Accessibility to training resources
Employers should provide their employees with the proper resources to improve and be well versed in their specialties. As the human resources department of a company controls the training resources that are available to employees, employees should be sufficiently satisfied with the opportunities for improvement that the department provides and the department should be ranked highly against similarly sized companies.
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The Associated Press’s Human Resources department is tasked with providing its employees with training resources. But, only 57% of employees are satisfied with HR’s actions and the opportunities they provide, ranking them in the bottom 15% of similarly sized companies.
Employee benefits in comparison to industry standards
Every business should provide their employees with benefits to improve their working life and the health of themselves and their family. Standard benefits that should be offered include health insurance, life insurance, dental insurance, paid time off or sick time, paid medical leave, education assistance, and 401k. Employees should have a good sentiment around the perks and benefits their company provides, and the benefits should rank highly against similarly sized companies.
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The Associated Press provides perks and benefits that are in the bottom 10% of similarly sized companies. Benefits include but are not limited to Dental Insurance, Vision Insurance, Health Insurance, Paid Holidays, 401K, and other Office Perks. Nevertheless, 33% of employees rate the Associated Press’s benefits as terrible and 67% rate them as being neutral. This stems from the large grip that the Union has, as the Associated Press is forced to have constant cutbacks, layoffs, and declining hours to satisfy the Union’s demands.
Overall work environment
A healthy work environment provides several perks such as increasing productivity and creativity and boosting motivation and company morale. Employees should be comfortable working with their peers and feel that they have an adequate amount of freedom to improve. As a result, a company should cultivate a work environment that is highly rated by both employees and against similar companies, and employees should also be pleased with the company's leadership and the opportunities they provide.
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The Associated Press facilitates a work environment that ranks in the bottom 15% of similarly sized companies. Though the company does appear to provide a better environment for more senior employees, for the average employee, they cite that the company morale needs to be boosted. Additionally, the Associated Press has a lot of office politics and functions in a bureaucratic system that prevents an enjoyable workplace. Furthermore, the upper management resists change and visions for how to improve revenue and profits.
Salaries in comparison to industry standards
Higher salaries and compensation allow employees to be more invested in their jobs and feel that they are valued by the company. It also allowed companies to expect that employees are more productive and that they produce high-quality work. As a result, employers should provide salaries that rate them highly in comparison to similarly-sized companies and employees should be satisfied with their compensation.
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The Associated Press provides compensation that ranks within the bottom 5% of similarly sized companies. The average salary for reporters is $12.98 per hour, which is lower than the minimum wage in some states, and the average salary for news producers is $65,000. An editor makes an average of $114,000 per year, however, this being said, only 71% of employees are satisfied with their salaries.
Work from home and response to the pandemic
Allowing employees to work from home, gives them the opportunity to work in a more comfortable setting and have fewer distractions. Especially during the COVID-19 pandemic, being able to work from home is important to keep safe and still be productive. Thus, employees should be satisfied with the company's response and leadership during the pandemic, and a minimal number of employees should be expected to work in the office.
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During the pandemic, the Associated Press adjusted its operations, such that only an average of 28% of employees were supposed to be in the office, based on their positions. They also provided benefits such as paid sick days off in response to COVID-19, with 75% of their employees approving of its response to the pandemic.
