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HMH Speaks: "Streamlining" Underway, with "Reduction of Some [Hundreds of?] Positions"

December 5, 2008
By Michael Cader

Houghton Mifflin Harcourt confirmed today “it is moving forward with the planned combination of various of its businesses into a new K-12 organization comprised of School Publishers, Holt McDougal, Supplemental Publishers, Heinemann, HMH Learning Technology and International Publishers. These businesses were brought together with the acquisition of Harcourt by Houghton Mifflin in December 2007, and the integration process has been underway since that time.” They note that “the streamlining of the business will result in the elimination of some positions, even as new roles are created that will let the company serve educators and students in new and unique ways.” (In a November announcement about this consolidated K-12 division, run by president Mike Lavelle, the company had said they were already “shifting from integration to transformation.”)

Following the release of the company’s statement and an internal memo from ceo Tony Lucki, the WSJ says that “at least several hundred of the company’s 5,300 full-time employees are expected to lose their jobs, according to a person familiar with the situation.”

The new organizational structure “will have financial benefits for the company, which, in turn will help it weather the impacts of the current economic crisis.  In light of the challenging conditions worldwide, the company has taken a hard look at its business and is making changes in some of its other operations to lower expenses. These actions are consistent with those occurring within other companies across a full spectrum of businesses, and include the reduction of some positions in the company’s Trade and Reference and Riverside Publishing divisions.”

The statement adds that “the company is proceeding carefully and thoughtfully to assure that it is making the best, most productive use of its resources. Overall, Houghton Mifflin Harcourt anticipates that the changes being announced will better position the company to realize its long-term strategic objectives while taking into account the current economic environment.”

Separately, spokesman Josef Blumenfeld tells us that Houghton Mifflin Harcourt editor-in-chief Andrea Schulz “will manage the adult editorial group.” She now reports to HMH trade and reference president Gary Gentel. Blumenfeld declined to indicate if this is an interim or standing arrangement,

Filed Under: Finance, Free

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