INSIDE MAIL: Panic at cost-cutting TV networks as bosses discover diabolical HR trick that makes it easier than ever to sack stars. One is already gone - who's next?
Anyone who's had to fire someone at work will tell you it's a fraught process.
Unless they've done something truly awful, you can't just give them their marching orders and show them the door. Instead, it's a long, painful process of 'managing them out'.
But it seems the top brass at Nine have discovered a novel way to justify abruptly sacking a senior member of staff - and it's so sneaky the whole network is thinking: 'Am I next?'
On Monday morning, The Australian's James Madden revealed Nine's ousted Queensland news director Amanda Paterson had lodged a complaint with the Fair Work Commission claiming she had been unlawfully terminated by the media giant.
Paterson, a 31-year veteran at Nine, had apparently been unceremoniously sacked in a seven-minute meeting with the company's newly installed news boss Fiona Dear for three minor supposed transgressions.
One of them, believe it or not, was her failure to finish all her in-house online training.
Anyone who's had to sack someone at work will tell you it's a fraught process. But Nine News Queensland execs found a novel way to justify abruptly firing news director Amanda Paterson (pictured) - and it's so sneaky the whole network is thinking: 'Am I next?'
Inside Mail hears that panic spread through the newsroom when the rank and file learned of this pretext for Paterson's sudden dismissal.
You see, most of them - and I'm guessing most of you too - hadn't bothered to complete their training modules. Some didn't even know they even existed.
Come lunchtime, countless staff members were trying - and failing - to access the intranet to do the required tasks.
But they couldn't get in. Was it Russian hackers? Nope. It turns out half the company had decided all at once to get up-to-date with their modules.
I can't imagine why!
Of course, Inside Mail has completed more than its fair share of commercial television in-house training... and we're surprised that failing to complete them is a sackable offence.
After all, many people fail to even understand them.
Many of the topics (such as market monopolisation and modern slavery) don't relate to work in a newsroom, while others effectively force employees to acknowledge the importance of having their phones monitored by their bosses before they can fully finish the course.
Paterson, formerly an ACA reporter, was told she was being dismissed for three minor supposed transgressions. One of them, believe it or not, was a failure to finish her in-house online training
The only thing these modules 'train' anyone in is the art of fast-forwarding videos.
What's more... we hear Nine staff were only last reminded they needed to complete them 'a couple of weeks ago' - so just before Paterson was rissoled.
Her other alleged infractions apparently included failing to get a staffer's contract extension to them soon enough, and a 'lighthearted' joke about the recent removal of 'd***heads' from the network.
We're sure employees in Nine's newsrooms - once full of colourful language, particularly in the lead-up to deadline - are also now watching their p's and q's as well as their f's and d's.
- Read Steve Jackson and Peter van Onselen's full INSIDE MAIL column tomorrow
