AM I NEXT? NO LOVE AT MARITZ

Fenton, Missouri-based Maritz, a sales and marketing services company that designs and operates programs targeted at employee recognition, customer loyalty, incentive programs, and acts as a corporate event planner, has announced that it will be laying off another 107 employees after previous layoffs of 524 employees. The layoffs are scheduled to commence in February 2021.

"In light of the extension of applicable governmental shutdown orders, intervening and extended federal and CDC guidance recommending social distancing and decreased travel, and additional data and analysis revealing the resulting impact of the Covid-19 crisis on Maritz's financial condition, and despite Maritz's attempts to explore options to comply with government standards and guidance and to implement alternative procedures, Maritz has just recently realized that additional action is necessary and that permanent layoffs of employees who were previously furloughed are required."

Change is coming. There will always be a tomorrow, no matter how much you may try to ignore it. There are no guarantees in life or promises for a bright future. Just because something bad hasn't happened yet, doesn't mean it won't. It can happen to anyone, anytime, anywhere. No one is guaranteed to wake up tomorrow and still have a job by evening. Are you now wondering, Am I Next?

AM I NEXT? NO LOVE AT QUIBI

Los Angeles, California-based Quibi, a short-form entertainment service for mobile devices headed by former Disney honcho Jeffrey Katzenberg and former HP CEO Meg Whitman, announced that it is shutting down all operations and attempting to sell the company's intellectual property.

It is unknown how many staffers face layoffs, but many were upset at the large up-front payments to name-talent while they were accepting pay cuts to preserve their jobs.

In spite of the legendary founders, almost $2 billion in venture capital, and a roster of A-list talent, the streaming service failed to attract a viable audience.

According to Whitman, "While we have enough capital to continue operating for a significant period of time, we made the difficult decision to wind down the business, return cash to our shareholders, and say goodbye to our talented colleagues with grace. We continue to believe that there is an attractive market for premium, short-form content. Over the coming months, we will be working hard to find buyers for these valuable assets who can leverage them to their full potential. All that is left now is to offer a profound apology for disappointing you and, ultimately, for letting you down.

Considering the amount of user-generated, high-quality content on Google's YouTube and the streaming products from Netflix, Hulu, and Amazon's Prime Video, it is a stunning failure of the company's business plan.

Change is coming. There will always be a tomorrow, no matter how much you may try to ignore it. There are no guarantees in life or promises for a bright future. Just because something bad hasn't happened yet, doesn't mean it won't. It can happen to anyone, anytime, anywhere. No one is guaranteed to wake up tomorrow and still have a job by evening. Are you now wondering, Am I Next?

AM I NEXT? NO LOVE AT PREMERA BLUE CROSS

Mountlake Terrace, Washington-based Premera Blue Cross, a health insurer licensee of Blue Cross Blue Shield, has announced a major reduction in force that will impact 285 employees in the company's Puget Sound area. The employees are said to be support personnel in non-customer-facing positions.

A company spokesperson noted, "While Premera remains strong financially, we recognize the tremendous toll the global pandemic has taken on the economy and many of our group and individual customers."

“Unfortunately, the global pandemic and the subsequent impact to the economy has forced us to move beyond our normal efficiency and cost-saving efforts to eliminate approximately 285 non-customer-facing positions out of 3,442 employees. That figure represents a cut of about 8.3%."

“Now, more than ever, affordability is the number one barrier to receiving high quality care, and we must do all that we can to reduce our costs and pass those savings on to our customers.”

"I cannot share specific positions as all impacted employees have not yet been notified. Positions range across the company in the Puget Sound region, 236 positions will be eliminated.

Premera is a subsidiary of the Blue Cross Blue Shield Association.

Change is coming. There will always be a tomorrow, no matter how much you may try to ignore it. There are no guarantees in life or promises for a bright future. Just because something bad hasn't happened yet, doesn't mean it won't. It can happen to anyone, anytime, anywhere. No one is guaranteed to wake up tomorrow and still have a job by evening. Are you now wondering, Am I Next?