There is rising tension and anxiety among staff at Next Media Services in Naguru following an internal memo that signalled a restructuring of departments and potential job losses.
The memo dated January 10, 2025, the multi-media company said it was embarking on a second phase of reallignment which “will extend to the rest of our general transformers across the organization and departments.”
In the first phase last year, Next Media restructured its top management team, leading to the exit of senior people like Joe Kigozi, who was the company’s deputy CEO.
The Naguru-based company said in the memo that the second phase is aimed, among others, at enhancing “operational efficiency.”
In the same memo, management said the process will involve “a thoughtful review of departmental structures, role definitions, and workflow optimization,” a soft way of saying some people will be laid off.
Two employees who spoke to us on condition of anonymity said many staff are leaving in fear after the memo.
We understand that in the editorial department, a number of senior figures, including producers, reporters, and news anchors, could be axed during this restructuring.
Indeed, we have been told that some people who had applied for salary loans at the end of last year were told that they could not be approved until the end of February 2026, when the restructuring process will be complete.
Like we reported last year, the layoffs will target older employees and those earning highly. Sources at Naguru told us that employees above 35 years and earning more than Shs 3 million per month faced a higher chance of being laid off.
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Secondly, staff that have recently faced disciplinary issues are also up for the chop. We have also been told that employees that scored less than 70% in their annual perfiormance evaluations could be headed for the departure lounge.
The last massive layoff at Next Media took place in November 2022 when more than 50 staff were chopped due to “financial challenges.”
Management told staff in the latest memo that it will “provide support” throughout the process.
