How to handle

[wordsmith]

Okay, annual year end project coming up...Year in Review, where we put out a supplement in the last issue of the year that recaps each week (births, deaths, weddings, and capsule tidbits from all page one stories, and various noteworthy photos). We always say we'll keep up with it throughout the year, but nobody ever does, and come the beginning of December, we split it up and tackle it in large chunks, going back through the stacks and doing the recaps. It's not hard, just time-consuming and tedious.

Each year, three, sometimes four, people have this job: Myself (editor), lifestyle editor, sports editor, and publisher (when he feels so inclined...last year, he didn't, this year I'm guessing he won't, either, and since he's above me, I can't make him help). Which means it'll be three of us working on it.

I'm considering dividing it up thusly - Me - Jan-Feb-March; lifestyle editor - April-May-June; sports editor - the rest of the year.

Reason being for the inequitable division of labor - we have an inequitable division of labor here, period...I and the lifestyle editor are about 10x as busy as sport guy. Sport guy is a nice guy, but when he's not at games, he has nothing to do, and usually ends up leaving early. Case in point, he came to work for about 3 hours this a.m., had nothing to do, and left. I'm not saying he doesn't work...he covers tons in the evenings and on weekends (as do I, just not sports). But he doesn't put in a whole lot of office time, while I and the lifestyle editor, who are both also reporters, put in full days in the office. When it comes to pagination, he is responsible for two, at the very most, three pages per issues. In our current issue, by contrast, I was responsible for thirteen, myself. I'd prefer to give him half the year to handle, and myself and my lifestyles editor, a quarter each, because he has the time.

Question...how do I get him to not throw a fit about it?

[pisces2473]

. I'd prefer to give him half the year to handle, and myself and my lifestyles editor, a quarter each, because he has the time.

Question...how do I get him to not throw a fit about it?
What if you say that part, that I quoted, to him?

[wordsmith]

He'll get defensive and say that he works as many hours as anybody, just out of house, so why should he do more?

[weary]

can you just say sports and publisher dudes, you get from june through dec and let them duke it out?

[embrassezla]

This is kind of sneaky, but can you announce that you are just splitting the year between the lifestyle editor and the sports guy because you have to work on [some other time-consuming thing], and say that you will try to help if/when you can, with full intention (and perhaps the lifestyle editor's knowledge) of doing jan-march anyway?

[cache]

Ask your publisher if s/he has time to help, and when s/he declines, just casually mention "is it Ok to give those 3 extra months to (the sports editor)? Then you have back up, but possibly may not have to deal with it...

[pisces2473]

Or, what about a staff meeting about the end of year paper? And then discuss it then.

[wordsmith]

Or, what about a staff meeting about the end of year paper? And then discuss it then.

My publisher will push for dividing it equally (he was the sports guy for years, and always babies the sports guys and cuts them all kinds of slack).

[and1grad]

I say tell him that throughout the year, you guys do the lion's share of the work. Asking him to the same for once shouldnt be much of an issue. Then if he still balks, pull out past papers as evidence of how much more than him you do on a weekly basis.