On the Radar Screen:
Job Cuts at Owens Corning Include One-Third of PR Dept.
High-performance composites and building material systems leader Owens Corning's announcement in January that it would be reducing its workforce didn't sidestep the company's corporate communications department. Several weeks ago, 12 corporate communicators found out in face-to-face meetings with Director of Corporate Communications Gregg Bronk that their jobs would be among 2,200 the Toledo, Ohio-based company plans to reduce across-the-board and worldwide. About 1,000 layoffs have already been announced.
The 12 corporate communications positions represent about one-third of the company's internal corporate communication slots, according to Bill Hamilton, media relations leader for Owens Corning. Part of the company's PR restructuring includes placing marcom heads at the business-unit levels, instead of Owens Corning using the centralized marcom operation it had in the past.
In addition to employing face-to-face meetings to tell employees who are being laid off, the company is using some other progressive measures to minimize effects on workers.
Employees are being kept on the payroll for 45 days but aren't expected to show up for work or designate that time to company tasks if they opt to use that time to job search. They can also use that period to work with a placement company Owens contracted with to offer career counseling.
The layoffs are intended to reduce the company's overhead expenses by $175 million over the next two years.
The company had $4.4 billion in sales in 1997. (Owens Corp. Comm., 419/248-6107)
Tools:
Software for Charts Available Through TimeVision
If your bailiwick is organizational charting for masterminding internal business infrastructure changes or adds-on but you struggle with how to pass that news on to employees who need to understand chain-of-command protocol, you might consider looking into Org Publisher for Intranets, software by TimeVision, Inc.
The product (free 30-day trial versions are available at http://www.timevision.com) provides business blueprints for locating people, job titles and phone numbers that can be published on a company Internet/intranet site.
The cost for the Enterprise Edition of Org Publisher starts at $5,000/organization and a personal edition at $375 per desktop copy. Costs for an operation with more than 20,000 employees is about $45,000 for a site license. (TimeVision, 214/823-8242)
'Pocket Media Guide' Free to PR Pros
PR professionals who visit Media Distribution Services' mdsconnect.com and prplace.com Web sites can obtain a free copy of the company's "Pocket Media Guide" which lists the names, addresses and telephone numbers of about 700 print and broadcast media ventures.
The guide also includes some compelling stats about the Internet when it comes to news hunters: In 1997, there were sites for 1,939 U.S. newspapers; 1,945 for U.S. and Canadian radio stations; 344 for U.S. TV stations; and 31 for cable TV networks. (MDS, 212/279-4800)
Business Moves
PR Int'l Launches Web Site
PRN International, a business unit of PR Newswire (http://www.prninternational.com) has placed online a cache of information on global businesses. The site includes:
- A country-by-country holiday calendar so you can determine the best time to distribute a release;
- Monthly economic analyses;
- Commentary on different global pockets; and
- Details on clipping services in other parts of the world. (PRN International, 212/681-1333)
Churchill Group Forms PR Co.
The Churchill Group Inc., a financial relations firm based in Houston, has formed Churchill Public Relations Inc. as a separate operating company and named Senior VP Richard Mullinax as president and CEO. (Churchill Group, 713/781-0020)