You’ve probably had your share of tough conversations with employees as an HR manager. Imagine having to tell someone who has worked more than 30 years at your company in a key role — and who happens to be waiting for a kidney transplant — that he’s being let go immediately. That’s what happened to Steve Gibbons, the morning host at KRNT-AM in Des Moines, Iowa.
One day earlier this month, he completed his morning radio show at 10 a.m. just like he did every day. Ten minutes later, the station’s new general manager called him into his office.
Gibbons told the Des Moines Register, “They told me to clean out my desk, which is kind of funny because I don’t have a desk.”
Of course these days, the scenario isn’t all that unusual. The station’s parent company, Saga Communications, ordered their stations in Des Moines to cut costs.
Gibbons spends 12 hours a week in kidney dialysis. He’s been waiting more than two years for a transplant since doctors told him his kidneys were failing. He’s a tough match with type O-positive blood.
Gibbons sees one bright side to his recent layoff. He doesn’t have to go to bed at 7:30 p.m. and get up at 4:30 a.m. so he can host the morning show. Now he’ll have more time to recover from his dialysis.
