Gibson Guitar CEO Henry Juszkiewicz has responded to a post in Gawker from earlier today that claims “Gibson Guitar CEO Gets ENRAGED If Someone Asks For a Day Off,” and he is none too pleased. Gawker’s Hamilton Nolan, being familiar with “rumors of Juszkiewicz’s unpleasantness as a boss,” published an email Juszkiewicz was alleged to have sent to several top Gibson executives, in which he excoriated one of them for requesting an additional day off during the holiday season.
Responding to ANIMAL’s request for comment, Juszkiewicz wrote, “that email was accurate,” but that Gawker’s headline “does not truthfully reflect the email” and does not “reflect the context of the situation.”
For context, here’s an excerpt from the email obtained by Gawker, which Nolan prefaced with: “We’re told that something like 20 people were CC’d on this email chain. Does Gibson really have a “manic psychotic” CEO? You decide”:
Subject: RE: Personal Day-Thanksgiving Approval requested
NO
I do not allow leaders to be absent the days before and after a holiday. I had asked Tom to make it clear, but apparently people have not understood or the communication was not clear.
You cannot take long weekends or long holidays unless there are special circumstances. You are leaders and these are work days. During work our leaders need to be there doing their jobs. Taking time off when other people cannot do so or causing insufficient staff during working periods shows a lack of responsibility and consideration for all that depend on our business to be there for them.
Henceforth vacations must be taken for a minimum of one week and must be scheduled well in advance. I will expect a vacation calendar from my direct reports for an entire year.
I will turn down all requests for long weekends and for periods of less than 5 contiguous days without special circumstances.
With that, we leave Juszkiewicz’s email to ANIMAL below and ask you to ponder a bit more — “Does Gibson really have a ‘manic psychotic’ CEO?”:
The headline does not truthfully reflect the email which was in the body of the article. That email was accurate but does not reflect the context of the situation.
Our company offers generous vacation and sick days. Our concern is that these days are scheduled respecting what is happening at the company and the people that might be impacted.
This executive had previously requested a day that I felt would potentially be disruptive and that request was denied by myself. That executive then emailed me that they were sick and they were absent on the day that had been denied. When asked for some proof of illness, they admitted they were not sick and had misled me.
This executive has used the generous vacation policy to take a great many Mondays, Fridays and days before and after holidays off working consistent short weeks leaving the employees that work for them without leadership and showing insensitivity for the people that work for them and come in to work.
The people copied on this email were top executives and this was only addressed to our top company leadership. This unnamed executive never asked to discuss our policy, my concerns or had made any attempt to communicate with me. It was clearly inappropriate to copy 20 other executives when they request a day off. This clearly send a message of an agenda on their part.
(Screengrab: Bending Reality TV)
