At least one broadcasting news hub is sending out emails and tweets calling the firing of 12 staff from CFRB in Toronto, “layoffs”. The Toronto Star has also spun it that way. Don’t be fooled by this serious error.
Words lose their meaning if they’re used incorrectly and it becomes socially acceptable to allow it. Take the word “unique”. It means one of a kind. But so many people began using it to mean rare that it’s actually acceptable to do so now.
What happened at CFRB is not a “layoff” no matter how many people tell us that it is! When people are laid off, they’re not replaced. They might expect to be called back to their job. These people were fired and Astral is already making noises about their replacements coming soon. It’s a sad reality of the business that we’re in. But I’m not going to let anyone get away with trying to make it nice and sweet by calling it a layoff. They were axed, cut, deleted, told their services were no longer needed, rendered no longer useful etc. Let’s call it what it is. Because this is the reality of the industry we know and love. One day you’re hot and slathered in compliments and the next – or maybe in CFRB’s case the next decade – you’re told you’re through.
Ouch!!