The Times Union wouldn’t meet its own standards to be named a top workplace

The Times Union would not meet the standards it sets to be named a Top Workplace, according to a survey taken by the Newspaper Guild of Albany based on the TU’s own questions.

A whopping 78.57 percent of respondents disagreed when asked if they feel genuinely appreciated. A total of 47.62 percent said they strongly disagreed.

Another harsh assessment came on the issue of whether people had confidence in their future at the company. A total of 57.83 percent strongly disagreed and 80.72 percent disagreed to some extent.

The worst grade of all came when employees were asked if they feel well-informed about how important decisions are made at the Times Union. An overwhelming total of 91.57 percent disagreed, 56.63 percent strongly.

“The Top Workplaces section is an excellent annual description of what it means to be a great workplace,” Guild President Tim O’Brien said. “The stories describe places where the top executive stops regularly to say hello to employees, where communication is constant, where people feel engaged in the decisions that get made, where camaraderie is built through joint activities and where hard work is properly rewarded. The Times Union was once such a place. It isn’t now. Money isn’t the only answer, but the general public would be greatly surprised how little the Times Union resembles the workplaces it honors. This is a fixable problem if the leadership is willing.”

All the questions were taken directly from the Times Union’s own Top Workplaces survey including whether people had confidence in the company’s leader. A total of 79.16 percent disagreed, 49.40 percent strongly.

Individual managers fared better. A total of 57.15 percent agreed their manager cared about their concerns.

Asked if their pay is fair, employees — who haven’t had raises in more than 7.5 years — overwhelmingly said no. Seventy-five percent said their pay isn’t fair, with 55.95 percent expressing strong feelings.

While the TU wrote that a 35 percent employee response rate was enough to qualify, the Guild got much more than that. More than 47 percent of its members replied, a statistically excellent response.