Coronavirus just hit home for a lot of the Black community.
Essence, a major publication dedicated to Black women, just furloughed some of its staff.
According to a press release from the company, they shared they have been forced to furlough its staff due to a loss in revenue as a result of COVID-19. If you recall, the pandemic led the publication to cancel one of its major events — the Essence Festival of Culture.
“Six months into an unprecedented and continuing global pandemic, COVID-19 has had a broader and longer-lasting impact than anyone expected—and Essence Communications, Inc. has not been immune to it,” Essence said in a statement. “The company informed impacted team members today, and while no furloughed employee will perform any work on behalf of ECI during this period, we will pay everyone impacted throughout this week and will cover their medical benefits premiums throughout the furlough.”
While the publication shares that it would only pay salaries through the week, they do not anticipate the furloughs lasting longer than six months. Essence now joins several other media publications that have implemented furloughs during the pandemic which include, magazine publisher Condé Nast, Vox Media, and BuzzFeed News, all who have restored full salaries for employees in recent weeks.
