes, your offices, your cars.
1:45.8	You shared your lives, your ideas, and your talents with us over the years.
1:51.8	And we are so grateful for that.
2:07.3	Thank you. And of course, we're not alone.
2:12.5	In recent weeks, multiple media companies have announced cutbacks and layoffs.
2:19.2	Just yesterday, colleagues at ESPN learned they're going to be part of layoffs at their parent company, Walt Disney.
2:26.2	On Friday, BuzzFeed announced they're going to shudder their Pulitzer Prize-winning newsroom in its entirety.
2:31.6	Also on Friday, Insider announced it was laying off 10% of its staff.
2:36.8	And in March, NPR, which is not the company that makes the takeaway, but is responsible for so many sister shows on public radio. Well, NPR cut 100 people from staff. He canceled
2:43.6	four podcasts. In fact, over the last year, more than 100,000 employees in tech and media industries have faced layoffs,
	...

Please login to see the full transcript.

Previous episode | Next episode

Disclaimer: The podcast and artwork embedded on this page are from WNYC and PRX, and are the property of its owner and not affiliated with or endorsed by Tapesearch.

Generated transcripts are the property of WNYC and PRX and are distributed freely under the Fair Use doctrine. Transcripts generated by Tapesearch are not guaranteed to be accurate.