Friday, March 20, 2020
Cirque du Soleil CEO Daniel Lamarre Fired Thousands of Employees via Crude Video
jezebel.com: At noon today, Daniel Lamarre, president and CEO of Cirque du Soleil Entertainment Group, circulated a video among employees informing 95 percent of them that they are now unemployed, according to multiple newly laid-off employees who say they received an email containing a link to the video.
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Talk about wacky delivery. The idea that all of these employees found out about their employment status through a video link is really baffling. I can understand wanting to promote distancing at all costs, but everyone was sent this video: supervisors, performers, house staff, etc. It seems incredibly ingenuine. Getting news that you have to be laid off because of this pandemic from a supervisor who knows you personally by name, and finding it out through a video sent through mass email from someone you maybe have never spoken to are two very different things. This decision to break the news this way seems cowardly and impulsive. Especially because these employees work long hours, and some of them physically put their safety on the line of the show - you would think there would be a more personal way this news could be shared.
I agree with Elizabeth. Sending a video to an entire company that is considered a family to tell 95% of them were being laid-off is weird, impersonal and incredibly frustrating for those who have worked for the company for years. I understand that for most who work for Cirque, that they are not part of staff, but to fire almost the entire company with little warning and no explanation afterwards, is making me reconsider working for them. For many workers, this sudden lay off means a huge loss of income, and since many do not know when this pandemic will end, it represents a huge mystery to their future. I know that for many American workers this is the case, but for performers and others in the arts, this is also a loss of their creative avenue and passion. No longer being able to perform can be heartbreaking for some performers, in addition to the loss of a paycheck. The impersonal video just seems like an insult to so many of those that have worked very hard to produce and perform these incredible shows.
I feel that this was honestly disrespectful to the employees at Cirque de Soleil. While I understand that during this pandemic that we are currently facing, desperate times call for desperate measures and many companies in the entertainment industry have closed to avoid large groups of people gathering. This, unfortunately, results in the fact that many artists are out of work and out of a paycheck. However, I believe that there was a more dignified way for the CEO of Cirque du Soleil to relay this information to his company employees. Possibly something in writing which would provide more detail to those who felt that the initial communication was convoluted. However, the article also states that Lamarre wants to support his company members because they are family and that now more than ever need to stick together. From the perspective of an employee, I would be interested to see if people choose to return after all of this, however I imagine people will.
"...in a video just one minute longer than a television commercial." Wow. I feel like this is a case of going about things in the absolute worst way. Let me start by saying that this is a really difficult situation. For both Daniel Lamarre and the employees. Lamarre was in a position where circumstances were beyond his control, as are many CEO's, presidents, etc., and he was the one having to deliver the inevitable. I'm sure this was not an easy thing for him either, and I'm sure there is a lot going on with him that has him under a high amount of stress. But when you are in that position with such great responsibilities, you have to have a better understanding on how to handle those responsibilities. I would expect that with his years of experience that he would have known that this wouldn't be okay. I understand that a lot is going on, but figuring out how to handle your employees is just as important as figuring out the future of your company. Especially when you are firing 95% of them. That's not something to take lightly, and him thinking that a sudden short video would be okay is a bit beyond me. Many of the employees probably saw it coming. They probably figured they would be handled with a bit more worth, though. This is very disappointing. I only hope that companies world wide are taking note and the higher ups are more humane in how they go about dictating people's futures and delivering bad, but understandable, news.
This is wild. My heart goes out to everyone who is struggling and will continue to struggle financially through this coronavirus mess. My parents share stories daily of individuals losing their income, or their jobs altogether. Cirque du Soleil's manner of letting employees go does feel strange though. I'm surprised that supervisors weren't told beforehand, and everyone at all different levels heard the news at the same time, in the same way. This seems pretty impersonal. I'm sure it was just a quick way to get the message out without much effort or pain. I see how the intention was probably not the worst, considering the CEO had formed personal relationships with many in the company. It's honestly hard to know what's right and what's not in these times. But from reading some of the comments on this article, it does seem like others do not see this as the best way to go.
Wow. I know this is a tough time for everyone, companies included, and I don't think there's really a good way to fire four thousand people in an afternoon, but there is certainly a wrong way, and I'm pretty sure this is it. This kind of crisis is they type of event where leadership is needed from all levels. Federal down to local governments, as well as business leaders and other individuals. There are so many acceptable ways that Cirque could have handled this. It sucks that they have to lay off people, but a lot of those people are probably going to really struggle in the coming months. There's no excuse not to act with the humanity and empathy that they can. This should have trickled down face to face (even if that means digitially under the circumstances). The CEO should have talked to the department heads and asked them to talk to their teams, and each layer should have talked directly to their reports to make them understand what was happening with as much understanding and grace as is possible under the circumstances.
Reading this article about this video was so awkward, I can't imagine how awkward the actual video was. I think that it is pretty disrespectful to all these workers that they were laid off via video, and not personal phone call. Even further, I think that laying off 95 percent of the staff is a hasty decision. this man sent this video and brought so much uncertainty into their lives in an already uncertain time for all the people in the world. The entire outbreak of the corona virus has been so confusing and crazy, and I think that if I had received an email with a link to a video like this and gotten my job taken away I would've been infuriated. This article is just so crazy to me. I think that there are a lot of people in a similar position, and a lot of theatre makers have been expecting that they won't be having a job, due to the in person nature of the art form and the fact that nobody can leave their houses right now. Watching this all unfold is devastating.
Wow, I feel so bad for these people. I know this is a ready hard time for everyone in the world and there are so many questions surrounding how people are going to continue working, let alone surviving. In a very dehumanizing time, sending a short two minute video to almost all of your employees expressing that they no longer have a source of income is cruel in my opinion. I understand that social distancing is important and one’s health and safety is a priority but these people at least deserve an in person conversation. I think the fact that the employees were also looking forward to getting back to work because their company was having conversations about how they can get shows out as soon as possible, to be fired in the midst of those conversations and everything else going on is truly heartbreaking. I’m praying for the talented performers and employees of Cirque Du Soleil and their families.
Oh, uh, yikes. This is like waking up to a break-up text first thing in the morning, except it is ten times less personal and twenty times more threatening to your survival. I think the least that could have been done would have been to contact the employees personally to lay them off. Yeah, 4679 people is a lot, but you open that can of worms, you lie in it. If you are going to fire that many people, you owe it to them to do it right and with respect. It is so devastating that so many performance companies and venues are shutting down because they are a live art form, coupled with widespread quarantine at the moment. We as a society rely so much on entertainers, and yet they are some of the first to go when crises like this arise.
This is horrifying, and truly just odd. I do not know that I understand how someone could make that choice and believe it was the right one. I think if there is a perfect example of how not to treat human beings during an already incredibly stressful and frightening time, it is this. I will say that the “Bono sunglasses” quote did give me a chuckle, but overall I was just deeply disturbed by the entirety of the article. I understand that social distancing is important, but sending a single video for 95% of your employees simply to throw them into even more unknowns and fears during this already terrible time, is simply inhumane. To hear of these actions from such a large presence in the theatrical field is truly disheartening, and I feel deeply for all those hard working employees who are now unemployed is such a terrifying time.
It is honestly pretty shocking to see that even companies as large and well-established as Cirque are laying-off their employees. It is even more shocking to see that some of them were administrative staff and artistic directors. Nearly five-thousand people? That is insane. I also think that the way this was done was particularly insensitive and out-of-touch. It honestly kind of reminds me of the ridiculous Gal Gadot “Imagine” video that has been going around recently. Firing people with a mass streamed video “for their health” is absolutely horrible. Dodging their questions about why this has happened afterwards is so much worse, like twisting a knife. If all of these people were not working or being paid anyway because of event closures, why fire them? Why not at least leave them with the security of a job after all the madness? Unless Cirque thinks they might not bounce back from this, I cannot really see a reason.
This is just terrible! I have been hearing on the news that many people have been laid off because of the closing of all nonessential businesses and my heart truly goes out to anyone who has been affected by the coronavirus pandemic. I can’t imagine a CEO laying off thousands of employees via a short video informing that they are now unemployed. This is ridiculous and as hard as it is to make that call he could have come up with a better less insensitive way to inform the employees. This is extremely upsetting to me because I have a lot of respect for Cirque du Soleil. I have had the privilege of seeing their shows and they are always amazing!! This certainly makes me think less of their management and unfortunately will probably affect my vision of their company. I’m just praying that in a few weeks things will get better and people might be able to get their jobs back.
I am absolutely just flabbergasted. I understand that there is not necessarily an efficient way to go about firing thousands of people but, honestly, I do not think this was something that needed to be “efficient”. Leaving someone without a source of income is not an inpersonal thing and should not be treated as such. These are people who break their backs every work day for you, working absolutely insane hours sometimes, only to be fired en masse by a man that you have probably never encountered personally is absolutely abysmal. There was an improper way to go about laying off all of these workers. There was a wrong way. There were definitely better “bad” options that Cirque du Soleil and Daniel Lamarre could have chosen. Instead, they bypassed all of those and chose the version of the draft marked “abysmal” in bold, red lettering.
The number of people getting laid off, losing their jobs, and being forced to break from work during this time of crisis is insane. Losing a job is hard to deal with in general, but being told this information through a two minute long video. I can understand the use of a video of email due to social distancing and keeping people from gathering, but there should’ve been more thought and care put into it. How much can you really say in such a short period of time? It seems like the CEO didn’t think hard enough about the impact it would have on the 4679 people being laid off, since he’ll still most likely be just fine no matter what happens. But these people are impacted much more by losing their jobs for an indefinite amount of time. Something else that seems so strange is what they’re saying about the fact that the employees wouldn’t be able to cash in on any paid time off or unused sick days since it would “indicate that the employee had quit.” Nothing about what’s happening is normal circumstances. These people need support and understanding, not whatever this was.
Unfortunately, in times like these, we will probably see a lot of things like this pop-up. As firing and layoffs occur throughout the country and beyond it becomes a lesson for various groups on appropriate conduct in trying times. I personally believe you can say you are affected by something or having a bad day but you are always responsible for how you treat people regardless. This is an example of using the “bad day excuse” to justify bizarre behavior. Possibly this was to protect the fastest way to deliver information to avoid rumors and misinformation spreading. This pandemic in general also shows how delicate the performing arts industry is in general. This kind of thing can happen at any time and last for a long time. I wonder if there is any kind of back up plan for this kind of thing that an arts employee can plan for and employ. Not that I think that any of this could be predicted. Never did I think one month ago that Broadway would be closed and 95% of Employees at Cirque laid off.
Unfortunately, in times like these, we will probably see a lot of things like this pop-up. As firing and layoffs occur throughout the country and beyond it becomes a lesson for various groups on appropriate conduct in trying times. I personally believe you can say you are affected by something or having a bad day but you are always responsible for how you treat people regardless. This is an example of using the “bad day excuse” to justify bizarre behavior. Possibly this was to protect the fastest way to deliver information to avoid rumors and misinformation spreading. This pandemic in general also shows how delicate the performing arts industry is in general. This kind of thing can happen at any time and last for a long time. I wonder if there is any kind of back up plan for this kind of thing that an arts employee can plan for and employ. Not that I think that any of this could be predicted. Never did I think one month ago that Broadway would be closed and 95% of Employees at Cirque laid off.
Wow. I can kind of understand the motivation for making the video, as tone can sometimes be difficult to convey in an email, and there’s the face-to-face aspect of it, but this just feels so tone-deaf to me. Finding out you are suddenly laid off is already an awful shock, especially with the current crisis meaning that finding additional work is essentially impossible, but to be told through a one-minute video sent to the entire company at once seems almost insulting. I don’t think there’s necessarily a good way to lay off what is essentially an entire company, but this isn’t it. At the very least, supervisors and department heads could have been informed by phone and then passed the decision along to their workers in a more personal and sympathetic manner, with the executives providing guidance for the people they just laid off in difficult times. This solution of making a video just seems so awkward and unnecessary.
Even though we are living through a time of lots of changes and uncertainty, we should all be doing what we can to help one another and keep the chaos to a minimum where we have control. Laying employees off via video is strange and confusing enough, but doing it mass-text style and sending it to the whole company? Laying off 95% of employees?! That's insane. Does he just expect to be able to hire them all again once the pandemic is over and the economy is going back to normal? If I were one of the 95%, I wouldn't just be hopping back on the cirque train after this happens. Like others have said, we are living through extraordinary times and measures have been taken none of us are familiar with, but that doesn't mean you should not be respectful and professional..? A short video is very impersonal, and I can’t imagine the CEO isn't receiving any backlash. It will be interesting to see how this affects the future of the company.
Even though we are living through a time of lots of changes and uncertainty, we should all be doing what we can to help one another and keep the chaos to a minimum where we have control. Laying employees off via video is strange and confusing enough, but doing it mass-text style and sending it to the whole company? Laying off 95% of employees?! That's insane. Does he just expect to be able to hire them all again once the pandemic is over and the economy is going back to normal? If I were one of the 95%, I wouldn't just be hopping back on the cirque train after this happens. Like others have said, we are living through extraordinary times and measures have been taken none of us are familiar with, but that doesn't mean you should not be respectful and professional..? A short video is very impersonal, and I can’t imagine the CEO isn't receiving any backlash. It will be interesting to see how this affects the future of the company.
Even though we are living through a time of lots of changes and uncertainty, we should all be doing what we can to help one another and keep the chaos to a minimum where we have control. Laying employees off via video is strange and confusing enough, but doing it mass-text style and sending it to the whole company? Laying off 95% of employees?! That's insane. Does he just expect to be able to hire them all again once the pandemic is over and the economy is going back to normal? If I were one of the 95%, I wouldn't just be hopping back on the cirque train after this happens. Like others have said, we are living through extraordinary times and measures have been taken none of us are familiar with, but that doesn't mean you should not be respectful and professional..? A short video is very impersonal, and I can’t imagine the CEO isn't receiving any backlash. It will be interesting to see how this affects the future of the company.
This is so heartbreaking to read. The fact that 95% of workers were laid off within the span of 2 minutes with hardly an explanation is just plain unfair. It makes a bit of sense since the show will not have an audience, therefore no money coming in, but the fact that so many people were lost is just so sad. For many people, this was their source of income and how they supported their families, now just gone in an instant. It’s even more bizarre that their boss had such a cold response in executing the order. It feels disrespectful to the people who dedicated so much time and talent to the company. Articles like these break my heart for the artists around the world, and terrifies me for what is to come after the disease is over. Panic is causing a great loss of money. We can only hope we can find our footing again soon after.
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