Waiting for a kidney transplant, DJ is fired
January 15, 2009 by Fred HosierPosted in: Dubious decisions, In this week's e-newsletter, Latest News & Views
You’ve probably had your share of tough conversations with employees as an HR manager. Imagine having to tell someone who has worked more than 30 years at your company in a key role — and who happens to be waiting for a kidney transplant — that he’s being let go immediately. That’s what happened to Steve Gibbons, the morning host at KRNT-AM in Des Moines, Iowa.
One day earlier this month, he completed his morning radio show at 10 a.m. just like he did every day. Ten minutes later, the station’s new general manager called him into his office.
Gibbons told the Des Moines Register, “They told me to clean out my desk, which is kind of funny because I don’t have a desk.”
Of course these days, the scenario isn’t all that unusual. The station’s parent company, Saga Communications, ordered their stations in Des Moines to cut costs.
Gibbons spends 12 hours a week in kidney dialysis. He’s been waiting more than two years for a transplant since doctors told him his kidneys were failing. He’s a tough match with type O-positive blood.
Gibbons sees one bright side to his recent layoff. He doesn’t have to go to bed at 7:30 p.m. and get up at 4:30 a.m. so he can host the morning show. Now he’ll have more time to recover from his dialysis.
January 16th, 2009 at 11:11 am
is he not covered under FMLA?? Or exempt status…..or American with Disabilities….
Why is he falling thru our amazing American lack of human compassion
January 16th, 2009 at 11:27 am
I live in Des Moines and know that Saga mananges several radio stations. The entire group of stations were included in the layoffs. He was not by any means the only person to lose their job. This has nothing to do with human compassion, it is the unfortunate economics times we are living through.
January 16th, 2009 at 11:32 am
It’s very unfortunate. It sounds like there was no discrimination here. The company needed to cut costs and they probably made their decision on the total cost of compensation. Making assumptions: After 30 years, he may have been one of the highest paid employees at that station, so they made the decision to cut one highly paid employee vs. 2 lower paid employees. Still doesn’t sound right, does it. Decisions to cut back on staff are very difficult for everyone involved. From a business standpoint it may have been the best solution.
January 16th, 2009 at 11:34 am
When your in a situation where you have to layoff employees, his personal medical condition really doesn’t come into play. Perhaps they only need a certain number of hosts for the morning show and he’s the least senior… or his show is the least lucrative and is being cancelled. It’s unfortunate, and really it’s unfortunate whenever anyone is let go. Hopefully with his significant tenure, he received a good severance package.
January 16th, 2009 at 12:15 pm
I think FMLA only covers if they have 50 or more employees. I’m not sure that dialysis is covered under the ADA
January 16th, 2009 at 4:00 pm
It’s business and business is about the bottom line. Letting anyone go in these troubling times is not easy, especially if the company is people orientated. However, letting good people, with or without medical concerns, go is a measure to keep the organization a float. Hopefully, the station can weather the economy and return to a period it can rehire the DJ.
As for human compassion the larger the organization the less there seems to be. Large organizations turn their employees into numbers, overhead to be paid for and some what protected by the Government or Union. Even if employees are looked upon as assets the system IDs them as numbers – prisoners in an economic engine that greedly takes more than it gives.
January 19th, 2009 at 8:24 am
Based on the corporate entity mentioned as rendering the “cut costs,” I will assume the employee counts are adequate to make these laws applicable.
FMLA would only apply if the employee needed to take time off from work due to the ‘qualifying’ condition.
ADA would apply but only to the extent that any reasonable accommodations be met to permit employment. There appears to be no issue of failing to adapt the position to permit his performance therein.
Neither of these laws protect an employee against economic conditions or provide a preference in retention ahead of other employees.
January 19th, 2009 at 10:15 am
No matter how many laws we have, it seems there are always ways around them. Do you suppose anyone thought his transplant might be very costly? Also, with 30 years on the job, could he be protected by age? Business-wise it may be the right decision…but ethically……..???
January 19th, 2009 at 12:28 pm
Jeanette, it would appear the company has the upper hand in this case – assuming their decision is strictly based on economics and there are no hidden agendas. It is a sad state of affairs when a company fails to recognize their people as assets and have little problem tossing them aside as overhead to be eliminated. As for ethics you need only look at current events to see that ethics is something to discuss only if it impacts the bottom line in a negative way. It surely supports why people support unions in companys that have yet to learn that people are not disposable goods that can be discarded without the expectation of consequences. Getting laid off is personal and impacts not only the EE but his/her family as well.
January 19th, 2009 at 12:31 pm
Thanks, Forist. You and I are on the same page!
January 19th, 2009 at 9:21 pm
RADIO is a whole ‘nuther world, folks. There is ZERO loyalty to employees. If a new Program Director is hired, the entire air staff can count on getting canned. In most small to medium markets, there is usually only one announcer per air shift. Morning Drive personality is generally the best announcer on staff. There is always somebody wanting your job and willing to work for $9/hr to get it, thinking they will get big money when they bring in big ratings. That usually does not happen. Wages are nowhere near where the general public thinks they are. I know one guy who got fired while he was in a hospital bed! His replacement snuck into the hospital at 7am shift change to do it! Then he trashed all the personal belongings that were in the former employee’s desk. Most announcers are too hungry for their next gig to make a stink. You can be black balled forever if yo stick up for your rights. Glad I got out with my health and my sanity!