“I can’t believe I’m gonna say this … ”
… but we’ve had enough words.
We write a letter every two weeks fueled almost entirely by a sense of righteousness, and we do it for fun. So we know how good it feels to write yourself above The Problem. It can make you feel like you’ve done the work, like all that waits now is gratitude.
But if you are not Black and you’re spending energy on something that makes you feel comforted right now, it’s worth asking why that is. Just about every organization we’ve ever come in contact with — including plenty of racist ones — have issued a carefully worded statement in the past two weeks, as if every “BIPOC” and “accountable” is some sort of defensive brick in an unimpeachable wall of allyship.
We’re glad to see everyone talking and reading. We just want to make sure we don’t see anyone soothed. We’re all big, we know where to donate and how to show up. Create the systems you need to keep going, but point them toward doing the work. Because if we focus on getting the performance just right, we’re never getting out the door.
It’s also go time for layoffs. And no, we didn’t spend a lot of time massaging that transition so it landed softer.
United is cutting about 20% of its senior management. Would have liked to see them start with that instead of mid and low-level workers who didn’t push for buybacks, but hey, better late than never!
SpotHero is laying off 42 employees. Yeah, we imagine people are both not going places they need to park and not having a hard time finding parking if they are. Not a great time for the parking apps.
Hotels, similarly, not doing great. Thousands of Illinois hotel workers are losing their jobs this month, and Hyatt is laying off another 566 people at headquarters.
Others are going off pure percentages. PR firm Edelman cut 7% of staff globally and BP cut 14% of worldwide jobs, mostly at the senior level.
Allstate is planning thousands of layoffs, but so far has offered no details aside from “soon.”
Other businesses are just fully giving up the ghost, including Medicaid managed care plan NextLevel Health. Bad news not just for its employees, but its 56,000 patients, all of who will have to transfer to a new plan. One key reason for the closing: the lack of capital available to minority-owned businesses. NextLevel saw an acquisition fall through a couple of months ago, and couldn’t find the funding needed to continue.
Not a problem for GrubHub! Despite increasing regulation and uncertainty about the future of its business, Amsterdam-based Just Eat Takeaway.com is acquiring GrubHub for $7.3 billion in stock. That’s nice for them.
The new company will be the largest food delivery provider outside of China, and will keep its North American headquarters in Chicago. This is theoretically good news — if the rumored Uber acquisition of GrubHub went through, there would pretty much not be a GrubHub anymore. Still, hard to be excited about something that avoids any antitrust regulations by virtue of being globally huge.
Despite all the grim news, there are some positive signs. Unemployment is theoretically falling, stocks seem on the verge of rebounding and some companies are making plans for growth. Ford, for one, is expanding its Southeast Side factory despite constantly starting and stopping production due to COVID-19.
It’s almost like businesses are using the pandemic as an excuse to cut costs and collect bailouts under the guise of a tanking economy, just so they can plump up future shareholder profits. Couldn’t be, could it?
Jobs, Glorious Jobs
Director, National Initiatives and Content Strategy at Feeding America
Content pros, step up: Not only is this a director-level position, but it’s also at a nonprofit whose work has never been more important as food insecurity rises because of COVID-19. Plus we’ve heard they pay pretty competitively.
Digital Product Manager and Influencer Marketing Coordinator at Equilibria
Jumping into the highly regulated CBD industry via a women-led company that makes bath bombs sounds super dope. And Equilibria fancies itself a “high-growth, omni-channel premium CBD platform for women,” so get that money.
Manager of Communications & External Relations at ConAgra
The packaged food giant recently recalled Healthy Choice Power Bowls that may contain small rocks, but pfft, that’s nothing that a seasoned journalist can’t handle.
Job, Inglorious Job
Recruitment Marketing Manager at Uline
Convince people to work at Uline, a box manufacturer in suburban Wisconsin run by a couple of Trump nuts who regularly push politics on their employees. Oh yeah no, good luck with that. We’re sure you’ll get all the top talent lining up. With pitchforks.
Inspiration of the week
“I can’t believe I’m gonna say this, but I see hope. I see progress right now, at this moment.
I don’t want to overstate this, but there are significant swaths of people and communities that are not black, that to some extent have some perception of what that pain and that suffering is. I think that’s different.”
—Ta-Nehisi Coates expressing a new sense of cautious optimism. Let’s all do the work this weekend to make sure he doesn’t have to take it back.
S/O to hustler Scott Smith for this inspiration, which came from his very excellent “Notes From Your Dad” letter.
Forward this email to anyone who’s perceptive. They can sign up here for bi-weekly reminders to turn those feelings into actions.
Got a tip on an excellent job? Reply to this email, send us a new one at hey@gethustl.in, or reach out on Twitter.