In the op-ed earlier this month, Washingtonian CEO Cathy Merrill wrote that “as a CEO, I want my employees to understand the risks of not returning to work in the office.”
“If the employee is rarely around... management has a strong incentive to change their status to ‘contractor,’” she wrote. She also noted that “although there might be some pains and anxiety going back into the office, the biggest benefit for workers may be simple job security. Remember something every manager knows: The hardest people to let go are the ones you know.”
The same morning the op-ed ran, Washingtonian staffers said they would not publish for a day in protest for what they saw as a threat to employees working remotely.
Angry staff tweeted a shared statement reading: “As members of the Washingtonian editorial staff, we want our CEO to understand the risks of not valuing our labor. We are dismayed by Cathy Merrill’s public threat to our livelihoods. We will not be publishing today.”
Merrill quickly backtracked in a statement The Daily Beast was able to obtain. “I have assured our team that there will be no changes to benefits or employee status,” she said. “I am sorry if the op-ed made it appear like anything else.”