Cygnus (Mostly) Restores Salary Cuts

"Only salaried employees who are not eligible to receive commission, bonus or incentive payments will benefit from the restoration effort." So according to the above, and to my understanding, the sales team is not able to get that 'bonus'. Or if you want to read into it, since this in itself is a bonus, then it excludes everyone. Plus, I love how they are phrasing it as a bonus, as if it is something extra.

I guess we now know where that bonus money is coming from- Eliminating the inside sales department and its head. Hmmmmm...the former head of that department was one of the few people there who seemed to know how to actually run a department and a business. Just another example of how this company continues to run itself in the ground. I'm so happy I was able to distant myself from this sinking ship years ago.

Bonus - Doesnt that normally mean over and above salary? Typical top down management.... Feed the minions a couple of dollars and let them quieten down... I wonder how long before the core of the company leaves for pastures new - and ultimately more rewarding?

Shame on you Folio, for not researching this PR piece! This is pure PR propoganda. Didn't you learn in 1st grade math that 70 percent of nothing is nothing? Cygnus actually restored 70 percent of a very small portion of the company's employees salary! Only hourly employees, which is perhaps 10 to 20 percent at best. These are arguably the individuals that needed THEIR MONEY back the most, but the ones that contributed the most (Sales and Editorial) got nothing. How could you (Folio) state that it's "Mostly" restored? How could you also call this a "Bonus" when it's stolen money that's being partially returned? You need to do your research before publishing this garbage propaganda. And you are missing a big part of the story at Cygnus. There is a huge power grab going on by the Executive Print VP who just fired several important people, dissolved a department, and is gunning for the President position! Stay tuned.

A couple of years back I declined a Publisher position with this company as I was concerned with the executive team. It now appears that the few good ones have seen the writing on the wall and have left or have been eliminated. It's too bad that a great company with a promising future has fallen so suddenly. Can't wait for what's next!

The "restoration" doesn't cover hourly employees, and excludes any salaried employees who receive bonuses, commissions, and incentives. That's just about *all* the salaried employees. The hourly employees were the ones hit hardest by the cuts, as most of them are making less than $30,000 a year and are just getting by. The names of the people that will benefit from this will fit on an index card - using a large font.

Looks like things are getting a little squirrely again at Cygnuts. This latest round of double-talking nonsense combined with the elimination of several other hard-working, well-respected people will undoubtedly further reduce morale at a company dying a slow, agonizing death. The Folio article is somewhat confusing. In October, the Cygnus Caesars promised employees that the 7.5 percent pay cut would be restored for everyone effective Jan. 1. Did that happen? The latest announcement suggests that only some employees will have 70 percent of the money they lost last quarter returned to them in the form of a "bonus?" But "only salaried employees who are not eligible to receive commission, bonus or incentive payments will benefit from the restoration." So who benefits? Hourly employees are excluded and most salaried people receive some type of bottom line incentives, which would seem to make them ineligible for the “bonus.” Sounds like the whole "announcement" could be a publicity ploy to suggest that execs have some control over the situation there. Does the announcement that some employees will receive a one-time payment of 1.25 percent of their annual salary mean they have permanently lost 7.5 percent of the salary they enjoyed this time last year? The latest round of terminations of very loyal employees proves once again that nobody’s job at Cygnus is protected. The stress Cygnus employees face everyday is unbearable now; and money lost due to new competitive ventures started by key employees who have either been fired, have already escaped or are tunneling out now will only make the situation worse. It won’t be great in ’08, that’s for sure.

You know I find this amusing in some way and not that people are being fired and losing their livelyhood but that the company has done some very brash and bold moves. All this at the expense of the employees, the employees who make this company money. I am a former employee and left awhile ago but couldn't fathom the idea of watching people walk the plank one at a time. No one is safe and I beleive that releasing a whole department only puts tremendous strain on the sales people. This is a shame but looks like things will only get worse.

How disappointing. The head honchos from Chicago continue with their double talk, break promises, and screw with our lives. The President sits there knowing fully well that this is all wrong, but doesn't have the spine to put a stop to this nonsense, or maybe he can't do anything because the posse from Chicago has his head in a sling and they are ready to kick the chair out from under him. Then you have the "monger"...the power hungry self promoting print VP who is gunning for the presidents job who seems to have found the ear of the Ceo's. I wonder if his head fits in there (the ear!)? His efforts to bully his way up to the top are at the cost of a once great company, and no one cares. The president only has a short time to retirement and I'm sure he has a golden parachute, so what does he care...remember, this isn't about a company anymore, this is about each individual and how they can get the most out of this for themselves, with no regard for others or the future of Cygnus. Sorry, I digress...so they fire a department head and another publisher, how much did they save by doing this? Whatever the number (I'm guessing 200,000 including benefits), it's not going to be enough to make up for what they have lost. Shame on Abry for letting this happen. Maybe the next step will be the elimination of several magazine titles? Kind of what F&W/Krause did up in northern Wisconsin (keep in mind that that is another Abry owned propery). Stay tuned...and free Cygnuts!!!

Wednesday, January 2nd 2008 will go down as cygnus business media’s “pearl harbor” in the history books. True, many critically important people have been removed and various restructuring has been executed since November 2006 – each devastating in it’s own way yet fairly successfully hidden with smoke and mirrors. But none have been as central and visible to our company as the recent ill-conceived decision to dissolve the inside sales division. As I walk through the wisconsin office, I count over three dozen sales reps and three to four associate publishers/publishers who were direct fruit of that division. These are all people who know that there is no substance to the executive decision to dissolve the division and terminate the manager who built it. (They’re not buying what is being sold to them) It’s my understanding that nearly every cygnus publisher worked with inside sales and had strong relationships with the division. Why wouldn’t they since it generated something like $5-$10 million dollars a year for their properties while cultivating cygnus’ current who’s who of top display reps – cygnus’ future (or so we thought). Another few dozen people – publishers – left scratching their heads searching for logic after this latest move. (Have the “leaders” looked behind them to see if anyone is following?) Why is this cygnus’ pearl harbor?? Its not only because it’s the beginning of the end, but its because the executive management team cannot hide the mistake and cannot public-relations themselves out of the problem – its extremely visible to our publishers who know the truth and our sales force who know the truth: our executive management team is flawed and heading in the wrong direction. Most likely our editorial, circulation, accounting, administrative, production, IT and custom teams clearly see the disconnect too because they now have visible and identifiable proof. It’s a bad decision that the executive management team can’t hide now that they pulled the trigger, and virtually every talented individual who knows the truth is heading for the door. You can fix a flat tire, but when you damage the spokes (publishers and sales reps eroded confidence) and remove the hub (destroy a central department that nearly the entire company has ties to), you really don’t have a tire anymore now do you? One last question: Will any of us be still at cygnus when ABRY figures out this fatal error and drops the bomb? Probably not - but if I (or you) stay, I recommend keeping distance from the executive management team who will be taking a direct hit.

Abry, did you do your due diligence? Where did the highly touted self-promoting executives from Harvard get their diploma(s)? It's hard to believe that Harvard teaches the following: 1. Only visit your company once week (max)and lock yourself in your office 2. Remove any manager that values people, keep the ones that are cold hearted, selfish, and manipulative. 3. Don't provide any vision, future, leadership for your company. 4. Place an accountant in charge - yeah - they should be able to grow your company as every accountant has vision and an entreprenurial spirit! Perhaps these executive who claim to have received a diploma from Harvard just barely passed? Perhaps they majored in some other area besides business (The Arts)? Perhaps they sent for their diploma from the back of a serial Box? Whichever it is, the folks in Wisconsin now know the value of a Harvard diploma - and would rather hire Capt-N-Crunch.

Ok - make that Cereal box! But you get the point.

What it comes down to is very simple -- the new executive team (est. Fall 2006) simply considers the employees of Cygnus to be small-town minded, blue-collar people that don't understand how business is run. However, they are very short-sighted in this thought considering that there are many college graduates and city folk (offices in Chicago, NY and DC) that work for Cygnus. And, they also seem to forget Cygnus is not the only place these employees have ever worked. Comparing how past employers and companies do B2B Publishing business compared to how Cygnus is being run now, is jarring. It's amazing that more employees haven't left but with this recent addition in ignorance of the intelligence of their employees, the numbers definitely might change. So far, the executive team is very lucky to have employees who are so dedicated to the company and how it "used to be" that they will ignore being treated stupid.

Stange: gone - check. Bowers: gone - check. Jost: gone - check. Martin:

I left of my own accord 2 yrs ago, could see the writing on the wall. Haven't regretted it for a second. This "refund' is so insulting. So small, after reducing pay by 7.5%. How much of a cut in pay did these guys take while everybody else suffered? Gerry and Blair, I miss you.

We all know the purpose of these pay cuts was to increase EBIDA for 2007. That's why it's okay to give the money back in 2008. I hope the new buyers are aware of the company they think is so profitable. It is sad what has been done here.

Doesn't ABRY stand for "anal bunch of ruthless yahoos?" They seem to care about little else but "show me the money." We need to "grow our way out of the current problem." Right. How many times have I heard that? But how are we supposed to do that? By cutting key staff? By failing to invest in properties? By failing to provide any semblance of training? By cutting salaries? By awarding bonuses to a handful of people? By cutting travel to key industry events? By creating competitive opportunities for other people and other companies? By hiring cheap untalented people to fill positions just to have warm bodies in seats? By enabling a dictator to run roughshod over an entire company while the president and CEOs sit on their hands and cash their paychecks? I wonder how much money ABRY will have to write off the sale price to entice someone to buy Cygnus and all the negative, emotional baggage that will come with it. Even if they manage to find a buyer and we can get out from under the ABRY vice, they will likely sell it to another company for far more than Cygnus is worth and the pressure will be just as much as it is today. Thanks Paul Mackler! You've left a wonderful legacy at Cygnus.

As an employee this saddens me to my core. I came to Cygnus with the hope of something great, had heard such great things about this "family-oriented" company. Thought to myself, this is a place where I can grow my career, settle and eventually retire; that is not the thought I have anymore. Daily I wonder to myself, do I really want to devote my time and energy to this company that drops people so devoted to them in a second? Can I really grow here? I really don't think I can and to tell you the truth this is the first time in my entire career I have feared climbing to the top. What's to look forward too when you succeed in this company? Do I really want rise to a management position? Not anymore I don't; that is because I have now seen that working hard, being successful, loving what you do and Cygnus can only lead to "your family" turning their backs on you after 8 years of devoted and very successful service. Why work in a constant state of fear that today you may be asked to leave, why invest that time when what you really see down the road is an end due to "reorganization". There was so much great potential for this company to be great, they have or should I say had such devoted employees, but now, it just looks to me to be a sinking ship that I need to decide whether to jump overboard and take my chances of survival in the cold dark sea or to hang on tight hoping for rescue from a ship that is now sure to resemble the legacy of the Titanic. I really had hoped to be part of a great company, such high hopes, but now I am shaking my head in grief that in order to let go of all this fear and uncertainty, I need to move on. How sad, how very, very sad.

I think the A in ABRY stands for ARROGANT Bunch of Ruthless Yahoos. After all, they are a mansion-dwelling, Ivy league educated, money-is-power Godless group of super-rich New Englanders.

Is it me or has Tom Gensch's name has been removed from all the company's magazine mastheads? But, on the corporate website, he remains listed as Cygnus' "Chief Growth Officer." Has anyone seen Tom Gensch? Is the company "growing" in a new direction? Or is he on a sabbatical dreaming up new ways to move Cygnus in a new direction?

That is a priceless statement!

I'll miss him...he and his friends found a way to make me smile every day, with incoherent drivel and awesome clip art. If the Chief Growth Officer is gone, why isn't anyone making an announcement about this? That's a senior management change! They certainly didn't hold back annoucing exits of other VP's, etc. Could it be because he is still part of the "gang" and when they step away from Cygnus they'll all re-unite for a group hug and pat each other on the back? BTW, this is the best comment by far, so "Thank You" to whoever wrote this: welcome to dd business media Submitted by Anonymous on Sat, 01/05/2008 - 19:07. Stange: gone - check. Bowers: gone - check. Jost: gone - check. Martin:

I work in the media industry, fortunately I do not work for Cygnus. However, my significant other does. Just seeing the day to day emotional turmoil that the Cygnus employees go through is absolutely ludicrous. Not only does it affect their performance at work it affects their personal lives at home. Mental anguish can most definitely take a physical toll on the discontent worker. I could not imagine driving to work every day asking myself am I going to be employed at the end of the day? Yes the economy is quite challenging, as it will continue to be a challenge in 2008. Considering the fact that I also work for a printing company, I could never imagine the workers being treated like such primitive slaves, as Cygnus has chose to treat their hard working employees. If it were me I would get the hell out of that corporate disaster!

To those of you that are still collecting a paycheck every two weeks, either make a decision to move on or put your talent to better use. If you disapprove of the direction that Cygnus is going, no one is holding a gun to your head to stay. Leave and take your whining colleagues with you. Majority of us like our jobs, the management and the direction the company is headed. The future is not in print alone. Get on board or jump off. For those of you that have made the decision to leave, don't worry about us. We made the decision to stay and build something for the future.

D.D. - we already knew you think we're stupid. But this takes the cake. You would be the only one that would make the comment "Majority of us like our jobs." Hang it up and move on. No one wants you here anymore! And now it's on record you're calling us "Yellowbellies." Like the rest of your moves - real smart!

I have been a long time employee of Cygnus and its predecessors. What's happening at Cygnus today is no different than what has happened in the past. Through the years we had layoffs, firings, time off with no pay and reduced workforce. Much the same has happened and is happening with other B2B companies. The difference is that employees of the other companies aren't sending company announcements or audio recordings of company meetings to Folio. There are hundreds – dare I say the majority – of Cygnus employees who are happy to work for this company. We enjoy the legacy of our publications and continue to take our properties to market employing the same fundamental practices that we have developed and honed over the years. We take satisfaction from matching our products to market needs. We give our readers valuable information and our advertisers the tools they need to reach clients and prospects. It is what we do and we do it well. If you are a Cygnus employee, and you are unhappy, you should leave and find happiness somewhere else. If you are an ex-employee and continue to feel the need to bash a company for which you no longer work – you need to get over it and move on with your life.

I love my job and I love Cygnus, also a long time employee. Everyone I speak with feel the same. There are two kinds of people, the noisy few who complain in order to justify their own discontent, and those that embrace the incredible opportunities in front of them and work to make a difference. I suppose you can find that in any job or industry. The latter half excels here at Cygnus. No, I'm not an "exec" either and have no influence what-so-ever on events. Here's an Idea. Where did you get your (mis)information from? Talk to someone in person that knows the facts behind any of the recent changes....you might be surprised what you can learn outside of a blog.

To the above posters who claim a majority of the employees "love" their job: You're only highlighting the gaping moat between the upper management tier and the worker-bee grunts. To the everyday people working on the ground level writing, producing, and laying out the books, a 7 percent pay cut is the difference between being able to put gas in your car and having to choose between that and buying groceries. You do the budgets, you should know how seriously far behind on the salary bell-curve we in the lower ranks are to the rest of the area. So spare us the pretentiousness, if you think most of the employees below you are happy and content, you just proved how clueless and out-of-touch you really are.

Oh, come on, Cygnus management--the very few posts from those who supposedly love their jobs are so obviously written by upper management. Do you REALLY expect anyone reading this to believe otherwise? Do you ACTUALLY believe the rest of the world is that stupid? Get off it. The vast majority of the employees are miserable and mistreated, and NO ONE feels the way you're trying to pretend they do, with posts such as "Proving point" and "The noisy few" and "Reality check" and "Yellowbellies." They were written by upper management, clear and simple--otherwise, if those who wrote them were really as happy as they say they were with "the legacy" of their company, they'd have signed their names. Typical Cygnus bull. Honestly, people...if you're going to try to be plants, at least have the self-dignity not to be so inept and obvious about it.

It saddens me, as a past employee of Cygnus, to hear of the firing of Jeff Jost. I came into Cygnus, as many do, with a college level education. Not only was he THE most positive influence on my growth as a sales professional, but he GENUINELY cared for his department and other co-workers. DD has always had a problem with JJ...most likely because he'll always be a step behind him and never have the creative, motivational leadership that JJ had. Cygnus is going down. First step to keeping a business alive and prosperous is to treat your employees well. I think it's obvious from the majority of these postings (minus the few that upper management clearly posted) that people are VERY unhappy. Best of luck to DD...I hope he gets what is coming to him in this industry!!!