Washington Post Reviews

Pros

It has great opportunity. Must come ready to work because it comes with the highest of expectations. Fair most of the time about job decisions and salaries. If you prove yourself you can grow.

Cons

Pay less than competing station groups. With that said, it is worth the less pay if you want a place that is well run (for most stations) and gives people an opportunity to grow.

Advice to Senior Management

Keep all employees more in the loop about what is happening. Be upfront when tough decisions need to be made to keep moral high. Get pay scale more competitve with the market. When stations have great years, reward everyone with a bonus (what ever it might be) instead of just upper management.

Pros

No two days are the same which makes the days quickly pass. Good benefits.

Cons

Rules to employees and line managers do not apply above those positions. It's all about the political game here - if you ramble about your daily accomplishments, you will be perceived as a hard worker. One comment I heard (second hand) in regards to a departing manager was, "you're a go getter...I'm not sure if this is the right place for you." If you are looking to join the ranks of newspaper staff, look elsewhere - the attitude is poor, communication bad, leadership to be desired, and salary not in line with market rate. The online side of the business is the only business making an attempt at growth, but beware of the extensive political environment. Good business sense does not prevail.

Advice to Senior Management

Hire individuals with experience outside of the organization. Too much promotion from within continues the ship down the path of the past - no fresh ideas and a strong sense of nepotism.

Pros

-- Theoretically, a 37.5-hour workweek (7.5 hours/day) -- if your manager will abide by this.
-- The prestige factor of working at The Washington Post.
-- Four weeks' paid vacation if you've been with the company 5+ years.
-- Reasonable pay in most cases, thanks to the presence of a Guild whose clout is nevertheless waning with every passing year.

Cons

-- An alarming number of newsroom "managers" have no business whatsoever managing people or processes. They landed where they were by being good at their specific craft, but their personalities are so caustic that nobody wants to even approach them, let alone learn from them. (In fairness, it should be said there are also some first-rate managers. If you work for one, consider yourself lucky.)
-- Newsroom production-side folks (copy editors, designers, web producers, etc.) are largely treated like garbage by upper management, receiving very few allotted merit raises.
-- The recently instituted content-management system was a GIANT step backward.

Advice to Senior Management

Make sure your middle managers are treating each of their employees fairly and equitably. Institute a reverse-review system in which every employee can rate their manager.

Pros

flexible work hours,you can learn if you are ambitious, excellent benefits, work from home for non managers, free newspaper.

Cons

laid back but changing, personal rapport matters a lot, declining industry, need some better leaders, started outsourcing to save money.

Advice to Senior Management

Too many directors in the company even if they don't have reportees. Needs lot of co-ordination between teams/depts/group. Set up a central purchase office. All this will prevent duplication of work.

Pros

The namesake carries significant weight. Great DC location. Also a great resume builder. Utilize operating database systems that are transferrable.

Cons

Lack of opportunity for advancement. Lack of communication with upper management. Not really into mentoring subordinates, or grooming for higher positions.

Advice to Senior Management

Take your subordinates seriously, and trust their ability. We were hired for a reason, not to be babysat. Management needs to be more accountable for their actions and not place blame on subordinates.

Pros

The union has done a good job of ensuring good benefits for all at the Post. The benefits, including a pension plan, are the #1 reason to work here.
Since the newspaper business is changing so quickly, it's best to be interested in that. I'd make that the #2 reason to work here: love of journalism.
And, #3: since journalism/the media business is different every day, most jobs here get that variety, too. Nothing is constant.

Cons

Again, nothing is constant - or reliable.
We are always on deadline, and working late happens for almost everyone at some point.
We are a large company - Washington Post Media - within a larger corporation - The Washington Post company - and information doesn't always move fast enough within these walls.
Recently there were many cutbacks, which produced a drain on morale.

Pros

-Great resume builder (ie. name recognition) if you can stomach the office politics
-Lunch is never boring, especially with a plethora of eating locations surrounding the building, as well as great shopping on Conn Ave. Georgetown isn't too far away either.
-The occasional visit from a few celebrities or politicians makes some days less mundane than others

Cons

-Salary is not up to par with industry standards. This is largely due to the fact that the newspaper business model is going through some very hard times.
-No flexibility in moving around the company (ie. if you work in Advertising, it isn't very easy to move to the Newsroom, unless you know someone).
-Lack of employee perks, such as employee parking. Even usage of the employee gym comes with a fee, which is automatically taken out of your paycheck.
-Lack of formal networking events and/or mentorships, which would be a great benefit to all employees.
-Line managers focus so much time on the problematic employees (this is due to presence of the Guild union) that no time is spent in growing the employees who truly want to see the organization succeed.
-The current climate is very charged. So many individuals are losing their jobs, which has stifled the moral of the remaining employees. The remaining employees are asked to take on additional duties with no additional manpower. These additional duties coupled with an attitude of 'Who's next?', has crippled promotions as well.
-Many organizations love to protest and/or picket out front of TWP building which can turn employee arrivals and departures via the 15th St entrance into a BIG hassle.
-Many senior employees are only 'holding onto' employment here as they do not want to lose their retirement or pension. This makes it extremely hard for the younger staff members to see any potential for long-term growth.

Advice to Senior Management

Senior leadership has to work much much much harder with line managers. Line managers account for many of the departures from TWP and in order to curb this issue, line managers need to work to grow their staff instead of befriending, socializing, and/or competing with them.

Pros

Good to have on your resume

Cons

Highly political, packing with people with pedigree degrees who think they are smart but can't execute any original ideas. Pockets of good people but the short story is that the company is toxic. Don't go there unless you need a temporary place while you are looking for a real job.

Pros

Fast-paced media environment, lots of great reporters still around.

Cons

Management completely at sea. Little upward mobility for the young and motivated.

Advice to Senior Management

Prioritize good management.

Pros

Famous Brand
Good on resume
Tele-commute
Big company and you can make a lot of friends if you stay long-term

Cons

Reactive managers
Intimidating arrogant managers
No appreciation shown to employees
Can get lost in the crowd

Advice to Senior Management

Intimidating employees by saying things like "Dont expect me to change my management style" can cause employees to leave.