Jane Grooms Its Next Generation of Staffers

We don’t want to impugn the intelligence of Jane readers—though maybe we’d like to impugn the intelligence of Jane staffers. Just a little. Anyway. The true stories shared by readers in December/January’s “Are You About to Be Fired?” make us wonder exactly how these readers manage to be  employed—and how even more out-of-touch Jane must be to consider these workplace tales of adversity even remotely helpful. Or even remotely illustrative of reality.

We give you the story of 22-year-old Heather.

“I always get in trouble for stuff like putting the word yay in an e-mail, or ‘unprofessional’ chitchat, like asking a client with 10 kids if he’s Catholic…”

Guess what, Heather? That’s not ‘unprofessional.’ It’s unprofessional. (Ask a grown-up to explain that one to you, dear, as we’re sure the finer points of punctuation are completely lost on you.) Not to mention potentially offensive and certainly rude.

Then there’s Danielle, who, at 26, is old enough to know better.

“No one seems to have a problem with three-martini lunches, but I guess when it’s 8 a.m., it’s somehow inappropriate.”

Somehow.

And even more galling is that Jane doesn’t take a moment to explain to readers that inquiring about a client’s religion or showing up at work sauced is, you know, generally unacceptable. 

Hey, maybe such behavior is totally okay  at the magazine’s headquarters (and soooo Jane, too!). But why bother to educate the young, impressionable readers in proper workplace etiquette? Someone’s got to grow up and go to work for Brandon Holley.

Comments

[m]

Hilarious, in a disturbing way. Perhaps Jane makes up most stories like this. Perhaps their staff gets a laugh out of how many people gobble this sort of junk as authentic journalism.